An alarming streak of anti-Semitic hate crimes in the city will not be tolerated, New York City Mayor de Blasio said Sunday, promising a stronger police presence in Jewish communities. … Click to Continue »
The Weeknd traded his red jacket for a fleet of red convertibles during his performance of “Save Your Tears” at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.
Performing from an empty parking lot in the sprawl of downtown Los Angeles, The Weeknd started the performance by riding out the top of the leading cherry red drop-top, beauty queen style, with six more of the same cars trailing him. These rides were followed by six white vintage Mercedes driving in perfect unison.
The man born Abel Tesfaye then abandoned his vehicle, strutting through the parking lot in a suit, a long black jacket and aviators. Four white semis then entered the frame behind, with the massive trucks providing a moment of suspense when came within feet of Tesfaye when passing him on either side.
These semis were followed by the rest of the previous cars, rolling up in two straight lines, with each pair peeling off in opposite directions just in time to avoid hitting the man of the hour. An aerial shot then caught all of the vehicles circling The Weeknd as the camera panned further and further away and he hit the hit song’s high note.
The Weeknd was one of the most nominated artists of the evening, having already picked up the award for Top 100 Artist. Earlier in the night he expressed his gratitude in no longer having to wear the red jacket that was his signature throughout the After Hours album cycle performances and also hinted that a new album is on the way.
The Billboard Music Awards are produced by dick clark productions, which is owned by MRC. MRC and Penske Media are co-parent companies of Billboard.
The late artist Pop Smoke won the Top Billboard 200 Album award for his album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards Sunday (May 23). His mother, Audrey Jackson, was on hand to accept the honor.
“I thank you to the fans for honoring the life and spirit of my son, so much that he continues to manifest as if he were still here in the flesh,” she said of the rapper, who was killed in a February 2020 home invasion at age 20. “He created music for the kid who has to sleep four in a room, the kid who has to figure out how to get to school each day so he can graduate and make his mom proud. He did this so that 14-year-olds would not have to kill to prove they are somebody.”
“That is the irony in this, so thank you to the Billboard Awards leadership for honoring my young warrior,” she continued before calling the late artist by the moniker she gave him at birth. “Bashar Barakah Jackson, we call your name.”
Pop Smoke beat out an impressive group of artists to take home the award. Also up for the Top Billboard 200 Album were Juice WRLD for Legends Never Die, Lil Baby’s My Turn, Taylor Swift for Folklore, and The Weeknd for After Hours. Earlier in the day, Pop Smoke took home the award for Top New Artist. He was also a finalist in multiple categories, including Top Artist, Top Male Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, and more.
Nick Jonas hosted the event, which was streamed live from Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater.
The Billboard Music Awards are produced by dick clark productions, which is owned by MRC. MRC and Penske Media are co-parent companies of Billboard.
The Weeknd took home the top artist trophy at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday (May 23) — beating out fellow nominees Drake, Juice WRLD, Pop Smoke, and Taylor Swift.
The pop star capped his highly successful evening with his third acceptance speech of the night — thanking his parents, and once more, his fans. promising those in attendance that he does not “take this for granted.” The win was the Weeknd’s impressive 10th victory at this year’s ceremonies, following wins for top male artist, top Hot 100 artist, top Radio Songs artist, top R&B artist, top R&B male artist, top R&B album (for After Hours), top Hot 100 song, top radio song and top R&B song (all for “Blinding Lights”).
This year marks the first victory for The Weeknd in three nominations in the top artist category. He was previously nominated in 2016 and 2017, losing to Adele and Drake, respectively.
The Billboard Music Awards are produced by dick clark productions, which is owned by MRC. MRC and Penske Media are co-parent companies of Billboard.
Duran Duran took the stage at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday (May 23) night for what was the legendary new wave band’s first-ever BBMAs performance. And the British rockers did not disappoint. They performed a three-song medley from the Hammersmith Apollo in London encompassing two classic hits and their new single “Invisible,” previewing new album Future Past.
Duran Duran kicked off the medley with its Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 hit “Notorious” from 1986, then segueing into the funky, hooky “Invisible,” which was accompanied by some of the A.I.-produced visuals from the single’s video. After that, they busted out one of the best-loved, most enduring hits of the ’80s with “Hungry Like the Wolf.” The new single sat comfortably in the middle of the familiar hits, and the entire medley had a punchy, muscular confidence.
Duran Duran recently chatted with Billboard about Future Past and how Blur’s Graham Coxon ended up a key player on the album, which you can read about here.
On Sunday night at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, UK rock band and two-time finalists Glass Animals performed their hit “Heat Waves.”
Following an excited introduction from actress Kathryn Hahn — who noted the members have known one another since grade school and that this was their debut BBMAs performance — at-home viewers were greeted with an aerial shot of frontman Dave Bayley lying down on a plush bed surrounded by pastel-colored pink and purple pillows.
“Heat Waves” was a finalist for top rock song, but earlier in the night, Bayley joked during the E! pre-show that thanks to the band’s inclusion in the top rock album category — in which they were finalists alongside Bruce Springsteen — his mom finally stopped asking him to consider going back to school.
To end the performance of their laid-back summer hit, during which the crowd clapped along, Bayley flopped back onto the bed as if it was all a dream.
The Billboard Music Awards are produced by dick clark productions, which is owned by MRC. MRC and Penske Media are co-parent companies of Billboard.
