Megan Thee Stallion is ready to heat up for a Hot Girl Summer. The Houston Hottie teased fans on Wednesday (May 1) to gear up for what she’s dubbing “Megan May” this month.

The 29-year-old kicked off “Megan May” with a slimy yet racy photo shoot. Continuing with the serpentine theme of her previous singles, she appears to be shedding her skin heading into the new era in the snap.

“Hotties it’s officially MEGAN MAY Get ready,” she wrote alongside the seafoam green-tinted photo.

Plenty of fans were hyped by the announcement, as was Juicy J. “Yes sir,” he chimed in in the comments section.

“I was inspired to create this album about rebirth because I feel I am becoming a new person physically and mentally,” she told Women’s Health of the project in April.

Her upcoming album remains without a release date, but it’s possibly inching closer with Megan set to hit the road for her Hot Girl Summer World Tour. The North American trek will feature support from GloRilla, and is slated to run through arenas starting on May 14 in Minneapolis at the Target Center.

Meg and Glo will visit 31 cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Thee Stallion’s hometown of Houston. Megan will travel across the pond starting on July 4 in Glasgow, Scotland, with more European shows in England, France, Germany and Ireland scheduled.

GloRilla and Megan Thee Stallion teamed up for “Wanna Be” in April on Glo’s Ehhthang Ehhthang EP, which sits at No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It’s already been a robust 2024 campaign for Meg, who added another Hot 100 No. 1 single to her résumé with the fiery “Hiss.”

In February, Megan announced that she agreed to an innovative partnership with Warner Music Group. The unique distribution deal allows Thee Stallion to maintain independence while accessing WMG’s global services ranging from music promotion to distribution and worldwide marketing.

Find Megan Thee Stallion’s teaser below.

SAG-AFTRA members have voted to ratify the 2024 Sound Recordings Code which requires the record labels — Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Disney Music Group — to abide by its AI safety rules. Notably, these are the first-ever explicitly defined compensation requirements for the release of sound recordings containing AI voices.

With a vote of 97.69% to 2.31%, SAG-AFTRA members, which include actors as well as singers and recording artists, now will receive this protections, effective immediately, for the term of 2021-2026. Now, the term “artist,” “singer” and “royalty artist” under this agreement only can refer to human talent. “Clear and conspicuous” consent is required prior to the release of a sound recording that uses a digital replication of an artist’s voice.

Artists who are replicated are also entitled to receive specific details about the replica’s intended use and to minimum compensation. Compensation for artists must align with the royalty share the artist would earn on other sound recordings under their contract, and sessions singers must receive a minimum of three sides per project. A minimum of 28 hours notice of any recording session for the purpose of creating a digital replica is expected and that session time should be paid as work time.

Additionally, blanket consent for digital or AI replication is prohibited. Instead, record labels must obtain consent on a per-project basis — a provision which will prevent labels from asking artists to sign away their digital likeness for lengthy terms as part of their deals.

In the year since Ghostwriter’s fake-Drake song “Heart On My Sleeve” brought conversations about AI voices to the forefront, little has been done to actually enforce the protection of artists’ identities. While the federal government is considering a few bills (like the draft NO FAKES Act and the NO AI FRAUD Act) to create a nationwide right of publicity that would create uniform protection for artists’ names, images, and voices, these protections, for now, remain a patchwork of varying state laws that were largely written before artificial intelligence presented new use cases for AI.

“Singers and recording artists have a profound impact on our culture, and I’m thrilled that they’ve achieved a contract that not only recognizes their value with significant wage increases, but also provides them essential protections around artificial intelligence,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. “We celebrate our human performers! I applaud the negotiating committee and staff, the record labels, and SAG-AFTRA members for getting this contract across the finish line!”

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said, “This contract secures groundbreaking A.I. guardrails while also achieving crucial and substantial wage increases, and other key wins for singers and recording artists. Protecting human artistry will always be SAG-AFTRA’s priority, and I’m heartened that our members have a contract that provides immediate gains and recognizes the importance of human contributions to the industry. I also want to acknowledge Negotiating Committee Chair Dan Navarro and the entire committee and staff for their outstanding and dedicated work in achieving this agreement.”

Sound Recordings Code Negotiating Committee Chair Dan Navarro said, “Members’ feedback played a key role in the formation of this contract and the negotiating committee prioritized the concerns that were most crucial to the singers and recording artists impacted by these terms. We’re proud to have achieved these essential wins in A.I. protections along with substantial wage increases and gains in health and retirement funding.”

