Country Artist Adam Mac Removes Himself From Kentucky’s Tobacco Festival After Questions of ‘Promoting Homosexuality’

Queer country artist Adam Mac took to TikTok on Thursday (Sept. 21) to reveal that he removed himself from his upcoming headlining slot at Kentucky’s Tobacco Festival due to questions surrounding his sexuality.

“The last 24 hours have been a bit of a whirlwind,” he began his video. “As some of you may know, the Chamber or Commerce for Russellville, Kentucky, where I’m from, announced earlier this week that I would be headlining the annual Tobacco Festival.”

Mac explained that he received a phone call from someone on the festival’s board who told him that “there were some board members and some people in town who had some questions about what kind of performance I would be putting on at the Tobacco Festival. She wanted to ensure that I would not be promoting homosexuality or sexuality in a family friendly environment.”

He continued, “I don’t really know what they expected I was going to do other than come and put on a hell of a show like we do. It was made aware to me that there were people in the town that were very upset that they would have a gay person headline the festival. To know that there are people who are angry that they asked me to come and perform in a town that I was raised in for 21 years of my life. Sure, they have the right to not listen to my music. They have the right to not come to my show. But what’s happening now is they are protesting, they’re showing up at the chamber, they made comments online and to the chamber that they will be holding protests at the show, which is just so disheartening.”

Mac, who is sporting a Maren Morris “lunatic country music person” t-shirt in the clip, revealed that he debated whether or not to perform at the festival, before ultimately deciding to “cancel” his performance. “I’m really sad about it,” he said. “I really, really wanted to be there.”

See his full TikTok below.

@adammacmusic

💔

♬ original sound – Adam Mac

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PinkPantheress Talks Touring With Olivia Rodrigo: ‘I Was Quite Nervous to Say Yes’

PinkPantheress says she’s “so excited” to hit the road with Olivia Rodrigo, championing the “Vampire” singer for helping to pave the way for young artists like herself. But while PinkPantheress was announced as an opening act for Rodrigo’s “GUTS World Tour” to much fanfare, the British singer and producer admits she was hesitant at first to sign on for the gig.

“Obviously Olivia is way bigger than me, so at first, I was quite nervous to say yes,” she confesses. “But then I was like, ‘I feel like I need to do this.’ And then she texted me to say, ‘Thank you so much for saying yes! I can’t wait!’ and that has gotten me so excited.”

PinkPantheress says she first met Rodrigo over dinner in London in 2021 and the two immediately hit it off. “We’re both quite similar ages and so it was quite nice to meet someone in front of me who was my age and had the same type of interests and sense of humor,” PinkPantheress recalls. “We’ve had different experiences in the music industry, but she can still empathize with a lot of what I might be going through as a young person navigating the industry and everything.”

Another reason why she’s a fan of Rodrigo’s: “I recognize her as somebody that takes a break,” PinkPantheress says. “There are some people in the industry that like to be constantly surrounded by the limelight, but I feel like she’s one person that takes her time, and will take time out and really take a step back when she needs to, which is similar to me.”

Buy: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones $429.00

PinkPantheress spoke to Billboard in New York last week before a performance to promote Bose’s new line of QuietComfort Ultra headphones and wireless earbuds. The “Boy’s a Liar” singer says she’s been a fan of Bose for years and so it was a no-brainer to partner with the company to help launch their new releases.

“I’m a producer, so even in the early days in the studio or at school, I remember using Bose products and I never even really questioned them as a brand,” she says. “There are certain brands that have been around for so long that they’re kind of like the standard, and we don’t even question where they came from because we’ve just always had it there. That’s how I feel about Bose.”

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Buy: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Earbuds $299.00

The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones and QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds will be available beginning in October for $429 and $299 respectively. In addition to their noise-cancellation properties and comfortable fit, the new releases introduce Bose’s “Immersive Audio” technology, which creates a wider, more realistic soundstage so you feel like you’re right in the middle of the studio or concert. The result: music moves with you rather than being locked in a fixed position, so you’re always hearing the most accurate, detailed sound possible even when you’re on-the-go.

The headphones and earbuds are available to pre-order now.

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Shakira Drops Fiery New Collab With Fuerza Regida ‘El Jefe’: Stream It Now

Shakira steps into new territory with “El Jefe,” the Colombian superstar’s collaboration with Fuerza Regida, which dropped Wednesday (Sept. 20).

