Jason Mraz has been making music for more than 20 years, but he’s only just made his first pop album.
On June 23, the singer/songwriter released his latest album, Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride, a 10-track collection that contains some of the dance-iest and most pop-forward songs of Mraz’s career while still asking the deep questions that have been a through line in all of his output.
Mraz recently stopped by the Billboard News studio to unpack some of the stories behind the album, including how it took heavy influence from none other than his mom.
Upon telling his mom the ideas he was considering exploring on his next project, Mraz recalls, “She said, ‘These are great, but I feel like you’ve done this before.’ She said, ‘What you need to do is make a pop album before it’s too late.’
“Those words ‘before it’s too late’ reverberated around the room,” Mraz continues, “and I thought… am I too old to make upbeat music?’ So I wanted to challenge myself and my bandmates; we all challenged each other to make this album you could dance to.”
But Mraz, who turned 46 on the day of the new album’s release, wanted to make dance music for people his age, which caused him to approach the themes of the album from a different perspective than those in a lot of mainstream pop.
“Historically, had I been doing this at a younger age, I would have been hormonally charged to try to create these dancefloor bangers,” he says, “but as you get older those moments are still precious, but it’s not what all of life is about. Sometimes life is about cheering yourself on to get through the day.”
Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical is Mraz’s eighth studio LP and comes 21 years after his first album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which produced breakout hits including “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)” and “You and I Both.”
“I think back then, it’s all I knew so I felt both like a winner, but I felt a little unworthy,” Mraz says of the starting-out days. “I felt like I was thrown into it too soon. I wasn’t fully realized in life and I was 23, 24, so I’m writing songs that are more for that age. Looking for love in all the wrong places, I guess, but still asking questions about why am I here and what is the meaning of life. I think that is the through line.
Mraz says the advice he’d give to this younger version of himself is pretty simple: “Just relax, you don’t need the tramp stamp, you can quit smoking sooner than you think, it’s gonna be OK. I was junk food and cigarettes and beer, and I was everything, every night. That’s who I was back then. I felt like I was indestructible. I wouldn’t really wake up from that for many years, probably 2007 is when I had a big transformation in my life, so that first album is a distant memory, but a joyful one.”
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2023-07-08 03:00:102023-07-08 03:00:10Jason Mraz Gives His Younger Self Advice: ‘Just Relax, You Don’t Need the Tramp Stamp & You Can Quit Smoking Sooner Than You Think’
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Amazon Prime Day is one of the biggest online sales of the year, but there are plenty of other alternative sales to shop as well. Although Prime Day 2023 starts July 11, several retailers are offering competing sales, some of which run throughout the month.
For bargain hunters who have been waiting all year to score deep discounts on essentials — and maybe even a few items worth splurging on — we’ve collected a list of some of the better Prime Day alternatives floating online. We’ll be updating this story throughout next week, so be sure to check back for additional deals and promos as they become available.
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See more below.
Target: From 7/9-7/15, customers can shop Target Deal Days it’s biggest sale of the season. Enjoy nearly a week of deals on thousands of items, including electronics, beauty, home, apparel, toys, food and beverage, plus BOGO deals and discounts on furniture, fashion, bedding and more.
Nordstrom: The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale doesn’t start until July 17, but previews launched July 3 and select shoppers can shop the sale starting on July 13. The sale will feature hundreds of deals on top brands like Adidas, Nike, Dyson, Coach, Ugg, Le Creuset, Birkenstock, Herschel Supply Co., Dagne Dover and more.
Best Buy: Looking for deals on electronics and appliances? Find them on sale at Best Buy! From now until July 12, shoppers can save up to 40% off appliances like this GE 4.5 Cu. Ft. Top Load Washer ($549.99/reg. $719.99). Shop additional appliance deals here and electronics such as TVs, speaker and more here.
Macy’s:Save up to 70% offBlack Friday in July specials and 25% off select clearance items (use code: JULY, offer ends 7/12). Some of the deals included: 40%-50% off shoes and sandals, 60% off swimwear, 50% off menswear from I.N,C. and Club Room, 50% off dresses (online only). Plus, 30%-50% off beauty and fragrances and 65% off jewelry.
Ulta: Buy one get one 50% off on hundreds of items during the Big Summer Beauty Sale which ends July 15. Enjoy 30% off select skincare, weekly deals up to 40% off, buy one get one 50% off deals and more. Shop the sale here.
Looking for more deals? We dug up some of the deepest discounts available at some of the retailers listed above. Below, find a list of home deals on small appliances, kitchenware, furniture and other items to shop on sale.
Wayfair
Noblewell 21-in-1 Convection Air Fryer Toaster Oven
An air fryer that does it all. With 21 different capabilities, the Noblewell convection air fryer will help you whip up breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.
Make it an outdoor pizza night! The summer is all about pool parties and BBQs, which means that this stainless steel pizza should have a place near your outdoor grill. The oven is equipped with a 12-inch and measures 16.5 x 14.6 x 7.5 inches.