Other wins included wage increases and gains in health and retirement funding. To read the full list of provisions, see here.

Ed Sheeran is going all-out for the 10th anniversary celebration of his sophomore album, x. Ten years to the day of the LP’s original release, Sheeran will drop x (10th Anniversary Edition) on June 21, an expanded version of the 12-song original featuring nine bonus tracks, none of which have ever been available on vinyl before.

In addition, Sheeran will play a special, one-off show at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on May 22 with a setlist reflecting his 24-track 2015 x (Wembley Edition) release. According to a release, he’s also partnered with Seated for an exclusive fan on-sale to assure that tickets get into the hands of fans, with registration open now through Thursday (May 2) at 11:59 p.m. ET; click here for more details on the pre-sale. Expecting demand to be overwhelming, the pre-sale will be limited to a select number of randomly selected fans, with only one registration allowed per person. Registered fans will be notified via email or text before noon ET on Sunday (May 5) with a unique, one-time code that will allow them to buy up to two tickets via Ticketmaster.

Getting a code does not guarantee the ability to buy tickets, which will be available on a first-come, first-served basis when they go on sale to the general public on Monday (May 6) at 10 a.m. ET. For context, Sheeran’s team noted that his most recent New York shows were in front of 173,390 fans across two shows at MetLife Stadium, with only 12,000 tickets available for the Barclays gig.

Sheeran’s second album helped turn him into a global superstar, with 22 million worldwide sales thanks to such hits as “Don’t,” “Sing,” “Photograph” and “Thinking Out Loud.” The bonus tracks include: “Take It Back,” “Shirtsleeves,” “Even My Dad Does Sometimes,” “I See Fire” (from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), “All of the Stars” (from The Fault in Our Stars), “English Rose,” “Touch and Go,” “New York” and “Make It Rain.”

Drake might be from Canada, but his American pop culture references have continued to be on point.

All eyes were on the 6 God following Kendrick Lamar’s scathing diss track “Euphoria” arrived on Tuesday morning (April 30). Drizzy appeared to laugh off K. Dot’s threats by bringing actress Julia Stiles into the feud.

Drake posted a clip to his Instagram Story on Tuesday night from 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You, featuring a scene to close out the classic rom-com with Stiles’ character Kat reading a poem listing everything she hates about Heath Ledger’s Patrick. However, the clip cuts off before she admits she doesn’t hate him at all, which Drizzy captioned it with a wink-face and broken-heart emoji, with no direct mention of Kendrick.

“I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare. I hate your big dumb combat boots, and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick — it even makes me rhyme! I hate it, I hate the way you’re always right,” she spews.

“I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when you’re not around, and the fact that you didn’t call.”

With the clip on Instagram Stories, Drake appears to be making light of Kendrick’s bars on “Euphoria,” on which the latter admits to being Drizzy’s “biggest hater” and disses the way he walks, talks and dresses.

“I’m the biggest hater / I hate the way that you walk / the way that you talk / I hate the way that you dress/ I hate the way that you sneak diss / if I catch flight, it’s gon’ be direct,” Lamar raps.

It’s not the first pop-culture reference Drake has made in the rap civil war. In April, he recalled his “Push Ups” lyric asking, “Is this a 20-v-1” by posting a photo of Uma Thurman from Kill Bill surrounded by enemies bracing for a sword fight.

The 53-year-old actress responded through an Instagram Story of her own featuring a photo of the iconic suit from the movie, asking if Drake had any use for it. “Need this? @champagnepapi,” she wrote.

Drake replied: “Yes pls. The pen is the Hattori Hanzo.”

Following the arrival of “Euphoria,” which saw Kendrick attack the 6 God’s biracial identity, fatherhood and artistry, the ball is back in Drake’s court.

Watch the clip below.

Two generations of Blunt women are officially Swifties. In a Tuesday (April 30) interview with Howard Stern, Emily Blunt gushed about her family’s shared love for Taylor Swift, recalling the time the pop star left her oldest daughter breathless with a single compliment.

“She’s the nicest,” the actress told Stern of introducing her children, 10-year-old Hazel and 7-year-old Violet, to the “Anti-Hero” singer. “She was so nice to my kids.”

