Categoría: Billboard

Ahead of its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 6, a new trailer for 100 Nights Of Hero has been released. Starring Charli xcx in her silver screen debut alongside an ensemble cast featuring Maika Monroe, Emma Corrin, Nicholas Galitzine, Felicity Jones and Richard E. Grant, the film will receive a US cinema release on Dec. 5; a U.K. release date is yet to be announced. Directed by Julia Jackman (Pigs, Bonus Track), the historical fantasy is based on the graphic novel by Isabel Greenberg, which in turn was inspired by the Middle Eastern folktale One Thousand and One Nights. Its synopsis reads: “When a charming house guest (Galitzine) arrives at a remote castle, the delicate dynamic between a neglectful husband, his innocent bride Cherry (Monroe), and their devoted maid Hero (Corrin), is thrown into chaos.” The teaser trailer, which you can watch below, features a montage of the cast, with a bloody Galitzine holding up a stag’s detached head, while Charli plays a medieval stringed instrument under a weeping willow. Explore See latest videos, charts and news After being briefly featured in the Prime Video series Overcompensating earlier this year – as well as serving as executive producer on the show and its soundtrack – BRIT award-winner Charli has a number of other acting projects in the works. She will appear in Erupcja, a drama she also co-wrote, which will premiere at Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 4. On the same evening, Victim, another film starring Charli, will also be shown for the first time. Also on the TIFF line-up is Sacrifice, an upcoming satirical action flick by Romain Gavras, which follows a celebrity charity event that is interrupted by a radical activist group. Charli joins that film in an undisclosed role. Other projects in the pipeline for the British musician include thrillers The Gallerist and I Want Your Sex, alongside The Moment, a pop star mockumentary set to come from Charli’s new production company, Studio365. Charli headlined The Other Stage at Glastonbury Festival in June, a show which Billboard U.K. described as “a triumph of emotive pop hedonism and discomfiting intimacy”. Earlier that month, she celebrated the year anniversary of her sixth LP Brat – the record that catapulted her to global mainstream success. Source link

Drake dominates the competition as the No. 1 R&B/hip-hop act on Billboard’s recap of the first 25 years of the quarter-century, ruling Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the 21st Century chart. The retrospective is based on performance on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts from January 2000 through December 2024. Despite a late start — he didn’t reach Billboard’s charts until 2009 — Drake sprinted to the lead through a prolific schedule of album releases and an avalanche of hit songs, both on his own and with supporting roles on others’ tracks. The final tally for the 2000-24 range: 30 No. 1 hits on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and 15 No. 1s on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Not only does he own the strongest showing of the last 25 years, but he claims the top totals among all acts in the entire history of each chart (marks since extended to 31 and 16 leaders on the respective lists). Carve the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart any way you like, odds are that Drake leads the category in that span: most No. 1s (30), top 10 hits (135) and total chart entries (355). His 15 No. 1s on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums combined for 67 weeks atop the chart and, thanks to their steady streaming counts, remain constant fixtures on the survey. In a preview of his quarter-century coronation, Drake reigned on the annual Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists recap for a record eight years: 2012, 2015-18, 2021-22 and 2024. Reflecting the biggest names in R&B and hip-hop from Y2K to today, check out the top 10 acts on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the 21st Century chart below and the entire 100-position ranking in Billboard’s Greatest of All Time charts menu. Plus, check back Wednesday (Aug. 27) for Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums of the 21st Century chart, Thursday (Aug. 28) for Billboard’s Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of the 21st Century chart and Friday (Aug. 29) for Billboard’s rundown of The Top Producers of the 21st Century on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart, with all coverage of Billboard’s 21st Century Charts here. Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of the 21st Century recaps reflect performance on weekly charts dated Jan. 1, 2000, through Dec. 28, 2024. The Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists category ranks the best-performing acts in that span based on activity on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. (Titles released prior to mid-1999 are excluded, although such entries that appeared on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums or Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in that span contribute to the calculation of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists chart.) The Top Producers of the 21st Century on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart reflects producers with the most No. 1s on weekly Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts dated Jan. 1, 2000, through Dec. 28, 2024, with ties broken by most top 10s and most overall chart entries. Alicia Keys Image Credit: Anthony Barboza/Getty Images As soon as debut single “Fallin’ ” dropped, Alicia Keys’ career only went up. The singer-songwriter’s track became the first of her eight No. 1s on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while parent album Songs in A Minor began a run of seven chart-toppers for Keys on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The New York native has since expanded pursuits to include Grammy hosting and her semi-autobiographical Hell’s Kitchen musical, which won two Tony Awards and a Grammy for its cast album. Eminem Image Credit: Ron Wolfson/WireImage After his mainstream breakthrough with 1999’s The Slim Shady LP, Eminem surged to a 2000s takeover, which began with his landmark The Marshall Mathers LP in 2000. Ten of his 12 albums released in 2000-24 banked time at No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, with the remaining pair both reaching the top three. While he earned one No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (the Rihanna-assisted “The Monster”), the rap juggernaut boasts 41 entries on the chart in the quarter-century period. Rihanna Image Credit: Deley Photos/FilmMagic Despite the lion’s share of Rihanna’s catalog coming in roughly one decade (2005-16) of a quarter-century window, the superstar’s flood of hits helps secure her top 10 status. Among her 55 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs entries — encompassing collaborations with fellow hitmakers such as Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar and, in 2015, Paul McCartney — eight have topped the chart, including double-digit-weeks champs “Diamonds,” the Drake-aided “Work” and Eminem’s “The Monster,” on which she’s featured. Five sets have ruled the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, including her last four efforts. Jay-Z Image Credit: Anthony Barboza/Getty Images With three albums by the turn of the century, Jay-Z bounded into the 2000s. No. 1s on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums became regular occurrences, perhaps best exemplified by a string of seven leaders in less than five years (2000-04), anchored by the extension of his Life and Times of Sean Carter into the new century and his famed The Blueprint trilogy. That packed release schedule plus a parade of featured verses on hits with fellow rappers and his standing as a go-to for R&B stars, most notably alongside Beyoncé, helped him stack 133 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs visits, including nine No. 1s, during the first 25 years of the century.  Lil Wayne Image Credit: Julia Beverly/Getty Images The soothsayer Juvenile once declared Cash Money was taking over for the 99 and 2000, and the label’s MVP, Lil Wayne, fulfilled that destiny. The teenage New Orleans native exploded into a global sensation with his clever turns of phrase and a dizzying number of drops. Thirty-five projects dotted the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the quarter-century, a combination of mixtapes, collaborative sets and his solo catalog, headed by his famed Tha Carter series. Don’t forget his 11 No. 1s on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, the era’s second-highest total behind only his protégé, Drake, who, along with Nicki Minaj, made Wayne and crew chart titans over multiple decades. Usher Image Credit: Tim Roney/Getty Images A fresh-faced talent who carried the performance finesse of James Brown and Michael Jackson into the hip-hop era, Usher logged 11

Billy Ray Cyrus knows daughter Miley Cyrus will definitely love him now that he’s turned 64 because she showed him in a song. The country singer celebrated his birthday this week with a very special gift from his daughter: an unreleased song called “Secrets” featuring two of his all-time favorite rock stars. “For my birthday, Miley gave me the gift of music and wrote me a song called ‘Secrets’ and got my favorite musicians Fleetwood Mac to play on it! I love you Mile,” Billy Ray wrote on Instagram in a birthday post on Monday in which he wanders around in a field seemingly listening to the gentle ballad on his phone with a big smile on his face. “Secrets, I want to keep your secrets/ Like sunlight in the shadows/ Like footsteps in the grass,” Miley sings on the track. “I won’t ever break my promise/ Like a songbird in the silence/ Like stones against the glass.” According to People, Miley previewed the song featuring Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham in June during her interview on Monica Lewinsky’s podcast, in which she talked about how writing the song helped her resolve the long-running tensions between her and her dad. “I wrote this song about my dad because I wanted him to tell me even though there were secrets, even though I didn’t really want to know,” she told Lewinsky. “I wanted to be the one he felt safe enough to tell me the things that were damning and damaging to the family. I wanted him to think that as a middle child, I’m old enough that I could take some of that.” That’s not the