The opening night of Death Becomes Her on Broadway brought the ladies of Destiny’s Child together for a group reunion. Both Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland showed up at New York City’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Thursday night (Nov. 21) in support of Michelle Williams‘ performance as Viola Van Horn in the musical.

Beyoncé posted on Instagram twice on Saturday, and both posts were full of pictures and clips from attending the Broadway show, which also stars Megan Hilty (as Madeline Ashton), Jennifer Simard (as Helen Sharp) and Christopher Sieber (as Ernest Menville). Death Becomes Her is a musical adaptation of Universal Pictures’ 1992 film of the same name, a dark comedy led by Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis and Isabella Rossellini.

“My Belle,” Beyoncé captioned a series of photos from her evening seeing Williams in Death Becomes Her.

In a variety of photos, fans get a glimpse at the Broadway star looking gorgeous on opening night, the ladies posing with Beyoncé’s mom (Tina Knowles) and holding each other’s hands, the Broadway production’s playbill, stage shots from the the theater and more.

Bey’s other post shared similar moments from the special night, but was set to Cowboy Carter‘s “II Most Wanted,” in which Beyoncé sings, “I’ll be your shotgun rider ’til the day I, ’til the day I die.”

Williams saw the sweet post and commented, “I try not to cry too early in the day BUT……. My sisters 4ever!”

Last month, Williams lamented being unable to join Beyoncé and Rowland at Kamala Harris’ rally in Houston ahead of the 2024 election while busy in previews of Death Becomes Her.

“I was so happy [for Beyoncé and Kelly],” she said in an appearance on the Sherri show. “It was the first time that I have not been able to be in person for something that I wanted to be at … It’s a sacrifice that we make [being] on Broadway.” Williams said she watched the rally later and loved that her Destiny’s Child bandmates “represented and held me down in their own way.”

The trio released their last studio album together, Destiny Fulfilled, 20 years ago. The set debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts in November 2004.

See Beyoncé’s Death Becomes Her video montage from opening night here and her slideshow of photos here.

Taylor Swift‘s “Cassandra” was the only song from The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology that had never been performed live, until Friday night (Nov. 22) in Toronto, where it stole the show in a three-song piano medley brimming with rage.

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“Cassandra,” “Mad Woman” and “I Did Something Bad” suddenly existed together in a fine fury, ascending above the concept of ordering the tour’s main setlist by “eras.” (Tortured Poets, Folklore and Reputation were represented here, in one performance.)

Watch a fan-filmed video of Swift’s full performance of the mashup here.

The live premiere of “Cassandra,” a song titled after the Cassandra of Greek mythology who received the gift of prophecy along with the curse to never be believed, came during the the acoustic section of Swift’s Friday show, the fifth of six dates total in Toronto this month. The Eras Tour acoustic set is known as the part of the concert where what she performs each night is meant to be a surprise to the audience.

“When the first stone’s thrown, there’s screaming/ In the streets, there’s a raging riot/ When it’s ‘burn the b—-,’ they’re shrieking/ When the truth comes out, it’s quiet,” Swift sang from “Cassandra” at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, sitting at her piano painted with flowers.

She continued on with the ballad’s chorus, singing, “So they killed Cassandra first ’cause she feared the worst/ And tried to tell the town/ So they filled my cell with snakes, I regret to say/ Do you believe me now? Do you believe me now?”

Swift surprised everyone further with a sudden shift to “Mad Woman”: “What did you think I’d say to that?/ Does a scorpion sting when fighting back?/ They strike to kill and you know I will/ You know I will.”

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In the moving chorus of “Mad Woman,” she sings, “Every time you call me crazy/ I get more crazy/ What about that?/ And when you say I seem angry/ I get more angry/ And there’s nothin’ like a mad woman/ What a shame she went mad/ No one likes a mad woman/ You made her like that.”

While it feels melodramatic to type this out, the moment that Swift took a sharp turn to Reputation — with “I Did Something Bad” — actually elicited gasps heard round the stadium and the internet, where fans who weren’t at the concert searched for streams of Swift’s set.

“What a shame she went mad,” Swift sang from “Mad Woman,” casually calling back to Reputation with “They say I did something bad.”

Toward the end of the performance, that couplet became “Do you believe me now? What a shame she went mad/ Do you believe me now? They say I did something bad” in a clever rewrite that linked “Cassandra” with both “Mad Woman” and “I Did Something Bad” in the same chorus.