“My oldest kid had just cut all of her hair off, this very short haircut that she was very self-conscious about,” continued Blunt, who shares the girls with husband John Krasinski. “And Taylor Swift, goes, ‘God, look at you, you’re just this ’60s Beatnik cool kid. I love your style.’”

“I thought my child was going to faint,” added the Oppenheimer star. “It was the best thing anyone’s done for my child. She’s very cool.”

The interview comes a couple weeks after Blunt revealed her favorite Swift song alongside her Fall Guy costar, Ryan Gosling. “I’d say ‘Cruel Summer’ is pretty up there for me,” she told Fandango at the time, confirming that she 100% identifies as a Swiftie, while the Canadian actor answered, “‘All Too Well’ right now has a real soft spot in my heart.”

A few days later, Blunt and Gosling did a spoof cover of the Red ballad on Saturday Night Live, dedicated to the latter’s Barbie character, Ken. Swift praised the performance on social media shortly afterward, writing on Instagram, “All Too Well (Ryan and Emily’s Version)!!! Watch me accidentally catch myself singing this version on tour. This monologue is everything.”

Watch Blunt recall her daughter’s sweet moment with Swift on The Howard Stern Show below.

A U.K. parliamentary committee is calling on the British government to introduce tough new laws that would make it illegal for artificial intelligence (AI) developers to use copyright-protected music for training purposes without consent – and protect creators and artists from the unauthorized use of their voice and image in AI-generated works.

A report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Music published Wednesday (May 1) says that regulating artificial intelligence would help ensure creators and consumers in the United Kingdom, the world’s third-biggest music market, are protected from the “threats” AI poses to the music business, while still harvesting its benefits.

A key priority for the British government should be the creation of a comprehensive “pro-creative industries” AI bill that will require tech companies to clearly label all AI-generated content and keep an auditable record of all music used in the input process, says the cross-party group of more than 100 elected members of Parliament (MPs) and Peers.

The parliamentary group also calls on policymakers to establish a specific personality right to protect creators and artists from AL-generated deepfakes, misappropriation and false endorsement.

Under current law, the United Kingdom stands apart as one of the few jurisdictions that lacks explicit protection for individuals’ likeness, voice and image with the closest equivalent being a legal concept known as “passing off,” which protects a persons’ image or name from unauthorized commercial use, says Sophie Goossens, partner at global law firm Reed Smith.

“The absence of such protection has been starkly highlighted by advancements in AI deepfakes technology,” Goossens tells Billboard. “Consequently, it’s no surprise that the creative industry is now pushing for the establishment of this new right.”

Other recommendations in the report, entitled “Artificial Intelligence and the Music Industry – Master or Servant?,” include ensuring that AI developers and tech companies trading in the U.K. comply with the country’s existing copyright laws and obtain a license from rights holders before using any copyright-protected material, regardless of where the developer is based.

Additionally, the British government should take a lead role in the creation of an international taskforce on AI, ensuring best practice is shared across borders, says the report. It follows a parliamentary inquiry, launched in January, looking into the impact of AI on the music business, which has seen stakeholders from across the music, tech and legal industries present evidence. 

The parliamentary group’s recommendations come almost two years after U.K. government body The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) was heavily criticized by the music industry for proposing a new text and data mining (TDM) exception that would have allowed AI developers to freely use copyright-protected works for commercial purposes (albeit with certain restrictions).

Those proposals were quietly shelved by the government the following year but progress on any form of U.K. legislation governing the use of AI has been slow and remains at the consultation stage.

In contrast, the 27-member block European Union, which the United Kingdom officially left in 2020, passed its world-first Artificial Intelligence Act earlier this year. It requires tech companies and AI developers operating in Europe to provide detailed summaries of any copyrighted works, including music, that they have used to train their systems, as well as clear labelling of AI-generated works.

Other major music markets, including the United States, Japan and China are advancing their own attempts to regulate the nascent technology.  

“The U.K. must grasp the transformative potential of AI in shaping the future of music if it is to retain its role as a powerhouse in exporting music and nurturing world-class talent,” said APPG on Music chair Kevin Brennan in a statement.

Brennan said the government needs to “confront the danger that unfettered developments in AI could pose to the U.K.’s musicians and music businesses” and ensure that “AI serves as a catalyst” for progress in the industry rather than “a destroyer of creators’ livelihoods.”