only way Billy Ray is celebrating. The singer said he’s also giving back this year by sharing a remix of his breakthrough 1990 hit, “Achy Breaky Heart.” In an Instagram post featuring throwback video from his mega-mullet days, Cyrus wrote, “From the very first time I sang ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ in the spring of ’91 to this remix today, it’s all because of YOU. I teamed up with [the song’s writer] Don Von Tress and The Johnson Mill Branch Boys on a brand-new ‘Achy Breaky Heart (Remix)’ as my gift to the fans. None of this would have been possible without the support of y’all through the years.” “Achy Breaky Heart” hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot Country singles and tracks chart back in the day, giving Cyrus his biggest chart hit until his 2018 remix team-up with Lil Nas X on the Hot 100 No. 1 smash “Old Town Road.” Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up Source link

Bruno Mars has big plans to ring in 2026. The “Die With a Smile” singer added a pair of New Year’s shows to his long-running Las Vegas residency at the Dolby Live at Park MGM on Dec. 30 and 31, further extending his nearly decade-long run in Sin City. Earlier this year, Mars tacked on nine more shows in August and September. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Pre-sales for the shows at the 5,200-capacity venue kick off on Wednesday (Aug. 27) at 10 a.m. PT, followed by a Live Nation pre-sale on Thursday (Aug. 28) at 10 a.m. PT (access code RHYTHM) and a general public on-sale on Friday (Aug. 29) at 10 a.m. PT; click here for more ticketing information. Earlier this week, Mars celebrated his 100th show at the Dolby Live — not including the 34 he headlined as part of his Silk Sonic duo act with Anderson. Paak — as part of the residency he kicked off on New Year’s eve weekend in 2016. Mars has not released a new album of solo material since 2016’s 24K Magic, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart and spawned the Billboard Hot 100 hit “What’s What I Like.” The singer is a close second to his “Die With a Smile” duet partner Lady Gaga when it comes to nominations for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, where Mother Monster leads all nominees with 12 nods, followed by Mars at 11. Mars has two nominations for video of the year, for both “Die With a Smile” and “APT.,” his collaboration with BLACKPINK’S ROSÉ; Mars is just the fourth artist to land two video of the years bids in the same year, joining David Lee Roth (1985), U2 (1988) and Gaga (2010). This year’s VMAs will air live coast-to-coast on Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, with a simulcast on their original home, MTV, as well as streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up Source link

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend have opened up about if The Who may play more live shows after their current farewell tour comes to an end. The legendary British rockers are on the road in the U.S., as part of The Song Is Over tour – named after their song of the same name released in 1971. Having recently performed in Europe, the band have 16 stateside shows lined up, including  a night at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday (Aug. 30). Across an illustrious six-decade career, The Who have announced several farewell tours dating back to 1982. In May, however, frontman Daltrey and guitarist Townshend said that The Song Is Over will mark their last tour as The Who, describing it as a “truly grand finale” in a press release. In a new interview with The New York Times, the pair were asked if these 2025 U.S. dates actually do mark the definitive end of The Who. Townshend responded: “Are you suggesting we’re swindling the public? The fact is, we are willing to swindle them. That’s what we’ve done our entire life. Why stop?” The Who’s 1982 tour was also billed as their final dates, and was captured in a live album titled Who’s Last. Townshend continued, “It’s in Roger’s hands. If we don’t extend, would we be in breach of contract? Would we be in swindle-land if we came back and played all those important venues we’ve left off the list, like Duluth,” he added. “I’m 80, I don’t like being away from my family, my studios, my dogs and my friends. I’m not looking to spend the next five years of my life waiting to drop dead on the stage… The end of the tour could give Roger and I permission never to call each other again. I hope that doesn’t happen.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news Daltrey continued, saying that there will likely be some upcoming shows added in the future, but perhaps not a full tour. “We’re not giving up as a band. We might do a couple of residencies. Hopefully, Pete and I won’t stop making music.” Elsewhere, Daltrey also reflected about his health issues putting a dampener on hopes of continuing to play live, and said that he was “nervous” about making it to the end of current tour, as he has “the potential to get really ill.” In a candid interview with The Times earlier this month, the singer disclosed that complications from viral meningitis he contracted nine years ago continue to affect his ability to perform. Daltrey’s health struggles became more public during The Who’s shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall earlier this year, where he revealed to the audience that he was not only losing his hearing but his sight as well. Longtime drummer Zak Starkey was sacked from the group following the show, leading to months of confusion and sniping through the press. Source link