The mad mashup went on for a solid seven minutes, as captured on video by concertgoers.

It followed a lighter performance from Swift on acoustic guitar, “Ours” (Speak Now) mixed with “The Last Great American Dynasty” (Folklore).

Swift plays in Toronto once more Saturday night (Nov. 23). The Eras Tour, which launched in March 2023, has a break for the U.S.’s Thanksgiving week before taking its final bow in Vancouver from Dec. 6-8, 2024.

For the first time in its 25-year history, the MAMA Awards held its inaugural ceremony in the United States for the first day (Nov. 21) of its 2024 ceremony in Los Angeles. Broadcasting live from the iconic Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the largest K-pop awards kicked off their three days of festivities with chart-topping groups, legendary musicians, and a tightly packed schedule of excitement that fans could watch across social media and stream exclusively on Samsung TV Plus.

The historic day kicked off with a media event in a morning press conference where reporters heard from and talked to performers J.Y. Park and RIIZE, as well as the head of CJ ENM convention business Park Chan Uk.

That afternoon, the stars made their way onto the red carpet. Before the official ceremony began, Billboard spoke to all the artists in attendance like J.Y. Park and RIIZE, as well as TWS, Young Posse, ILLIT, KATSEYE, and host Park Bo Gum (watch all here). Once the show began, all the artists performed on stage — with Park and KATSEYE bringing on special guests — while J.Y., RIIZE, TWS, and ILLIT all won awards throughout the night. Keeping with the Hollywood theme, a slew of surprise presenters were also on hand including Oscar and Billboard Music Award winners.

While fans have been glued to the international stream to not miss a minute of the broadcast, Billboard was also on the scene throughout MAMA’s momentous day to catch all things you might not have seen on TV.

From whispers inside the venue about a new boy band to watch to the private moments with artists like ILLIT and J.Y. Park, plus an exclusive backstage shot of KATSEYE above, here are moments from the KCON LA 2024 weekend that you didn’t see.

J. Cole’s packing on the nostalgia for fans before 2024’s out. The Dreamville boss followed The Come Up‘s DSP arrival with the release of his sacred The Warm Up mixtape to streaming services for the first time on Friday (Nov. 22).

The Warm Up played an integral role in fueling Cole’s rise as he caught the attention of Jay-Z and earned a deal with Roc Nation. The mixtape originally was released in June 2009 and the streaming version boasts 22 tracks in total.

Standouts from the project include the Kanye West-produced “Just to Get By,” “Dreams and “Lights Please” which garnered enough momentum to even land on Jermaine’s Cole World: The Sideline Story debut album in 2011.

The Warm Up out now everywhere,” Cole’s Manager Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad wrote to X. “Took us 15 years but I’m so happy we’re able to get this up. This project is very special to me, shit really put Cole in the game and we ain’t look back since. Forever Grateful for this project, legit changed n—-z lives forever.”

The Warm Up’s arrival coincides with the release of the third episode of Cole’s Inevitable audio series, which finds him reminiscing on his rise to fame. This episode specifically focuses on the tape’s rollout after manifesting his deal with Hov.

Fans can purchase access to the entire series for $10 with two-hour episodes being released every few days to a week. The final of the season will cover through 2014 Forest Hills Drive.

“If you rocked with me at any point so far on my journey, I hope this will give you even more perspective and fill in a lot of blanks,” Cole wrote when announcing the series. “If you have your own dream in life that you hope to achieve, in any field, I hope that this will feed your spirit, giving you confidence to believe in that dream and the encouragement to push through the tough times. To go for it even when you may be afraid to.”

Stream the mixtape below.

JYP Entertainment, the K-pop company behind such artists as TWICE and Stray Kids, is on a roll, with its stock closing Friday (Nov. 22) at 66,100 won ($47.06) — up 11.3% for the week and marking its highest closing price since May 10. This week, the company seemingly got a nudge from the Monday (Nov. 18) announcement of Stray Kids’ 20-date, Live Nation-produced stadium tour in 2025 that will cover North America, Latin America and Europe. But the momentum has been building for a while; over the last three weeks, JYP shares have gained 35.6%.

