Since ONEUS‘ 2018 debut on the K-pop scene, the boy band has consistently toured across countries like Japan and the U.S., but 2023 will see them meeting more of their fans in their first proper world tour.

Following the conclusion of their ‘USA Blood Moon’ tour earlier this year, ONEUS revealed the 2023 Reach for Us World Tour with stops announced in Asia, North America, and South America so far. The group will kick the new year off by opening the U.S. leg on January 12, 2023, at New York’s Apollo Theater, before visiting countries like Mexico, Chile, and Brazil in February.

Since wrapping their last U.S. tour in March, ONEUS released two new EPs—Trickster in May and Malus in September—which led to the group’s best album sales yet in Korea. The group’s record label RBW says their return to the States will deliver a mix of ONEUS hits and other pop culture–inspired performances.

“ONEUS is so excited and honored to be coming back to the U.S.,” RBW shares in a statement to Billboard. “The boys have been working hard on giving America the ultimate mix of music, dance, and fashion, including an electrifying Top Gun-inspired dance number and a BLACKPINK cover. The band can’t wait to meet all their American friends and show them they have many musical surprises and even more new moves.”

Take a first look at ONEUS’ rehearsals for Trickster lead single “Bring It On” and 2020 hit “Come Back Home” in the exclusive video below, and then peep the dates and locations for the Reach for Us World Tour below.

ONEUS 1st World Tour Reach for Us dates:

January 12 – New York (Apollo Theater)
January 14 – Washington, DC (The Theater at MGM National Harbor)
January 16 – Atlanta (Coca-Cola Roxy)
January 18 – Orlando (House of Blues Orlando)
January 21 – Madison (Orpheum Theater)
January 24 – St. Louis (The Factory)
January 27 – Dallas Fort Worth (Will Rogers Auditorium)
January 29 – Houston (713 Music Hall)
February 2 – Phoenix (Marquee Theatre)
February 4 – Los Angeles (The Pasadena Civic)
February 7 – Puerto Rico (Coca-Cola Music Hall)
February 10 – Mexico City (Pepsi Center WTC)
February 12 – Santiago (Teatro Coliseo)
February 15 – São Paulo (Audio Club)

ONEUS
ONEUS

When the 2023 Grammy nominations were unveiled on Tuesday (Nov. 15), there were a lot of names we were expecting in the Big Four categories, including leading nominees Beyoncé (9), Kendrick Lamar (8), and Grammy faves Adele and Brandi Carlile (7 each).

But there were also some names we weren’t expecting – or hadn’t even seen before, especially in the best new artist field. On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen below), Katie & Keith are joined by Pop Shop founder Jason Lipshutz to share our fast first impressions of the top categories: record of the year, album of the year, song of the year and best new artist.

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Listen below to get our hot takes:

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Drake and 21 Savage team up for the year’s biggest hip-hop debut as Her Loss starts atop the Billboard 200 and gives Drake his 12th No. 1 album. Plus, Taylor Swift stays put atop the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with “Anti Hero,” while eight songs from Her Loss start in the top 10.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard‘s senior director of charts Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

Puerto Rican producer Mora notches his third top 10 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart as his third-studio album Paraíso, debuts at No. 4 on the Nov. 19-dated list. The set was released Nov. 3 via Rimas Entertainment.

Paraíso earned 9,000 equivalent album units after its first full tracking week ending Nov. 10, according to Luminate. Most of the set’s opening sum stems from streaming-equivalent album units. That sum equals 12.8 million official on-demand streams of the album’s songs.

On the multimetric Top Latin Albums chart 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 26-year-old, born Gabriel Mora Quintero, debuts in the top 10 on Top Latin Albums mirroring his predecessor effort Microdosis. His sophomore studio album likewise launched at No. 4 (April 16-dated ranking) and held in the upper region for two weeks within its 34-week period and counting (No. 44 on the current list). Previously, Mora secured a first top 10 through his album debut Primer Día de Clases (No. 7 high in 2021).

Elsewhere, Paraíso arrives at No. 3 on Latin Rhythm Albums, also his third straight top 10 there. Further, it grants Mora his second and highest entry on Billboard 200, debuting at No. 114.

Unlike Mora’s previous efforts, the 14-track set parades through his usual reggaetón mold, yet it also dives into dance-styled and pop-peppered tunes, products of his long stay in Europe (in support of his last project, Microdosis) induced mainly by Ibiza’s “party vibe,” as he’s referred to. The album features an amalgam of artists: De La Ghetto, Quevedo, Danny Ocean, YOVNCHIMI and paopao.

As Paraíso launches, two of its songs debut on the all-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, which blends airplay, streams and digital sales: “Domingo de Bote” at No. 34, and “Modelito,” with YOVNCHIMI, at No. 42.

“Domingo de Bote” leads in streams, with 1.74 million official on-demand streams in the week. Meanwhile, “Modelito” generated 1.49 million in its first week.

On the Global front, “Domingo” debuts at No. 193 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. Meanwhile, “Apa,” with Quevedo,” yields a better start, at No. 132, while locks the album’s only entry on the Billboard Global 200 tally, at No. 198.

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A tourism minister for the Bahamas is throwing cold water on Billy McFarland‘s comeback plans. In a statement Monday (Nov. 14), Chester Cooper, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister for Tourism, said that the creator of the disastrous Fyre Festival is still considered a “fugitive” in the country and that anyone knowing his whereabouts should contact the Royal Bahamian Police Force. In response, McFarland issued a letter to the Bahamian government later that day apologizing for Fyre Fest and promising, “I will spend the rest of my life working to right my wrongs.”