Heroes don’t wear capes. But they do sometimes wield a microphone and twiddle knobs on vintage hardware. Before a packed house at The Forge in Sheffield, England on the weekend, Fred Again and Amy Taylor, singer with Amyl And The Sniffers, gave us the Anglo-Australian collaboration that we absolutely need, but didn’t realize was possible. Fred Again welcomed Taylor on stage during his set late Saturday, maybe early Sunday, where they debuted a full remix of the Australian punk rock outfit’s “Big Dreams”, from their third and latest studio album Cartoon Darkness. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The reimagined cut is part of Fred Again’s ongoing USB project, and was performed to a sweaty, heaving crowd on the eve of the Aussie act’s typically incendiary spot at Leeds Festival. Fred Again shared the moment on his social media accounts. In the footage, Fred first, then Amy, step onto the mixing desk and hype the crowd with air-punches. “This is footage of me witnessing the degree of icon that amyl is,” he writes, “she’s playing Leeds today so joined us in Sheffield last night. yesterday was the first time we got to meet and then we play this out for the first time. cannot waitttt to get to play it live with the full band and everything.” Amyl And The Sniffers have been making friends everywhere in recent years, and collected awards left and right. Among the most glittering of honors, the 2025 APRA Award for song of the year (“U Should Not Be Doing That”), a hattrick of AIR Awards, and a brace at the 2025 Rolling Stone Australia Awards. Although they were pipped to the post in the international category at the 2025 Brit Awards, winners D.C. Fontaines gave the Aussies a special shout out. “Amyl and the Sniffers,” frontman Grian Chatten said during his acceptance speech, “if you’re there, we’re sorry we’re not having a drink with you. You’re one of the most inspiring bands in the world at the moment. This is for all of us.” Released last October, Cartoon Darkness hit the top 10 in the UK (No. 9) and Australia (No. 2), and impacted the Billboard 200 (No. 196). Fred Again, one of the world’s most in-demand electronic music producers and DJs, cracked the top 40 on the Billboard 200 with his last full-length album, Actual Life 3, a recording that peaked at No. 27 in 2022. Source link

Shun Nakanishi dropped his solo debut single “Rewind” on digital platforms Aug. 8. The track marks the solo debut of the music producer and DJ who gained attention for his appearance in the global Netflix romantic reality show Boyfriend. “Rewind” is a song about heartbreak that explores themes of loss, regret, and the emotions that lie beyond the “what ifs.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news Nakanishi, who also releases music under the moniker Haze glitch, spoke to Billboard Japan about his motivations for pursuing a career as a solo artist. He elaborated on the story depicted in his debut single under his real name, as well as his musical roots and vision of the artist he wants to be in this interview that delves into the essence of his creativity. How was the response to your appearance in Boyfriend, released worldwide last year in July? It was incredible. I went to Thailand a week ago, and people approached me more than they do in Japan. I realized that everyone knows me. It’s a little scary, though. Is it scary? I can’t believe everyone recognizes my face. I wanted to live more privately. [Laughs] You released a ballad entitled “Last Person” as DaiShun (with Dai Nakai, Boyfriend costar and now partner IRL) in January. How would you describe it? That song was the first time I wrote about my feelings for Dai. I think the lyrics turned out well because I was able to choose words that are true to myself. But I was initially reluctant to sing. Why was that? I didn’t like my voice. I tried recording my voice at a karaoke place long ago, but didn’t like how it sounded. So I stopped singing and just focused on making music, but started to think that I could reach more people by singing as a performer myself. How did you feel when you actually sang and layered your voice with Dai’s? I still don’t really like my voice, so I need to practice more to be able to get through to people. But I really like the lyrics and was happy to be able to sing them myself. I’m glad I gave it a try. The lyrics of this song are about being head-over-heels no matter what, and every single word is important. Actually, there are still some things I want to say, so I’m currently working on a solo version. Really? Yes. I’m currently working on it now. I want it to be an answer track, like “Last Person Part 2.” I plan to sing that one on my own as Shun Nakanishi. Can’t wait to hear it. As you just mentioned, you’ve launched your career as a solo artist. Do you consider this new endeavor separate from your work under the Haze glitch moniker? Yes, I’m thinking about going in the direction of combining electronic music and stuff that isn’t really in the spotlight with pop. Haze glitch isn’t pop music, so it’s limited to a certain audience. But it sounds good and it’s good music, and I want more people to listen to it. That’s why Shun Nakanishi will be like a fusion of Haze glitch and pop. It’s something I can’t do as DaiShun, so I decided to do it on my own. What kind of artist do you want to be as Shun Nakanishi? I love film scores, so I want to create cinematic music. The songs will be music and also be like movies. I want to create music that you can listen to as if you were watching a short film, allowing you to concentrate on the work. I want to capture them properly. I want to create works that aren’t bound by fleeting trends or commercial success.  