The building stands empty and skeletal, a behemoth overlooking Biscayne Boulevard and 79th Street. But the old Immigration and Naturalization Service tower at 7880 Biscayne Blvd. was once a bustling … Click to Continue »
Jack Black‘s music video for his Super Mario Bros. Movie ballad is peach perfection.
Black, all decked out in a Bowser-green suit and seated at a peach piano in a peach room, croons an ode to Princess Peach in the colorful clip. A framed photo of Peach sits atop his piano, along with a bowl of peaches.
Black is the voice of Bowser in Illumination and Universal’s Nintendo video game adaptation, which hit movie theaters this weekend. The Super Mario Bros. Movie scored the top global launch ever for an animated pic, and the second-best ever domestically, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The music video for “Peaches” was directed by Cole Bennett, who says Black’s suit was both Bowser and Elton John-inspired.
Watch “Peaches” below, as well as a behind-the-scenes clip of the making of the music video.
Suga‘s latest solo song “People Pt. 2,” featuring IU, has topped this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (April 7) on Billboard, choosing the BTS rapper’s D-Day album track as their favorite new music release of the past week.
“People Pt. 2” brought in 96% of the vote, beating out new music by Labrinth featuring Billie Eilish (“Never Felt So Alone”), Drake (“Search & Rescue”), Youngboy Never Broke Again featuring Nicki Minaj (“WTF”), NF (Hope), and others.
“People Pt. 2” is the follow-up to Suga’s “People,” which originally appeared on his second mixtape, 2020’s D-2. It’s hardly the first time he has teamed up with IU, who released her track “Eight” that same year with Suga on vocals and song production.
The new song also serves as the lead single from Suga’s debut solo album, D-Day, which is scheduled for release on April 21 under the name Agust D.
D-Day marks the final release of Suga’s mixtape trilogy. The rapper-dancer’s debut mixtape, Agust D, arrived in 2016, highlighting his hardcore rap and underground influences with help from writer-producers Slow Rabbit, June, Pdogg and Supreme Boi. He followed up with D-2, which charted at No. 9 on the Top Rap Albums chart and No. 11 on the Billboard 200.
Trailing behind Suga on the fan-voted poll was Labrinth and Eilish’s “Never Felt So Alone,” with 1.3% of the vote. The track was featured in Euphoria‘s second season in 2019, but had remained unreleased since the show’s latest installment dropped on HBO Max last year.
See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.
Jamie Lee Curtis is applauding Karol G for calling out her GQ Mexico magazine cover that the Colombian star alleges was photoshopped.
“Today my GQ magazine cover was made public, a cover with an image that does not represent me,” Karol G had posted on Instagram Thursday (April 6), with the cover image shown next to a selfie. “My face doesn’t look like that, my body doesn’t look like that and I feel very happy and comfortable with how I look naturally. I understand the repercussions this can have, but beyond feeling it’s disrespectful to me, it’s disrespectful to women who wake up looking to feel comfortable with themselves despite society’s stereotypes.”
On Sunday, Curtis shared the magazine cover and the singer’s comments on her own Instagram account, bringing the conversation over to her fans.
“I’m so happy that @karolg is bringing awareness to an issue I have been concerned about for a long time,” Curtis. “We are human beings. We are not AI and this genocide against what is naturally beautiful is alarming and needs to be talked about.”
The Everything Everywhere All at Once actress added that she, Justine Bateman and Andie MacDowell have been vocal about this issue previously, and that she’s “very encouraged that a younger person is joining the chorus of disapproval. The cosmeceutical industrial complex wants you to look in the mirror and hate yourself and then buy their bulls—.”
Karol G’s history-making Mañana Será Bonito debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 last month. It became the first No. 1 for her on the chart, and it marked the first time that an all-Spanish-language album by a woman topped the list.
See Jamie Lee Curtis’ post below.
Ian Bairnson, guitarist for the Alan Parsons Project who also performed on albums by Kate Bush, has died. He was 69.
The Scottish-born musician passed away on Friday (April 7) after a “long battle with dementia,” his wife, Leila Bairnson, announced through social media (via The Guardian).
“Ian was the sweetest, kindest, loving husband I could ever have wished for and I take comfort that he is resting now up there in his very own piece of ‘Blue Blue Sky,’” Leila wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday (April 8). “Although Ian has left us, his musical legacy stays with us and will continue to delight and brighten our lives, as it did his, forever.”
