Britney Spears Settles Legal Dispute With Father Over Conservatorship

Britney Spears has settled an outstanding legal dispute with her father that arose following the termination of the pop star’s 13-year conservatorship in 2021, Billboard has confirmed. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

“It has been our honor and privilege to represent, protect, and defend Britney Spears,” said Spears’ attorney, Mathew Rosengart, in a statement sent to Billboard. “Although the conservatorship was terminated in November, 2021, her wish for freedom is now truly complete. As she desired, her freedom now includes that she will no longer need to attend or be involved with court or entangled with legal proceedings in this matter.”

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A legal scuffle ensued in the wake of the conservatorship’s dissolution in November 2021, when Rosengart vowed to investigate alleged misconduct by Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, during the years he served as his daughter’s conservator — including claims that he took millions from her estate, tried to control her with drugs and denied her the freedom to remove a birth control device.

Conflict also arose over Jamie’s request in December 2021 that Britney’s estate continue paying his legal fees, arguing that the conservatorship’s termination did not end his ongoing “fiduciary obligations” and that he could face “personal bankruptcy and ruin” if his request was turned down. Rosengart responded by calling the request “not only legally meritless, but an abomination.”

Britney was placed in a conservatorship controlled by her father in 2008 following a string of public breakdowns. The legal arrangement came under scrutiny beginning in 2019, when a pair of documentaries and a movement dubbed #FreeBritney launched by the superstar’s fans went viral, ultimately leading Britney to speak out on her own behalf in public court testimony.

Attorneys for Jamie Spears did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s request for comment.

You can read Rosengart’s full statement below.

It has been our honor and privilege to represent, protect, and defend Britney Spears.

Although the conservatorship was terminated in November, 2021, her wish for freedom is now truly complete. As she desired, her freedom now includes that she will no longer need to attend or be involved with court or entangled with legal proceedings in this matter.

Britney Spears won when the court suspended her father, and Britney Spears won when her fundamental rights and civil liberties were restored.

Since obtaining her freedom in late 2021, Britney Spears has achieved remarkable success on several fronts, including her August, 2022 collaboration with Sir Elton John on the smash hit Hold Me Closer (which debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart and became her 24th top-ten single), followed by her landmark book deal with Simon & Schuster for her memoir The Woman in Me, an immediate NY Times #1 bestseller, which received universal, breathtaking praise and would not have been possible during the conservatorship.

We repeat our gratification for being in a position to help restore the civil rights and liberties of Britney Spears and the honor and privilege it has been to serve and protect Ms. Spears and obtain her goals in resolving various legal matters pursuant to her thoughtful and wise instruction and requests, which once again are to her credit.

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Taylor Swift Likes Post of Kansas City Chiefs’ New Draft Pick

Karma is the new guy on the Chiefs!

Wide receiver Xavier Worthy was drafted to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday (April 25), and the NFL team took to Instagram to share a clip of the sweet moment the 20-year-old found out the news. Taylor Swift showed support by liking the post, which was captioned, “The moment @worthyyy became a Kansas City Chief.”

Swift, of course, is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and the duo were recently seen enjoying time together at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, with fans online going wild over clips of the couple laughing, kissing, holding hands and dancing while enjoying the star-studded lineup together from the pit. 

“I absolutely love live music,” Travis said in an episode of his New Heights podcast, which he co-hosts with his brother Jason Kelce. “I don’t get enough of it in my life. It was fun getting out there and seeing a few new bands that I really wasn’t that familiar with but became an absolute lover of their music because of how they performed and captivated the crowd. The Bleachers — our guy Jack Antonoff — absolutely ripped it. I had so much fun seeing him go nuts with his guitar and all his boys.” 

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Normani’s New Single ‘1:59,’ Anitta’s ‘Funk Generation,’ Doja Cat’s Backlash, Latin AMAs 2024 Recap & More | Billboard News

It’s Friday, April 26th, and Doja Cat is getting backlash about her performance at Coachella, with many stating it wasn’t “safe for kids.” Normani released her new single featuring Gunna “1:59,” Anitta dropped her new album ‘Funk Generation’ and more. The Latin AMAs happened yesterday and we have all the updates from behind the scenes with some of Latin music’s biggest names. Songwriter and artist Keityn sits down with us to share how he’s created some of the biggest Latin hits with Shakira, Karol G, Maluma and more. With the release of her new album ‘Funk Generation,’ we take a look back at all of her hits on the Hot 100 and more!