Tell us about your musical roots. Which artists have influenced you the most? (J-pop superstar) Hikaru Utada and (Norwegian DJ) Cashmere Cat. Utada has also been making cinematic songs mainly with piano and violin lately. I’ve really been influenced by those two. But I also like American pop music like Taylor Swift and Rihanna, and when I sing karaoke, I often sing ballads like AI’s “Story” and Mika Nakashima’s “Yuki no Hana.” What kind of song did you want to make for your debut? I agonized over my debut song. Because it goes without saying that it’ll be my debut song for the rest of my life. [Laughs] But I told myself, “It’s not my major-label debut yet,” and decided on this one. How did “Rewind” come about? It was originally a song I made for Haze glitch. It starts with a piano intro, and then immediately shifts to a trance beat. I was thinking of making it an instrumental, but then thought it might be good with vocals, so I gave it a try. It does begin like a piano ballad. Yes, I really like piano intros. But since it was going to be my debut release, I was really torn. Should I make it more mainstream? Or should I just go with my own style? In the end, I think I went for something in between. But while I was writing it, I believed there will definitely be people who will like this song. Also, I like songs that change a lot throughout, because it’s cinematic. What thoughts went into the lyrics? I wanted to make a Shun Nakanishi-style breakup song. Why a breakup song? People who discovered you through DaiShun would worry when they hear it. Breakup songs really resonate for me. I like such themes. I’m not really into happy songs. I prefer lyrics that talk about losing something or are dark. The “you” in this song is dead. This song is about that strong sense of loss because breakups mean that the person is dead to you. So it’s goodbye forever. Yes. It’s about feeling like the person died after losing them. When you’re young, a love lost hurts that much. It feels like it’s forever.

Snoop Dogg should be sent to the doghouse, and nowhere near the 2025 AFL Grand Final. That’s the substance of a message from Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who used a Senate address to call for Snoop’s removal from Australian rules football’s showpiece event, where he has been booked for the pre-game entertainment. The “Drop It Like It’s Hot” rapper was confirmed last month as the headline act for the pre-game entertainment at the AFL final, to be staged Sept. 27 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Snoop, whose booking follows in the footsteps of Ed Sheeran, Sting, The Killers, Lionel Richie, Tom Jones, Meat Loaf and homegrown rockers Powderfinger, was presented by the AFL as a coup, with CEO Andrew Dillon describing the hip-hop veteran as “a pioneer, a performer, and a true entertainer” who would help deliver “an unforgettable celebration of footy.” Hanson-Young, however, isn’t hot on the idea. The Adelaide-based politician used the platform of her speech — and a post from her Instagram account — to brand Snoop a “slur merchant” and questioned why the Australian Football League would pay millions to acquire international talent “rather than backing Aussie talent”. “The AFL has decided, rather than putting on an Australian artist, they’re gonna pay $2 million to play at the Grand Final,” remarked Hanson-Young, an vocal supporter of the nation’s music community. “The AFL is a cultural institution,” she remarked. And cultural institutions should back Australia’s musicians and creative arts community, she continued. Speaking in the Senate, Hanson-Young called out the “irony” of Snoop getting the red carpet treatment, while Adelaide Crows forward Izak Rankine received a four-week suspension for making a homophobic slur on the pitch. “The irony is not lost on many of us that while Izak Rankine gets dumped, Snoop Dogg gets $2 million to play his misogynistic, homophobic music on our turf,” Hanson-Young continued. While not focusing on any specific lyrics from Snoop’s hundreds of songs, her comments closely follow Snoop’s remarks in a podcast, in which he expressed discomfort at explaining a same-sex relationship depicted in an animated movie to his grandson. At a time when Australian artists are struggling to be seen and heard, proof of which can be seen on the weekly ARIA Charts, the Senator called out the AFL for missing an opportunity to support locals. “We need investment in Australian and Aussie talent. We need investment in our music industry, and we need to say that if it’s an Aussie game, it’s an Aussie artist playing,” she declared. And to the AFL, “have