The chart-topping artist first teased the collab last week when she shared a short clip of an interview with ET, in which she said, “I”m not the boss in this song, but wait and see.” Then, she shared a snippet of “El Jefe (The Boss),” which is about someone who has the mentality of a millionaire but doesn’t actually have money.

Although previous songs of Shakira’s have included elements of regional Mexican music, such as the mariachi trumpet on “Ciega, Sordomuda” and the country-tinged “Te Espero Sentada,” this is her first full-blown Mexican music song.

In the catchy corrido, Shakira and Fuerza’s frontman JOP sing about being tired of their 9-to-5 jobs, especially their arrogant boss, and the desire to quit and become their own bosses. The music video features the global superstar and regional urban act performing the track together.

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Shakira

Shakira Will Speak at Billboard’s 2023 Latin Music Week in Miami

Shakira’s collab with Fuerza Regida is a reflection of Mexican music’s dominance and influence on Latin music today. With acts like Fuerza at the forefront, the genre is having a record year, growing in popularity in the United States and beyond. In May, Billboard reported that regional Mexican music consumption in the U.S. jumped 42.1% year to date through May 25, outpacing gains in the Latin genre overall, as well as country, dance/electronic, rock and pop, according to Luminate.

Both Shakira and JOP are set to be part of Billboard‘s Latin Music Week, taking place Oct. 2-6 in Miami. The former will participate in an exclusive superstar Q&A moderated by Leila Cobo, Billboard’s Chief Content Officer for Latin/Español, and the latter in a panel on Música Mexicana touring. Purchase tickets to the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week here.

Stream “El Jefe” or watch the music video below:

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John Legend & Chrissy Teigen Star in Sudsy New Campaign for His Loved01 Skincare Brand

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Family affair! John Legend and his wife, Chrissy Tiegen, star in a sudsy new ad campaign for the singer’s Loved01 skincare brand, which dropped four new products on Wednesday (Sept. 20).

The new releases include cleansing wipes, hand wash, hand + body lotion and a cleansing bar available for $10 at Loved01.com.

Legend shared the video campaign, featuring an adorable cameo from the couple’s daughter Luna, via Instagram on Wednesday.

 “Our new @Loved01skin products are OUT NOW and the whole family is here to celebrate!” We’ve got a Cleansing Bar with suds that are 😮‍💨 (we heard you on wanting more lather), Cleansing Wipes for all the times you’re on the go, and the Hand Soap and Hand + Body Lotion duo! Can’t wait for you to try it all!”

Formulated to balance and moisturize melanated skin, Loved01 offers “effective and nurturing” skincare for complexions of color with nourishing, natural ingredients such as shea butter, jojoba and coconut oils and enhanced with the antioxidant properties of rosehip oil and sea buckthorn oil.

The brand is available at Loved01.com, CVS and Walmart.  

“Our mission is to celebrate melanin-rich skin and provide the love, care and attention it deserves,” Legend said in a statement announcing the brand earlier this year. “We hope to help democratize the beauty space by offering high-quality products at an accessible price point. Everyone deserves to be seen, represented and provided with the tools to love themselves, starting with healthy skin.”

Legend launched the unisex skincare brand in partnership with dermatologists Dr. Naana Boakye. The collection includes face + body wash, face + body moisturizer, an exfoliating cleanser, shave cream, toning mist and face + body oil.

On the music front, Legend is slated to perform at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday (Sept. 23). Get tickets here.

Shop items from Loved01 below.

Walmart
Love01 Face + Body Wash
$9.97
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Walmart
Love01 Exfoliating Cleanser
$14.97
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Loved01 Shave Cream
$9.97
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Walmart
Love01 Face + Body Oil
$9.97
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Tyler Childers, Bonnie Raitt & More Win at 2023 Americana Honors & Awards: Full List

Tyler Childers’ Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven was named album of the year at the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards, which were held Wednesday (Sept. 20) at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

The album consists of three discs, each containing different remixes of eight gospel music songs. The “Hallelujah” versions were recorded live in the studio; the “Jubilee” versions incorporate horn and string sections; and the “Joyful Noise” versions incorporate remixes and sampling. Three of the songs are public domain. Childers wrote the other five. The album reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and No. 8 on the Billboard 200. It was Childers’ first top 10 album on the Billboard 200.