Other K-pop stocks also posted gains this week: YG Entertainment rose 7.7% as “APT” by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars spent a fourth week atop the Billboard global charts and reached No. 1 in Japan. Elsewhere, HYBE improved 4.4% and SM Entertainment increased 4.3%. Collectively, the four K-pop companies have gained an average of 20.7% in the last three weeks and narrowed their average year-to-date deficit to 15%. 

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Another high-flying music stock was Live Nation, which jumped 8.7% to an all-time high of $140.26 on Friday after more analysts increased their price targets. Citigroup increased its target on the concert promoter to $163 from $130, while Deutsche Bank upped its target to $150 from $130. As of Friday’s closing price, Live Nation shares have gained 49.8% in 2024 and 19.8% in just the last three weeks. The company’s third-quarter earnings on Nov. 11 can take credit for some of the recent gains, though Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election played a part, too, as investors believe Live Nation’s ongoing lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice will see a more favorable resolution with the incoming administration. 

In other music stocks news, Spotify continued its hot streak by gaining 3.7% to $475.27, marking its second-highest closing price ever. A week earlier, Spotify shares gained 14.5% after the company’s third-quarter earnings showed the company achieved a record operating profit. The streaming company’s stock has gained 153% in 2024 and is up 23.6% in the last three weeks alone. 

The 20-company Billboard Global Music Index rose 2.1% to a record 2,208.32 as 14 stocks finished the week with gains, putting it in line with stocks around the globe. In the United States, both the Nasdaq composite and S&P 500 increased 1.7%. In the United Kingdom, the FTSE was up 2.5%. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index gained 3.5%. Only China’s Shanghai Composite Index was an exception, dropping 1.9%.

Elsewhere, music streamer LiveOne gained 12.8% to $0.88, while iHeartMedia improved 8.6% to $2.40 after the radio giant announced terms for a debt exchange that will ease the company’s financial burden and extend most of the maturity dates for its debts. As of Nov. 14, note holders representing approximately 85% of outstanding debt have agreed to exchange notes under the new terms. 

Just six of the index’s 20 stocks finished the week in negative territory. The sharpest drop came from German concert promoter CTS Eventim, which fell 9.7% this week after the company’s third-quarter earnings showed an increase in revenue but a drop in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) margin for both the promotion and ticketing segments. 

Lastly, label giant Warner Music Group (WMG) dropped 3.3% to $31.85 following the release of its latest quarterly earnings on Thursday (Nov. 21). JP Morgan dropped its price target to $40 from $41 after lowering its estimate for fiscal 2025 adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA) to $1.49 billion from $1.527 billion. Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank cut its WMG price target to $34 from $36. 

Global Music Index
Global Music Index
Global Music Index

Playboi Carti continues to drop music on social media instead of streaming services.

On Friday (Nov. 22), the Atlanta rapper released “Play This” on his @opium_00pium Instagram account to follow up his recent ComplexCon performance in Las Vegas. The strategy is an interesting one, as he’s dropped a bunch of songs this year, but most only live on either social media or YouTube. We asked producer Cardo — a frequent collaborator of his — about said strategy and he thinks it’s Carti maybe testing the waters being that he’s always experimenting with new sounds and flows.

Produced by Roark Bailey and V-Ron, the song is a nice little number that sounds like those loosies he used to post on Soundcloud. He’s rapping about making women go crazy, doing various narcotics, and opps. You know? The usual, but in a way only someone like Carti can, so it’s definitely interesting and a good warm-up for his upcoming and highly anticipated album I AM MUSIC.

He hopped in the comments of the song’s IG post and told fans he shared it because it’s one of his favorites, writing, “IM NOT DONE AT ALL DIS SUM COOL S— I WANTED YALL TO HEAR BC I LOVE DIS SONG BUT DA SHIT DATS ON MY ALBUM OVRLY TRIMM.”

He mentioned the album and revealed that Ye is currently working on it with him during a recent club appearance. “Shout out to my n—a Kanye, you know what I’m saying,” he told the crowd as their No. 1 hit “Carnival” played. “He over here making beats and sh—t. That album gonna be crazy, I can’t wait to show y’all n—s.”

You can listen to “Play This” here.

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Outlander is officially back from hiatus with the second half of Season 7. If you’ve been meaning to catch up on the historical drama, it’s a great time to binge older episodes before you watch the new episode premiering on Starz on Friday (Nov. 22).

The remainder of Season 7 arrives with good news and bad news for Outlander fans. The good news: The hit series starring Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan has already been renewed for an eighth season, Starz announced in January. The bad news: The show’s eighth season will be its last.

