Jill Scott Makes Her Spiritual Comeback With ‘To Whom This May Concern’ | In Conversation

 Miss Jill Scott sits down with Billboard’s Gail Mitchell to discuss her new album ‘To Whom This May Concern,’ plus the generational impact & inspiration behind her music and collaborating with Too $hort, J.I.D, Tierra Whack and more.

Gail Mitchell:

I’m just so thrilled and jazzed, and I can’t even think of enough adjectives to describe how I feel sitting here next to this three-time Grammy Award winner who’s back with a new album, Miss Jill Scott. Hello! 

Jill Scott:

Hi Gail Mitchell.

Hey, welcome back. 

Oh my god. I can’t even remember the last time, it’s been a very long time.

Right? And I was just thinking of figuring out some questions to ask you. This is a full-circle moment for the both of us, because you were my first front-page Billboard story with your debut album, ‘Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds, Volume 1,’ your debut album at the same time. So I was there for that, and now I’m back here for this, which I don’t know if you mind me saying this, but kind of like a rebirth. It’s just, oh my God, just the reception that you’ve gotten in the anticipation. This is your sixth studio album- 

Yes. 

‘To Whom This May Concern,’ and it reminds me of the anticipation for your first one, ‘Who Is Jill Scott.’ So when you first announced on social media this was coming, everything, everybody just kind of, oh my god. So was that the reaction you expected? I mean, it’s just tremendous. Were you nervous? Just what did you think when you got ready to hit the send button and let the world know that you were back.

Honestly, it’s been like a whole process, like initially, I felt pregnant, and I felt tired of holding it, you know, the idea of giving your baby to the world and seeing what they’re going to do with it, you know, is it’s very, very scary, you know. You know this as a parent, you know, and I do too. I remembered what I call the album ‘To Whom This May Concern,’ which kind of released me in a sense, like, “Okay, this is for the people it’s for,” and the way that I know the universe, and I know the Creator I’m like, it’s going to go to who it’s for, the rest is not your concern. That made me feel better. Then I got excited, and I was like, oh, you know, we got what, you know, it’s a countdown. All right, here we go. I feel flustered, I feel excited, I feel tired, I feel thrilled. It’s all that.

Keep watching for more!

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Bon Iver’s Eaux Claires Festival Returns After 8-Year Lay-Off With Bob Dylan, Dijon, Lil Yachty, Daniel Caesar, Aimee Mann

Bon Iver’s eclectic Eaux Claires Festival will return after an eight-year lay-off this summer with a star-studded lineup topped by Bob Dylan, Dijon, Daniel Caesar and Lil Yachty. Setting up shop in its new home of Carson Park in Eau Claire, Wis., the two-day (July 24-25) festival curated by Bon Iver mastermind Justin Vernon will also feature Aimee Mann playing her beloved 2000 album Bachelor No. 2 (“How Am I Different,” “Deathly,” “Nothing Is Good Enough”), as well as sets from Hotline TNT, Kevin Morby, Gash, Gully Boys, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas and many more.

In addition to the music, this year’s event will feature the inaugural class of Writers in Residence, with the scribes doing readings, discussions and collaborations between some of the literary world’s most intriguing figures, including: Michael Perry, Sheila Heti, Hala Alyan, Sean Thor Conroe, Kyle Seibel, Amanda Petrusich, Jon Mueller, Nicholas Gulig, Harold Rogers, Mike Nagel, Benjamin Percy, Nishant Jain and many others.

The full roster of programming will be revealed in a few weeks, with the debut of Eaux Claires Days promising special shows and events around town during the days and nights around the weekend. Eau Claire locals have the first chance to score tickets for the festival now, with special access codes available in-person at a number of local restaurants and small businesses in the area; click here to see the list.

Specially priced tickets for the fest will be available in a fan pre-sale beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Friday (Feb. 13), with all remaining tickets going on sale at noon tomorrow; click here for more ticketing information.