the guts to rethink this decision.” It’s not the first time Snoop has caught the ire of foreign decision-makers. In 2006, the rapper was involved in a fracas at London’s Heathrow Airport, during which seven police officers received minor injuries. On that occasion, Snoop and five other men were arrested on charges of violent disorder and starting a brawl, and spent the night in jail. The artist was subsequently banned from the country for four years. As his U.K. ban was lifted in 2010, Snoop found himself on the outside in the Netherlands, where authorities had him removed from the lineup of a free concert, Parkpop festival, when the mayor and law enforcement officials asked its organizers could secure a performer of more “open and friendly character.” Earlier, in 2001, Snoop raised eyebrows when he presented “Doggystyle,” a feature-length adult video featuring his own music. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has defended the decision to book Snoop Dogg, noting the league hadn’t scrutinized all his lyrics and reiterated that the entertainment spot at the final would be a family-friendly spectacle. “It is also important to remember that we engaged Snoop Dogg in 2025 as the person he is today,” Dillon said. “He has spoken publicly about his past, he has changed, and today he is a grandfather, philanthropist, he helps rehabilitate youth and is a global entertainer who has performed at both the Super Bowl and the Olympic Closing Ceremony.” Snoop has an Australian connection. In 2021, he struck an exclusive, five-year touring deal with TEG MJR, the U.K.-based promotion arm of Australian live entertainment, ticketing and tech giant TEG. Source link

Since her divorce from fellow country music artist Michael Ray in 2020, Carly Pearce has been outspoken about the split and the fallout from it — most prominently on her 2021 EP 29 and its follow-up album 29: Written in Stone. Songs like “What He Didn’t Do” and “Diamondback” delved into the emotional tatters of the split. In a new interview on Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde podcast, Pearce notes that the things she wrote about on the 29 projects were pulled from real life. The former couple initially met in 2018 and married in 2019, which Pearce described as all happening too fast. “I thought he was so cute. I’d heard he’s the nicest guy in the world,” Pearce recalls. “I invited him to my [Billboard Country Airplay] No. 1 party for ‘Every Little Thing.’ Looking back on it, it was a hot and heavy lust. It wasn’t love. It was just passionate.” She added, “I got married to go the distance. When I married him it was for the right reasons. I think when you travel like this, I thought I was doing the right thing to get married till I was 29. But we didn’t have real conversations and we didn’t really know about each other. We were kind of living this life that wasn’t really reality. I think we didn’t really know each other. I knew the night I got married that I shouldn’t have. I think the best thing that ever happened to me was COVID, because it allowed me to deal with that in private. I think that I probably would have stayed in it longer if I could have avoided it, and not had to… I was embarrassed when it happened…and was heartbroken.” Pearce filed for divorce less than a year after their wedding. “It wasn’t what I signed up for,” she said, reflecting on the brief marriage. “It just wasn’t the marriage that I know I deserved. I knew that very quickly. We were only married for eight months. Plenty happened to where it was very clear to me this was not, this just wasn’t a marriage.” Asked if there was infidelity within the marriage, Pearce responded that her 2022 Billboard Hot 100 top 40 hit “What He Didn’t Do” “wasn’t just written out of thin air. … It wasn’t good.” But Pearce also stressed that she’s ultimately thankful for the lessons learned from the marriage. “Thank you, because you taught me how strong I am. You put me through things that have made me better now. And I don’t wish him evil. I don’t wish anything on him. I’m so glad that I’m not in that anymore,” she said. When Bunnie Xo asked about a possible “Jolene” in the situation — referencing the title mistress from Dolly Parton’s 1973 country classic — without naming any names, Pearce simply said, “Let’s just say I’m not a fan of her. I’m not a fan of him. I could’ve done so much more than I did.” Pearce also noted how she had hoped for direct answers in the marriage. “It’s tough to think that… just leave me instead. I shut my mouth for so long, because I felt like I had to. And I’m not here to blow anybody up. I don’t care anymore. When you are faced with somebody that was a really dark season for you, and then they go and blow it up on the Internet, like…also, you go, ‘I don’t know if he told her we were divorced.’ I don’t know. All I know is … that was not a fun situation for me. i think what’s harder is at the end of it, you want somebody … who is gonna look you in the eye and say, ‘Yeah, I did this.’ … But I never got any of that. I had to piece together a lot of things after the fact. But they were facts.” A few months after the news of the divorce was made public, fans began speculating that Ray was dating Tyler Reese Tritt (daughter of country singer Travis Tritt), after photos surfaced of the two together. During the Opry 100 celebration earlier this year, which was televised from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Pearce and Tritt made headlines when Pearce performed “Jolene” during the television special. When some online commenters noticed that the cameras didn’t pan to show Tyler Reese Tritt until after Pearce’s performance, Pearce herself commented, saying, “Aw don’t you worry, I looked right at her.” Last year, Pearce followed up her 29 projects with Hummingbird, featuring the Chris Stapleton collaboration “We Don’t Fight Anymore” and “Truck on Fire.” “We Don’t Fight Anymore” was nominated for a Grammy Award (Pearce, along with Ashley McBryde, previously won a Grammy for best country duo/group performance for “Never Wanted to Be That Girl”). “We Don’t Fight Anymore” was also nominated for musical event of the year at the CMA Awards. In 2023, Ray released the single “Spirits and Demons,” featuring Meghan Patrick, and released the EP Dive Bars & Broken Hearts. Source link

In honor of the life and enduring legacy of the late Connie Francis, Republic/UMe is making much of her music available in a variety of formats. Francis, the top female artist of the late 1950s and early 1960s, died on July 16 at age 87. Francis’ rediscovered gem “Pretty Little Baby” — which became a viral sensation on social media this spring — will be released on Aug. 29 as a limited-edition baby-pink 7-inch vinyl single. Her 1958 breakthrough hit “Who’s Sorry Now” will be on the flipside; the song reached No. 4 on a pre-Hot 100 pop chart in Billboard. Christmas in My Heart, Francis’ 1959 holiday album, will be released on Oct. 17 as an expanded edition on CD with two bonus tracks, “Blue Winter” and “Happy New Year Baby,” along with two vinyl offerings: standard black vinyl or limited-edition “lipstick-red” color vinyl. More than 100 songs, spanning singles and rarities released between 1955-60, are now available to stream for the first time ever on the compilations The Singles 1955-1957, The Singles 1958-1959, The Singles 1960-1961, Rarities 1957-1959 and Rarities 1960. Additionally, both volumes of Francis’ The Italian Collection (Italian Favorites and More Italian Favorites, both of which made the top 10 on the Billboard 200 in 1960-61) will return to streaming soon after many years as one compilation. Over the next few months, more of Francis’ albums will find their way to streaming for the first time, starting Sept. 12 with A New Kind of Connie (which made the Billboard 200 in 1964), along with newly expanded editions of Jealous Heart (1966), My Heart Cries for You (1967), and The Wedding Cake (1969). Francis made a great deal of history on the Billboard Hot 100. In June 1960, she became the first female solo artist to land a No. 1 hit with “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.” Three months later, when “My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own” reached the top spot, she became the first female solo artist to land two No. 1 hits. In March 1962, when “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” went all the way, she became the first female solo artist to land three No. 1 hits. She held that record all by herself until March 1974, when Cher tied the record by hitting No. 1 for the third time as a solo artist with “Dark Lady.” “Pretty Little Baby,” which was never a hit for Francis or even released as a single, introduced millions of young listeners around the globe to Francis’ joyful artistry this spring when the song went viral thanks to its use on TikTok. At its peak, “Pretty Little Baby” averaged 600K+ daily creates on TikTok alone, including posts from celebs and influencers alike, including Kim Kardashian & North West, Kylie Jenner and others. The song broke into Spotify’s Global and U.S. charts for the first time the week of May 10. It peaked at No. 13 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart that same month. Originally released in 1959, Christmas in My Heart found Francis teaming with Geoff Love’s orchestra to capture two distinct sides of the holidays. Side A features secular favorites while Side B focuses on reverent material. The album charted on Billboard’s Top Christmas/Holiday Albums chart in both 1963 and 1964. The album was reissued in 1966 as Connie’s Christmas. The new expanded edition includes four songs that weren’t on the original 1959 release: “Baby’s First Christmas,” “I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter,” “Blue Winter” and “Happy New Year Baby.” Francis’ recordings of the first three of these songs made the top 30 on the Hot 100. “I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter” was revived in 2015 when Kylie Minogue covered it on her album, Kylie Christmas, which charted on the Billboard 200. Here’s the complete track listing for the expanded edition CD of Christmas in My Heart. “White Christmas”“Winter Wonderland”“The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)”“I’ll Be Home for Christmas”“The Twelve Days of Christmas”“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”“Adeste Fidelis”“The Lord’s Prayer”“Silent Night”“O Little Town of Bethlehem”“The First Noel”“Ave Maria”“Baby’s First Christmas”“I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter”“Blue Winter”“Happy New Year Baby” Source link