Categoría: Billboard

Megadeth is saying farewell. After 16 albums, the band’s frontman, Dave Mustaine, announced on Thursday (Aug. 14) that their next project will be their last, with a goodbye tour to support it. The news came in the form of a video posted to the band’s YouTube page and social media accounts, featuring Mustaine’s alter ego, Vic Rattlehead breaking the news. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “For over four decades, I’ve been chained in silence, but the end demands my voice,” Vic begins while seated behind a desk. “It is confirmed: The next Megadeth studio album will be the last. Forty years of metal, forged in steel, ending in fire. And when the new year rises, the global farewell tour. You’ve heard the warning. Now prepare yourself, Cyber Army. Stay loud, stay tuned, and meet me on the frontlines.” In a press release, Mustaine thanked fans for their commitment and love while celebrating the band’s impact on rock n’ roll. “There’s so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional,” Mustaine said. “Most of them don’t get to go out on their own terms on top, and that’s where I’m at in my life right now. I have traveled the world and have made millions upon millions of fans and the hardest part of all of this is saying goodbye to them.” He continued. “We can’t wait for you to hear this album and see us on tour. If there was ever a perfect time for us to put out a new album, it’s now. If there was ever a perfect time to tour the world, it’s now. This is also a perfect time for us to tell you that it’s our last studio album. We’ve made a lot of friends over the years and I hope to see all of you on our global farewell tour. Don’t be mad, don’t be sad, be happy for us all, come celebrate with me these next few years. We have done something together that’s truly wonderful and will probably never happen again. We started a musical style, we started a revolution, we changed the guitar world and how it’s played, and we changed the world. The bands I played in have influenced the world. I love you all for it. Thank you for everything.” The follow-up to 2022’s The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! will be released via Mustaine’s Tradecraft imprint on Frontiers Label Group’s new BLKIIBLK label, and does not yet have a release date, but is expected next year. Fans can register for early access to exclusive information and offers surrounding the forthcoming final album on Megadeth’s website. According to the site, pre-orders start on Sept. 25. The initial run of farewell tour dates will also be announced later this year. Check out a social media clip below featuring Vic Rattlehead breaking the news: Source link

HUNTR/X isn’t your average girl group — and not just because it has a fictional foundation. The trio are the animated stars of Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, where the members lead double lives as both global pop sensations and demon slayers. The group — Rumi, Mira and Zoey, whose music is voiced by real-life singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI — joins elite history this week (on the chart dated Aug. 16) by hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Golden.” After debuting in early July, the track has snowballed into a phenomenon, powered by gains across multiple metrics. It rises to the top with 31.7 million official streams (up 10%), 8.4 million radio audience impressions (up 71%) and 6,000 sold (up 35%) in the United States Aug. 1-7, according to Luminate. Fictional or not, HUNTR/X now joins an exclusive club. The trio becomes the 23rd all-woman group in the Hot 100’s 67-year history to hit No. 1, and the first in nearly a quarter-century. The last time it happened was with Destiny’s Child in 2001, with “Bootylicious.” Even though that’s a long drought, girl groups have a deep history on the Hot 100, stretching back to a golden age in the 1960s, when acts like the Supremes and the Shirelles ruled. As we look back on every Hot 100 No. 1 song by girl groups, it’s worth noting that some of these acts would likely shy away from calling themselves a “girl group” (with some preferring to be known simply as a band, especially if its members play instruments). There also isn’t one specific “girl group sound” — HUNTR/X and the Supremes don’t have much in common beyond having all-female lineups. So for this list, we’re counting all the No. 1s by all-female acts with at least three members. That rules out female-dominated but mixed-gender bands including Fleetwood Mac and Heart; male-female family groups such as the Staple Singers; and superstar one-offs by soloists, such as 2001’s “Lady Marmalade” by Christina Aguilera, Mya, P!nk and Lil’ Kim. Before we get into it, other beloved such acts came close to reaching No. 1 on the Hot 100, but just missed the pinnacle. That’s a list that includes BLACKPINK, En