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It’s been nearly seven years since the 2015 release of Hilary Duff‘s fifth album, Breathe In, Breathe Out — and the star is ready to make some music again.
Duff chatted with Cosmopolitan about her role in Hulu’s How I Met Your Father, and was asked about the possibility of a new album. “I’m not working on music right now but I have been talking to my husband [fellow artist Matthew Koma] about getting into the studio and starting to stretch the muscles a little bit,” she revealed. “I really want to, but I need time to figure out what I’m saying, what kind of record I’m making, and who it’s for. But, yes, I want to.”
She continued, “You know how annoying it is to go to a concert, and they don’t play the hits? I want to serve people what they want, but I also want it to be authentic to who I am now, and that’s very complicated.”
As for her extensive, decades-spanning discography, Duff shared a cute anecdote about how much her three-year-old daughter Banks loves her 2015 hit “Sparks.”
“I can’t get away from [“Sparks”] because someone exposed my three-year-old to it,” she told the publication. “We get in the car, and I have to listen to my own music because my daughter’s screaming, ‘I want ‘parks, I want ‘parks.’ I’m rolling up to her preschool, and every time I turn it way down she’s like, ‘Why do you turn it off? Why you turn it off?’ Like, girl. I’m not rolling up to your preschool blasting my own s—. So embarrassing.”
The first two episodes of How I Met Your Fathers starring Duff as Sophie arrived on Hulu Tuesday (Jan. 18). The sequel to How I Met Your Mother flips the narrative of its predecessor by focusing on a woman telling her son the story of how she met his father.
How I Met Your Mother is streaming exclusively on Hulu, but if you’re not subscribed, join today, and watch the series and any other content on the platform for free (for the first month). Hulu’s cheapest, and most popular, subscription plan starts at $6.99 a month after a free 30-day trial.
Mick Fleetwood is teaming with Fox for a musical drama called 13 Songs.
The Fleetwood Mac co-founder and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer will serve as an executive producer and contribute creative ideas and music for the drama, which has received a script order at the broadcast network.
From writers Will Reiser (50/50) and Jonathan Prince (Four Weddings and a Funeral), 13 Songs revolves around rock legend Jasper Jones, who with his band, The Grift, once made music that spoke to a generation of Americans. Decades later, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Jasper is given only a few months to live. As a final love letter to his fans, Jasper reconnects with his band to write and record 13 final songs and leave his mark on the world forever.
The drama hails from Lionsgate, Polygram Entertainment, Thruline Entertainment and Megamix. Fleetwood exec produces alongside Thruline’s Willie Mercer and Ron West; Megamix’s Gillian Bohrer and Polygram’s David Blackman.
13 Songs arrives as Fox continues to look to musical-driven scripted originals for its primetime roster. The broadcast network recently pushed Monarch to fall in a bid to have the serialized country music drama air without interruption.
In success, music-driven scripted fare generates ancillary revenue from music and album sales. Such was the case with Fox’s Empire and Glee, the latter of which became a massive franchise thanks in part to global tours, downloads and merchandising.
Fleetwood is repped by CAA; Reiser is with UTA, Thruline and Jamie Feldman; Prince is with Thruline, Rothman Brecher and Brad Small; Levine is with CAA and Carlos Goodman.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
UTA is bolstering its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives with the hire of Lindsay Wagner, who has been hired as the company’s new chief diversity officer.
“As UTA grows, we must continue to cultivate a more diverse, multifaceted and inclusive culture,” said UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer in a release. “Lindsay has a proven track record of pushing the envelope and leading with a fresh and unique perspective. I am confident that she will bring ingenuity to this new role and will be a great steward for the cause.”
In the newly created position, Wagner will amplify UTA’s existing values and commitments to the creative and business community. This includes the company’s previously announced pledge of $1 million to social justice causes, which accompanied a series of internal initiatives — from raising pay for entry-level positions to unconscious bias training for all employees and promoting senior agents of color to the UTA Board and Partnership, among other actions. Additionally, she will counsel the company’s clients and devise and execute tactics that align with UTA’s dedication to upholding diverse perspectives and projects.
“Entertainment sits at the cross-section of culture, storytelling and influence and therefore it’s critical that we collectively continue to identify and amplify authentic representation inside and outside of the organization,” said Wagner in a statement. “I am honored to join UTA and contribute to this purpose-led team focused on building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive community and industry now and for generations to come.”
Prior to joining UTA, Wagner served as senior vp and head of diversity, equity and inclusion, North America at the global communications consulting firm Ketchum. During her tenure, she developed and executed a community-centered DEI strategy and structure that included auditing the firm’s existing programs to positively impact the recruitment, retention and engagement of diverse talent. She also led the company’s partnership with the HBCU Week Foundation and worked across parent company Omnicom’s wider network to help establish the first-ever global town hall for Black employees.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Lindsay to the UTA family. With her wide-ranging experience and expertise, we know that she will elevate our mission to foster an inclusive environment, which allows for our colleagues to thrive and will attract the most inspiring and dynamic people to our company,” said UTA partner and chief people officer Jean-Rene Zetrenne in a release.
