R&B
Song of the Week: Rina Sawayama Throws the Hottest Dance Party Around in “This Hell”
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, Rina Sawayama has us burning up in all the best ways. Rina Sawayama is one of the most exciting and dynamic pop girlies out there at the moment. She gives us choreography. She gives us camp. She gives us bright, colorful, inclusive bops, fueled by her keen sense of melodic construction and a healthy heaping of fun. Look at her indulgent and slyly anti-capitalistic “XS,” addictive “LUCID,” or her verse on Charli XCX’s “Beg For You” if you’re in need of a crash course. With “This Hell,” she injects a touch of yee...
Sudan Archives Celebrates Black Hair in New Song “Selfish Soul”: Stream
It’s about time Sudan Archives feeds her “Selfish Soul” — or, more accurately, that she embraces her natural beauty. Listen to the singer-songwriter’s new single, an empowering ode to Black hair, below. “Selfish Soul” rumbles with a quiet bass line and Sudan Archives’ signature acrobatic violin. In the song, the artist, born Brittney Denise Parks, puts voice to the fears all Black women face as they navigate our Euro-centric society: “If I cut my hair, hope I grow it long/ Back long, back time like way before/ If I wear it straight will they like me more?/ Like those girls on front covers?” Later, she asks, “Am I good enough?” “I feel like there’s an American standard of what beautiful hair is, and I wanted to show in this video that’s not what all beauty is; to showcase different hairstyl...
Kehlani Announces 2022 World Tour
Kehlani has announced the “Blue Water Road Trip,” an expansive 2022 tour in support of her new album blue water road. The 43-date trek includes 28 concerts in North America followed by another 15 shows in Europe. Rico Nasty will accompany Kehlani on the first leg, while Destin Conrad will join her from beginning to end. The “Blue Water Road Trip” begins July 30th in Raleigh, North Carolina, and from then through October Kehlani will take in cities including Atlanta, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Honolulu, Hawaii. Beginning in November the tour picks back up on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, with stops in Copenhagen, Stockholm, several German cities, and a prolonged run through the UK. Advertisement Related Video Check out the full schedule b...
Carrie Underwood, Ben Platt, Flo Rida, Gabby Barrett, & More to Perform on 2022 ‘American Idol’ Finale
After the top 5 American Idol contestants performed for mentor and fourth season winner Carrie Underwood on Sunday night (May 15), the show revealed the all-star line-up for the upcoming May 22 3-hour finale. The episode, which will air live coast-to-coast on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. ET, will have this season’s three finalists — HunterGirl, Leah Marlene and Noah Thompson — performing for one last time in their bid to take home this year’s crown. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In addition to songs from judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, next week’s season 20 finale will feature performances from Underwood, Ben Platt, Deana Carter, Earth, Wind & Fire, Flo Rida, Idol alum Gabby Barrett, James Arthur, Sara Bareilles, Melissa Ether...
2022 Billboard Music Awards: Silk Sonic Perform “Love Train”: Watch
Silk Sonic took the stage at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night to perform their cover of “Love Train” by R&B and funk band Con Funk Shun. Watch the replay below. Dressed in matching maroon leisure suits, Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars turned up the charm as they ran through the song with a fully choreographed routine in tandem with their backup dancers and band. At this year’s BBMAs, Silk Sonic are up for awards in four categories: Top Duo/Group, Top R&B Artist, Top R&B Album, and Top R&B Song, the latter of which they have already won for “Leave the Door Open.” Advertisement Related Video In April, Silk Sonic performed “777” at the 2022 Grammy Awards, where they picked up four wins for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, a...
Sean “Diddy” Combs Forms R&B Label, Announces New Album
Sean “Love” Combs (aka Diddy) has announced a new R&B label, the eponymous Love Records. The first project under the imprint will be his next solo album, slated for release this summer as part of a one-off deal with Motown Records. The “Bad Boy for Life” mogul is also sticking to his word by confirming that he will maintain his oversight role in Bad Boy Entertainment, which he founded in 1993, while developing the more genre-specific Love Records. In terms of operational duties, he will reportedly act as executive producer, curator, and A&R for his upcoming project. In a statement, Combs shared: “Music has always been my first love. Love Records is the next chapter, is about getting back to the love and making the best music of my life. For the label, I’m focused on creating t...
