Pop
Riles, Jack Garratt & More Set For Billboard Live At-Home Concerts: See This Week’s Schedule
As we head into yet another week of quarantine, Billboard‘s Live At-Home concert series will feature three more livestreamed performances for your entertainment. This week’s performances kick off Monday (July 20), with a set from New Zealand’s indie band The Naked and Famous. The act made news in April when they covered The Weeknd‘s hit “Blinding Lights,” giving the song an alternative take. On Tuesday, Jack Garrett will perform. The British singer-songwriter released his sophomore effort, Love, Death & Dancing in June. Rapper Riles, who just released his Lvl 36 EP earlier this month, wraps things up on Thursday. The shows will stream live via Billboard‘s Facebook page. Check out this week’s full schedule below: Monday (July 20)The N...
Nick Jonas Gushes Over Priyanka Chopra in Romantic Birthday Tribute: ‘I Could Stare Into Your Eyes Forever’
Nick Jonas can’t stop gushing over his beautiful wife Priyanka Chopra. The pop superstar celebrated the actress’ 38th birthday on Saturday (July 18) with a romantic post on Instagram, calling her the “most thoughtful, caring and wonderful person” he’s ever met. “I could stare into your eyes forever. I love you baby,” Jonas, 27, wrote alongside a photo of the happy couple. “I am so grateful we found one another. Happy birthday beautiful.” Jonas and Chopra, who married in December 2018, are well known for expressing their love for each other on social media. In late May, the actress took to social media to celebrate the two-year anniversary of her first date with the Jonas Brothers singer. “2 years ago today we took our very first p...
Billie Eilish Just Realized ‘Picture to Burn’ Is a Taylor Swift Song
Billie Eilish revealed that she was a huge fan of Taylor Swift‘s “Picture to Burn” when she was a little kid, but until this year, she had no idea it was even a song from Swift’s catalog. The singer put the track on the playlist of the latest episode of “me & dad radio,” the Apple Music show she records with her father, Patrick O’Connell. “Picture to Burn” was released as a single in 2008, after appearing on Swift’s country debut album in 2006 — before her foray into pop superstardom. “I used to love this song when I was like 4, no, probably older than that. Probably like 6,” Eilish shared. “Taylor Swift had these wonderful crossover country-pop songs that had these great stories to tell,” he...
The Chicks’ Gaslighter Galvanizes The Trio’s Long-Awaited Return: Review
The Lowdown: The most infamous act in country music, The Chicks (formerly known as the Dixie Chicks), stopped releasing new music 14 years ago, after their seventh album, Taking the Long Way, netted five Grammys. These included Album of the Year, plus Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Not Ready to Make Nice”, which settled any lingering questions about whether they regretted their 2003 criticism of George W. Bush (they did not). Gaslighter marks the trio’s official return, and a lot has changed, both in the surrounding world and in the sound of The Chicks’ music. But some crucial elements remain the same: their attention is firmly focused ahead of them and on the things they care for. In the songs that focus on deteriorating relationships, and notably lead singer Natalie Maines’...
Big Sean Remembers Naya Rivera in Emotional Tribute: ‘I’m Still Grieving and in Shock’
Big Sean is “still grieving and in shock” following the death of his ex-fiancé Naya Rivera. The 32-year-old “Bounce Back” rapper took to social media late Friday (July 17) to share a moving tribute to Rivera, who recently died from an accidental drowning in Southern California. “Rest In Peace Naya, God Bless your Soul! Thank you for blessing us all with your talent and presence,” Sean captioned photos of Rivera on Instagram. “you are a hero! Not just because of how you saved your son, also because of the barriers you knocked down for so many people to make them feel confident in themselves and to stand tall and be proud when they couldn’t achieve that on their own. Rivera, 33, went missing on July 8 after renting a boat in Lake Piru with her 4-year...
Mariah Carey, Ice Cube, Paul McCartney and More Remember John Lewis
The music community is mourning the loss of civil rights icon and longtime U.S. congressman John Lewis, who died Friday night (July 17) after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 80. Following his death, many artists took to social media to remember Lewis, who was the last last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists, a group led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s. He is best perhaps known for leading hundreds of protesters in the Bloody Sunday march in Selma, Alabama, in 1965. “Today we have lost a heroes’ Hero.. Thank you God for John Lewis’s life of service. Let us continue to try to walk his walk of truth. Rest in Power,” Mariah Carey wrote on Twitter. Other artists paying tribute to Lewis included Paul McCartney, Ice Cube, Lecrae, Katy Perry, Stevie Van...
