Lil Nas X seems to be continuing to joke about being dedicated to the Christian faith — despite claiming otherwise.

The “Industry Baby” star took to Instagram on Tuesday (Jan. 9) to share a photo of his acceptance letter to Liberty University, where he will be taking a dual concentration in Christian Leadership and Biblical Studies starting in the fall. “I know some of yall hate me right now but i want yall to know im literally about to go to college for biblical studies in the fall. Not everything is a troll! Anyways IM A STUDENT AGAIN! LETS GOOO,” he captioned the post, which you can check out here.

Lil Nas has a new gospel song set for release on Friday (Jan. 12), titled “J CHRIST.” In his announcement earlier in the week, the musician shared the cover art featuring himself taking Jesus’ place on a crucifix as five bystanders begin to raise him off the ground. A second video clip sees him nailed to a gold cross that suddenly transforms into a mechanical suit complete with a halo. “MY NEW SINGLE IS DEDICATED TO THE MAN WHO HAD THE GREATEST COMEBACK OF ALL TIME,” Lil Nas wrote in his announcement.

Through a series of increasingly ridiculous clips, Lil Nas also claimed that he had been “blackballed” from releasing music in 2023 after “promoting God to the masses,” claimed that the music industry was “wicked” and threatened to “expose y’all favorite artists.” In another clip, the “That’s What I Want” singer also stood next to two officers in front of a police car flashing its lights. “me staying with the police department 24/7 for the next 5 days before i expose the music industry for what they did to me,” he wrote. “evil will not stop what god has planned.”

SoundCloud has been eyeing a sale — and actively pursuing initiatives internally “that would increase the valuation of the company” — since the second half of 2022, according to two former employees who spoke to Billboard on the condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, COO and CFO Drew Wilson is preparing to leave the company after nearly three years in the role, according to a staff memo obtained by Billboard

Sky News reported on Sunday that SoundCloud was planning to pursue a sale in 2024. This has been in the works “for some time,” one former employee tells Billboard. “A lot of decision making has been based on this.”

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SoundCloud announced it was slashing 8% of its workforce last May — less than a year after a 20% cut — to achieve “profitability this year,” as CEO Eliah Seton wrote in an email to staff at the time. “The ambition to reach profitability was not just for the obvious reason of being profitable,” the former employee continues. “The bigger need was for this, to sell the company. The stakeholders have major investments; it’s time.” (SoundCloud previously secured a $170 million investment led by The Raine Group and Temasek in 2017, and an additional $75 million investment from SiriusXM in February 2020.) 

A rep for SoundCloud declined to comment. The Raine Group also declined to comment.

SoundCloud leadership had previously tossed around the idea — a best case scenario — of reaching a $2.5 billion valuation for the company, sources said. (The company likes to aim big: In internal meetings, executives also expressed a hope that one of the artists SoundCloud signed to deals in 2022 would have a major chart hit, one of the employees said; this has not happened.)

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The more commonly cited valuation goal, the sources say, was around $1 billion. “There’s a billion-dollar-plus opportunity in front of us,” Tracy Chan, who joined SoundCloud as senior vp of creator in 2022, said at an all-hands meeting that year. One of SoundCloud’s former employees said most of the interest in the company came from private equity firms, not music companies. 

For comparison’s sake, when Square acquired TIDAL in 2021, the streaming service was valued at around $375 million. Though SoundCloud is not just a streaming service — it also provides tools to creators to help them distribute, market, and monetize music. Creator tools and services brought in more than $26 million for the platform in the first quarter of 2023, according to screenshots from an all-hands meeting shared with Billboard, nearly as much as subscriptions ($29.9 million).

Those screenshots indicate that SoundCloud had a gross profit of around $22 million in the first quarter of the year. But it spent around $4 million on marketing and another $23 million on staffing and general and administrative expenses, leaving it around $5 million short of breaking even. 