From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and more, Billboard editors highlight the latest news buzz in Latin music every week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
The Myke Towers Sneaker
In celebration of his sophomore album, Lyke Mike, which debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart, Myke Towers unveiled his very own Lyke Mike-inspired Air Jordan 4s. At the helm of renowned sneaker designer Dominic Ciambrone of The Surgeon, the custom pair is inspired by the colors of Puerto Rico, basketball, and Towers’ music career. “This collaboration is special because it’s the first of its kind,” Ciambrone said in a video. “I don’t think anybody has ever released a pair of shoes for an album release.” The Lyke Mike 4s, which come in a basketball court-designed acrylic box, are different shades of blue like the ocean and with the vinyl on the insoles.
Maffio’s New Venture
After deleting all of his photos from Instagram and taking a break from social media, Maffio returned with a big career move as one of the new faces of Buchanans. “As a Dominican, I have to represent and celebrate my Dominican pride in every part of the world and what better way than to do it with Buchanans,” the Latin hitmaker expressed. “Greatness is found in our music, our culture, in how we share and celebrate Latino excellence,” he also noted. Maffio is part of the new Buchanans’ Dominican Republic campaign.
Pitizion Joins Reality Show
Pitizion unveiled she will partake in the upcoming docu-series Latin Flow, airing June 10 on MTV Latin America and Amazon Prime Video. The Colombian pop star, who’s a former best new artist nominee at the Latin Grammys, hopes to inspire her fans through her personal and professional story. In addition to Pitizion, Latin Flow will tell the story of nine Colombian newcomers including Daniela Legarda, Mabiland, and Itzza Primera, to name a few.
Canelo Celebrates with Chente
After defeating Billy Saunders via an eight-round corner retirement on May 8, professional Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez celebrated his big win next to “his idol” Vicente Fernandez. This week, Canelo shared a photo on Instagram next to the iconic Regional Mexican star at his ranch in Mexico. The two stars are sitting on a couch, arms around each other, while Chente holds Canelo’s championship belt and Canelo holds tight to a Chente vinyl. “With my idol,” he simply captioned the picture in Spanish.
A Chris Perez Encounter
Chris Perez, a Latin Grammy-winning musician and widower of Selena Quintanilla, officially met rising actor JessePosey, who portrayed him in Netflix’s Selena: The Series. “Although we didn’t get to talk before the series was filmed/finished, we got to talking after it was finished…glad we did,” Perez expressed on Instagram this week, sharing a photo from the show. The meet-up comes a year after Perez said he had “no idea” about the series that was developed and executive produced by the Quintanilla family. “Here is a pic I just saw of the actor playing me in the Netflix series,” he wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of the California-based actor. “For the record, never met him, haven’t seen the script, and I have NO idea what is going on…..but, I’d love to find out,” he added with a set of curious emojis. Perez was married to the Queen of Tex Mex from 1992 until her death in 1995 and formed part of Selena y Los Dinos.
Ariana Grande is paying tribute to victims of the tragic bombing at her 2017 concert in Manchester, England.
On Saturday (May 22), which marked the 4th anniversary of the devastating attack at Manchester Arena, the 28-year-old pop star took to social media to remember those who lost their lives.
“Although grief is ever-present and our relationship to it is constantly evolving and expressing itself in different ways every day, year round,” Grande captioned a post in her Instagram Stories. “I know that this anniversary will never be an easy one. Please know that I am thinking of you today.”
The singer added, “Manchester, my heart is with you today and always.” Her tribute also included the names of those who died in the bombing.
The attack on May 22, 2017, killed 22 people and injured nearly 1,000 when a bomber detonated a homemade device as fans were streaming out of the show.
Last August, the brother of the suicide bomber who set off the deadly explosion was sentenced to a minimum of 55 years in prison. Hashem Abedi had denied helping plan the Manchester Arena attack but was found guilty of murder, attempted murder and conspiring to cause explosions
Grande postponed her tour following the tragedy, but returned to the venue shortly after for an all-star benefit concert for the victims of the bombing. The event featured Pharrell Williams, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Niall Horan Katy Perry, and many others.
Move over sequins, disco beats and power ballads. A four-piece band of Italian rockers won the Eurovision Song Contest in the early hours of Sunday.
Maneskin’s win was only Italy’s third victory in the immensely popular contest and the first since Toto Cutugno took the honor in 1990.
Italy, the bookmakers’ favorite, trailed Switzerland, France and Malta after the national juries delivered their votes but were propelled to victory by votes from the viewing public.
After months of documenting her entire pregnancy, including the gender reveal and baby shower via Instagram Live, Natti Natasha officially welcomes her baby girl, Vida Isabelle, Billboard can confirm.
The Dominican artist behind hits like “Criminal,” “La Mejor Versión de Mi” and “Ram Pam Pam,” gave natural birth at 9 a.m. on Saturday (May 22) at South Miami Hospital at the helm of Doctors Xiomara Martinez and Sureen. Vida weighs 6.8 pounds and is 20 inches long.
This is Natti’s first child, whom she had with longtime manager and fiancé Raphy Pina of Pina Records. He officially announced the birth of their daughter on his Instagram Stories.
“The baby girl is in perfect health and the parents are very happy and grateful for the long-awaited arrival of their firstborn and all the affection they have received during the process,” an official statement expressed.
In February, Natti announced she was engaged to Pina, flaunting her dazzling engagement ring on social media. That same month, the singer unveiled her pregnancy during the 33rd annual Premio Lo Nuestro awards while performing her Prince Royce-assisted track “Antes Que Salga El Sol.”
See photos of the couple’s big day below.