“For nearly a decade Outlander has won the hearts of audiences worldwide and we’re pleased to bring Claire and Jamie’s epic love story to a proper conclusion,” Kathryn Busby, president of original programming for Starz said at the time,Variety reported at the time. “But before we close this chapter there is plenty of their passionate story to tell over the course of 26 new episodes and even more to explore of this dynamic world and its origin story. We’re thrilled to continue to partner with Matthew, Maril and Ronald and can’t wait to see where their alluring storytelling takes us next.”

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Luckily, fans don’t have to say goodbye just yet. In addition to announcing the end of Outlander, Starz greenlit a 10-episode prequel series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, which will center around Jamie’s (Heughan) parents.  

The cast of Outlander includes Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin, Caitlyn O’Ryan, Simon R. Baker, Mark Lewis Jones and Glen Gould.

Season six premiered on Starz in March 2022 after being delayed for two years because of the pandemic. Season 7 premiered on June 16 before going on a break. The 16-episode season features returning characters along with new additions to the cast.

How to Watch Outlander on Starz

Outlander returns with a new episode airing Fridays. Want to watch catch up on the season? Subscribe to Starz under Prime Video’s Black Friday discount.

The limited offer lets you subscribe to Starz for just $2.75 a month for two months. Yes, that means you can binge watch Outlander and tons of other shows and movies for less than what you would normally pay for lunch.

From Nov. 21 to Dec. 2, Prime members can score deals on select Prime Video add-on subscriptions such as Starz, Paramount+, AMC+, MGM+ and Hallmark+. Save up to 77% off per month, for two months during Amazon’s Black Friday sale.

For those who don’t have cable, satellite or TV via internet provider, Starz is available on Prime Video, Sling, DirecTV Stream, AT&T, Verizon Fios, Hulu, Xfinity and other streamers. See a full list of partnered providers here. Starz is offered as an add-on with Philo ($28/month after one week free), Fubo (from $49.99 after a week free) and Sling (starting as low as $20 for the first month).

What time does Outlander usually come on TV? The second half of the new season drops on Fridays at 12:00 a.m. ET via the Starz app, while episode air at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the cable network. New episodes premiere on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Starz, and at midnight on the app. You can subscribe to Starz directly for only $3 per month for three months.

With the Starz app, viewers can binge previous seasons of Outlander along with the latest half of the new season. And you can stream from your TV, smartphone or another compatible device via the Starz app (use ExpressVPN to watch internationally).

How to Get a Free Trial to Starz

Whether you’re looking for a free trial or discounted subscription, your best bet would be to go through a third party such as Roku Channel, Hulu, Prime Video or DirecTV Stream.

You can also find discount deals on sites such as Groupon, and check with cable or streaming providers to see if they offer free previews of Starz.  

Outlander, which premiered in 2014, incorporates romance, science fiction and history into one series. The show follows the story of a fictional nurse named Claire Randall (Balfe) who — after ending her stint as a World War II British Army nurse — gets transported from the year 1945 back to 1743 Scotland. After being forced to marry Heughan’s Scottish warrior Jamie Frasier, Claire’s heart gets torn between two men with vastly different lives.

Starz features a selection of original shows and limited series such as The Couple Next Door, Fat Joe Talks, Gaslit, P-Valley, BMF, Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Power Book IV: Force.

Watch a sneak peek of Outlander‘s new episode below.

Kendrick Lamar still has a couple axes to grind.

The Compton rapper surprised everyone by dropping his sixth studio album, GNX, and he addressed a bunch of things. A couple of the most notable topics he broached were that of Lil Wayne and his friends being upset that Lamar was chosen by Jay-Z and the NFL to headline the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show, and Snoop Dogg reposting Drake’s diss song “Taylor Made Freestyle” even thought he was confused by the Toronto rapper using an A.I. version of his voice.

On “wacced out murals’” second verse, he raps, “Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud/ Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down,” referring to the New Orleans rapper posting a video about how hurt he was about not being chosen to headline the Super Bowl in his hometown.

He then addressed his OG, rapping, “Snoop posted ‘Taylor Made,’ I prayed it was the edibles/ I couldn’t believe it, it was only right for me to let it go.” And he also mentioned another legend, revealing that he was the only one to show him love after he announced that he was headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show, saying, “Won the Super Bowl and Nas the only one congratulate me.”