Tetris Kelly:

Doja Cat is not safe for work or your kids, new music from Normani and more. We take you to the Latin AMAs, have an interview with Keityn and an in-depth look at Anitta. It’s almost the weekend, which means we’ve got a ton of new music to get to in our Friday Music Guide. More new music throughout the show, but it’s time to get to our top story. Are Doja Cat’s shows not safe for kids? She’s saying hell no in a rant on X, but is she wrong? Doja just popped off at Coachella, but it’s not for everybody. The Billboard chart-topper posted today, “I don’t know what the f— you think this is but I don’t make music for children so leave your kids at home motherf—er.” Um, okay girl. … A fan asked if she was high and she answered “maintenance.” We love a high maintenance queen.

Get ready for a vocal master class. VINCINT’s got the feels and the vibes with “LEAN.”  Feid & Karol G, who wasn’t able to attend, took home the most awards of the night at the Latin AMAs.

Watch the full episode above!

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HYBE Stock Rocked by ADOR CEO Controversy, Spotify Shares Hit Highest Mark in Three Years

HYBE was rocked by controversy this week after an audit of one of its subsidiary labels, ADOR, allegedly revealed that the label’s CEO, Min Hee-jin, “deliberately led the plan to take over management control of the subsidiary,” according to a statement sent by the company on Thursday (April 25).

Shares of HYBE fell 7.8% on Monday (April 22) and ended the week down 12.6% to 201,500 won ($146.22). HYBE later reported Min, who owns an 18% stake in ADOR, to the police for “breach of trust and other allegations” and asked her to step down, it said in the April 25 statement. The dispute added to HYBE’s losses at a time when most music stocks are faring well. HYBE shares have fallen 13.7% year to date and 25.4% over the last year.

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HYBE was the biggest loser in a week most music companies’ stocks were up. In fact, five music companies’ stocks posted double-digit gains this week and only 7 of the 20 stocks in the Billboard Global Music Index were losers. The index gained 3.2% to 1,756.98, breaking a two-week losing streak and bringing its year-to-date increase to 14.5%. 

The week’s greatest gainer was streaming company LiveOne, which increased 14.5% to $1.90 after it provided two updates to upcoming earnings releases. On Monday, the company announced that it expects fiscal 2024 revenue of $118.5 million, up 19% from $99.5 million the previous year, and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $14.4 million — about 32% above $10.9 million of EBITDA in the prior year. On Wednesday (April 24), LiveOne announced that PodcastOne expects revenue of $11.7 million in the fiscal fourth quarter 2024, up 32% year over year. LiveOne spun off PodcastOne in 2023 and retained an 81% stake.

Two of the weeks’ best-performing stocks also reached their highest levels in years. Reservoir Media improved 13.8% to $9.10, its highest closing price since the stock closed at $9.20 on May 4, 2022. Chinese music streamer Tencent Music Entertainment gained 13.5% to $12.88, its best closing price since it closed at $13.02 on July 13, 2021. 

Hipgnosis Songs Fund (HSF) gained 12.9% to 1.038 pounds ($1.30) as Concord and Blackstone vie for control of the company’s share equity and 65,000-song portfolio. Notably, Friday’s closing price was 5 cents, or 4%, above Concord’s high bid of $1.25 per share, suggesting that some investors expect the bidding process to continue. As the HSF board weighs its options amidst a strategic review and building strife with its investment advisor, Hipgnosis Song Management, a sale seems inevitable. “I think investors have been through such a roller coaster most of them just want their money back,” Round Hill Music CEO Josh Gruss told Billboard this week.  

Spotify’s stock closed Friday up 5.0% to $289.59 after an up-and-down week. Shares rose 11.5% on Tuesday — and posted an intraday gain of 19.2% — following the release of the company’s first-quarter earnings report but gave back nearly all the gains over the next two days by falling 6.8% and 2.3% on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. 