Vogue, Fifth Harmony, TWICE and the Go-Go’s — the lattermost are the only all-woman rock band to ever ever top the Billboard 200 albums chart. By the definition above, 44 songs by girl groups have reached No. 1 on the Hot 100. Let’s break them down by decade, starting with the era when girl groups largely defined pop music. ‘60s Girl Group Hot 100 No. 1s Artist, Title, Peak DateThe Shirelles, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” 1/30/1961The Marvelettes, “Please Mr. Postman,” 12/11/1961The Shirelles, “Soldier Boy,” 5/5/1962The Crystals, “He’s a Rebel,” 11/3/1962The Chiffons, “He’s So Fine,” 3/30/1963The Angels, “My Boyfriend’s Back,” 8/31/1963The Dixie Cups, “Chapel of Love,” 6/6/1964The Supremes, “Where Did Our Love Go,” 8/22/1964The Supremes, “Baby Love,” 10/31/1964The Shangri-Las, “Leader of the Pack,” 11/28/1964The Supremes, “Come See About Me,” 12/19/1964The Supremes, “Stop! In the Name of Love,” 3/27/1964The Supremes, Back in My Arms Again,” 6/12/1965The Supremes, “I Hear a Symphony,” 11/20/1965The Supremes, “You Can’t Hurry Love,” 9/10/1966The Supremes, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” 11/19/1966The Supremes, “Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone,” 3/11/1967The Supremes, “The Happening,” 5/13/1967Diana Ross & the Supremes, “Love Child,” 11/30/1968Diana Ross & the Supremes, “Someday We’ll Be Together,” 12/27/1969 The ‘60s were the most dominant era for girl groups, with 20 of the 44 total Hot 100 No. 1s achieved in that decade. Of those 20 No. 1s, 12 were by the Supremes alone — the most by an all-woman group in the chart’s history. The sound was pure pop with strong R&B roots, largely produced by legendary producers Phil Spector and Motown’s Holland-Dozier-Holland trio. ‘70s Girl Group Hot 100 No. 1s Artist, Title, Peak DateThe Honey Cone, “Want Ads,” 6/12/1971Labelle, “Lady Marmalade,” 3/29/1975Silver Convention, “Fly, Robin, Fly,” 11/29/1975The Emotions, “Best of My Love,” 8/20/1977 Girl groups took a relative dip in the ‘70s, with only four No. 1s, compared to 20 the previous decade. That’s perhaps partially due to Diana Ross’ split from the Supremes (she earned four solo No. 1s this decade outside the group). Still, the sound didn’t disappear — it just evolved into disco anthems from Silver Convention and Labelle, and more R&B sounds from the Emotions and Honey Cone. ‘80s Girl Group Hot 100 No. 1s Artist, Title, Peak DateBananarama, “Venus,” 9/6/1986The Bangles, “Walk Like an Egyptian,” 12/20/1986Exposé, “Seasons Change,” 2/20/1988The Bangles, “Eternal Flame,” 4/1/1989 The ‘80s brought a different flavor to girl group No. 1s on the Hot 100. These bands may not define the “girl group” label, but they fit the criteria here. The decade’s four No. 1s were bright, catchy pop songs and ballads, some with a rock edge. ‘90s Girl Group Hot 100 No. 1s Artist, Title, Peak DateWilson Phillips, “Hold On,” 6/9/1990Sweet Sensation, “If Wishes Came True,” 9/1/1990Wilson Phillips, “Release Me,” 9/15/1990Wilson Phillips, “You’re In Love,” 4/20/1991SWV, “Weak,” 7/10/1993TLC, “Creep,” 1/28/1995TLC, “Waterfalls,” 7/8/1995Spice Girls, “Wannabe,” 2/22/1997Divine, “Lately,” 11/28/1998TLC, “No Scrubs,” 4/10/1999Destiny’s Child, “Bills, Bills, Bills,” 7/17/1999TLC, “Unpretty,” 9/18/1999 The ‘90s brought girl groups back to the forefront with 12 Hot 100 No. 1s. R&B ruled, largely thanks to TLC’s four No. 1s, along with leaders from SWV and Divine. Pop acts including Wilson Phillips, Sweet Sensation and Spice Girls also brought their own styles to the summit. Even compared to the 20 No. 1s in the ‘60s, the ‘90s make the case for the most diverse decade for girl groups, encompassing pop, rock and R&B. 2000s Girl Group Hot 100 No. 1s Artist, Title, Peak DateDestiny’s Child, “Say My Name,” 3/18/2000Destiny’s Child, “Independent Women Part I,” 11/18/2000Destiny’s Child, “Bootylicious,” 8/4/2001 Destiny’s Child picked up right where the ‘90s left off, tallying three more Hot 100 No. 1s in less than two years. Similar to Diana Ross’ exit from the Supremes, the group’s reign ended when Beyoncé went solo — Bey has since tallied

Like many era-defining pop stars, Taylor Swift makes history everywhere she goes and with just about everything she does. Take, for example, her first visit to boyfriend Travis Kelce‘s New Heights podcast on Wednesday night (Aug. 13). While the weekly show the Kansas City tight end co-hosts with his retired NFL sibling Jason Kelce regularly gets anywhere from 12,000 to nearly 300,000 views on YouTube for their genial sports talk, the figures for Swift’s pop-in are already, predictably, off the charts. As of 1:45 p.m. on Thursday (Aug. 14) — just 17 hours after its debut — the two-hour Swift episode had more than 10.8 million views, easily besting the second-most popular episode of the show to date, an eight-million-view 2024 chat with Jason’s wife, Kylie