First Out: New Music From Troye Sivan, The Aces, Shamir & More
If the summer heat is leaving you thirsty for new music from queer talent, look no further. Billboard Pride is here to help with First Out, our weekly roundup of some of the best new weekly music releases from LGBTQ artists. From Troye Sivan‘s fiery new single to The Aces’ vulnerable new sophomore album, check out some of our favorite new releases this week. Troye Sivan, “Easy” After announcing his new EP, In A Dream, Sivan gave his fans the brand new single that they’ve been waiting for. A crying-on-the-dancefloor anthem, the new song boasts a synth-heavy earworm melody and heartbreaking lyrics that will have you dancing and dreaming about your ex. “I can’t even look at you/ Would you look at the space just next to your feet?”...
Jason Derulo and Dixie D’Amelio Talk ‘Be Happy’ Video, Rising Stardom: Watch
As Dixie D’Amelio expands her TikTok stardom to musical superstardom, who’s the best person to call? Jason Derulo! The two sat down in a 10-minute clip posted to YouTube Wednesday (July 15) that featured D’Amelio’s close circle coming together to share their thoughts on her music video for her debut single “Be Good,” which premiered on July 1 and has already garnered more than 46 million views. “I’m so happy for you! This is so good,” the hitmaker told the 18-year-old rising star after screening the viral video together in his home. “I remember those butterflies playing songs for people for the first time, playing a video for people for the first time. It must feel crazy.” Unlike D’Amelio, who started her ris...
What’s Your Favorite Boy Band of All Time? Vote!
Billboard has been traveling back through time by ranking the best boy band projects from the past 30 years. But what’s your favorite group of all time? BTS expanded beyond a Korean household name and became a worldwide sensation with killer choreography, infectious bilingual earworms and a sublime social media presence. The septet has been a mainstay at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Social 50 chart for the last 187 weeks. Boyz II Men has been a historic mainstay on the Billboard Hot 100, notching three of the longest-leading No. 1 hits: “One Sweet Day” with Mariah Carey in 1995 for 16 weeks, “I’ll Make Love to You” in 1994 for 14 weeks, and “End of the Road” in 1992 for 13 weeks. One Direction is turning the big 1-0 next wee...
Ellie Goulding Releases ‘Brightest Blue,’ Featuring Juice WRLD, Lauv, Diplo & More: Stream It Now
It’s a bright blue day for Ellie Goulding, the British pop star whose long-awaited fourth studio set finally arrives. Brightest Blue is split in two halves, and features an a-team of guests including Juice WRLD, Lauv, blackbear, Diplo, Swae Lee and writer-and-producer assists from Tobias Jesso Jr., Starsmith, ILYA, serpentwithfeet, Chairlift’s Patrick Wimberly and Jim Eliot. Outside of music, Goulding is a tireless philanthropist and advocate. In November 2017 she was awarded the United Nation’s New Voices Award in recognition of her activism, and she was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for UN Environment. Goulding exploded out the gate in 2010 after topping the BBC Sound of… poll and scoring The BRITs Critics’ Choice award in quick succession. So far, she has two N...
Missed One of Mariah Carey’s First Live Performances 30 Years Ago? Time to Catch Up!
It’s also a digital EP. There’s a good chance you weren’t one of the lucky few to see Mariah Carey perform at New York’s Club Tatou back in 1990 when the new kid on the block wowed the crowd. And even though time has no meaning in MC world, the singer is celebrating three decades of hit-making this year under the #MC30 tag, beginning with a new EP dedicated to one of her very first live performances from that night. “We don’t acknowledge numbers, but we do acknowledge when it’s time for a celebratory moment!” Carey tweeted on Friday morning (July 17). Accompanying the tweet is archival footage of Mariah explaining how a 1970 R&B classic ended up in one of her early showcase shows featuring just her voice, a piano and background singers. &...
Billy Joel Saw a Sidewalk Piano, So Of Course He Played It
Piano men gotta piano, right? In a world gone mad, there are a few things you can count on, and Billy Joel tickling the ivories is definitely one of them. In a viral video shot last month, Joel, 71, is seen stopping to play a tune on a sidewalk keyboard in Huntington, Long Island, zipping of an impromptu version of Shelton Brooks’ 1917 ragtime roll “Darktown Strutters’ Ball.” Wearing a black jacket and pants and sporting a motorcycle helmet, Joel opines, “Not bad, the action is good… Just needs tuning, and the finish is beat. It’s a perfectly good piano.” Tinkling the high end of the instrument the singer adds, “It’s a shame to throw it out,” before suggesting someone should donate it to St. Vincent de Paul. He also check ou...