The festival was originally co-founded by Vernon and The National guitarist Aaron Dessner and ran from 2015-2018 and featured a mix of classic rock, indie, country and R&B/hip-hop acts including Paul Simon, Chance the Rapper, Lizzo, Wilco, Erykah Badu, The National, PUssy Riot, Kevin Morby, Spoon, James Blake, Sturgill Simpson, Vince Staples and others.

Check out the full lineup for this year Eaux Claires Festival below.


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Martin Shkreli Tried to Sue RZA, But a Judge Says He Screwed It Up

A federal judge has rejected Martin Shkreli’s attempt to sue the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA over the group’s one-of-a-kind album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, ruling that the maneuver violated basic court rules.

Shkreli filed court papers last week aimed at pulling RZA (Robert Diggs) and Wu-Tang producer Cilvaringz (Tarik Azzougarh) into his long-running battle with PleasrDAO, an art collective that paid $4 million to buy the album after Shkreli forfeited it to prosecutors.

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But in a pair of short response rulings, the judge overseeing the case now says Shkreli wasn’t actually allowed to sue RZA in the case – at least not via the specific legal procedures his lawyers employed.

“Shkreli raises purported ‘counterclaims’ against Robert ‘RZA’ Diggs and Tarik ‘Cilvaringz’ Azzougarh,” Judge Pamela K. Chen writes in a Feb. 6 order. “However, counterclaims can only be asserted against an opposing party — here, the only one is PleasrDao. Furthermore, to the extent Shkreli intended to assert cross-claims, those can only made as to co-defendants, of which there are none here.”

Shkreli wants to pull RZA into the litigation because he says the Wu-Tang leader improperly sold part of the rights to the famed album to PleasrDao despite the fact that they were already contractually promised to him – what his lawyers call a “duplicate sale.”

After this week’s rejection, it’s unclear if Shkreli’s legal team will still attempt to pursue those claims. He could potentially file a so-called “third party complaint,” a legal vehicle sometimes used to add new parties to an existing lawsuit. Or he could simply file a separate case against RZA over the double-sale controversy. But either option would face its own procedural hurdles. His attorney did not return a request for comment.

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Martin Shkreli Hit With Judge’s Restraining Order In Lawsuit Over One-of-a-Kind Wu-Tang Album

Shaolin was published just once, on a CD secured in an engraved nickel and silver box. The legendary album came with bizarre legal stipulations, most notably that it couldn’t be released to the general public until 2103 – making it one of hip hop’s enduring mysteries.

Shkreli purchased the album at auction in 2015, shortly before he became the infamous “Pharma Bro” who spiked the price of AIDS drugs. But after he was convicted of securities fraud in 2017, he forfeited it to prosecutors to help pay a huge restitution sentence. Pleasr then bought Shaolin from the government in 2021 – and has spent the last few years trying to monetize it with blockchain offerings and private listening parties.

Pleasr launched the legal battle with Shkreli in 2024, after he made threats to release the album on the internet. And last year, a federal judge said Pleasr’s case could move ahead toward trial, ruling that Shaolin might qualify as a “trade secret” that Shkreli had essentially stolen.

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Shkreli has been trying to pull RZA and Cilvaringz into the case for months. In October, he asked Judge Chen to force them to join the case, calling them “indispensable parties” to the dispute. But the judge denied that request last month, ruling that it was “astonishingly devoid of support.” So last week, he went a step further and simply sued them, doing so by filing a countersuit against Pleasr that named the two artists as co-defendants.

In it, he claimed his original deal with RZA and Cilvaringz to purchase of Shaolin gave him 50 percent of the copyright to the album immediately and promised him the other 50 percent in 2103. Instead, he said Wu-Tang had turned around and sold that share to Pleasr.

“On a date 88 years after its execution, the Wu-Tang Defendants are obligated to transfer the remaining 50% of the copyrights to Shkreli,” his lawyers write. “Now, PleasrDAO has alleged that it purchased this same interest from the Wu-Tang defendants.”

But in a ruling on Wednesday, citing her earlier decision that Shkreli’s lawyers “improperly asserted” those claims, Judge Chen closed the door on them: “the clerk of the court is respectfully directed to remove Diggs and Azzougarh as counter-defendants from the docket.”