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Cuisinart Professional Series 13-Piece Stainless Steel Cookware Set
If you’re a fan of Le Creuset, the Toughened Nonstick Pro 3-Piece Cookware set is on sale for a limited time. Included in the set: 10-inch Toughened Nonstick Pro Fry Pan and 4-quart saute pan with a glass lid.
We found a nice deal on Magic Chef’s retro mini fridge at Home Depot. The popular fridge is available in five colors including black, white, red and mint green.
It’s getting hot out there! Getting relief from the heat with this NewAir floor fan. According to shoppers, the NewAir 300 is a “powerful” fan that’s easy to assemble and move around the room.
Get glam while seated at an adorable vanity desk! The desk includes a mirror and ample storage space for all your go-to beauty products, hair tools and more.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2023-07-08 03:00:102023-07-08 03:00:10The 30 Best Prime Day Alternatives to Shop Right Now: Walmart, Nordstrom, Best Buy & More
Seeing is believing for some investors in Sphere Entertainment Co., the developer of the new state-of-the-art venue, The Sphere, in Las Vegas.
Shares of Sphere Entertainment soared 22.7% this week after the world saw the first videos of the dazzling display created by the 580,000 square feet of programmable LED “pucks” on Exosphere, the exterior of the 366-foot tall, spherical venue. The mesmerizing light show received heavy media coverage — from CNN, NPR, USA Today, The Guardian and Daily Mail, among many others — and was shared widely on social media. The buzz helped Sphere Entertainment’s market cap grow to $919 million — a more than $170 million increase.
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U2 launches The Sphere on Sept. 29 with a 25-date residency that runs through Dec. 16. As of Friday, the Sept. 29 show is sold out, and the only available tickets for the next two dates cost $501 apiece. The Sphere’s other programming is Postcards from Earth, an immersive experience created by filmmaker Darren Aronofsky that’s meant to showcase the venue’s technological capabilities.
Sphere Entertainment was one of eight stocks in Billboard’s Global Music Index to post gains this week. The index improved 1%, beating the S&P 500 (down 1.2%), Nasdaq composite (-0.9%), the U.K.’s FTSE 100 (down 1.5%) and South Korea’s KOSPI composite index (down 3.6%). Stocks fell on Friday (July 7) as investors feared that the Labor Department’s June jobs report — which showed wages were stronger than expected — might increase the likelihood the Federal Reserve will resume interest rate increases to cool the economy and ward off inflation.
Two radio stocks were also big winners this week. Shares of iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media increased 9.3% and 8.5%, respectively. Although both stocks are down sharply in 2023 — iHeartMedia has lost 35.1%, Cumulus is off 28.3% — both have experienced a string of successful weeks. Shares of iHeartMedia have gained 66.5% in the last six weeks. Cumulus Media shares have improved 37.8% over that span.
Warner Music Group, the index’s only other stock with a high single-digit gain this week, improved 7.4% to $28.01. That pared WMG’s year-to-date loss to 20%.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2023-07-08 03:00:082023-07-08 03:00:08Sphere Entertainment Stock Gains 23% As Hype Builds Around Namesake Venue
I got some great advice the other day. There’s no right way to grieve but it does help to talk with your community. With that, I wanted to share one … Click to Continue »
A federal agency blames the December death of a worker in a lift collapse on Interstate 95 in Fort Lauderdale on The de Moya Group, a Northwest Miami-Dade highway and … Click to Continue »
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NEW YORK — At least 18 people were hospitalized and more than 60 others requested an evaluation for injuries after a city bus and a double-decker tour bus collided on … Click to Continue »
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Two staffers for Florida Rep. Fabian Basabe filed a lawsuit Thursday detailing allegations of sexual harassment and unwanted touching by the freshman Republican lawmaker. The lawsuit says Basabe made repeated … Click to Continue »
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Prince Royce notches his 23rd No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart as “Me EnRD” lifts 2-1 to crown the July 8-dated ranking. The song unseats Marshmello and Manuel Turizo’s “El Merengue” from the lead, after its 13-week domination (it falls to No. 2).
“Me EnRD” lands at No. 1 in its 10th week after a steady climb, including five weeks at No. 2. It crowns the survey with a 4% increase in audience impressions, to 8 million, earned in the U.S. during the June 23-29 tracking week, according to Luminate.
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“Me EnRD” is just the second Tropical Airplay-ruling song by an artist unaccompanied by any other act in 2023, after Manuel Turizo’s “La Bachata,” which led for five weeks (a total of 14 weeks in charge). With the 2-1 move, “EnRD” gifts Royce his 23rd champ, after Marc Anthony, who continues at the helm with 35 total No. 1s, and Victor Manuelle with 29.
Here’s the scoreboard with artists with the most No. 1s on Tropical Airplay since the chart begun in 1994:
35, Marc Anthony 29, Victor Manuelle 23, Prince Royce 18, Romeo Santos 14, Elvis Crespo 14, Gilberto Santa Rosa 13, Jerry Rivera
Beyond its Tropical Airplay coronation, “EnRD” makes progress on the overall Latin Airplay chart, with an 8-6 jump.
