Rapper Lil Mosey opens up and talks about being found not guilty, his new song ‘Flu Game’ and what inspired it, what it was like to perform at Rolling Loud and more!
Kelly Clarkson kicked off the Wednesday (April 5) episode of her talk show with a lovely, lilting cover of Joni Mitchell‘s “A Case of You.”
Accompanied by a lone Appalachian dulcimer, much like the original recording, the American Idol winner rolled out the story Mitchell first told on her landmark 1971 album Blue, singing, “Just before our love got lost you said/ ‘I am as constant as a northern star’/ And I said, ‘Constantly in the darkness/ Where’s that at?/ If you want me I’ll be in the bar’/ On the back of a cartoon coaster/ In the blue TV screen light/ I drew a map of Canada/ Oh, Canada/ With your face sketched on it twice.”
The ballad was originally released as the B-side to Blue‘s sophomore single “California,” which failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 following the modest success of lead single “Carey.” Mitchell later re-recorded “A Case of You” for her 1974 live album Miles of Aisles and another version of the song also reappeared on her 2000 orchestral full-length Both Sides Now.
Other tracks Clarkson has selected for a Kellyoke spin as of late include Lenny Kravitz’s cover of “American Woman,” GAYLE’s Grammy-nominated breakout “abcdefu” — complete with tweaked lyrics to allude to her divorce from Brandon Blackstock — and Janet Jackson’s “When I Think of You.”
Meanwhile, the talk show host is also prepping the long-awaited release of Chemistry, her first new album of original, non-holiday music since 2017’s Meaning of Life. The studio set’s lead single “Mine” is set to arrive April 14 via Atlantic Records.
Watch Clarkson pay homage to Mitchell with her take on “A Case of You” below.
Live Nation president/CEO Michael Rapino is once again dipping into his personal bank account to convey his financial support and commitment to the concert promotion company he’s been building since 2005. On Friday (March 31), he purchased approximately $1 million worth of company stock “in order to maintain his strong level of stock ownership in the Company,” according to a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
The purchase is a bit confusing since it was part of a tax withholding effort and was technically listed as a sale of shares by Rapino rather than an acquisition. But just as he did in March 2020, Rapino spent approximately $1 million of his own money to increase the number of Live Nation shares he held in his portfolio.
Rapino made the March 2020 purchase just as the company’s share price, and most of the stock market, was being battered by fears of a deep recession due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the company was trading at $38.60 per share, down nearly 50% from weeks earlier when the stock was trading at approximately $74 per share.
Today, that $1 million Rapino invested in the company in 2020 is worth $1.8 million, with the Live Nation stock hovering around $68 to $70 per share — better than it was during the early days of the pandemic, but lower than shareholders want considering that the company enjoyed record revenue in 2022 and is poised for a big 2023 with superstar artists like Beyoncé, Drake and Madonna hitting the road. Rapino’s latest purchase is a way to shore up confidence in the company as it heads into another promising year.
Dragging the company’s share price down are concerns about debt and regulatory pressure from Washington, D.C. Live Nation carried $3.7 billion in debt prior to the pandemic and now shows a debt level of $6 billion. With nearly $5.1 billion of that debt set at a fixed interest rate, the company will easily be able to service its interest payments, but it’s unlikely to raise additional capital for acquisitions in the short term due to federal monetary shifts toward higher interest rates. On the regulatory front, the company is facing both long-term scrutiny over its 2010 merger with Ticketmaster and more recent attention over its handling of the 2022 ticket sale for Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour.
Friday’s purchase was structured differently than the March 2020 purchase, which saw Rapino buy the $1 million in company shares off the open market. Instead, it was part of a share surrender by Rapino and other executives over taxes due on vested restricted stock awards. As part of the company’s equity incentive plan, Rapino was to surrender 22,204 shares of restricted stock back to the company to cover withholding taxes but opted to pay $1 million out of his own pocket toward taxes due on his 2022 stock award, “hereby retaining ownership of 14,285 shares of common stock of the Company that would have otherwise been surrendered to the Company to pay taxes,” according to the SEC filing.
Rapino currently holds 5.2 million shares of Live Nation, consisting of 3.5 million shares of common stock, options to purchase an additional 600,000 shares and a performance share award targeted at 1.1 million shares of common stock.
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When Lewis Capaldi isn’t onstage, performing his Billboard Hot 100-topping breakthrough hit “Someone You Loved,” he can be found posting hilarious videos on his Instagram or cracking jokes in interviews — like when he told Billboard‘s Pop Shop Podcast back in 2019 that he could “punch a lion in the mouth” he was so happy about going No. 1 in America.
But in his new Netflix documentary Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now — arriving Wednesday, April 5, on the streamer — the Scottish singer/songwriter gets far more serious than we’ve ever seen before, opening up about his own mental health issues, his Tourette Syndrome diagnosis, and generally feeling “imposter syndrome” for his seemingly overnight success in the music industry.
“I didn’t want to make a documentary, if I’m being honest,” Capaldi said in a new interview with the Pop Shop Podcast (listen below). “But the idea was brought to me and it sounded really fun. … I never sat down and went, ‘People need to hear my story,’ you know? That wasn’t my thought process. … It was never a life’s ambition. But I’m really happy that it’s been made.”
In fact, he had a much different vision of the project when it was first brought to him. “This is late 2019, prior to COVID,” he recalled. “So I’m thinking in my head, ‘This documentary is going to be fireworks! I’m going to be onstage in front of hundreds of thousands of people! I’ll be on tour! I’m going to be killing it! My life’s gonna look amazing!’ And then obviously COVID happened, and all that went away. But we still had committed to make this documentary, and I was like, ‘Oh, God, this is going to be a really, really boring documentary!’”