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Hilary Duff Announces Sprawling Lucky Me World Tour, Her First in Nearly 2 Decades: See the Dates

If this is what dreams are made of, Hilary Duff never wants to wake up. Amid her musical renaissance, the singer-actress has announced that she’s going on a sprawling tour through arenas and amphitheaters all over the world — her first in nearly 20 years — a trek she’s aptly calling The Lucky Me Tour.

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Duff announced the big news on Thursday (Feb. 12), sharing a cute video on Instagram in which she goes through her closet, sifting through iconic pieces and accessories from her past. That includes her microphone headset from The Lizzie McGuire movie — and yes, the former Disney star does try it on and say her fan-favorite line, “Sing for me, Paulo,” in the clip.

“I’M GOING ON A WORLD TOUR!!! … now what do I wear?” Duff wrote in her caption.

The tour will kick off June 22 and see the How I Met Your Father alum headlining major venues — including New York City’s Madison Square Garden and Los Angeles’ Kia Forum — in North America, Europe and Australia through the end of October. Duff will then take a couple of months off before hitting the road again in 2027 for a string of shows in Canada and one finale performance in Mexico City on Feb. 12.

La Roux, Lauren Spencer Smith and Jade LeMac will serve as supporting acts on various dates in the trek. Duff is running a number of different presales for the tour for different locations and partners, the first of which opens Feb. 16. More information on purchasing tickets can be found on her website.

The tour announcement comes one week ahead of the release of Duff’s first album in more than a decade, Luck … Or Something, which drops Feb. 20. So far, she’s shared two songs from the project: “Mature” and “Roommates.”

It also follows Duff’s brief run of intimate shows on her Small Rooms, Big Nerves stint, which closed on Jan. 19 with a performance in Los Angeles, where she first teased that she’d be going on a grander tour soon on stage. She’s also scheduled for a mini-residency at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, with dates marked down for February and May.

See Duff’s announcement and all of her Lucky Me Tour dates below.

Live Nation


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BTS Returning To Movie Theaters With ‘BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ Live Viewing’ Of 2026 Tour Kick-Off Shows

BTS‘ long-awaited return from their nearly four-year hiatus just keeps getting bigger. On Thursday (Feb. 12) the K-pop superstars announced that they will return to movie screens around the world in April with BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ LIVE VIEWING, a global live cinema event that will bring the two of the group’s full-length concerts to movie screens on April 11 and 18.

According to a release announcing the screenings, RM, Jin, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook will beam into movie theaters to air two of the first shows on their highly anticipated world tour in support of their upcoming album, Arirang. The two screenings will feature a live airing of one of their three kick-off shows in Goyang, South Korea (April 11), followed by a broadcast of the April 18 stop in Tokyo. In total, the outing will present 82 shows in 34 cities across the globe , notching yet another record for the group for the most tour dates by a K-pop artist, according to a release.

Tickets and screening details for each territory will be available here beginning on Feb. 25, with ARMY encouraged to sign up for event alerts. Screening times will vary by territory, with each territory scheduled to screen each concert twice. Tickets will officially go on sale beginning Feb. 25 at 8 a.m. ET.

“Trafalgar Releasing is very proud to bring one of the year’s most significant cultural moments to cinema audiences worldwide. The announcement of BTS WORLD TOUR ARIRANG has been met with extraordinary global demand, and we are excited to continue our longstanding partnership with HYBE and BIGHIT MUSIC on two unmissable live cinema broadcasts this April,” said Trafalagar Releasing CEO Marc Allenby in a statement, which noted that additional live viewings are planned for later this year. “Presenting two full-length concerts from Goyang and Tokyo, these events offer audiences around the world the opportunity to come together and experience the tour on the big screen.”

The upcoming tour — which will find the singers performing in-the-round on a 360-degree stage — is the first by the group since their 2021-2022 Permission to Dance on Stage outing, their final run of shows as a group before all seven members took a break to complete their mandated military service. BTS’ fifth studio album, Arirang, is due out on March 20.

