Here’s When BLACKPINK Will Be Back With New Music & A World Tour

BLACKPINK announced Tuesday (July 5) that they’ll return with new music in August — and the K-pop superstars will mount a world tour by the end of the year.

A press release from YG Entertainment announced that the quartet — Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa — are in the “final stages of recording a new album” and that their new music in August will kick off “a continuous large-scale project which will extend through the second half of the year.”

In addition, the release promised an international tour by the end of the year that would be the “largest world tour in the history of a K-pop girl group.”

“A lot of BLACKPINK-esque music has been prepared over a long period of time,” YG Entertainment says. “On top of new music and large-scale projects, BLACKPINK will also go on the largest world tour in the history of a K-pop girl group by the end of the year to expand their rapport with fans worldwide.”

The K-pop foursome released their first full-length album — simply titled THE ALBUM — via Interscope in October 2020. The project peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart. BLACKPINK have landed seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including the top 20 hit “Ice Cream” with Selena Gomez and a pair of top 40s: “Sour Candy” with Lady Gaga and “How You Like That.”

Just last week, BLACKPINK became the first musical act to reach 75 million subscribers on YouTube. The group earned the title of most-subscribed artist on the platform in September 2021, when they surpassed the 65.5 million mark and took over the lead from Justin Bieber.

Back in 2019, before THE ALBUM was released, BLACKPINK were featured on the cover of Billboard magazine, where they laid out their plans for a U.S. takeover. “You don’t have to understand Korean to understand the music, the visuals, the vibe,” Jisoo told Billboard at the time. Looks like she was right.

/by

Big Hit Music Protects BTS From Cyberbullies, Big Sean & Jhene Aiko Are Expecting Their First Child & More | Billboard News

Big Hit Music protects BTS from cyberbullies, Big Sean and Jhene Aiko announce they’re expecting their first child, Adele speaks out about Las Vegas residency, Bad Bunny and Harry Styles top the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 chart and more!

/by

Olivia Rodrigo Performs Surprise Cover of ‘Torn’ at U.K. Dive Bar

Patrons of a Manchester dive bar found themselves jamming along with Olivia Rodrigo this weekend.

The “Drivers License” star popped into Bunny Jackson’s for an impromptu performance of “Torn,” the pop song that became a hit for Natalie Imbruglia in 1997, with a band while in the U.K. city on her Sour Tour.

“I’m dead sober,” Rodrigo said Sunday night (July 3) before launching into the ’90s tune that was Imbruglia’s breakthrough single.

Several clips were uploaded to social media by crowd members who sang along and cheered her on at Bunny Jackson’s, who also shared videos of Rodrigo’s performance on Instagram Stories.

“Why yes Olivia Rodrigo, of course you can turn up at Bunny Jacksons on a bloody Sunday evening and play a song for a laugh before our 3rd set,” one person wrote on Twitter, later adding, “Mate, it was wild. They just showed up after playing the arena and her TM asked to jump on between our sets! They were all very lovely.”

Rodrigo’s Sour album recently became the longest-running debut album in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart this century. As of the July 2-dated chart, it’s spent 52 nonconsecutive weeks in the top 10.

Watch her sing “Torn” below. Rodrigo has just a couple dates left on her sold-out tour.

/by

Amber Heard Seeks to Throw Out Verdict in Johnny Depp Defamation Trial

Amber Heard’s lawyers have asked a judge to throw out the $10.35 million verdict against her in the defamation case filed by ex-husband Johnny Depp, arguing that the verdict was not supported by the evidence and that one of the jurors may not have been properly vetted by the court.

In post-trial motions filed Friday (July 1), Heard’s attorneys call the jury’s June 1 award of $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages to Depp “excessive” and “indefensible.” They ask the judge to set aside the verdict and dismiss Depp’s lawsuit or order a new trial. Immediately after the verdict, the judge reduced the compensatory damages to $350,000 under a state cap.

Depp sued Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Depp’s lawyers alleged he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned him by name.

The six-week televised trial turned into a spectacle that offered a window into their dysfunctional marriage. Much of the testimony focused on Heard’s claims that she had been physically and sexually abused by Depp. Heard described more than a dozen alleged assaults, including a fight in Australia — where Depp was shooting a Pirates of the Caribbean sequel — in which Depp lost the tip of his middle finger and Heard said she was sexually assaulted with a liquor bottle.

Depp said he never hit Heard and that she was the abuser.

Depp had to prove that he never assaulted Heard, that her op-ed piece defamed him and that she wrote the article with actual malice.

In their post-trial motions, Heard’s legal team argued that to find that Heard had actual malice, Depp would have had to show that at the time Heard’s article was published, she did not believe she had been abused.

“Instead, the evidence overwhelmingly supported Ms. Heard believed she was the victim of abuse at the hands of Mr. Depp,” Heard’s lawyers say in their motion.

Heard’s lawyers also ask the judge to investigate “potential improper juror service,” alleging that one of the jurors who was chosen to serve on the jury was listed as being born in 1945 in documents given to the attorneys before the jury selection process, but is listed as being born in 1970 in publicly available information.

“This discrepancy raises the question whether Juror 15 actually received a summons for jury duty and was properly vetted by the Court to serve on the jury,” Heard’s lawyers said in their motion.

Depp’s attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The jury also awarded Heard $2 million in her counterclaim against Depp, finding that that Heard was defamed by one of Depp’s lawyers, who accused her of creating a detailed hoax that included roughing up the couple’s apartment to look worse for police.

