In his local campaigns, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has had no problem raising millions in political donations through large checks from high-rollers in real estate and tech, some with business … Click to Continue »
Bia talks about how it was to work with legends like Busta Rhymes and Timbaland on songs like “Beach Ball” and “I’m That B*tch”, her latest album ‘Really Her’, her makeup brand Beauty. For. Certain, the Latin artists she’s working with & more!
Bia
Why does everybody’s mom always ask them who’s feeding me? Girl, me maybe that’s the problem.BIA and this is Billboard News
Neena Rouhani
Hey everybody, this is Neena Rouhani with Billboard News and we are here with Bia.
Neena Rouhani 0:34
So Bia tell me a little bit about, what kind of 2023 you’re having, what have you been up to?
BIA
Oh, it’s been so busy, literally so many shows, trying to record in the midst of the shows and keep the creative going. And also, like, I’ve started a lot of business ventures
Neena Rouhani
talk to me about your makeup line a little bit.
BIA
Well, I’m a girl’s girl. Of course. I love makeup. I just love glam. I love beauty. I just wanted to implement all the things that I use for beauty and put them into my everyday routine. Make them easy for like everyday people to get glam every single day. What’s your favorite products, I would say the cabo rojo lip gloss. That lip gloss just looks like just wet lips.
Neena Rouhani
I love that obviously like you’re very into fashion. We always see with what you’re wearing. In this amazing picture, I love what you’re wearing. I love what you’re wearing now, you recently worked with Savage x Fenty. So tell me about that experience?
Bia
Oh, that was amazing. You know, I’m a big fan of Rihanna. I love her. And just everything she stands for. So when she asked me to open the show, it was for my song, “Covergirl” And I just felt like that song represents just women as a whole. So it was just a beautiful moment. And I love lingerie. I love getting sexy. I love having my girly moments. So it was perfect.
Watch the full interview above!
Bia‘s career is just getting started. Despite having two albums under her belt — 2020’s For Certain and this year’s Really Her — she’s already had some major veterans in rap taking notice, something that she says is “surreal” to experience.
The rapper worked with Timbaland on recent single “I’m That Bitch” and Busta Rhymes on last month’s “Beach Ball,” and spoke about both collaboration on the lastest installment of Billboard News.
“Timbaland is so legendary, like he dropped so many gems and to just be in the same room with someone like that who has that type of catalog, you can just learn from them,” she said. “Aaliyah is actually one of my favorite artists of all time, so to even be in the room with him, just to see what he thinks of my music. I got to play him my album and he loved it. It’s literally so surreal, all of the people I look up to the most always embrace me, show me so much love and helped me become the artist I am today. I feel blessed to be here.”
As for the collaboration with Busta, Bia revealed that she was approached with the opportunity because he specifically had her in mind for the guest spot. “Me and Busta did this song months ago, he called me up, he’s like ‘Listen Bia, I’ve got this song. You gotta do this part. It’s only your voice that’s gotta this part,’ so I went to studio right away, I did it. And to perform with Busta during Hip-Hop 50…this is crazy. It’s unreal.”
Following the release of “I’m That Bitch,” the track hit the top 40 on Billboard‘s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, peaking at No. 27. The song spent a total of 90 weeks on the chart.
Watch Bia’s full interview with Billboard News in the video above.
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.
Ready to live out your Barbie dreams? “World of Barbie” is making that possible by way of an immersive experience that opened its doors at Santa Monica Place in Santa Monica, Calif. in April.
Produced by Mattel and Kilburn Live, the dreamy experience lets Barbie lovers of all ages explore a 20,000 square-foot, interactive space featuring a life-size Barbie Dreamhouse and camper van, movie theater and more.
Visitors will be able to step inside the rooms of Barbie’s legendary Dreamhouse, complete with a patio, pool and walk-in closets filled with garments showcasing Barbie’s iconic style over the years.
Additionally, guests can visit the Barbie exhibit featuring dolls and accessories throughout the decades; relax in a Barbie-inspired hammock or take the driver’s seat inside a full-size camper van courtesy of West Coast Customs.
As of Friday (July 28), tickets are currently priced at around $40 for adults and $31.50 for children (special discounts are available for military, students, first responders and seniors). The experience is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. PST; Fridays from 12:00 – 8:00 p.m. PTS; and Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 a.m.– 8:00 p.m. PST. World of Barbie will extends its hours for Labor Day Weekend to include Monday, Sept. 4.