For what it’s worth, Snoop recently credited Kendrick while on Drink Champs for unifying West and he tweeted out today that it was indeed the edibles that made him post “Taylor Made” and referred to Kenny as “West West King.”

Go stream GNX now if you haven’t and check out the best lines for a crash course.

Sam Fender has announced he’ll embark on a run of huge stadium shows in the U.K. next summer.

After selling out his U.K. and Ireland arena tour slated for December, the 30-year-old will next year perform at London Stadium (June 6) and Newcastle’s St. James Park (June 12 and 14). The former will mark Fender’s first stadium show outside of his home city, and the biggest headline show of his career thus far with a venue capacity of 75,000. 

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The new dates will also mark the third and fourth time the North Shields musician has performed at St James’ Park, meanwhile, having sold-out two nights there back in 2022. Fender first teased the dates yesterday (Nov. 20), sharing a clip to his Instagram account of a saxophone player performing in the media area of St James Park.

Support for all three shows will come from Mercury Prize-nominated singer CMAT, while Philadelphia rockers The War On Drugs – who produced Fender’s new single “People Watching” – will appear at the London date and night two of the Newcastle leg.

Details of a special fan presale will be shared with those signed up to Fender’s newsletter, while remaining tickets will go live at 9.30 a.m (GMT) on Nov. 29. Further ticket sale information can be found via Fender’s official website.

Last week (Nov. 15), Fender confirmed news of his third LP People Watching (due Feb. 21 via Polydor Records) alongside sharing its eponymous lead single. The track is on course to debut inside of the Top 10 of the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart later today (Nov. 22).

Following his upcoming arena trek, Fender will then head to New York’s Webster Hall for a show on Feb. 11, before continuing the second leg of the tour in Europe through March 2025. The following month, he’ll return to North America for a further seven dates. He is also confirmed to appear at Germany’s Rock Werchter in early July, fuelling rumors that he may return to Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, south-west England, the week prior (June 25-29). 

Fender released his second record, Seventeen Going Under, in 2021, which saw him top the U.K. Official Album Charts and put out a live album of his massive gig at London’s Finsbury Park. Earlier this year, he collaborated with Noah Kahan on joint single “Homesick.”

Sam Fender U.K 2025 tour dates:

June 6 – London, England @ London Stadium
June 12 – Newcastle, England @ St. James’ Park
June 14 – Newcastle, England @ St. James’ Park

Linkin Park have made a triumphant return to the top of the ARIA Albums Chart with From Zero (via Warner Records and Machine Shop), their eighth studio album and the first release since 2017’s One More Light.

Their latest milestone Down Under is especially poignant as it marks the debut of their new lineup, featuring Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Joe Hahn, Dave Farrell, Emily Armstrong, and Colin Brittain, following the heartbreaking loss of former frontman Chester Bennington in 2017.

From Zero adds to Linkin Park’s storied ARIA legacy, with every studio album they’ve released landing in the top three. This new chart-topper joins the ranks of Hybrid Theory (2000), Minutes to Midnight (2007), and A Thousand Suns (2010), cementing their place as one of the most successful rock acts in ARIA history.

Australian rapper Illy also delivered a standout performance on the charts, landing at No. 4 with Good Life. As his seventh studio album, Good Life marks his fourth trip to the Top 10, following the successes of Cinematic (No. 4 in 2013), Two Degrees (No. 1 in 2016), and The Space Between (No. 1 in 2021).

On the international front, Shawn Mendes debuted at No. 24 with his fifth studio album, Shawn. The Canadian hitmaker, who previously claimed the No. 1 spot in 2018 with Shawn Mendes and reached No. 2 with 2020’s Wonder, remains a force to be reckoned with on the ARIA charts.

In a posthumous triumph, U.K. hip-hop icon MF Doom makes his first-ever ARIA Albums Chart appearance. The 20th-anniversary edition of his classic MM.. Food enters at No. 29, proving the late legend’s music continues to resonate with fans old and new.

On the ARIA Singles Chart, Gracie Abrams is ruling the airwaves, holding steady at No. 1 for a second week with her track That’s So True. She joins the ranks of powerhouse female artists like Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish who have dominated the top spot this year. Female artists have claimed the No. 1 position for 25 weeks in 2024, including an unbroken streak of 16 weeks.