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Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” won song of the year, nearly eight months after it won in the same category at the 65th annual Grammy Awards. It’s the first song written by a solitary writer to win here since Jason Isbell’s “If We Were Vampires” five years ago.

Billy Strings won entertainer of the year for the second year in a row. He’s the first artist to win two years running since John Prine in 2017-18.

The War and Treaty won duo/group of the year last year for the second year in a row. They’re the first act to win two years running since the Avett Brothers in 2010-11. The husband-and-wife duo is up for vocal duo of the year at the upcoming CMA Awards.

S.G. Goodman won for best emerging act. Many previous winners have gone on to do very well, including The Avett Brothers (2007), Mumford & Sons (2011), Alabama Shakes (2012), Sturgill Simpson (2014) and Margo Price (2016), Amanda Shires (2017), Childers (2018), The War and Treaty (2019) and Black Pumas (2020).

The Americana Music Association also presented its lifetime achievement, trailblazer and legacy award honorees. The recipients were Grammy-winning artists Patty Griffin and Nickel Creek; Grammy-nominated artists The Avett Brothers and Bettye LaVette; and George Fontaine Sr., co-founder and owner of New West Records.

The program is the marquee event of AmericanaFest, which returned for its 23nd year on Sept. 19 and runs through Sept. 23.

Here’s the full list of nominees for the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards, with winners marked:

Album of the year

Big Time, Angel Olsen; Produced by Angel Olsen and Jonathan Wilson

WINNER: Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?, Tyler Childers; Produced by Tyler Childers

El Bueno y el Malo, Hermanos Gutiérrez; Produced by Dan Auerbach

The Man from Waco, Charley Crockett; Produced by Bruce Robison

Strays, Margo Price; Produced by Margo Price and Jonathan Wilson

Song of the year

“Change of Heart,” Margo Price; Written by Jeremy Ivey, Margo Price

“I’m Just a Clown,” Charley Crockett; Written by Charley Crockett

WINNER: “Just Like That,” Bonnie Raitt; Written by Bonnie Raitt

“Something in the Orange,” Zach Bryan; Written by Zach Bryan

“You’re Not Alone,” Allison Russell featuring Brandi Carlile; Written by Allison Russell

Artist of the year

Charley Crockett

Sierra Ferrell

Margo Price

Allison Russell

WINNER: Billy Strings

Duo/group of the year

49 Winchester

Caamp

Nickel Creek

Plains

WINNER: The War and Treaty

Emerging act of the year

Adeem the Artist

WINNER: S.G. Goodman

William Prince

Thee Sacred Souls

Sunny War

Instrumentalist of the year

Isa Burke

Allison de Groot

Jeff Picker

WINNER: SistaStrings (Chauntee and Monique Ross)

Kyle Tuttle

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Spotify Names Monica Damashek Head of Label Partnerships North America

There’s been an executive shuffle at Spotify.

Monica Damashek, who previously served as the company’s North American lead of international music, has been named head of label partnerships North America, according to an internal memo obtained by Billboard. She succeeds Vic Trubowitch, who has moved to the music product strategy team for artist expression at the streaming giant.

Concurrent with the shifts, Spotify’s label partnerships team will now be called music partnerships and audience — an umbrella that includes label partnerships, artist partnerships and songwriter publisher relations — and fall under the purview of global head of artist partnerships Joe Hadley. Day-to-day responsibilities for each of the teams will remain the same under the new arrangement.

Damashek, who has been with Spotify for nine years, was hired in 2014 as global director of strategic marketing and has worked across various departments. Prior to Spotify, she worked in editorial roles at Billboard and Rolling Stone, among other outlets.

Trubowitch was hired at Spotify in 2017 as manager of artist & label marketing, eventually landing in the head of label partnerships role in December 2021. He was named to Billboard‘s 40 Under 40 list last year. Prior to boarding the streamer, he served in various roles at BMG, Vagrant Records and Warner Bros. Records.

Hadley, previously a powerful booking agent at CAA whose clients included Beyoncé, A$AP Rocky and Stormzy, joined Spotify last year after departing the agency, where he served as co-head of the global hip-hop/R&B touring group.

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