She continued, “I would like to thank the doctors and nurses at Frimley Park Hospital, the managers and carers at Lynwood Care Home and our families and close friends for the love and support they have provided us during these challenging years of Ian’s long battle with dementia.”
Bairnson, who was born in Shetland, was a session musician before joining Scottish band Pilot in 1973. He went on to become guitarist for the Alan Parsons Project, beginning with the group’s 1975 debut album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, through 1990’s Freudiana. Decades later, he continued performing on Parsons’ solo projects, most recently on his 2019 album, The Secret.
Parsons remembered his former bandmate in a touching tribute through Facebook on Saturday.
“I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my good friend and musical icon, Ian Bairnson,” Parsons wrote in his lengthy message. “I have always considered Ian a musical genius. It was a great pleasure to have him participate on every album by The Alan Parsons Project and several other albums under my name since. He has played with many other talented artists as well throughout his incredible career.”
Bairnson was also featured on Bush’s 1978 album, The Kick Inside, delivering the guitar solo on “Wuthering Heights.” He also appeared on the U.K. pop icon’s albums Lionheart (1978), Never for Ever (1980), and The Dreaming (1982).
Elsewhere during his career, Bairnson played as a session musician on projects by Joe Cocker, Yes’ Jon Anderson and Mick Fleetwood, according to Rolling Stone. He also toured with artists like Sting and Eric Clapton, among others.
Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time continues to cruise at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, as the album spends a fifth straight and total week atop chart (dated April 15). The set earned 173,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending April 6 (down 12%), according to Luminate. One Thing at a Time debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 dated March 18 and has held in place ever since.
Across Wallen’s two No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, One Thing at a Time and Dangerous: The Double Album, he has now spent a total of 15 weeks atop the chart. That surpasses Bad Bunny for the second-most weeks at No. 1 this decade. Only Taylor Swift has more weeks at No. 1 since the start of 2020, with 20 total.
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 chart, Melanie Martinez scores her highest-charting album yet with the No. 2 debut of Portals, Tyler, the Creator’s former No. 1 Call Me If You Get Lost surges 137-3 after its deluxe reissue with eight additional songs and supergroup Boygenius starts at No. 4 with its first full-length studio album (and major label debut), The Record.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new April 15, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (April 11). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Of One Thing at a Time’s 173,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending April 6, SEA units comprise 162,000 (down 9%, equaling 215.58 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 36 songs), album sales comprise 8,000 (down 53%) and TEA units comprise 3,000 (down 6%).
Martinez logs her highest-charting album yet on the Billboard 200, as her new studio effort Portals opens at No. 2. The set earned 142,000 equivalent album units, her biggest week ever by units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 99,000 (her largest sales week ever), SEA units comprise 42,000 (equaling 60.58 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs, her largest streaming week ever) and TEA units comprise 1,000 units.
In total, Portals marks Martinez’s third top 10-charting set, following K-12 (No. 3 peak in 2019) and Cry Baby (No. 6 in 2015).
The new album was previewed by the songs “Void” (the set’s official first single) and “Death,” both of which have reached the top 40 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, while “Death” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 dated April 1 at No. 95. The latter debut is Martinez’s first appearance on the Hot 100 since 2012, and the first time she’s charted with anything that wasn’t part of her run as a contestant on NBC’s The Voice. (Her two previous entries on the Hot 100 were both covers from the reality competition show.)
Portals’ sizable first-week sales of 99,000 was supported by 21 different physical variants of the album — six vinyl LPs, 14 CDs and one cassette. The audio content across all of the editions is the same; the variations are mostly distinguished by their packaging (including color vinyl editions, alternative covers, a signed CD and four deluxe boxed sets with either a tank top or a shirt along with a CD).
Tyler, the Creator’s chart-topping Call Me If You Get Lost jumps from No. 137 to No. 3 following its deluxe reissue on March 31. The set, first released in 2021, was reintroduced to the market with eight additional songs (dubbed the Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale edition). All versions of the album, old and new, are combined for tracking and charting purposes.