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In May 2023, SoundCloud aimed to reduce that headcount cost through a second round of cuts. (Profitability has been a goal since 2022, if not before: “Investors are looking for companies that are a little more stable right now,” former CEO Michael Weissman told staff during an all-hands meeting that followed the first round of layoffs in 2022. “Investors are looking for companies that are very profitable.”) The company said it finally reached profitability in December. 

“Now that we have achieved profitability and are making progress on our strategic plan, we have nothing but opportunity in front of us,” Seton wrote in an email to staff on Monday (Jan. 8) that was obtained by Billboard. “As we have mentioned in previous All Hands [meetings] and AMAs, we will explore a range of options for our capital structure, but there is nothing to report right now, nor will there be any time soon.”

Hollywood loves a good comeback story, and the Golden Globes have just made one.

The 2024 Golden Globe Awards, which aired live on CBS on Sunday (Jan. 7), averaged 9.4 million viewers, up 50% from last year. The show achieved its largest audience since 2020, according to Nielsen time zone-adjusted fast national, including out-of-home, ratings for Sunday.

Hollywood’s Party of the Year – the phrase has been trademarked – was Sunday’s most-watched entertainment program.

Hosted by comedian Jo Koy, the Globes reached the largest livestreaming audience for an awards show across Paramount+ and other CBS platforms since the 65th annual Grammy Awards in February 2023.

It was the second largest livestreamed CBS special event on Paramount+ ever in terms of AMA (average minute audience) and reach.

On social media, the Golden Globes dominated Sunday night with nearly 30 billion potential impressions, ranking as the No. 1 program of the night based on total interactions.

Three years ago, the Globes were rocked by scandal about a lack of diversity in the organization and ethical lapses. It was so bad that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who hosted that year for the fourth time, openly criticized the show while hosting the show. Fey said, “We all know awards shows are stupid. The point is, even with stupid things, inclusivity is important and there are no Black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. … You have to change that.”

The 2021 show’s ratings plummeted, from 18.32 million viewers in 2020 to just 6.91 million viewers. That marked the first time the show’s viewership had dropped below 14 million viewers since it moved from TBS to NBC in 1996. Whether it was the controversy or the disruptive effect of the pandemic isn’t clear, but the ratings tanked, even in the hands of top-tier hosts like Fey and Poehler.

Two years ago, the Golden Globes were held as a private dinner, with no television or streaming component. It seemed like the show, which originated in 1944, might be too damaged to ever recover. But the idea of the show – a fun, loose event where seemingly every big star in film and TV (and sometimes music too) are jam-packed into one ballroom – was simply too good for Hollywood to let it go.

The show was back on NBC last year, but reached just 6.3 million viewers. This year it moved over to CBS for a show that lived up to its old reputation as Hollywood’s free-wheeling party of the year, with such A-listers as Meryl, Oprah, Taylor and Bruce in attendance.

The champagne that flowed so freely last night in the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., is flowing again in offices at the Golden Globes and CBS. The show appears to have survived its brush with death.

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard’s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Arianators recieved a major surprise from Ariana Grande, as the “Thank You, Next” singer has officially teased new music in a cozy oversized sweatshirt. The dry spell is over for fans as Grande announced her new single, “Yes, And?” is coming Jan. 12, and she took to the streets and social media to tease the upcoming new song.

The “Dangerous Woman” singer’s style is just one of her iconic qualities, alongside award-winning vocals. Some of her go-to pieces include oversized sweatshirts, which the artist has sported on numerous occasions. Most recently, she was seen on the streets of New York City on Thursday (Jan. 4) sporting Proenza Schouler mules, a leather tote bag from The Row, light-wash straight-leg jeans and a relaxed crewneck sweatshirt that said “Yes, And?,” sparking rumors and speculation about a possible seventh studio album.

She confirmed that the crewneck’s text indeed was in reference to a new single in an Instagram post on Sunday (Jan. 7).

“yes, and? ♡ 1.12,” the caption says.