Due to high demand, additional dates were first added in April, but tickets are selling out extremely fast. In fact, some dates are already sold out, so you’ll have to act quickly to score passes.
World of Barbie
The interactive experience has a music studio and fashion studio, with a red carpet that guests can strut down; a neighborhood movie theater playing “classic Barbie content” and a Barbie space shuttle that transports visitors on an interactive mission through the stars.
There’s also an interactive hair salon where Barbie fans can try out new looks and Paul Mitchell products and enjoy styling from Paul Mitchell professionals on select dates.
In May, the Barbie experience launched a “Sips After Sunset” recurring event for guests (21+) to enjoy a live DJ and cocktails.
World of Barbie Presents Sips After Sunset
June saw the launch of “Pink Carpet Night,” which is described as a “night of glamour, dancing, and high fashion fun” that encourages guests to wear their best Barbiecore outfits.
The Barbie Experience includes Movie Day for visitors to enjoy their favorite Barbie animated movies.
Live Nation executives say it’s highly unlikely that the Department of Justice would file an antitrust lawsuit against the company by the end of the year, contrary to a Politico report Friday (July 28) claiming a lawsuit would come as soon as this fall. The Politico article said the allegedly forthcoming DOJ lawsuit “claims the entertainment giant is abusing its power over the live music industry.”
Live Nation and Ticketmaster are currently the subject of a broad antitrust probe, based in part on complaints from some of the company’s competitors in ticketing and concert promotion. Executives cleared to speak on background at Live Nation tell Billboard that lawyers for the concert promotion giant are in the middle of complying with discovery demands from the Department of Justice as it probes antitrust allegations related to Live Nation’s 2010 merger with Ticketmaster.
A lawsuit filed by the end of the year sounds unlikely, the executives say, because the DOJ has not conducted any executive interviews at the company, have not taken any depositions and have not held any substantive meetings with Live Nation’s attorneys to discuss evidence.
“We’re in regular contact with the DOJ and they haven’t told us they think we’re doing anything illegal or asked us to address any concerns,” said Dan Wall, Live Nation’s executive vp for corporate and regulatory affairs, in a statement. “It would be highly irregular for the DOJ to file without that notice and a lot of dialogue afterwards. However, if they do file we are prepared to defend ourselves.”
Live Nation and Ticketmaster have been the target of lawmakers since the companies merged in 2010 and came under a consent decree negotiated by officials with the Department of Justice. In 2019, the DOJ’s assistant attorney general for antitrust, Makan Delrahim, charged the company with six violations of the consent decree over a 10-year period. The company agreed to pay a fine and extend the consent decree through 2024.
Ticketmaster has come under fire in recent months for the 2022 crash of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour presale. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn) blamed the crash on Ticketmaster’s “monopolistic” history, claiming that the company’s market share led to a lack of innovation. Ticketmaster blamed the outage on a cyber-attack initiated by billions of bots.
Pastor Mike, Jr. is the top winner at the 2023 Stellar Gospel Music Awards, which premieres on Sunday (July 30) on the newly-launched Stellar Network before airing on BET and Bounce TV. Pastor Mike, Jr. won eight awards for his album Winning, and also opened the show in tandem with Kierra Sheard Kelly. They performed “Miracles” and “Impossible.”
DOE, who entered the industry with her family as a member of the group Forever Jones, received three awards for her album Clarity. Zacardi Cortez also won three statues for his album Imprint.
Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin’s collaborative album Kingdom Book One won in two categories. Tye Tribbett also brought home two awards for his project All Things New.
The show, hosted by Jonathan McReynolds and Tasha Cobbs Leonard, was taped at the Las Vegas Orleans Arena. Both co-hosts performed on the show. Cobbs Leonard also won praise and worship album of the year for Hymns.
The 2023 Stellar Awards telecast features performances by two legends of the genre, CeCe Winans (Aretha Franklin Icon Award honoree) and Dottie Peoples (Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones Legends Award honoree). Winans performed “Goodness of God” from her album Believe for It.
Other special honorees were Reverend Dr. Milton Biggham (the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award) and Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones (the Thomas A. Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award).