In total, Call Me If You Get Lost earned 68,000 equivalent album units for the week, up 617%. The bulk of that sum was driven by SEA activity: 57,000 (up 734%, equaling 77.97 million on-demand official streams of all of the set’s songs, old and new). The set also sold 11,000 copies, including digital download and CD editions of the new deluxe version (though the CD is exclusively sold through the artist’s webstore at this time).
Call Me If You Get Lost was last in the top 10 almost a year ago, on the April 30, 2022-dated chart, when the album zoomed 120-1 after its belated release on vinyl pushed it back to the top. It first led in July 2021 upon its debut.
Rock supergroup Boygenius sees its debut full-length studio album — and major label debut — The Record launch at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The trio comprises Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. The set starts with 67,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 53,000, SEA units comprise 14,000 (equaling 18.17 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
The Record was previewed by a trio of charting songs on Billboard’s tallies: “Emily I’m Sorry,” “Not Strong Enough” and “$20.” The latter two charted on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart (with “Not Strong Enough” hitting the top 10 on the April 15-dated list), while the former two both reached Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.
The Record was supported largely by vinyl sales. Of the album’s overall first-week units, vinyl sales represented 67% of the total sum (45,000 of 67,000). And, of the album’s traditional album sales number, vinyl accounts for 85% of the total (45,000 of 53,000). The Record was available in eight different-colored vinyl variants, including exclusives for indie stores, Target and Urban Outfitters.
SZA’s former No. 1 SOS is a non-mover at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 with 64,000 equivalent album units earned (down 8%), Swift’s chart-topping Midnights rises 7-6 with 61,000 (up 5%) and Luke Combs’ Gettin’ Old dips 4-7 with 54,000 (down 46% in its second week). Wallen’s chart-topping Dangerous: The Double Album climbs 9-8 with 45,000 (up 3%), Metro Boomin’s former No. 1 Heroes & Villains falls 8-9 with 42,000 (down 7%), and Lana Del Rey’s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. drops 3-10 with 38,000 (down 67% in its second week).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Authorities are searching for a 1-year-old who went missing two days ago near North Miami. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a missing child alert Friday to find him. … Click to Continue »
Jazz saxophonist and music teacher Edward “Kidd” Jordan died in his sleep Friday (April 7), surrounded by family at his New Orleans home, family publicist Vincent Sylvain said. He was 87.
During his 50-year career, Jordan showcased his musical talents across New Orleans while also collaborating with music legends like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and more.
Born in Crowley in 1935, Jordan moved to New Orleans at 20 years old and created The Improvisation Arts Quintet in 1975. The group produced a diverse catalogue of avant-garde music described as “an evolution of complementary imagery moving together and apart, each artist becoming an ear, an eye and most of all a heart for the sake of the creative spiritual soul.”
He was a music professor at Southern University of New Orleans, later becoming chairman of the university’s jazz studies program.
During his 34 years at SUNO, “he shared his vision of improvisation and encouraged students to find their authentic creative voices,” Sylvain said. “Mr. Jordan’s legacy is solidified by his insistence that his students’ music contain one critical element — originality. And he practices what he preaches.”
Jordan also was an instructor at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation’s School of Music for 25 years and served as artistic director for the Louis Armstrong Satchmo Jazz Camp. He retired in 2006.
“Kidd dedicated his life to teaching youngsters of all ages. His passing is the end of an era of music education in New Orleans,” said Jackie Harris, executive director of the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Educational Foundation.
“His spirit and determination was a shining example that gave musicians the confidence to express themselves with ‘No Compromise,’” said Harris, referencing Jordan’s first record, No Compromise.
Prominent former students include Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Jon Batiste, Donald Harrison Jr., Tony Dagradi, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and “Big” Sam Williams.
Jordan also taught his seven children, Edward Jr., Kent, Christie, Paul, Stephanie, Rachel and Marlon. Four of them became professional musicians: Kent on flute, Stephanie as a singer, Rachel as a classical violinist and Marlon on trumpet.
The French Ministry of Culture in 1985 anointed him a knight, or chevalier, of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, a prestigious award given to those who have produced exceptional work in arts or literature. Jordan also received a Lifetime Achievement Honoree recognition at the Vision Festival XIII in New York in 2008, and was named a “jazz hero” by the Jazz Journalist Association in 2013.
In addition to his children, Jordan is survived by his wife, Edvidge Chatters Jordan.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn have split, ET reported on Saturday (April 8).