La Maquinaria Norteña hits top 10: Elsewhere on Latin Airplay, La Maquinaria Norteña captures its third top 10 as “Te Quiero Ver” climbs 16-9 with 7 million in audience impressions; that’s a 30% gain from the week prior, earned during the same period. It’s the biggest percentage gain among the 50-song deep tally.
As mentioned, “Te Quiero” is the norteño group’s third top 10 on Latin Airplay, all which arrived less than a year ago. The song follows La Maquinaria’s highest-charting title to date, the No. 4-peaking “Eres Ese Algo” (Feb. 25).
Further, “Quiero” nearly misses the No. 1 slot on Regional Mexican Airplay, as the song pushes 5-2.
The song ties with Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” for the fourth-most weeks at No. 1 in 2023, after Emilia, Big One and Callejero Fino’s “En La Intimidad,” which continues to lead with seven weeks in charge, and Ke Personajes, Big One and FMK’s “Un Finde: Big One CROSSOVER #2” which ruled for five weeks.
Continuing with Becerra, the Argentinian collects her 23rd top 10 as “Corazón Vacío” bows at No. 2, the Hot Shot Debut of the week. Thus, she extends her record for the most top 10s among acts since the chart launched in 2018.
Meanwhile, Bizarrap and Rauw Alejandro’s “Rauw Alejandro: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 56” takes home the Greatest Gainer honors of the week as the collab rallies 54-12, a 42-ranking ascent.
Duki crosses off a career milestone as 11 songs from his latest Antes de Ameri album debut. In total, he places a total of 15 simultaneous tracks on the chart, the second-most after Bad Bunny ranked with 17 concurrent songs in May 2022.
Here’s the complete list of Duki’s songs on the chart:
No. 1, “Los Del Espacio,” with LIT Killah, Tiago Pzk, Maria Becerra, Emilia, Rusherking, Big One & FMK No. 16, “Rockstar 2.0,” with Jhay Cortez (debut) No. 18, “Antes de Perderte (OG Version)” (debut) No. 33, “Don’t Lie”, with Quevedo (debut) No. 40, “Uno Dos”, with Salastkbron (debut) No. 43, “01 De Enero”, with Lucho SSJ (debut) No. 44, “Jefes del Sudoeste” (debut) No. 50, “Harakiri,” with C.R.O. No. 51, “Contra Mí,”, with We$t Dubai (debut) No. 59, “Gigi” (debut) No. 66, “Csipher,” with Akapellah & Neutro Shorty, featuring Micro TDH (debut) No. 71, “N.C.L.C” (debut) No. 74, “Último Tren a Ameri” (debut)
Other debuts of the week include Rauw Alejandro and Bizarrap’s “Baby Hello” at No. 47, Marshmello and Tiago PZK’s “Como Yo :(” at No. 55, Maluma’s “Coco Loco” at No. 62, and Myke Towers’ “Lala” at No. 68, while YSY A and Sixto Yegros’s “Esta Que Quema,” featuring Sponsor Dios, starts at No. 88.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2023-07-07 03:20:382023-07-07 03:20:38LIT Killah, Tiago Pzk, Maria Becerra, Duki, Emilia, Rusherking, Big One & FMK Add 4th Week Atop Argentina Hot 100
TMZ broke the news Thursday (July 6), reporting that Spears and Asghari were having dinner at the Aria Hotel when she saw the San Antonio Spurs’ No. 1 draft pick and wanted to take a photo with him. When Spears tapped Wembanyama on the shoulder, Damian Smith, director of team security for the Spurs, reportedly pushed her, hitting her in the face and causing her to fall to the ground, Spears’ report claims.
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“I am opposed to violence in any form, especially without justification in the defense of yourself or someone else who is unable to defend themselves,” Asghari wrote via Instagram Story on Thursday. “Self-defense can be unavoidable, but the defense of any woman, especially my wife, is not debatable. I consider my reaction subdued considering what occurred, and I hope the man in question learns a lesson and changes his disregard for women.”
Asghari ended the note with a message for Spears’ fans: “Thank you for the support.”
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told Billboard when asked about the incident, “On July 5, 2023, at approximately 11 p.m., LVMPD officers responded to a property in the 3700 block of Las Vegas Boulevard regarding a battery investigation. The incident has been documented on a police report and no arrest or citations have been issued.”
“Traumatic experiences are not new to me and I have had my fair share of them,” Spears wrote on Instagram. “I was not prepared for what happened to me last night. I recognized an athlete in my hotel lobby as I was heading to dinner. I later went to a restaurant at a different hotel and saw him again. I decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success. It was really loud, so I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. I am aware of the players statement where he mentions ‘I grabbed him from behind’ but I simply tapped him on the shoulder. His security then back handed me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses [to fall] off my face.”
Billboard reached out to Spears’ camp and to the Spurs organization on Thursday and has not heard back as of press time.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2023-07-07 03:20:372023-07-07 03:20:37Britney Spears’ Husband Sam Asghari Calls Out Security Guard’s ‘Disregard for Women’ After Alleged Assault