Kelce, as well as nearly doubling the views for a 2023 chat with Travis’ Super Bowl-winning teammate, QB Patrick Mahomes. The figures on Spotify are equally gaudy, with the streamer reporting on Thursday that Swift’s New Heights appearance has already become one of the top-performing podcast episodes of the past 12 months. According to Spotify, based on an average of the previous five episodes, the Swift chat brought a 3,000% increase in new listeners to the show, as well as spiking an overall 2,500% increase in average streams of the episode and a 1,100% jump in tune in around 8:45 p.m. ET, which was less than two minutes into the show. Not surprisingly, Swift also helped increase female listenership to New Heights, with Spotify saying that the number of females tuning in already tracking 618% higher than the average for the previous five shows on its first day of release. That figure becomes even wilder when you consider that female listeners already made up the majority (58%) of New Heights listeners. The already popular podcast that has nearly three million subscribers on YouTube got a major boost when Swift visited to reveal the details of her upcoming 12th album, which is due out on Oct. 3 and features a collab with former Eras Tour opening act Sabrina Carpenter on the title track. The LP, produced by Max Martin and Shellback, the dynamic studio duo behind some of her biggest hits from albums such as 1989 and Reputation. Swift, who rarely does sit-down interviews, once again proved to be the ultimate master of her album roll-out narrative on New Heights, which racked up nearly nine million views within its first 12 hours on YouTube, with the New York Times reporting that 1.3 million people tuned in simultaneously to a livestream of the episode before the crowd crush caused a brief technical glitch. In a comparison likely to further stoke the ire of Donald Trump — who earlier this month said he “CAN’T STAND” Swift after earlier saying he “HATES” the singer — the Times noted that, by comparison, an October episode of the very popular Joe Rogan Experience pod featuring then-candidate Trump hit around 11 million views in its first 12 hours on YouTube. CNN added that the 1.3 million Swift figure nearly doubled the 800,000 people who watched Trump’s Rogan appearance in the first hour of that October show. Even the Kelce’s were not immune to the number numbness, with the show’s X account shouting out the fans for helping them “break the internet” amid the technical glitches, Travis posting a happy dance video when it came back online and Jason adding that the 1.3 million figure is just “the epitome of numerology” given Swift’s career-long obsession with the number 13. At press time the nearly three-hour Rogan chat with Elon Musk in 2018 is among the most-viewed ever on YouTube with more than 69 million views, though CNN host Kate Bouldan predicted that the Swift/Heights ep is already on its way to becoming “one of the most-watched podcasts of all time.” In case you missed out, check out the Swift episode below. Source link

Gigi Perez will never forget the first self-produced song that she wanted to share with the world. “Please Be Rude,” which she finished last year, was far from her first bedroom demo, but the strummed, slightly lilting meditation on intimate relationship moments felt different to Perez — “like I had cracked the code on my taste,” as she puts it. In just five short years, the New Jersey-born, Florida-raised singer-songwriter had already experienced the highs and lows of the music industry: A viral moment in early 2021, when the grief-stricken “Celene,” about her older sister who had died the year before, landed Perez an Interscope Records deal. Yet her 2023 debut EP arrived to little fanfare, and Interscope released her from her deal later that year. When Perez sent “Please Be Rude” to her friends for feedback in 2024, she knew they were worried about her: “They hoped that I would be OK, and rightfully so,” the 25-year-old says. While at Interscope, Perez worked with outside producers, but she felt disconnected from her songs during the studio sessions; newly independent, however, she decided to once again stay hands-on, setting up her roommate’s TV as a makeshift monitor, learning production tips from YouTube and Reddit and ultimately reigniting her creative spark. “It became my motivation every single day to get up and to get on Ableton,” she says. “And I found this obsession that I hadn’t felt since I started writing music.” Perez credits that experience with solidifying her sonic identity — and it yielded a commercial breakthrough. After self-releasing “Please Be Rude” in May 2024, “Sailor Song,” an ode to queer longing that Perez had teased on TikTok, followed in July and became a top 40 pop smash, peaking at No. 22 and spending 39 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. “Sailor