BUSAN, South Korea — Some 55,000 fans packed into Asiad Stadium in this southeastern port city on Saturday (Oct. 15), creating havoc in South Korea’s second most-populated city, to watch BTS‘ massive free “Yet to Come” concert. That number included thousands of the superstar K-pop group’s loyal fans, known as the ARMY, who couldn’t get their hands on highly coveted free tickets to the 90-minute event.

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BTS’ Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook partnered with Weverse to livestream the festival-style show. During packed concert, the boy band delivered 20 songs, including popular tracks “Dynamite,” “Fire,” “Spring Day,” “Save ME” and “Yet to Come.”

At the height of all developments surrounding BTS is Jin, 29, the group’s eldest member who is expected to join the military service by the end of the year if no sudden amendments are made to the country’s compulsory draft legislation. In the midst of the political drama — and an announcement over the summer that the group would be taking a hiatus to pursue solo projects — BTS has taken on the role of ambassador to the World Expo 2030, which Busan is hoping to host.

BTS "Yet to Come in Busan" concert

“This is three years worth of roaring and cheering for us. It’s been three years since we could scream at the top of our lungs for the boys,” Elle Kwak, who attended the show with two friends, told Billboard. “The concerts in Seoul earlier this year were quite underwhelming, as it was tortuous to not be able to clap or make noise for the members on stage. We could see it was hard on the members as well.”

The three Permission to Dance on Stage – Seoul concerts, which took place in March, strictly prohibited any loud noise and clapping from the audience due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time.

Like many other fans who were also sitting on the ground or setting up base near the entrance gates, Kwak and her friends watched the show from their smartphones outside of the stadium, as they weren’t one of the lucky fans to grab a hold of a golden ticket. Instead, they came with blankets, warm coats and mufflers to withstand the chilly weather.

For fan Ash Hackworth, the concert reminded her of the time that BTS headlined London’s Wembley Stadium.

“Just like in 2019, this is a festival of the world coming together,” said the 32-year-old, who is from Los Angeles. “The excitement is what brought me here, and it’s what will keep me dancing even from outside the stadium. It’s also special that this will be the last time to hear some songs being performed for the last time as RM mentioned in a live stream a couple of days ago.”

Regardless of the air of uncertainty surrounding the group’s future, Hackworth remains optimistic.

BTS "Yet to Come in Busan" concert

“I’m looking forward to the second stage of the group,” she said. “J-Hope’s solo rock album was awesome, so I can’t wait to hear all the other members’ solo projects.”

In a surprise announcement near the end of the event, Jin revealed that he would become the second member to release a solo project.

“I got the opportunity to work with someone I like, so a single will come out soon,” the singer said to screaming fans.

But others have expressed that they want more from BTS and, consequently, HYBE, the parent company of Big Hit Music, BTS’ label.

“What we really want is a world tour,” Kwak and her friends said. “It was the pandemic and then politics that got in the way of BTS touring the world. But we are always ready to follow them around the world if there ever is a plan to do that.”

And while the <Yet to Come> concert provides a long-awaited reconnection with the group, sentiments towards BTS being “used” remain on the minds of many fans.

“Almost every ARMY knows that even this concert is a way to use the members for a political cause,” Kwak said. “But the fans are staying calm and making sure there aren’t any troubles with the concert as we don’t want the members to face any more criticism, regardless of how bad Busan is managing all its guests and the venue sites.”

When it was originally announced in the summer that the concert would take place at Busan’s Ilgwang special stage, ARMY members were vocal in opposing the move after visiting the site and estimating the safety risks of holding a mega-event at such a crowded area of the city. After receiving many more complaints, local officials decided to change the venue to Asiad Stadium.

On Saturday, there was about a three-hour delay for thousands of fans entering the stadium due to a mix-up of tickets.

BTS "Yet to Come in Busan" concert

But at the end of the day, there were more tears of happiness than of sadness. In the series of closing remarks by all seven members, BTS showed a will to continue group activities well into the later years of their careers.

“I think we’re in a phase where we need your trust,” said J-Hope, who was first to open up about the future of the group during remarks.