The film is far from boring, though, taking fans on a roller coaster of the epic highs and unimaginable lows Capaldi has experienced in the past four years. “When I saw the first draft, it was so depressing,” he said. “I was like, ‘Do I die at the end of this? Is that what happens here?’ It was that sad. But I am really proud of it and I’m really happy that it’s coming out and people are gonna see it. It’s a very nerve-racking thing, though, because it is quite vulnerable.”
In the film, fans also get glimpses of his friendships with Niall Horan, Ed Sheeran and even Elton John, who sends Capaldi a sweet note to reassure him that he deserves all his success.
“I had told Ed about the ‘imposter syndrome’ thing, and then Ed told Elton — which is mental to me that Ed Sheeran and Elton John are having a conversation about me when I’m not there,” Capaldi told the Pop Shop. “And then Elton messaged me, like, completely out of the blue.”
As for Sheeran, Capaldi recalled having “the most open and honest and really sort of amazing conversation” with him just last week, while Horan has “gone from being ‘Niall Horan, One Direction’ to being a very dear friend, and I love him. He’s been amazing for like general day-to-day stuff. Niall’s great for if I’m wanting to buy a couch, do you know what I mean? He’s a very keen eye for interior design, does Niall.”
Listen to the full podcast to hear all about Capaldi’s sophomore album, Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent, which is due May 19, and his experience working with Swedish pop mastermind Max Martin for the project. Plus, we hear about the monumental kick-off of his U.S. tour last week (find dates here), starting at Nashville’s Ryman Theater where the Grand Ole Opry films (“I was sat in the bathroom, taking a dump, and I was like, ‘Whoa, Johnny Cash has probably taken a sh– in here!’” Capaldi quipped).
Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how BTS’ Jimin debuts straight in at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with “Like Crazy” and how his album FACE starts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Plus, the top 10 of the Billboard 200 is packed with debuts, as the latest albums from Lana Del Rey, Luke Combs and Fall Out Boy all arrive in the region. We also chat about Dua Lipa’s just-announced role in the upcoming Barbie movie and we remember legendary record executive Seymour Stein, who died Sunday at age 80.
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.)
Jelly Roll took home three accolades during Sunday’s CMT Music Awards, becoming the winningest artist of the evening. The rapper-turned-singer won male video of the year, breakthrough male video of the year (both for his “Son of a Sinner” music video) and CMT digital-first performance of the year for his performance of “Son of a Sinner” on CMT All Access.
After the show, Jelly Roll’s wife, model and podcast host Bunnie XO, posted a sweet tribute to her husband on Instagram. She included a photo showing Jelly Roll with his head resting against his head as he held onto the railing in front of him.
“An anomaly: Something that deviates from what is standard, normal or expected,” she wrote in an Instagram post in tribute to Jelly Roll. “You my sweet other half, are just that. A man that was told no every corner he turned only to hit ‘em with that Nashville shuck & come out on top every time. I always tell you you have a horseshoe stuck up your ass, but that isn’t it baby. This is sheer will to spread light, to move mountains, to touch broken souls with your voice, to break generational traumas & set examples for the future. In short, you are the game changer papas. You were sent here to destroy stereotypes & blaze the trail for all the have nots.
“Saying I’m proud of you has to be so redundant after all these years, so tonite, per usual- I stand in awe of you. The pied piper of lost souls, the melancholy maestro.. tonite was your night. Hell if we’re being honest, 2023 has been your YEAR. You filled their hearts with love & brought ‘em to church handsome. Can’t wait to see what’s next.”
Jelly Roll performed his new single “Need a Favor” on Sunday’s CMT Music Awards, backed by a gospel choir. “Need a Favor” is currently at No. 32 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. Jelly Roll was also among those featured in the New Faces of Country Music Show during this year’s Country Radio Seminar. On June 2, he will release his new album Whitsitt Chapel.
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From dominating the box office to ruling VOD. Avatar: The Way of Water and Creed III arrived on streaming platforms last week and quickly shot up the list of top VOD releases.
As of Tuesday (April 4), Avatar 2 and Creed III currently occupy the first and second place on Amazon’s list of bestselling movies on Prime Video. Avatar is at No. 1 on the list, Creed III takes the No. 2 and No. 3 slots and Gerard Butler’s Plane sits at No. 4.
Although Avatar: The Way of Water has yet to premiere on Disney+, the film became available on VOD on March 28, three months after debuting in theaters. Creed III dropped on VOD on March 31, less than a month after its theatrical debut.
Read on for all the ways to watch and stream Avatar: The Way of Water and Creed III from home.
How to Watch Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water is available to stream for $19.99 on Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube TV, Red Box and Vudu. You can stream the film on your computer, phone, smart TV and other compatible devices through the Prime Video app and apps from other streamers.
Avatar: The Way of Water on Prime Video
Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Kate Winslet, Stephen Lange and Sigourney Weaver star in Avatar: The Way of Water, which takes focusses on the Sully family: Jake (Worthington), Neytiri (Saldaña) and their kids.
The hit film has grossed $2.31 billion at the global box office since its release in December, marking another record for Cameron who has directed three of the highest-grossing films of all time (Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water and Titanic).
Avatar: The Way of Water is also the second fastest film to gross $2 billion at the box office after Avengers: Endgame.
How to Watch Creed 3
Creed III is available on Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, etc. The boxing flick is $19.99 to rent and $24.99 to buy on VOD. If you rent Creed III on Prime Video, you’ll have 30 days to stream but only 48 hours to finish once you start. Stream from anywhere with the Prime Video app or online at Amazon.com.
Creed III on Prime Video
Creed III, starring Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors, has raked in more than $260 million worldwide. In addition to resuming his role as Adonis Creed, Jordan also directed the film.
Watch the trailer for Creed III below.