Wagner is a member of Justice League NYC & CA — a task force for The Gathering For Justice — which organizes large-scale direct action dedicated to ending racial inequality in the criminal justice system. She has also served as executive director of the New York City chapter of ColorComm, the nation’s leading women’s platform addressing diversity and inclusion across the communications and media industries.
At UTA, Wagner will be based in Los Angeles and report jointly to Zimmer and Zetrenne.
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A$AP Rocky is excited for fans to get their hands on his flame-friendly new line of apparel and sneakers.
The 33-year-old rapper joined forces with Pacsun for a third and final collaboration with Vans, the Los Angeles-based surf and lifestyle brand announced last Friday (Jan. 14). “Vans have always been a closet staple,” Rocky said in a statement. “The new drop adds a fresh spin on a classic and I’m excited for everyone to style them in their own unique way.”
The nostalgic but forward-thinking collection is the Harlem’s rapper’s latest fashion drop since taking on the role as Pacsun’s Guest Artistic Director. Featured in the collaboration are reworked versions of the classic Vans slip-on sneakers and Van’s slip-on mules, which are available in black and white colorways and multi-color flame designs.
The Vans x ASAP Rocky Classic Slip-on Shoes retails for $80 and are available in black and white, and black and red designs. The mules, which are slightly cheaper at $75, come in white and red and black and red colorways.
Vans x A$AP Worldwide Classic Slip-On Shoes
Vans x A$AP Worldwide Classic Slip-On Mule Shoes
The latest installment of Rocky’s Pacsun collaboration includes Russell Athletics logo T-shirts ($60) with matching valley shorts ($60) and graphic hoodies ($90) with matching, drawstring sweatpants ($80). The hoodies feature skull print with contrasted stitching, a kangaroo pocket and a chenille “Russell” graphic across the front. The sweatpants and hoodies are available green, black and red, blue, rust and white and brown.
“We are continuously impressed by Rocky’s fresh takes on classic styles,” noted Pacsun Co-CEO Alfred Chang. “We are excited to introduce the newest iteration as part of his collaborative effort with Pacsun, to kick off the new year.”
The line arrives just over a month after Rocky made a surprise appearance at Pacsun’s flagship store in Soho, where fans were treated to exclusive pairs of sneakers before the collection officially dropped.
Rocky and Pacsun announced their partnership last year. The “Sandman” rapper was the Southern California brand’s first ever Guest Artistic Director but it’s unclear what else they could be cooking up in the future. Last summer, Rocky revealed last year that he and Pacsun would be releasing “several limited-edition collections” together.
Pacsun’s previous collaborations include North Face, Adidas, Champion, Fear of God, J. Galt and Guess.
Blue Ivy Carter was serving looks on Monday (Jan. 17), when she and her dad Jay-Z attended the NFL game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Arizona Cardinals.
Beyoncé and her twin children, Rumi and Sir, were seemingly not in attendance, as a snap circulated the Internet of just the father-daughter duo, sitting side by side and watching the match.
All eyes, however, were not on the “Can’t Knock the Hustle” rapper, but instead, on 10-year-old Blue Ivy herself, who rocked a sleek graphic t-shirt with a snap back, clear-framed glasses and lots of gold accessories.
Twitter went wild over Blue’s undeniable swag, pointing out everything from her oozing cool factor to jokingly pointing out how she’s the real celebrity in the father-daughter photo.
See some tweets gushing over Blue’s style below.
i wish i was as cool as blue ivy https://t.co/SqR2Yr439y
— ॐ (@Hello_Kaejah) January 18, 2022
Blue Ivy is the supreme Carter. Argue witcha momma.
— Meghan (& Harry) Won (@ONLYM1A) January 18, 2022
Blue Ivy at the game dressing better than me on my best day in my prime! pic.twitter.com/HgmPz6EmSf
— #EverybodyHatesPest (@djpest) January 18, 2022
Blue Ivy swag so crazy
— Shaan (@NewZealandShaan) January 18, 2022
Blue Ivy’s FIT tho’ ‼️💧💧 🥶 🧊 pic.twitter.com/fBsPJXJYos
— Genderless G. (@VigorousMental) January 18, 2022
Ms Blue Ivy Carter just NATURALLY and effortlessly exudes cool girl energy. Love that for my niece!
— it’s a Lynx… NOT a cat. (@TheBoujeeBoho) January 18, 2022
Nah just look at the drip in Blue Ivy
— Sam Gardner (@Coolest_KIDD) January 18, 2022
Not me and blue ivy having on the same drip
— Larry Johnson (@cause4conceit) January 18, 2022
Gunna scores his second No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart as DS4Ever debuts atop the tally (dated Jan. 22). The rapper previously led the list with his last release, Wunna, which bowed at No. 1 on the June 6, 2020-dated chart. In total, DS4Ever is his fifth charting album and fourth top 10.
The star-studded, 19-track DS4Ever album was released on Jan. 7 and boasts collaborations with and/or featured turns from 21 Savage, Chris Brown, Future, Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch and Young Thug, among others. The album and its release date were announced on Jan. 1, after months of speculation.