Ciara and Russell Wilson Introduce Precious New Puppy: ‘The Sweetest Surprise’
Ciara got quite the surprise from Russell Wilson on Mother’s Day: a brand new puppy! On Monday (May 9), the superstar couple took to social media to introduce the world to their latest bundle of furry joy. “Meet.. BRONCO,” Ciara wrote using a dog emoji. “The kids call her Bronco Love Brownie:) The sweetest surprise. I love you baby @DangeRussWilson #MothersDay.” “Got a puppy!” the Beauty Marks singer gushes in the accompanying video as she cuddles up next to the Denver Broncos quarterback with a giant smile on her face. “Say hi — say hi, Bronco! Say ‘hi guys.’ That’s a cute girl.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Back in March, Ciara hosted Billboard’s 2022 Women in Music for the second time, opening the star-studded night with a special...
How to Get Tickets to Sabrina Claudio’s 2022 Tour
Sabrina Claudio is taking her latest album Based On A Feeling out on a massive 38-date tour across North America and Europe. Get tickets here, and read on for more details including pre-sale dates. What Is Sabrina Claudio’s Next Tour? The two-leg tour begins in North America on August 25th at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. After stops in Seattle and Vancouver, Claudio departs the Pacific Northwest for the East Coast with shows at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on September 7th, Boston’s House of Blues on September 8th, and The Fillmore in Philadelphia on September 12th. The tour heads back west following dates in Detroit, Chicago, and Toronto, with performances in Denver, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. She closes out with a circuit around the southeastern US including Nashvil...
Thundercat Announces 2022 Headlining Tour Dates
Thundercat has announced a number of new headlining tour dates to go along with his upcoming stint opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers. Between July and September, the funk maestro will play shows in cities like Las Vegas, Vancouver, Milwaukee, Richmond, New Orleans, and Houston. Check out the tour’s full schedule below. Tickets for the newly announced dates go on sale Friday, May 6th at 10:00 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. A Live Nation pre-sale will proceed the public on-sale on May 5th (use code FINALE). Advertisement Related Video The upcoming dates come in support of Thundercat’s latest album, 2020’s It Is What It Is. Thundercat 2022 Tour Dates:05/16 – Tokyo, JP @ Ebisu Garden Hall05/17 – Osaka, JP @ Big Cat05/18 – Nagoya, JP @ Club Quattro06/04 – Seville, ES @ Estadio Olimpico de la...
Rihanna Shares Photos From 2021 National Heroes Day Ceremony in Barbados: ‘I Will Forever Cherish These Memories’
Rihanna was in a reflective mood on Friday morning (April 29), when she posted a series of throwback pictures from the Nov. 2021 ceremony in her native Barbados in which she bestowed with one of the nation’s highest honors. “My very first #NationalHeroesDay as a National Hero of my country Barbados! What an absolute honor to be amongst such great men and women who have come before me and held this title in commitment to our nation!” she wrote alongside a series of four pictures of the singer standing next to Prime Minister Mia Mottley at last year’s ceremony. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In a second series of pics the singer — who is in the third trimester of her first pregnancy — wrote, “I will forever cherish these memo...
Janelle Monáe Discusses Coming Out as Non-Binary to Their Family: “I Couldn’t Be Little Janelle”
Janelle Monáe stopped by Red Table Talk for the show’s Season 5 premiere and opened up about their journey of coming out as non-binary to their family. “I’m non-binary, so I just don’t see myself as a woman solely,” the singer told hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris. “I feel all of my energy. I feel like God is so much bigger than the ‘he’ or the ‘she.’ And if I am from God, I am everything… I will always stand with Black women. But I just see everything that I am, beyond the binary.” The eight-time Grammy nominee first drew attention to their identity back in 2020 when they used the hashtag #IAmNonbinary alongside a meme promoting gender fluidity on Twitter, but explained during the sitdown that they hadn’t yet started the process of getting vulnerable wi...
5 Things to Know About The Mysterious UK Collective SAULT
This article originally ran in July 2021, but we’re updating it because A) they’ve got another surprise project out today, April 15th, and B) we still don’t know who the heck they are. SAULT operates under a shroud of mystery. Since emerging in 2019 with singles “Don’t Waste My Time” and “We Are the Sun,” the UK collective has delivered four albums via independent record label Forever Living Originals under total anonymity. Their latest studio effort, AIR, dropped on April 15th, and features highlights “Reality,” “Air” and “Solar.” You can stream it below, or grab the full project through a Bandcamp Name Your Price download. Advertisement Related Video After a few years of building momentum by releasing their music at the drop of a hat with virtually no promotion, their 2021 project Nine s...