In some ways, the trial was a replay of a lawsuit Depp filed in the United Kingdom against a British tabloid after he was described as a “wife beater.” The judge in that case ruled in the newspaper’s favor in 2020 after finding that Heard was telling the truth in her descriptions of abuse.

/by

Killer Mike Shares Powerful War-Themed Video for ‘Run,’ His First Solo Song in 10 Years: Watch

Killer Mike has released his first solo music in roughly a decade.

On Monday (July 4), the Run the Jewels rapper dropped the powerful new single “Run,” featuring an opening monologue from comedian Dave Chappelle and a verse from jailed rapper Young Thug.

The No I.D.-produced track is Mike’s first solo music since his 2012 album, R.A.P. Music. Since then, he’s collaborated with producer/rapper El-P in the hip-hop duo Run the Jewels, whose last release, RTJ4, arrived in 2020.

In the war-themed music video for “Run,” Mike is seen on a battlefield, where a battalion of Black soldiers are fighting for their freedom against fascist oppressors.

“If you’re looking at this video, certain things are gonna stand out: Obviously, there’s a war going on for people who want justice and righteousness, and there’s a war that’s symbolized by what you would notice is old Confederate uniforms and Nazi-like uniforms,” he said of the video, according to Rolling Stone.

“I wanted this video — that was inspired by the monologue that Dave Chappelle did at the beginning — to be representative that there’s a fight, the spiritual fight, that is going on every single day with us.”

The surreal Adrian Villagomez-directed clip also references the ongoing legal problems for Young Thug, who is currently behind bars on gang-related charges. During the rapper’s verse, a soldier waves a white flag with the words “Free Thug, Protect Black Art, Free Gunna” (YSL Records rapper Gunna is also in jail as part of the RICO case). The next scene shows another man flashing a white arm band that reads “Free YSL.”

Check out the powerful video for “Run” below.

 

/by

Husker Du’s Greg Norton Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer

A GoFundMe has been organized for Hüsker Dü and UltraBomb bassist Greg Norton, who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

“Tonight should have been the start of the UltraBomb tour in the UK. My apologies to our fans in Nottingham, London, Nuneaton, Blackpool, Edinburgh, Leeds, and Falmouth,” Norton wrote on Facebook on June 30. “At the beginning of June, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. My doctors at the Mayo Clinic believe I have excellent odds, but we need to get in right away and move forward with treatment and surgery.”

“Due to this, we have canceled our upcoming UltraBomb dates in England and Scotland. We will also be pushing our fall tour in the states back a bit to allow me time to recover and return in full force,” he continued.

Norton said, “My sincere apologies to those who had tickets purchased or who were planning on attending our upcoming shows across the pond. I am frustrated, as I know you may be feeling disappointed or upset. I was really hoping to be sharing how excited I was to be coming back to play England for the first time in 35 years!”

“For all of my brothers out there, go get tested,” he urged. “It could be a life changer!”

The GoFundMe for Norton, with a goal to raise $30,000 for his medical treatment, launched shortly after and has already surpassed its original goal. Bob Mould shared the link on FaceBook on Monday (July 4).

Jamie Oliver, Norton’s UltraBomb bandmate, wrote on the fundraiser page: “We can’t imagine the stress and anxiety he and his family must be going through. One thing that’s for sure, though, is that the cost of treatment in the United States is eyewatering. We want to help alleviate some of that pressure, so we’ve decided to set up a GoFundMe account to collect money for Greg to put towards his treatment. Please help us by donating what you can. Let’s get Greg treated and well, back on his feet and rocking out again in no time!”

/by

Big Sean and Jhene Aiko Are Expecting Their First Child Together

Congratulations are in order for Big Sean and Jhené Aiko. The hip-hop power couple is expecting their first child together.

Sean confirmed the exciting news on social media over the weekend.

“Whole new motivation forreal!” the rapper wrote Sunday (July 3) on his Instagram Story. “Very grateful God continues to bless us, thank you.”

“Can’t wait to be a Dad,” he added alongside a black heart emoji.

Sean and Aiko, both 34, were photographed walking alongside each other in Los Angeles on Saturday, where the singer-songwriter was seen with a baby bump.

“The couple is overjoyed and looks forward to this next chapter,” a representative for Aiko told People.

The songstress also subtly acknowledged her pregnancy on Instagram by posting a childhood photo of herself holding her belly. See the adorable post here.

Aiko already shares a 13-year-old daughter, Namiko Love, with singer O’Ryan. This will be Big Sean’s first child.

Sean and Aiko have had an on-again, off-again relationship since 2016. Their friendship began in 2013 while working together on the rapper’s song “Beware” and “I’m Gonna Be.”

The pair also collaborated on their Twenty88 project in 2016. The self-titled album hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200.

/by

In America, everything is under attack, and it’s exhausting our ability to cope | Opinion

You feel the weight draped on you, right? The world weariness, this film of exhausted depression from fighting all these daily fights that stretch endlessly from an American woman’s womb … Click to Continue »
/by

No longer cheap haven, Little Havana residents stressed by soaring rents and inflation

The sounds of Little Havana float into Maybelyn Rodríguez Laureano’s apartment every Sunday. It is a song unique to the diverse Miami neighborhood, a mix of roosters crowing, priests preaching … Click to Continue »
/by

Noah Cyrus Opens Up About Her Music Journey | Billboard News

Catch our full exclusive interview with Noah Cyrus on Billboard News this week.

/by