Song” landed Perez a new label deal with Island Records and appeared on her debut album, At the Beach, in Every Life, which Island released in April; Perez is a credited producer on all 12 tracks and produced three songs, including “Please Be Rude,” by herself. At a time when organic TikTok hits remain a fast track to major-label clout, countless unknown artists with access to production software and how-to videos are now using Perez’s blueprint. While plenty of pop acts discovered on TikTok are paired with professional producers once they join label rosters, others have stuck with the DIY approach that got them that far — and have scored crossover hits with self-made singles. Meanwhile, pop superstars from Taylor Swift to Gracie Abrams to Charli xcx have increasingly been credited as co-producers on their songs, scoring hits with their fingerprints on every part of their track. “It’s authentic, straight from me,” says sombr, the 20-year-old alt-pop dynamo whose self-produced singles “Back to Friends” and “Undressed” have been concurrent top 40 Hot 100 hits for multiple months this year. Born Shane Boose, sombr was introduced to GarageBand at the end of elementary school, and figuring out how to layer tracks and harmonies quickly dominated his free time. As he moved on to YouTube tutorials and Logic Pro X in middle school and started thinking about music as a professional path in high school, he says he never considered relying upon another producer for his work. “My songs will never be chasing something or come from a ‘hit-making factory,’ ” sombr adds. “It’s just me in my room, making stuff that I want to hear and based off what I feel. And that’s why it works in my mind.” sombr in his home studio. Bryce Glenn For his upcoming Warner Records debut album, sombr says he will write and produce each song at home, finish “50 to 70%” of the track and then bring them to Sound City Studios in Los Angeles for “finishing touches” with his co-producer, Tony Berg. For sombr, beginning a production in a bedroom and then taking it to a professional studio provides an expanded tool kit to accentuate his original idea. “When I first got into a real studio, I suddenly had access to so many different instruments, microphones, pedals,” sombr says. “I learned a lot about the more traditional way of recording music, and my whole world opened up.” For artists to understand how to use that wider palette, it helps to have the right professional support, as sombr does with Berg. During her Interscope days, Perez says she felt compelled to help produce her songs but didn’t yet have the studio know-how to assist her collaborators. For At the Beach, in Every Life, however, she worked with two main co-producers, Noah Weinman (aka indie-rock artist Runnner) and Aidan Hobbs, as well as a mixer, Matt Emonson, who all encouraged her to ask questions in the studio and helped draw out her vision for the album. “I’m really grateful that I have a team that’s been able to teach me — that builds your confidence,” Perez says. “I could be vulnerable enough to be like, ‘I don’t know what that is.’ ” Of course, artificial intelligence is fast becoming a trusted studio collaborator, too. As modern music-making increasingly integrates AI, more artists will turn to tools that streamline their solo productions — from stem separators and vocal changers that can tweak existing tracks to sample creators and full-song generators that replicate the entire creative process. Perez says she’s open to learning more about the assistive ways in which AI can be used, but she’s skeptical that production or songwriting can be one of them. “We already struggle with connection,” she says, “and I think the deeper that technology inserts itself into a part of human existence, it’s going to be harder and harder for us to connect to each other.” “I know that I am considered to be a young person, but I think I am old-fashioned in the way I like to make music,” sombr says. “I like real instruments, real voices and a song with a bridge. I agonize over lyrics. I really have no interest in AI and

It seems that the alt-pop girls are fighting after Lana Del Rey posted a song snippet taking aim at Ethel Cain. In a post to her Instagram on Thursday (Aug. 14), Del Rey shared a video clip of herself with the caption “Track 13” and tagging producer Jack Antonoff, in which she calls out the “American Teenager” singer by name. “Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post/ Think it’s cute re-enacting my Chicago pose,” she sings in the clip. Later in the snippet, she refers to “the most famous girl at the Waffle House.” Fans were quick to dissect the new lyrics, pointing to the headline of a 2022 New York Times profile on Cain as the source of Del Rey’s “most famous girl at the Waffle House” line. Other fans clocked a since-deleted photo Cain shared with Salem member Jack