“Although it’s so sad that the concert is ending already, it’s not like we only have today. We will continue for 30 years … and even perform when we are 70 years old”, Jimin said with a laugh.

For Asaka Inoue and her mother, this last part of the concert was what gave their trip from Tokyo a happy ending.

“I was a bit afraid that there would be a sad announcement during the concert, but I was relieved to hear how the members said they were committed to continue staying as a group,” said the 26-year-old, who took days off from work to travel to Busan for four days with her mother.

RM capped the night off with what every ARMY was hoping to hear from their “idols” all night long. “All seven members have the same thoughts right now. We will continue to make and perform music if you give us your trust, like Jimin said,” RM said.

Busan is one of four cities in the running to host the World Expo, a world’s fair proposed to take place in 2030. Other cities being considered are Rome; Odesa, Ukraine; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Bureau International des Expositions will vote on the winning host country next year.

In July, BTS were appointed honorary ambassadors for Busan’s World Expo 2030 bid. The band was chosen “because they understand the importance of the World Expo and share the same values,” according to a statement from BTS’ record label Big Hit.

Tom DeLonge is giving fans a hint at what to expect from the reunited pop-punk band’s next album.

“The new @blink182 album has some of the most progressive, and elevated music [we’ve] ever had,” the Blink-182 singer/guitarist tweeted on Saturday (Oct. 15). “In honesty, I am holding my breath for you to hear these other songs.”

Blink announced earlier this week that the group’s original lineup of DeLonge, singer/bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker is planning to reunite for a new album and a world tour. DeLonge previously left the group in 2014 and was replaced by Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba.

On Friday, Blink-182 lineup released new single “Edging,” marking the classic trio’s first time in the recording studio in 10 years. Indeed, “Edging” is classic Blink, hewn from misspent youth and with all the bluster, swagger and stop-on-a-dime detail that made the threesome one of the most popular alternative rock acts of its era.

DeLonge noted in his tweet on Saturday that “‘Edging’ is fun, and a perfect way to remind u of the fun again. But just u f—ing wait.”

Blink-182 had not announced an official release date for their as-yet-untitled forthcoming album as of press time. The band’s world tour, its largest trek to date, launches in Mexico on March 11, and will visit North and South America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand through 2024.

See DeLonge’s update on Blink-182’s new album below on Twitter.

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Wonho is putting his all into his latest single.

The K-pop superstar returned with an emotional new single “Don’t Regret” on Friday (Oct. 14). Exploring a rock sound for the first time in his solo career, the track sees Wonho encouraging listeners not to regret memories from the past, but instead recognize that they have created the current moment. Told through a love story, “Don’t Regret” was co-written and co-produced by Wonho alongside his longtime collaborator Brother Su who has worked on singles with the likes of BTSBLACKPINKMonsta X and more.

“Don’t Regret” is accompanied by a music video that sees Wonho forgoing the intense choreography and showmanship he’s known for in his visuals and instead stripping down to simple clothing and scenery to tell his story. At one point, Wonho goes full-on rock star as he performs alongside a band in front of a burning building.

Alongside “Don’t Regret,” Wonho released the new song “On & On” that features rising Korean rapper YUNHWAY. The dance-focused cut has a hint of melancholy that blends well with YUNHWAY’s smoky and airy delivery. The new songs follow Wonho’s summer single “Don’t Hesitate” from August.

Watch “Don’t Regret” below:

Nicki Minaj‘s frustrations regarding her Grammy genre shuffle have resulted in the latest rap beef.

During an Instagram Live on Thursday, Minaj voiced her concerns over “Super Freaky Girl” being moved from the rap category to pop on the 2023 Grammy ballet, deeming it unfair. Minaj — who despite countless hit singles and albums and 10 nominations over the years has yet to win a Grammy — is not the first artist to raise questions about the Recording Academy’s categorizing methods. In the video, she mentions Drake’s best rap song win with “Hotline Bling” at the 2017 Grammys (a point of contention for the Toronto rapper, who said the song was pop but only categorized as rap because of his race and past music) and Latto’s “Big Energy” being eligible to compete in this year’s rap field.