DS4Ever launches with 150,300 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 13, according to MRC Data, nearly all from streaming activity. The launch marks his best week yet in terms of units earned. His previous largest week, by units, was the opening frame of Drip Harder, a joint album with Lil Baby, and its 130,000 units in 2018.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Jan 22, 2022-dated chart (where DS4Ever bows No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Jan. 19 – one day later than usual, owed to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on Jan. 17 in the U.S. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of DS4Ever’s 150,300 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 144,600 (equaling 193.5 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs in its first week, making it the most-streamed album of the week), album sales comprise 4,700 and TEA units comprise 1,000.
DS4Ever dropped on Jan. 7 as a 19-track standard album via streaming services and digital retail. On Jan. 11, a deluxe edition with four bonus tracks was briefly released to streamers and digital retail, but was pulled down that same day. A 20-track edition of the album, which added “P Power” featuring Drake, was released late in the day on Jan. 13, the final day of the tracking week.
DS4Ever sold for as low as $7.99 in the iTunes Store during its first week, while Gunna’s official webstore sold the digital album for $4.
A CD edition of DS4Ever will not become widely available until late February or early March. However, a standard edition of the album garnered a limited release during street week, including its availability at Rough Trade in New York in conjunction with Gunna’s in-store appearance at the location on Jan. 13.
DS4Ever is the fourth release in Gunna’s Drip Season mixtape series. The first to chart from the series was Drip Season 3, which debuted and peaked at No. 55 in 2018. Gunna then followed it up with Drip Harder, a collaborative album with Lil Baby, which hit No. 4 later that year. In 2019, he released Drip or Drown 2, which peaked at No. 3.
The Weeknd’s album Dawn FM arrives at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, securing the superstar his eighth top 10 album – the entirety of his charting releases. The 16-track Dawn FM was released on Jan. 7 and includes featured guest turns from Tyler, the Creator and Lil Wayne, and guest appearances by Quincy Jones and Jim Carrey.
Dawn FM tunes in with 148,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 13, according to MRC Data. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 131,300 (equaling 173.04 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 14,800 and TEA units comprise 1,900.
Dawn FM is the follow-up to The Weeknd’s No. 1 2020 release After Hours, which launched a trio of No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Heartless,” “Blinding Lights” and “Save Your Tears” (with Ariana Grande).
Dawn FM was led by the single “Take My Breath,” which debuted and peaked at No. 6 on the Hot 100 dated Aug. 21, 2021.
The album’s title and its release date were formally announced on Jan. 3 by The Weeknd after months of build-up. The set was initially teased in mid-2021, and the artist even noted on the May 23 Billboard Music Awards that “the After Hours are done and the dawn is coming.”
Dawn FM was only available via streamers and digital download during its release week. Its CD edition is slated to be released on Jan. 28, while its vinyl LP and cassette editions are scheduled to bow on April 29.
Dawn FM garnered a 19-track deluxe edition release in the midst of its first week, as on Jan. 12 an expanded version of the album, dubbed Dawn FM (Alternate World), hit streaming services and digital retailers. The deluxe set included three new tracks: the previously released stand-alone single “Moth to a Flame,” with Swedish House Mafia, and a pair of remixes (for the album’s lead single “Take My Breath” and the new cut “Sacrifice”).
On Jan. 13, the final day of the tracking week, The Weeknd released three “collector’s” digital album variants for the standard 16-track Dawn FM album via his webstore (each with alternative cover art, priced at $3.49), as well as a “digitally signed” Dawn FM (Alternate World) digital album (priced at $5). In addition, The Weeknd’s webstore sold the standard digital version of Dawn FM for as low as $3.49 during release week, while the iTunes Store sold the standard edition for $7.99.
At No. 3 on the new Billboard 200, the Encanto film soundtrack is pushed down from No. 1 to No. 3 – though with a 32% gain in equivalent album units earned, as the album continues to grow in popularity. The set tallied 95,700 units for the week – its highest single-week sum.
Adele’s former leader 30 falls 2-4 with 48,300 equivalent album units earned (down 15%) and Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping Dangerous: The Double Album dips 3-5 with 42,800 units (up 2%).
The Weeknd’s hits compilation The Highlights climbs 8-6 with 36,300 equivalent album units (up 8%), Olivia Rodrigo’s former No. 1 Sour falls 4-7 with 35,600 units (down 14%), Drake’s chart-topping Certified Lover Boy slips 6-8 with 35,100 units (down 4%) and Doja Cat’s Planet Her dips 7-9 with 33,600 units (down 2%). Rounding out the top 10 is Taylor Swift’s former leader Red (Taylor’s Version) descends 5-10 with 33,200 units (down 12%).
MRC Data, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes an exhaustive and thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. MRC Data reviews and authenticates data, removing any suspicious or unverifiable activity using established criteria before final chart calculations are made and published. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious and unverifiable is disqualified prior to the final calculation. This can cause delays in publishing.