Donoghue, and its similarities to a 2022 photo Del Rey took with him outside the Cook County Department of Corrections as the inspiration behind the “Chicago pose” line. Del Rey herself appeared to weigh in on the cryptic lyrics in a since-deleted comment on a Pop Base Instagram post about the snippet. “I didn’t know who Ethel was until a few years ago — when someone brought to my attention the disturbing and graphic side-by-side images she would often put up of me next to unflattering creatures and cartoon characters making constant comments about my weight, I was confused at what she was getting at,” she wrote in the comment. “Then when I heard what she was saying behind closed doors from mutual friends and started inserting herself into my personal life I was definitely disturbed.” Cain appeared to comment on the whole ordeal in a Instagram Stories post on Thursday morning, when she wrote “update: lana del rey has blocked ethel cain on instagram.” Billboard has reached out to reps for Lana Del Rey and Ethel Cain for comment. Cain recently shared her long-awaited sophomore album, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You, and is currently touring North America in support of the new release. Del Rey, meanwhile, has been teasing new music during a series of recent live shows, including her unreleased track “57.5.” The singer previously released her singles “Bluebird” and “Henry, Come On” in 2025, though she has yet to announce official plans for her 10th studio album. See Lana Del Rey’s Instagram post below: Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up Source link

“I was a few mistakes away from being some annoying guy at the bar who’s like, ‘I used to work with Post Malone,’ ” admits Ryan Vojtesak — the chart-topping producer better known as Charlie Handsome who has, in fact, quietly accumulated dozens of hits during the past decade. But after about eight years in Los Angeles, Vojtesak felt like he’d made the most of his time there; his list of credits, including one-offs with Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande and Drake, had swelled, and he thought he had accomplished what he had set out to do in the city: “Get hot there and then move somewhere else.” In 2021, he moved to Nashville, and since then, his career — and mentality — have shifted from sheer output to what he describes as “locking in.” Since moving, he estimates he has turned down offers to executive-produce 15 albums — “and pretty much all of them were artists that, if you would’ve asked me eight, nine years ago, I would’ve been like, ‘Holy s–t, this is a dream come true.’ ” Born in Atlanta, the now elusive 38-year-old’s “favorite producer” growing up was Kanye West (now known as Ye). By his late teens, Vojtesak felt he had developed a strong enough self-taught skill set to start producing, too, “but I didn’t know anybody.” So he moved to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area and worked a construction job — until he met someone at a bank (“legit,” he assures) who kick-started a chain of introductions that included producer Lifted, who previously worked with Ye on “Mercy” and connected Vojtesak with G.O.O.D Music president Che Pope. In 2013, Vojtesak moved to Los Angeles and adopted his own producer moniker (he’s also a songwriter and musician in his own right) and, soon enough, he met two people who knew Ye and T-Pain. “Those were my two connects,” he says. Still, connections didn’t equate to immediate success. “It was frustrating in the beginning,” he continues. “I didn’t have any money. I didn’t have any food. I weighed 50 pounds less because I wasn’t eating. It was like trying to solve a puzzle constantly.” By 2014, Vojtesak scored his first credit, on Travis Scott’s “Drugs You Should Try It,” off the rapper’s second mixtape. “If you listen to the music, it’s emo,” Vojtesak says, noting that despite racking up early credits in hip-hop — with artists including Post Malone, Lil Uzi Vert, Gunna, Young Thug and Ye (on “Fade” from 2016’s The Life of Pablo) — he transcended any one lane. “As early as 2016, when I was working with Young Thug, we were doing folk songs — not all of them came out, but I was always on that.” He and Post even discussed a country project back in 2015, before Post’s debut album, Stoney, dropped — and nearly 10 years before he released one. Vojtesak recalls accompanying Post to label meetings and the specific phrases Post’s team would use to market the then-unknown artist. “ ‘Reverse Taylor Swift’ was one, and ‘America’s Champion,’ ” he says with a barely stifled chuckle. “But really, the process is the reverse Taylor Swift, to an extent. Obviously for it to be a full reverse, Taylor needs to drop a rap album. Which I don’t think is going to happen.” But the idea was there all along: Post Malone, country star. And along with it, Charlie Handsome: Nashville hit-maker. After