To prepare for the “7 Rings” singer’s new music, you can show your own crewneck inspired by the exact one that Grande wore to tease her new single. Instead of searching for it yourself, we found a couple options for you to snag now before you get ready to stream the new song coming Friday.

Keep reading to shop our picks below.

model wearing black yes and sweatshirt

yes, and? Crewneck Sweatshirt

Etsy’s crewneck sweatshirt aims to look just like the artist’s version with small text centered on the front and a soft cotton material that’ll help swaddle you in comfort whether you’re listening to music in bed or walking to the nearest cafe for coffee.


black crewneck with personalization

Add Your Own Text Personalized Crewneck Sweatshirt

Amazon’s customizable crewneck gives you ability to add your own “yes, and?” text to the crewneck with the choice of font, character color, the size and placement of the text and even the color of the sweatshirt. You can keep it black like the one that Grande sported or go for a more bold color. Just make sure to hit customize before you add the top to your cart.


For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best shackets for women, band t-shirts and the best teddy coats.

Never let it be said that Mark Ronson lets a good speech go to waste. He had prepared some remarks just in case either of his two nominated songs from Barbie — “I’m Just Ken” or “Dance the Night” — won best original song at the Golden Globes on Sunday. As we all know by now, the speech wasn’t needed. Billie Eilish and Finneas won in the category for their Barbie contribution, “What Was I Made For?”

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So Ronson tore up the speech, which he had written on note cards, and tossed it into a wicker wastebasket, presumably in his hotel room, next to an empty suitcase. But the ever-thinking songwriter took a photo of the basket and its contents and posted it on Instagram. At least he can get some social media mileage out of it. At press time, the good-humored post — which also included a red-carpet photo and video with wife Grace Gummer — had gotten 19,000 likes.

Barbie had a disappointing night at the Globes. Ryan Gosling, whose go-for-broke performance of “I’m Just Ken” was one of the film’s unquestioned highlights, lost best performance by a male actor in a supporting role in any motion picture to Robert Downey Jr. for Oppenheimer. Margot Robbie, who played Barbie to pink perfection, lost best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy to Emma Stone for Poor Things. More surprisingly, Barbie lost best motion picture – musical or comedy to Poor Things.

In the biggest shocker, Greta Gerwig and Noah Bambach lost best screenplay – motion picture to Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, the screenwriters of Anatomy of a Fall. The screenplay award was widely expected to go to Barbie as a sort of consolation prize for Gerwig’s expected loss in the best director – motion picture category to Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer.

Of course, Barbie’s long ride has been so spectacularly successful that one meh night at an awards show shouldn’t take any of the shine off the experience. And Ronson seems to have a good sense of humor about the whole thing.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Dry shampoos have risen to become a staple hair grooming product in most styling routines, whether it’s to provide volume, prolong washing your hair or to lend a helping hand in maintaining a blowout. No matter what your hair goals are, incorporating the best dry shampoo into your styling routine can help eliminate odor as well as soak up grease and oil — no salon appointment required.

What is considered the best dry shampoo? You don’t want to grab the first can you see, as some formulas can leave a powdery residue or weigh your strands down, resulting in a look that will have you feeling the opposite of a good hair day.

Before you reach for just any dry shampoo, Billboard Shopping spoke with celebrity hairstylist and star of Paramount+ reality show Blowing LA‘s Ted Gibson to get his expert insight on the best formulas to use, no matter what your budget and hair texture are. With clientele including Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Rachel Brosnahan, Lupita Nyong’o, Gabrielle Union and more, it’s no secret the hairstylist knows his way around hair products.

Keep reading to see Gibson’s picks, as well as how to use dry shampoo and ingredients to look out for.

How to Use Dry Shampoo

At first sight, it may look easy to use dry shampoo, whether you’re looking to maintain a blowout using your go-to blowdryer or hiding the fact you’re going on day three of unwashed hair. If you spray too close, you may get an unwanted residue, whereas spraying too far may not get enough of the product in your strands. Gibson recommends you “Spray 4 to 6 inches away from the scalp concentrating on the scalp and not the hair.”