According to ET, a source said the breakup was amicable and “was not dramatic.”
“The relationship had just run its course. It’s why [Alwyn] hasn’t been spotted at any shows,” the source reportedly noted. Billboard reached out to representatives for Swift and Alwyn for comment, but at press time had not received a response.
Swift began dating Alwyn, an actor seen in a number of film and television projects including 2018’s The Favourite and 2022’s Conversations With Friends, in 2016. They’ve mostly stayed quiet with the public about their relationship throughout the past six years.
“I’m aware people want to know about that side of things,” Alwyn said of dating Swift to British Vogue in 2018. “I think we have been successfully very private, and that has now sunk in for people.” He added, “But I really prefer to talk about work.”
“I’ve learned that if I do, people think it’s up for discussion, and our relationship isn’t up for discussion,” Swift told The Guardian in 2019 of their decision to be discreet about their relationship. “If you and I were having a glass of wine right now, we’d be talking about it — but it’s just that it goes out into the world. That’s where the boundary is, and that’s where my life has become manageable. I really want to keep it feeling manageable.”
Alwyn won his first Grammy in 2021 due to his co-producer and songwriter credits on Swift’s album of the year winner, Folklore. Under pen name William Bowery, Alwyn worked closely with the star, co-writing the Bon Iver duet “Exile” and the song “Betty.”
On Swift’s follow-up Evermore, Alwyn co-wrote “Champagne Problems,” The National-assisted “Coney Island” and “Evermore,” a second Justin Vernon collab. And on Swift’s most recent release, Midnights, he contributed to “Sweet Nothing.”
Folklore, Evermore and Midnights all hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart upon their release.
“Joe and I really love sad songs. We’ve always bonded over music. We write the saddest [songs]. We just really love sad songs,” Swift told Zane Lowe of her partner in 2020. “What can I say? It was a surprise that we started writing together. But in a way, it wasn’t because we have always bonded over music and had the same musical tastes.”
Swift is currently on her Eras Tour, which next stops in Tampa, Florida, for a trio of stadium shows from April 13-15. Alwyn is set to appear in the upcoming Yorgos Lanthimos film And, alongside an ensemble cast that includes Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley and Hong Chau.
Graham Nash is sharing new details about David Crosby‘s death.
Following the announcement of his passing on Jan. 19, Crosby’s family noted that the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer died following a “long illness,” but did not elaborate on the exact cause.
In a new interview, the Crosby, Stills & Nash singer says that his former bandmate had contracted COVID-19 for a second time prior to his death.
“He was rehearsing for a show to do in Los Angeles with a full band,” Nash said during the Kyle Meredith With… podcast. “After three days of rehearsals, he felt a little sick. And he’d already had COVID, and he had COVID again. And so he went home and decided that he would take a nap, and he never woke up. But he died in his bed, and that is fantastic.”
Nash aded that Crosby was lucky to have lived as long as he did.
“I mean, the fact that he made it to 81 was astonishing,” he said. “But [his death] was a shock. It was kind of like an earthquake, you know? You get the initial shock and then you figure out that you survived. But these aftershocks kept coming up, and they’re diminishing in size as I go along.”
Nash said earlier this year that he and Crosby — who were famously estranged for years before the pioneering folk-rocker’s passing — were in the midst of making peace just before Crosby died.
“The fact is that we were getting a little closer at the end. He had sent me a voicemail saying that he wanted to talk to apologize, and could we set up a time to talk,” Nash told AARP magazine in February. “I emailed him back and said, ‘Okay, call me at 11 o’clock tomorrow your time, which is 2 o’clock on the East Coast.’ He never called, and then he was gone.”
Nash told AARP that he suspected Crosby may have known the end was near. “Since his liver transplant and all his stents. He had seven stents. His body was really failing,” he said of Crosby, who was open about his long struggle with drug addiction. “But once again, I can only try to remember the good times, because we had many of them.”
Following Crosby’s death, Nash shared a statement about his “friend” Crosby on social media.
“I know people tend to focus on how volatile our relationship has been at times, but what has always mattered to David and me more than anything was the pure joy of the music we created together, the sound we discovered with one another, and the deep friendship we shared over all these many long years,” he wrote on Instagram.