In addition to the album and concert screenings, BTS the Comeback Live | Arirang, a chronicle of the group’s first live show in three years, will stream exclusively on Netflix the day after the LP’s release at 7 a.m. ET on March 21. It will feature the septet taking the stage at Seoul, South Korea’s historic Gwanghwamun Square, the main gate of the historic Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. The comeback will also be chronicled in BTS: The Return, a full-length documentary slated to premiere on Netflix on March 27.


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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says She ‘Barely’ Knows What Trump Is Saying Half the Time After President’s Complaints About Bad Bunny Halftime Show

Though it appeared he tuned into Bad Bunny‘s unifying, love-filled Super Bowl LX halftime show at his Mar-A-Lago resort over the weekend — instead of Christian conservative group Turning Point USA’s Kid Rock-led pre-taped livestream attempt at counter-programming — Donald Trump complained that he could not understand anything Benito said during the 13-minute tribute to the singer’s native Puerto Rico.

Taking to Truth Social right after the set — which was the fourth most-watched halftime show ever — Trump bashed it as “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER,” specifically complaining, “nobody understands a word this guy is saying.”

That specific objection didn’t land with one of Trump’s primary congressional antagonists, Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose parents are both of Puerto Rican descent. Asked by reporter Nicholas Ballasy on Tuesday (Feb. 10) what she thought of the show and Trump’s description of the dancing in it as “disgusting,” a smiling AOC responded, “I barely know what Trump’s saying half the time. So… I feel him,” she said of the 79-year-old MAGA leader who has a reputation for garbling the names of other world leaders and meandering from subject to unrelated subject during his speeches.

She also said the quiet part real loud when Ballasy asked for her response to a push by Republican Tennessee Rep Andy Ogles to launch a formal congressional inquiry into the NFL and NBC for what he said was their “prior knowledge, deliberate approval and facilitation of this indecent broadcast,” which he claimed was “pure smut, brazenly aired on national television.”

Considering the set —  which featured surprise guests Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, as well as Cardi B, Karol G, Jessica Alba and others — was in Spanish, AOC said, “I thought they didn’t understand what he was saying?,” then jokingly adding of Ogles and fellow offended Republican Rep. Randy Fine of Florida, “I look forward to seeing their Duolingo scores and operating accordingly.”

As for how she felt about the performance, which ended with the singer holding up a football emblazoned with the phrase “Together, We Are America” as well as the message “The only thing more powerful than hate is love” posted on the Jumbotron in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., AOC said as a Puerto Rican and American it gave her “so much pride.”

“Not only that, but really telling the story of America, and all the Americas,” she said of the bit in the set where Benito read off the names of all the countries that make up the Americas. “He didn’t just play his fantastic music, but he talked about the history of sugar cane farming, of the diaspora of Nuyoricans in New York City, of how all of us can come together as a country. And I think it was incredibly inspiring and fun and joyful in a time that people find very challenging. I thought he made everyone so proud. It made me super proud too.”

Asked if she thought Bunny might tone down his anti-ICE rhetoric after using his showcase on what is traditionally the biggest televised event of the year to push for unity, AOC said, “Oh no! I think a big part of what makes Bad Bunny so important is that he’s one of the few artists that has the courage to actually use his voice in this day and age.”

During his speech accepting the best música urbana album at the Grammy Awards earlier this month for his smash Debí Tirar Más Fotos LP, Bad Bunny slammed the Trump administration’s nationwide immigration blitz, specifically calling out ICE’s aggressive tactics.

“Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say ICE out!” Benito said to a standing ovation. “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we are not aliens, we are humans and we are Americans. I know it’s tough not to hate on these days and I was thinking sometime we get contaminados [contaminated]. The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. So please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them. We love our people, we love our family, and that’s the way to do it. We love. That’s the way to do it. Thank God, and thanks to the academy.”


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Fuerza Regida Announces Their ‘This is Our Dream’ Tour | Exclusive Billboard Presents

From backyard parties to stadiums, Fuerza Regida announces their This is Our Dream Tour – the band’s first – ever U.S. stadium tour and shares all the exclusive details with Billboard.