“If ‘Super Freaky Girl’ is a pop song, what genre is ‘Big Energy?’” Minaj asked.

Like “Super Freaky Girl,” Latto’s chart-topper was also produced by Dr. Luke and Vaughn Oliver; a live version of “Big Energy” is eligible to compete in the best melodic rap performance category at the 2023 Grammys. (A live version is in contention because the original “Big Energy” was released in September 2021, outside the eligibility period.) “They stay moving the goal post when it comes to me,” Minaj added multiple times.

While Minaj also brought up names like Doja Cat, Post Malone, Harry Styles and Adele, she continued to circle back to Latto, both by name and also in ways that the 23-year-old burgeoning rap star could have perceived as subliminal.

“If you know something is unfair as an artist, speak on that sh–,” Minaj went on. “If you can’t tell by now that there is a concerted effort to give newer artists things they really don’t deserve over people who have been deserving for many years, they you not paying attention.”

Minaj also accused “corporate giants” of elevating “someone they can profit off of” and intentionally moving “Super Freaky Girl” to create less competition for other artists in the rap categories. She even mentioned the future of female rap, adding that the genre will no longer “have any Black women.” The comment can be understood as a dig against Latto, whose mother is white and father is Black. Minaj also went on to say in a tweet that Latto is “wiping that spray tan off & being a Karen,” a term typically reserved for white women.

On Twitter, Minaj echoed the sentiments expressed during her Live about “Super Freaky Girl” and “Big Energy,” even quoting tweets from fans who were drawing the comparison.

This didn’t sit well with Latto, who had been trying to celebrate her AMA nominations (including favorite female hip-hop artist and favorite hip-hop song with “Big Energy”) amidst social media backlash to her BET Hip Hop Awards win, sparked by Kodak Black. “Damn I can’t win for losing…all these awards/noms I can’t even celebrate,” she tweeted.

From there, Latto and Nicki went back and forth exchanging a tirade of jabs, airing out past subliminal digs and insulting family members, with fans egging them on in the replies. Nicki posted a screenshot of a text Latto sent her, and Latto returned the favor by releasing an audio recording of a phone conversation she and the “Super Bass” rapper had. The exchange went on for hours, with other female rappers, including Azealia Banks, Erica Banks and Chika, chiming in. In the end, Minaj deleted all of her tweets to Latto, only leaving behind a video clip of Whitney Houston laughing uncontrollably in a music video.

See some of the Twitter feud below:

Organizers and artists performing at KAMP LA 2022 predicted it would be “the biggest K-pop event in U.S. history” — but the two-day festival set for Los Angeles’ Rose Bowl this weekend is quickly seeing its plans shift for the worse.

Over the last 24 hours, online chatter has intensified that most of the scheduled artists on the KAMP lineup were not photographed departing South Korea from any of its international airports. Adding to the fuel were social media posts from KAMP artists like BamBam and Jeon Somi, both of whom hinted at delays in their travel plans to the U.S.

According to a source, an organizer with the festival shared internally on Friday (Oct. 14) that multiple artists were having visa issues and will be unable to perform at KAMP LA 2022 this weekend. In the same internal communication, the organizer said they plan to offer refunds.

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Of the 15 artists scheduled to perform at KAMP LA, only boy band iKON and soloist Chung Ha have been photographed departing Korea from Seoul’s Incheon International Airport over the last 24 hours. Five members of the boy band Super Junior were also photographed leaving Incheon, but not the full band.

Meanwhile, fellow boy band P1Harmony appear to be in the States already, having shared a photograph from their visit to San Diego radio station Channel 93.3 on Friday morning. Three members of girl group aespa are also in the U.S., having attended NCT 127‘s concert at Newark’s Prudential Center on Thursday.

A representative for P1Harmony confirmed with Billboard that the band is planning to perform at KAMP, with rehearsals scheduled for Friday.

Billboard has reached out to KAMP for an official comment, as well as various reps for artists scheduled to perform.