nearly a decade in L.A., Vojtesak found himself spending more and more time in Music City. “What happened was when s–t really got going, I got sick of paying taxes,” he admits. “So I weighed my options, and it was Miami or Nashville.” He had already worked with Morgan Wallen a few times — he says he “got lucky” meeting him in 2017 — and recalls thinking, “Morgan Wallen is probably the better artist for me… This could be something different and special and doesn’t have to sound like everything else.” The first single they co-wrote was the title track to Wallen’s 2018 debut album, If I Know Me. On Wallen’s second project, the 2021 smash Dangerous: The Double Album, Vojtesak co-wrote seven tracks, including lead single “More Than My Hometown” and Vojtesak’s first No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, “Wasted on You.” By Wallen’s third album, 2023’s One Thing at a Time, Vojtesak was credited on 15 tracks, four of which he co-produced, and on this year’s I’m the Problem, he’s credited on 23 tracks, 12 of them as co-producer. His trajectory with Post has been similar. Vojtesak scored two credits on Stoney (plus one on its deluxe version) and one on 2022’s twelve carat toothache. But for Post’s 2024 foray into country, F-1 Trillion, Vojtesak was credited on all 18 songs, plus the additional nine for the extended edition, F-1 Trillion: Long Bed. Of the 67 songs he has charted on the Billboard Hot 100 that he has now produced or co-produced, 22 are by Post and 20 are by Wallen, including their collaborative No. 1 smash, “I Had Some Help.” (Vojtesak first topped the chart as a producer in 2022 with Jack Harlow’s “First Class”; he has remained on the Hot 100 Producers chart for 111 weeks, peaking at No. 1 in August 2024 and now sitting at No. 3 on the Aug. 9-dated chart.) Charlie Handsome onstage at the CMA Triple Play Awards in Nashville, where he was a recipient of the honor, on April 29, 2025. Terry Wyatt/Getty Images It’s no wonder Vojtesak has locked in with Wallen and Post, two artists who have themselves become friends and collaborators in the past few years and — especially in the case of the former — tend to keep to themselves. (Vojtesak himself admits to leaving his phone on silent “at all times.”) Perhaps most importantly, both artists have the “gravity factor,” as Vojtesak puts it. “That’s a big part of it for me. I just look for a voice that I really believe in… But everything has to go your way, you know? There were a lot of

Karol G will headline the halftime show during YouTube’s first exclusive NFL live broadcast set to take place at  Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil, in September, YouTube and the National Football League announced Thursday (Aug. 14). Celebrating the “Sounds of Latin America through Gameday Entertainment,” the 2025 NFL São Paulo game set for Sept. 5 will be a face-off between the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers.  “I’m so excited to be part of YouTube’s first-ever NFL live broadcast, it’s truly an honor and a moment I’m so proud to be part of,” the Colombian artist, who’s making the rounds with her Billboard No. 1 album Tropicoqueta, said in a press statement. “I’ve watched many NFL halftime shows over the years and now having this opportunity to bring my music to this global stage means the world to me. I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone in São Paulo and fans all around the world.” As part of the ongoing collaboration between the NFL and YouTube, the upcoming Chiefs and Chargers game marks YouTube’s first-ever exclusive live NFL game. In addition to Karol helming the halftime show, Brazilian artist Ana Castela will perform the country’s national anthem “Hino Nacional Brasileiro,” and composer and jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington will perform the U.S. national anthem. “This broadcast is a landmark moment in our partnership with the NFL, where the worlds of football, music and creators will powerfully collide,” said Angela Courtin, VP of Sports and Entertainment Marketing at YouTube. “From the real-life manifestation of our creator community in São Paulo to a global icon like Karol G taking the stage at halftime, this partnership with the NFL is a testament to our shared vision. It’s about more than just a game; it’s a statement that the future of live sports and entertainment is global and connected.” Tim Tubito, senior director, Global Game Presentation and Entertainment at the NFL, added: “With our incredible NFL fan base in Brazil and across the world, we worked hand-in-hand with our YouTube partners to tap into the larger Latin Pop music scene with an innovative, global artist.” The week 1 matchup will stream free on YouTube on Sept. 5, beginning with YouTube’s pre-game show at 7 p.m. ET and the game kicking off at 8 p.m. ET.  Source link