JOP:

I remember when Chris photoshopped the picture us in front of a stadium, sold out stadium. That’s why it’s called This Is Our Dream tour because it was all a dream. You know?

Khyristian:

I remember Wednesday, even Tuesday, sometimes Wednesdays with Thursdays. You get that text, “hey we got a gig on Saturday.” H*** yeah. Like you get all happy because you know you’re about to work, and then Friday hits. “Hey, we got another gig today out of nowhere.” Get happy. It’s a crazy feeling. Like, kind of like telling a kid, “hey, we’re about to go to Disneyland.” It was that same feeling. We got a gig on Saturday.

JOP:

Right? Like whenever the privada, like, you know, you about to go serve a little whiskey, it was like the best job ever, huh? Free tacos. That’s how it was. Just like, you know? 

José “Pelon:”

We had to work so much, though. 

JOP:

Just the feeling of some free tacos. 

Moisés López:

It was just mostly like a jam out in the backyard. 

JOP:

Yeah, like you’re jamming out. You’re having fun.

Samuel:

At least once it was kind of funny for me. It was kind of nervous, like nerve wrecking still because you still got to perform, so they call you back. You want to get called back to work with the clients. But yeah, I mean…

JOP:

Yeah, it was still like work like at the end that we had to go perform good. Like, hey, we’re gonna do this s*** chaca, you know, like, we’re gonna do it good. We probably did like, one or two quinceaneras. But our type of clients were fools drinking. Fools having a little carne asada pretty much. 

Khyristian:

They used to have a start at 10pm/11pm.

Keep watching for more!

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Fuerza Regida Sets First-Ever U.S. Stadium Tour ‘This Is Our Dream’: Exclusive

Fuerza Regida is coming to a stadium near you.

The Música Mexicana heavyweights today (Feb. 12) announce their first-ever stadium tour of the United States, a dream run that goes coast-to-coast this summer.

Dubbed This Is Our Dream, the nine-city trek gets underway June 18 at Petco Park, San Diego, CA, will visit open-air venues in San Franciso, Seattle, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Houston, Arlington, and wraps up Aug. 7 with a concert at Citi Field, New York.

Live Nation is producing the tour, which comes off the back of a banner year for Fuerza Regida, during which time the band completed their Esto No Es Un Tour, nabbed a first Grammy Award nomination and made history by playing to sold-out crowds at Hollywood Bowl and Madison Square Garden in the same weekend.

The forthcoming jaunt is a dream turned reality. The inspiration, Jesús Ortiz Paz (JOP) tells Billboard in an exclusive interview, can be traced to a Photoshopped image of Fuerza Regida playing a stadium.

“That’s why it’s called This Is Our Dream tour, because it was all a dream.” The sky is the limit. “We’re going to be the biggest,” he remarks. “This is our dream. A stadium tour.”

The lads have been working out, physically and mentally, to be in tip-top shape. And they’ve spared no expense on the show.

“We’ve spent a lot of money on the production. To make sure the fans get the best experience,” JOP explains. “It’s not about us taking most of the money home, it’s about putting it back into the project for the fans to enjoy the show.”

Also, the band will host special “Rooftop” parties for celebrities and VIPs. “If I wasn’t performing,” JOP enthuses, “that’s where I’d want to be.”

This trek sees the outfit graduate from playing backyard parties to nightclubs, theaters, amphitheaters, arenas and now baseball parks. One day, they’ll step on up to football stadiums. “You’ve got to take it to the next level,” he adds. “We’re going to make sure it’s better” than anything that has come before it.

The New Year has begun with new music for Fuerza Regida. The band recently dropped their first cut for 2026, “Triston,” a melodic cumbia-norteño single, infused with corrido influences.

Momentum is with the five-piece. They’re up for eight trophies at Premio Lo Nuestro 2026, set for Feb. 19, and they’re nominated for regional Mexican artist of the year at the 13th annual iHeartRadio Music Awards, on March 26.