Don’t just leave it, though — he further adds that “After you have applied it, massage the scalp to evenly distribute [the product around] the entire scalp.”

Best Dry Shampoo Ingredients

Gibson suggests when searching for the right dry shampoo for yourself, you “Look for Vegan and cruelty-free formulas.” This usually includes plant-based ingredients like argan oil, avocado oil, castor oil, black seed oil, murumuru butter and aloe vera.

“I think spray is good, but sometimes I do prefer a powder depending on what I want to accomplish and time for application,” he adds. “I have used them for covers of magazines as well as red carpet events.”

Best Dry Shampoos

pink spray bottle of dry shampoo

BEST DRY SHAMPOO FOR CURLY HAIR

Vegamour Gro Dry Shampoo

Vegamour Gro Dry Shampoo is Gibson’s go-to for curly hair, as it looks to restore and retain strands without drying out your scalp or leaving it more greasy than before. The formula uses natural ingredients such as rice starch, mung bean, red clover and kaolin clay to help support thicker hair and more.


white bottle of dry shampoo

BEST DRY SHAMPOO FOR COILY HAIR

Rahua Voluminous Dry Shampoo

For coily hair textures, Gibson finds that Rahua’s dry shampoo works best at creating volume and soaking up oils. The plant-based ingredients will not only assist in lengthening the days in-between hair washes, but uses real botanical aroma to help strengthen your roots as well.


green bottle of dry shampoo

BEST DRY SHAMPOO FOR WAVY HAIR

Batiste Dry Shampoo

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For a budget-friendly pick, the expert suggests incorporating Batiste’s Dry Shampoo — especially on wavy hair. It uses a spray-powder formula that looks to soak up grease without drying out your scalp.


white bottle of dry shampoo

BEST DRY SHAMPOO FOR STRAIGHT HAIR

Klorane Dry Shampoo With Oat Milk

Gibson recommends Klorane’s dry shampoo for straight hair and after a look at the ingredienets, it’s easy to see why. The powder formula uses oat milk that aims to be extra gentle on the scalp as well as can be used to add texture to hair while styling or braiding.


For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best beauty deals, beauty products celebs love and stress-relieving tools.

Jack Black caught up with Billboard’s Raina Aniftos on the red carpet of the 2024 Golden Globes.

Wilmer Valderrama caught up with Billboard’s Raina Aniftos on the red carpet of the 2024 Golden Globes.

Heard, chef! Taylor Swift couldn’t help but nod in agreement during The Bear star Ayo Edebiri’s acceptance speech for best actress in a TV series – musical or comedy at the 2024 Golden Globes on Sunday (Jan. 7).

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The moment came in the middle of the actress’ speech, during which she thanked not only her costars, her family and fellow nominees, but some really behind-the-scenes people who have played a role in her career. “There’s so many people who I probably forgot to thank. Oh my god — all of my agents’ and managers’ assistants,” Edebiri, who plays chef Sydney, excitedly emphasized. “To the people who answer my emails, you are all the real ones! Thank you for answering my crazy, crazy emails. Yeah, I’m really, really grateful. If I forgot to thank you, I’m sorry, unless you were mean or something!”

As the actress, who earned her first Golden Globe nomination and win for her work on the show’s second season, gave Hollywood assistants their shoutouts, the 12-time Grammy winner — whose Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film is up for the cinematic and box office achievement award — couldn’t help but show she agreed with Edebiri’s acknowledgement of assistants, clapping, nodding and mouthing with a smile, “Oh yeah, yup!”

Earlier in the night, The Bear lead Jeremy Allen White, who plays Carmy on Hulu’s hit show, won for best actor in a TV series – musical or comedy.

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The 2024 Golden Globes was hosted by Jo Koy and held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. It was produced by dick clark productions.

Watch Ayo Edebiri’s acceptance speech and Taylor Swift’s reaction to it below:

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.

Andra Day caught up with Billboard’s Raina Aniftos on the red carpet of the 2024 Golden Globes.