Five categories were not presented this year: traditional duo/chorus group of the year, traditional female artist of the year, traditional choir of the year, contemporary choir of the year, instrumental album of the year
The show will air on the newly-launched Stellar Network (available on Charter Spectrum, Verizon Fios, and Xumo Play) on Sunday, July 30 at 6 p.m. ET; on BET on Sunday, August 6 at 8 p.m. ET; and on Bounce TV on Sunday, September 3 at 1 p.m. ET. In addition, the show will air in nationwide syndication from Aug. 7 to Sept. 10.
The Stellar Awards Blue Carpet Special, hosted by Jekalyn Carr, Angel Taylor and Akintunde, will be televised on the Stellar Network on July 30 at 5 p.m. ET.
The 38th Stellar Gospel Music Awards show is executive produced by Don Jackson, with Jennifer J. Jackson serving as executive in charge of production and producer. Michael A. Johnson serves as producer and director.
Here’s a complete list of winners from the 2023 Stellar Gospel Music Awards:
Artist of the year: Pastor Mike Jr.; Winning; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Song of the year: “Impossible”; Pastor Mike Jr., James Fortune & JeVon Hill; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Male artist of the year: Pastor Mike Jr.; Winning; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Albertina Walker female artist of the year: DOE; Clarity; Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration
Duo/chorus group of the year: Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin; Kingdom Book One; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
New artist of the year: Lena Byrd Miles; Brand New; My Block Inc.
Album of the year: Winning; Pastor Mike Jr.; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Choir of the year: Brent Jones; Nothing Else Matters (INSTEAD OF COMPLAINING, PRAISE HIM); JDI Entertainment
Producer of the year: Tye Tribbett & Joseph Bethea; All Things New; Motown Gospel
Contemporary duo/chorus group of the year: Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin; Kingdom Book One; Tribl Records / Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Inspiration
Contemporary male artist of the year: Pastor Mike Jr.; Winning; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Traditional male artist of the year: Zacardi Cortez; Imprint; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Contemporary female artist of the year: DOE; Clarity; Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration
Contemporary album of the year: Winning; Pastor Mike Jr.; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Traditional album of the year: Imprint; Zacardi Cortez; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Urban/inspirational single or performance of the year: “When I Pray”; Doe; Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration
Music video of the year: “Mr. McClure”; Michael McClure, Andre Rudolph & Antonio Minifield; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Special event album of the year: T.D. Jakes Presents “Finally Loosed”; Various Artists; Dexterity Sounds
Rap hip hop gospel album of the year: Church Clothes 4; Lecrae; Reach Records
Youth project of the year: Detroit Youth Choir; Rockspell; Confidential Records
Quartet of the year: Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson; Restructure, Renew Reunion; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Recorded music packaging of the year: All Things New; Mike McKesey & Trent Nicholson; Motown Gospel
Praise and worship album of the year: Hymns; Tasha Cobbs Leonard; TeeLee Records/Motown Gospel
Praise and worship song of the year: “You’ve Been Good to Me”; Zacardi Cortez; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
Rap/hip hop song of the year: “Blak Sheep”; Pastor Mike Jr.; Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
James Cleveland lifetime achievement award: Rev. Milton Biggham
Aretha Franklin icon award: CeCe Winans
Thomas A. Dorsey most notable achievement award: Dr. Bobby Jones
Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones legends award: Dottie Peoples
Gospel radio of the year winners
Major market of the year: WPZE Praise 102.5, Atlanta
Large market of the year: WHAL-FM 95.7, Memphis
Medium market of the year: WXHL 89.1 FM Reach Gospel Radio, Wilmington
Small market of the year: WWLD-HD2 98.3FM, Tallahassee
Internet station of the year: WVTC Gospel Radio Network, http://www.wvtcradio.com
Gospel announcer of the year: Melanie Pratt, WPZS Praise – “Melanie in the Midday”
Miami-Dade County Public Schools teachers will likely receive pay raises ranging from 7% to 10% this coming school year, and starting teachers will likely make about $3,000 more than they … Click to Continue »
As South Florida, like much of the nation, sweats through a record-breaking hot summer, President Joe Biden on Thursday announced steps to help American workers stay safe in extreme heat. … Click to Continue »
New charges — and a new defendant — added to the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump underscore how the Mar-a-Lago investigation is still very much ongoing, even … Click to Continue »
Miami Beach officials are considering new measures intended to limit the presence of homeless people in public places, including legislation that could subject people sleeping outdoors to arrest if they … Click to Continue »