The artist presale for This Is Our Dream is open through Sunday, Feb. 15 at 11 p.m. eastern time. Visit here for details. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning on Friday, Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. local time on LiveNation.com.

“This Is Our Dream” Tour Dates:

June 18 — Petco Park, San Diego, CA

June 20 — Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA

June 25 — T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA

July 10 — Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV

July 12 — Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ

July 18 — Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

July 26 — Daikin Park, Houston, TX

July 31 — Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX

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You Need To Calm Down, Donna Kelce Says She Doesn’t Need an NDA To Keep Son Travis Kelce and Fiancé Taylor Swift’s Wedding Plans Secret

We know that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are getting married, but that’s about it. Since the engagement heard ’round the world last August, the pop star and Kansas City Chiefs tight end have kept their wedding plans super secret. And good luck getting Travis’ mom, Donna Kelce, to divulge any information about their plans, even though she swears they didn’t make her sign her life away to keep her from talking.

When a TMZ reporter caught up with Donna at an airport recently, he asked everyone’s favorite football mom if she had to sign a non-disclosure agreement about the wedding as a safety precaution for the high-profile couple.

“No, no, no,” Donna Kelce said firmly. “They know I can keep a secret.”

As for whether she’s looking forward to the mother-son dance at Taylor and Travis’ wedding, Donna said, “I”m sure it will be interesting. That’s for sure.” Asked if she has a favorite song she might dance to with Travis, Kelce recalled that at older son Jason’s wedding they cut it up to the B52s classic “Love Shack.”

“So we’ll see what I can muster,” she joked. At press time no details had been announced about where, or when, Taylor and Travis plan to tie the knot.

Mama Kelce was also asked by the TMZ correspondent what it felt like to be a star in her own right now and she threw cold water on any suggestion that she has gone from smiling in the stands at her sons’ football games to being a red carpet-worthy celebrity in her own right. “Oh no, no, no, no, it’s just… I had a mission to go on Traitors… and I knew my mission,” she said with a smile. “My mission was to increase viewership because of the people I know. Not because of me!”

Donna said she had a great time on the fourth season of the hit Peacock series The Traitors, where she was banished in the third episode after it was revealed that she was, indeed, a traitor. When asked if there were any other reality shows she might be good at, Kelce said, “I’m just not a reality star,” saying Survivor is “way too tough.” As for Naked and Afraid, she laughed, “no, that would be sad for everybody watching.”


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Cardi B Jokes About ‘Jumpin’ ICE, Channels Selena During Little Miss Drama Tour Opener: 7 Best Moments

When Cardi B announced her Little Miss Drama Tour last September, she promised she’d be “going straight to rehearsal” until the start of the run. And on Wednesday night (Feb. 11), as the rap diva kicked things off with a sold-out show at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif. she sure delivered.

The rapper packed 37 songs into her nearly two-hour set, unfolding across several acts that featured her Am I the Drama? almost in its entirety. The first act saw Cardi debut fan favorites from her sophomore album, including “Salute,” “Check Please,” and “Trophies,” stacking the performances with sharp choreography alongside more than 15 onstage dancers.

But even if the tour title suggested it, Cardi made room for her biggest hits, too, including her verses from viral collaborations like Ozuna’s “La Modelo” and Bruno Mars’ “Please Me,” along with Invasion of Privacy classics such as “Bartier Cardi” and “Thru Your Phone.”

The Little Miss Drama Tour marks Cardi’s first-ever solo arena run and comes on the heels of her high-energy musical guest appearance on Saturday Night Live — a strong indicator of what was to come with the show. Her SNL rendition of “Bodega Baddie” expanded into a full salsa- and merengue-backed act that was an immediate crowdpleaser. She made room for throwbacks and showed off her curvaceous figure as she slipped into six sexy, bedazzled outfits throughout the night. 

Cardi will continue her Little Miss Drama arena tour later this week with shows in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, before continuing her cross-country trek through mid-April. Here are the seven best moments of opening night of Cardi B’s Little Miss Drama Tour at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert. (And if you want to check out the full setlist, check here.)


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