KISS felt like shouting out loud when Donald Trump revealed that they would be among the this year’s Kennedy Center Honorees on Wednesday (Aug. 13). The (allegedly) retired greasepaint rockers known for such beloved jams as “Love Gun,” “Black Diamond” and “Christine Sixteen” made the cut along with country icon George Strait, Broadway star Michael Crawford, disco singer Gloria Gaynor and Rocky/Rambo actor Sylvester Stallone. Trump said he was deeply involved in the selection process this year — including his plans to become the first U.S. president to host the show — and the choice of KISS is interesting given the president’s well-known aversion to anyone critical of him. Despite previously disagreeing with Trump’s actions during his first term, when reached by TMZ, the band’s members were reportedly joyful about joining the ranks of such past Kennedy Center icons as Bob Dylan, Ella Fitzgerald, Harry Belafonte, Pete Seeger, Stevie Wonder and Garth Brooks, among many others. “KISS is the embodiment of the American dream,” said bassist/singer Gene Simmons. “We are deeply honored to receive the Kennedy Center Honor.” Singer/guitarist Paul Stanley reportedly told the outlet, “From our earliest days, KISS has embodied the American ideal that all things are possible and that hard work pays off. The prestige of the Kennedy Center Honors cannot be overstated and I accept this on behalf of the long legacy of KISS and all of the band members who helped create our iconic band.” Former guitarist Ace Frehley called it a “dream come true that I never thought would materialize” and former drummer Peter Criss said, “I feel so blessed. This is the greatest honor of our career.” Trump was the first president to never attend the annual Kennedy Center Honors gala during his first term and until recently he had never taken in a single program at the beloved D.C. arts center. The choice of sometime critics KISS is interesting because it comes a week after Trump unexpectedly fired the head of the non-partisan, technocratic Bureau of Labor Statistics after it released a jobs report he claimed, without evidence, had been “rigged” to make him look bad. Simmons — who got fired by Trump in week three of the first season of the The Celebrity Apprentice in 2008 — initially praised the president before he first won the White House. The rocker known for his entrepreneurial acumen called Trump the “truest political animal I’ve ever seen onstage,” lauding the former reality TV star for not having speechwriters and being “good for the political system. He changed his tune a short time later. The band turned down a reported invitation to play Trump’s first inauguration and by the time Trump lost his second bid for office to President Joe Biden in 2020, Simmons had a very different view. “I knew him before he entered politics. Look what that gentleman did to this country and the polarization – got all the cockroaches to rise to the top. Once upon a time, you were embarrassed to be publicly racist and out there with conspiracy theories. Now it’s all out in the open because he allowed it,” Simmons said to Spin in May 2022. Simmons told the magazine that the two knew each other before the Apprentice from hanging around the same nightclubs, but that being president is a very different job than hosting a game show. “You have a different responsibility when you’re just a citizen or an entrepreneur. You don’t make policy,” he said. “It doesn’t affect life and death. When you get into a position of power, it does affect lives. I don’t think he’s a Republican or a Democrat. He’s out for himself, any way you can get there. And in the last election, over 70 million people bought it hook, line and sinker.” Similarly, Stanley tweeted in Jan. 2021 that Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the previous year’s election loss was “ABHORRENT. A true danger to our democracy. The issue isn’t that it WON’T work. It’s Mob Boss behavior and politicians putting party over audits, investigations, court rulings & COUNTRY in an effort to overrule the will of American voters.” Stanley also referred to the violent horde of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 as “TERRORISTS,” calling the assault an “armed insurrection” by a mob who were all pardoned when Trump took office again earlier this year. The singer also noted back then that the “flames were fanned today & over time by the president [Trump] & specific senators who CANNOT be allowed now to distance from or denounce what they have directly caused. Know their names. THIS is the result of their deception. Shame.” The Trump-hosted 2025 Kennedy Center Honors will air on CBS in December. Source link