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The news — first reported by local newspaper The Tribune — comes after McFarland was earlier this year released from prison and later home confinement for crimes he committed while raising money for the 2017 festival. Last month, McFarland released a video on TikTok teasing out a new Bahamas-based project that would be promoted through a treasure hunt set to begin this week on the Caribbean island nation.

“The public is advised that no application has been made to the Government for consideration of any event promoted by Billy McFarland or any entity or parties known to be associated with him,” said Cooper in a statement. “McFarland was the organizer of the Fyre Festival several years ago, a notorious charade for which McFarland was convicted and sent to prison in the USA.
 
“The Government of The Bahamas will not endorse or approve any event in The Bahamas associated with him.
 
“He is considered to be a fugitive, with several pending complaints made against him with the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF).”

McFarland first announced his plans for PYRT on Oct. 24 after serving four years in prison, noting he’s “working on something new” that’s “a little crazier but a whole lot bigger than anything I’ve ever tried before.” In the video announcement, he then flipped a whiteboard to reveal a treasure map taped to the other side and a phone number to call for more information.

In addition to his prison sentence, McFarland was ordered to pay roughly $26 million in restitution for his crimes. In May, his attorney Jason Russo told Billboard that McFarland was focused on finding “the best way to generate income to pay this restitution back and make amends,” adding, “Any new projects that he does become involved in will be done solely for the purpose of generating the restitution for paying back his victims.”

Later Monday, a representative for McFarland provided Billboard with a copy of a letter McFarland says was sent to the Bahamian government in response to Cooper’s statement. In it, he says he has been working to “make amends” with the Bahamian people and pledges to “make these families whole as soon I am allowed.” He goes on to “ask for guidance on whom to speak with to begin my journey to do right by the incredible people of the Bahamas and Family Islands.”

Read it in full here:

Dear Government of The Bahamas,

I am writing to you to profusely apologize for my actions 5 years ago. I was completely wrong and I wholly regret my actions.

I’ve now served my punishment in prison and now that I am out, my main focus is how I can right my wrongs and how I can make the Bahamas and Family Islands, a region I care so deeply about, whole again. 

Over the years, and particularly since my release on August 30, I have been in constant touch with the people throughout the Islands. Their generosity and kind hearts have been a constant guide and motivation for me. I have been re-engaging with the families of the islands to see what I can do to begin making amends. 

I don’t have much right now, but I am committed to make these families whole as soon I am allowed. I ask for guidance on whom to speak with to begin my journey to do right by the incredible people of the Bahamas and Family Islands.

I truly acknowledge the hurt I caused to the people, and region, and I will spend the rest of my life working to right my wrongs. 

Sincerely,
Billy McFarland

The ongoing legal battle between Megan Thee Stallion and her label 1501 Certified Entertainment has taken another nasty turn around this weekend’s American Music Awards.

According to court documents obtained by Billboard, the “Savage” rapper (born Megan Pete) was granted a restraining order against 1501, along with her distributor 300 Entertainment, after claiming 1501 “unlawfully” took steps “to block or interfere with Pete exploiting, licensing, or publishing her music” in the lead-up to the upcoming AMAs on Sunday (Nov. 20). Filed in Harris County District Court in Texas, the order says Megan “provided evidence” that the company “recently engaged and will continue to engage in threatening and retaliatory behavior that will irreparably harm” her music career.

Without providing further detail on what 1501 or 300 allegedly did, the court notes that it filed an ex parte order — essentially, a type of emergency order granted without waiting for a response from the other side — “because there was not enough time to give notice to Defendants, hold a hearing, and issue a restraining order before the irreparable injury, loss, or damage would occur.” It adds that voting for the AMAs, where Megan is nominated for favorite female hip-hop artist, closes on Monday night (Nov. 14) at midnight, and that Megan “will suffer irreparable harm if her music cannot be used in conjunction with her promotion for the AMAs.”

Under the order, 1501, 300 and anyone acting “in concert or participation with” them are restricted from “preventing or blocking the use and exploitation” of Megan’s music in promotional content for the AMAs, — including by “threatening or otherwise attempting to intimidate or coerce” third parties not to use it — through Nov. 20. It also sets a hearing on Megan’s restraining order request for Nov. 22.

The restraining order is just the latest volley in a more than two-year-old legal battle that began in 2020 when Megan filed a lawsuit alleging that 1501 founder Carl Crawford tricked her into signing an “unconscionable” record deal in 2018 that was well below industry standards. She claims that upon signing a management deal with Jay-Z‘s Roc Nation the following year, she got “real lawyers” who showed her that the 1501 agreement was “crazy.”

In February, Megan filed a separate lawsuit claiming 1501 had refused to count her 2021 Something for Thee Hotties release as an album — a pivotal definition, as her 1501 deal states that she must produce three albums to fulfill her obligations. 1501 quickly countersued, arguing that Thee Hotties included just 29 minutes of original material and therefore didn’t qualify.

In September, Megan filed yet another lawsuit seeking more than $1 million in damages, claiming that 1501 “systematically failed” to pay her the proper amount of royalties she was owed and had “wrongfully allowed for excessive marketing and promotion charges,” in addition to allegations that the label leaked her most recent album Traumazine. In response, attorneys for the label argued it was actually Megan who had failed to pay 1501 its fair share of money she made from endorsements, partnerships and other business deals, as well as requirements related to publishing royalties. They further added that any claims of underpayment of royalties should be redirected to 300 Entertainment.

Representatives from 1501 and 300 did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s request for comment.