KAMP LA was announced in August with a lineup also including Monsta X, Kai, Zion.T and girl group Lapillus. The mega-concert is a joint production from KAMP Global (the South Korea-based entertainment brand that aims to bring K-pop globally through festivals, live events, immersive experiences and artist representation) and partnership brand Eventim Live Asia.

“Once Bruce walks out on stage, the only question in my mind is: is this going to be an absolutely great show, one of the greatest shows he’s ever done or the greatest show he’s ever done? That’s the range,” says Bruce Springsteen’s longtime manager Jon Landau in a video at the new Bruce Springsteen Live! Exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.

While that may be a bit (but only a little) hyperbolic, The Boss is renowned for both the high caliber and marathon duration of his concerts, and the exhibit — which officially opens Saturday (Oct. 15) and runs through April 2 — gives fans a backstage pass to five decades of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s live shows, including rare memorabilia and clothing, instruments, photographs and interactive displays. The exhibit was co-curated by the Grammy Museum and Eileen Chapman, director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & the Center for American Music at Monmouth University.

As Springsteen and his band get ready to return to the road next year for the first time since 2017 (excluding his solo runs on Broadways in 2018 and 2021), the exhibit serves as the perfect way for fans to whet their appetite. Taking a little license with some Springsteen lyrics, here are five of the best displays/experiences at the exhibit.

“I Got This Guitar and I Learned How to Make It Talk”

The exhibit features a number of Springsteen’s guitars, but perhaps none as gloriously roadworn and famous as his 1950s Fender Esquire (the display IDs it as 1953-1954). The beat-up butterscotch beauty, well known to fans, features a Fender Telecaster body and Esquire neck and Springsteen used it on the road from 1972 until 2005. Alone in its own glass case, it feels as if it still reverberates with a thousand songs in it waiting to be played. Even those who didn’t get to see Springsteen play it live will recognize it from the album covers for Born to Run, Live 1975-95, Human Touch and Wrecking Ball

“I Got Debts No Honest Man Can Pay”

In an undated letter from what is likely the early ‘70s, Springsteen writes a charming note to his landlord, apologizing for not paying his rent on time. Addressed to “Dear Landlordess,” and penned on a torn-out page from a spiral notebook, he adds not one, but two endearing postscripts: “P.S.: Do you like this classy writing paper?” and “P.P.S: I’m practicing my autograph. Whadya think?” In the same display case, there is a scrapbook from the ‘70s that his mom kept as her son’s career took off. It was opened to a page that included a 1972 review from Variety — one of his first — and a postcard from the road from his then-manager, Mike Appel, as a reminder that Springsteen, too, was once a struggling artist.

“I Want Pounding Drums”

For an exhibit devoted to touring, there is very little footage of Springsteen playing live, but in one of the most enjoyable displays, drummer Max Weinberg gives wannabe drummers a tutorial and then the chance to play along with a video of Springsteen performing before tens of thousands of people at a stadium gig. Fans sit at a mini-drum kit while Weinberg teaches them how to play bass drum, snare drum and hi-hat to “Born in the U.S.A.,” a song the longtime E Street Band member says is one of his favorites to play, before turning them loose to play along with the video.  

“Is There Anybody Alive Out There?”

In one of the many interactive elements, fans can build their own five-song encore to a live show and see how close they come to what Springsteen played that actual night. For someone who is revered for his ability to call an “audible” and change up the set at a moment’s notice, it turns out a great deal of thought goes into the encore. In a video, Springsteen, with guitar in hand, explains how he selects the encore songs based on smooth key changes and rhythm changes as he slides from “Born to Run” into “Devil With the Blue  Dress On” (usually part of what is known as “The Detroit Medley”) into “Glory Days” into “Land of Hope and Dreams.” “You want to constantly kick it up,” he says. 