Despite his status as a pop culture icon for close to 50 years now, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic has claimed he’s not terribly bothered about being overlooked by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Speaking to Vulture, Yankovic was asked to share his pitch to the Rock Hall to “do the right thing and induct” him, though the musical parodist seemed somewhat resigned to never being inducted when he replied, “The Rock Hall is going to do what they’re going to do.” “They’re obviously expanding the boundaries of what constitutes rock and roll when they make their decisions,” he explained. “If they’re going to ever pick a comedic entry, I’d like to think I’d be considered for that. If they pick another accordion-playing parody writer ahead of me, I’d be upset.  “I don’t lose any sleep over having not been nominated. Right now, there aren’t millions of people saying, ‘Why isn’t he in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?’ And I’d prefer that to having millions of people saying, ‘Who let that jerk in there?’” Despite Yankovic having been eligible for inclusion into the Rock Hall since 2005, he’s yet to be nominated on any annual ballot. However, chairman John Sykes did admit in December that the influential musical satirist has “come up in conversations” over the years. “He’s a genius,” Sykes explained. “He has made brilliant versions of the songs, but I’ll be honest: He’s never made it close to the ballot.” Comedian John Mulaney shared his thoughts on Yankovic’s absence from the Rock Hall earlier this year, reflecting on how the likes of Chubby Checker are to be inducted this year, given his debut single “The Class” has been classified as a novelty song. “I’m a big proponent of novelty music,” Mulaney admitted. “I’m a big proponent of ‘Weird Al’ getting into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This is one step closer, though I don’t know why they need to be led via steps. ‘Weird Al’ brought more people to music than is recognized at all. “I will, in fact, greatly devalue my coolness by saying [when I was young], it wasn’t until ‘Smells Like Nirvana’ defanged ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ that I could enjoy ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit,’” Mulaney added. “It was scary at first. It just was like, ‘I’m pretty happy, I’m a kid.’ I needed a way in. And after you laugh at ‘Smells Like Nirvana,’ you go, ‘Oh, this is a really good song.’” This year’s Rock Hall inductees include the likes of The White Stripes, Outkast, Soundgarden, Bad Company, Cyndi Lauper, and more. The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction will be live on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The 2025 ceremony will once again stream live on Disney+, with a special airing on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu the next day. Source link

Aerosmith‘s Joe Perry claims he’s unsure of what the future holds for the band, noting Steven Tyler lacks the desire and ability to head out on tour. The co-founding guitarist made his comments while speaking to Boston’s WBUR, affirming his belief that the veteran rockers may take to the stage once more. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “I would bet that there’s an Aerosmith show left,” Perry explained. Questions about the band’s future have swirled since the announcement of their 2023 farewell tour. While performing in Elmont, NY on Sept. 9 of that year, Tyler fractured his larynx, necessitating the postponement of shows on their Peace Out tour.  Ultimately, these shows were canceled entirely when the band announced their retirement from touring in Aug. 2024. That same month, bassist Tom Hamilton refuted claims the band were over completely, noting Aerosmith were “still alive” despite the recent retirement news. In his recent discussion with WBUR, Perry revealed that he and Tyler had recently spent time together to discuss the band’s plans, including a possible documentary at some point. However, fans may need to temper their expectations on the topic of full-scale touring. “He just doesn’t want to tour and he can’t tour. It’s tough,” Perry explained. “I’m not sure I would want to go out and book another 40-city tour. It’s a long way to the top and staying there takes it out of you, especially an Aerosmith tour.” Perry didn’t entirely rule out the notion of a less strenuous live undertaking, such a Las Vegas residency in the same vein as their Deuces are Wild concert series which took place throughout 2019, 2020 and 2022. “I’ll never say never, but I wouldn’t bet on it — no pun intended,” Perry said. “You really have to want to be out there and we’re all at that point of: How do you want to live? How do you want to spend the next however long you’ve got?” Since Aerosmith’s retirement from touring, Tyler has only performed live a handful of times. The first of these was at his annual Jam for Janie Grammy Awards Viewing Party in February, with his most recent appearance taking place as part of July’s Back to the Beginning benefit concert in England. Source link