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Tuesday’s (April 23) intraday high of $319.30 was Spotify’s highest share price in over three years. The last time Spotify traded above $319.30 was Mar. 8, 2021, when shares reached $323.04. The stock dropped below $100, to $96.67, on Apr. 27, 2022, and fell as far as $69.29 on Nov. 4, 2022. Since that low point a year and a half ago, as Spotify has cut its workforce and focused on improving margins, its share price has risen 218%. 

Indexes around the world posted gains this week. In the United States, the Nasdaq was up 4.2% to 15,927.90 and the S&P 500 improved 2.7% to 5,099.96. Both indexes were helped by Alphabet, which rose 10% to $173.69 on Friday after releasing first-quarter earnings and announcing a $70 billion buyback program. In the United Kingdom, the FTSE 100 rose 3.1% to 8,139.83. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index gained 2.5% to 2,656.33. China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.8% to 3,088.64. 

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Doja Cat Bares All in See-Through Swimsuit

Summer is just around the corner, and Doja Cat is bringing the heat with her new Instagram post.

The “Paint the Town Red” star share a series of snaps to the platform in which she’s seen kneeling poolside in a see-through white, thong swimsuit — with her chest and booty on full display. She paired the look with some sling-back white heels and captioned the steamy post with a simple ice cream emoji.

Doja followed up with another photo set in the same swimsuit, this time crawling along a surfboard. “IM TOO FAMOUUUUUUUSSSSSS,” she captioned the post, tagging photographer Jacob Webster.

See the photos here and here.

The 28-year-old superstar is fresh off a headlining gig at Coachella, and is gearing up for the overseas leg of her Scarlet Tour. The “Say So” artist will also headline a couple of radio concerts, including Hot 97’s Summer Jam event, before heading to Europe for a handful of shows and festival sets in England, Amsterdam, Italy and more.

Her 2023 album Scarlet debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. Doja launched her Scarlet era in June with the release of “Attention,” which debuted and peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. The accompanying music video — which previewed the era’s overarching horror aesthetic — picked up six nominations at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, ultimately winning best art direction. “Paint the Town Red,” the record’s first radio single, soon followed with a catchy hook and a bouncy Dionne Warwick-sampling beat. The song became Doja’s second Hot 100 No. 1 — her first unaccompanied — becoming the first hip-hop song to reach the top of the ranking in 2023. 

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Ricardo Montaner Accepts Legacy Award at 2024 Latin AMAs, Delivers Riveting Medley of His Classics

Ricardo Montaner is a synonym for romanticism, delivering some of the best love songs in Latin music. For that, and his many decades in music, the Venezuelan singer-songwriter was honored with a special award for his extraordinary artistic legacy at the 2024 Latin AMAs on Thursday (April 25).

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Before hitting the stage for a riveting performance, and perhaps one of the best of the night, Montaner gave a heartfelt speech, which had a special message for up-and-comers. “First of all, thank you to my Lord Jesus who has fulfilled my promises, each one,” Montaner began. “Obviously to my beloved wife who has accompanied me since the beginning of my career, to each one of my children who are always pushing me. Tonight, I want to give a message to all my colleagues that I am seeing here tonight, especially to those who are just starting. It is worth it to keep working hard, it is worth celebrating 45 years of career and to keep going.”

He then took the stage for an epic medley, which he kicked off with Sergio George on the piano and Manuel Medrano in tow to sing “Yo Que Te Amé.” Then, to get everyone on their feet, he transitioned to a salsa version of “La Cima del Cielo” and to end on a high note, he sang the ’90s classic “Vamos Pa’ La Conga,” with Silvestre Dangond and DJ Adoni joining the party.

The 2024 Latin American Music Awards took place Thursday live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas via Univision. Hitmakers Feid and Peso Pluma lead this year’s list of nominations with 12 nods each. The Colombian singer and Mexican star, who are up for the coveted artist of the year award and album of the year award, are followed by top nominees Bad Bunny (11), Grupo Frontera (11), Karol G (9), Shakira (9), Eslabon Armado (8) and Fuerza Regida (8).

Thalia, Becky G, Alejandra Espinoza and Carlos Ponce co-hosed the award ceremony that presented in a combination of English and Spanish, marking the first time any major U.S. award show featured a bilingual broadcast.

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