“A Prayer for the Souls of the Departed”

While casual fans may pass right by the displays to beloved late E Street musicians Danny “The Phantom” Federici, who died in 2008, and Clarence “The Big Man” Clemons, who died in 2011, longtime devotees will appreciate the mementos that celebrate the longtime members. Federici is feted by a display with one of his accordions, a photo of him as a young boy playing the instrument and a note from his son talking about how Federici, who was also Springsteen’s organist, began playing the accordion at 5. For Clemons, one of his saxophones is on display, but the item that will tug at hard-core fans’ heartstrings is “The Throne,” the upholstered, gold-painted armchair that Clemons had onstage with him so he could sit as he got tired in later years and where he reclined and took in his adoring fans when the rest of the band left the stage before returning for the encore. Both are gone but never forgotten.

The walls that separate genres are coming down, which is a good thing in many ways. But it complicates things for the screening committees that decide where records should compete in the annual Grammy Awards process.

Here are some albums that probably gave the screening committees pause – and where they are competing in the 65th annual Grammy Awards process.

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Demi Lovato’s Holy F*ck, Avril Lavigne’s Love Sux and Tears for Fears’ The Tipping Point are all on the line between pop and rock; all are competing for best rock album. Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres and 5 Seconds of Summer’s 5SOS5 are also somewhere on that line; they are competing for best pop vocal album.

Florence + the Machine’s Dance Fever is vying for best alternative music album. Two previous albums by the English indie rock band – Ceremonials and How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful – were nominated for best pop vocal album.

Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak topped Billboard’s folk, country and rock album charts — and reached No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard 200. At the Grammys, it’s competing for best country album.

Lizzo’s Special and Beyoncé’s Renaissance danced on the line between pop, dance and R&B. Special is competing for best pop vocal album. Renaissance is vying for best dance/electronic music album. Bey won best contemporary R&B album three times (for Dangerously in Love, B’Day and I Am…Sasha Fierce) and best urban contemporary album twice (for Lemonade and Everything Is Love, a collab with her husband Jay-Z as The Carters.

The line between R&B and progressive R&B is often blurry. The Grammys have classified Summer Walker’s Still Over It and Chris Brown’s Breezy as R&B, but have slotted Steve Lacy’s Gemini Rights and Brent Faiyaz’s Wasteland as progressive R&B.

Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) is vying for a nod as best country album. The original Red album was nominated in that category nine years ago but lost to Kacey Musgraves’ Same Trailer, Different Park. In terms of genre album awards, Swift has won best country album once (for Fearless) and best pop vocal album once (for 1989).

Jason Aldean is competing for best country album with Macon, Georgia, a combination of his two single-disc albums Macon (released on Nov. 12, 2021) and Georgia (released on April 22).

The Encanto soundtrack, which topped the Billboard 200 for nine weeks, is competing for best compilation soundtrack for visual media, not best pop vocal album.

The four Latin albums that made the top 10 on the Billboard 200 in the Grammy eligibility year (Oct. 1, 2021, through Sept. 30) are competing in three different categories. Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti and Daddy Yankee’s Legendaddy are vying for best música urbana album. Romeo Santos’ Formula Volume 3 is competing for best tropical Latin album. Eslabon Armando’s Nostalgia is vying for best regional Mexican music album (including Tejano).

Several stars didn’t submit their albums for Grammy consideration, for a broad range of reasons. Silk Sonic didn’t submit An Evening With Silk Sonic. They probably figured (correctly) that they were amply rewarded last year when they won four Grammys for “Leave the Door Open” and they would be better off letting other artists have some Grammy shine. No artist wants to run the risk of having people say, “Haven’t they won enough?”

Drake and The Weeknd didn’t submit Honestly, Nevermind and Dawn FM, respectively. They are probably still nursing past disappointments. Drake, one of the most successful musicians of the past 15 years (and, really, in recording history) has won just four Grammys. (As noted, Silk Sonic won that many earlier this year alone.) The Weeknd was inexplicably snubbed in the year that he released “Blinding Lights,” one of the biggest and most universally admired hits of recent years — though, for the record, has also collected four Grammys over the years.

Other albums that aren’t to be found on the entry list include Meek Mill’s Expensive Pain, Roddy Ricch’s Live Life Fast, Lil Durk’s 7220, Rod Wave’s Beautiful Mind and Tory Lanez’s Sorry 4 What.

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