Rachel Lyske, CEO of AI-composer tool DAACI, who gave evidence to the inquiry, said the government “must and can give” the U.K. music industry the backing it needs to deliver a fair AI system “that protects human artistry and acknowledges every part of the value chain.”

Included in the APPG report are the findings from a poll of more than 2,000 people around the topic of AI, conducted on behalf of umbrella trade body UK Music. It found that four out of five people (83%) believe AI-generated works must be clearly labelled as such – and that more than three quarters (77%) of respondents agree that AI-generated music that fails to acknowledge the original creator amounts to theft. 

Responding to the report’s findings, the U.K. Musicians’ Union (MU) thanked the parliamentary group for looking into the impact of AI on the music business but said its recommendations to government ministers don’t go far enough to protect performers.

The MU said it was “vital” that any future licensing scheme governing the use of copyright-protected works to train AI systems requires the “clear, explicit consent” of individual creators, as opposed to just the label or publisher rights holders.

The performer trade group also wants to see musicians receive a higher level of protection around personality rights, including a performer’s playing, compositional or lyrical style, in any future legislation.

“While assistive AI is already being adopted by creators, we urgently need legislation to deal with the implications of generative AI,” said MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl in a statement.

“Once again, we are up against big tech and lobbying groups with much larger resources than our own. However, we know many decision-makers are listening and keen to help,” said Pohl.

She said the MU would continue to engage with the government on the issue of AI and music streaming to “ensure our members get a fair deal and aren’t repeatedly taken advantage of by rights owners or users of their works.”

Cher totally gets that it’s a fun parlor game to make jokes about her dating much younger men. But the joke is on you, because the 77-year-old ageless pop wonder has the very best reason for romancing men half her age.

“I’m really shy when I’m not working and kind of shy around men,” she told Jennifer Hudson on Wednesday (May 1) on the singer’s daytime talk show. But here’s the real kicker: “And the reason I go out with young men is because men my age or older — well, now they’re all dead — but before they just never, they were always terrified to approach me and younger men were the only ones that…”

“They’re bold,” Hudson helped her out, with mother of two Cher laughing, “Yeah! Raised by women like me!” The topic came up because the “Believe” singer has recently been linked with 38-year-old music exec Alexander “A.E.” Edwards. Cher went Insta official with Edwards in Nov. 2022 with a pic of them holding hands. When asked if he was her “new man,” she posted a smiling emoji, shutting down haters comments on their 40-year age gap by saying “love doesn’t know math” then doubling-down on that emotion in January after posting another snuggly shot captioned “Love is Love.”

She also confirmed that she’d once turned down a date with Elvis Presley, also for good reason. “It was because I was nervous and I knew of the people around him and it wasn’t that they were bad people, it’s just that I was kind of nervous of his reputation,” she explained.

Cher also talked about how she still has it so together at her age, giving her mom credit for good genes, saying “I stole my mom’s voice and used it to become Cher.” She also revealed that Tupac Shakur is now one of her favorite artists. “I was so taken aback by the depth of the words,” she said of the late rapper she was introduced to by Edwards.

The interview also touched on which of her songs are her favorite — yes “Believe” is on the list — and what she would be if she hadn’t become who she is. “I can’t think of any other profession that I would have been good at,” she said as Hudson suggested stylist or model; Cher noted that she modeled for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar at the beginning of her career, which late husband Sonny Bono didn’t like because he was “really, really jealous.”

Watch Cher on the Jennifer Hudson Show below.

Marc Anthony is the latest music star to launch his own channel on SiriusXM.

On Wednesday (May 1), the salsa icon launched Muevense Radio, which will air for a limited time through Thursday, May 31, on the SiriusXM app. Additionally, it will be available to subscribers on SiriusXM channel 107 now through May 14.

According to SiriusXM, Muevense Radio — taking its name from Marc Anthony’s latest album, which he released April 26 — will feature stories shared by the hitmaker and give “insight” on his expansive career. The channel will explore more than three decades of Marc Anthony’s music, from his timeless classics to his new album, and will also feature music from “his influences and favorite artists,” a press release states.

Muevense Radio’s launch will be marked by a SiriusXM Town Hall special that will feature a chat between Marc Anthony and songwriter-producer Julio Reyes Copello. The episode will be hosted by producer Sergio George, one of Marc Anthony’s longtime collaborators, at the SiriusXM Miami studios. The Town Hall special will air Friday (May 3) at 2 p.m. ET on Muevense Radio, with rebroadcasts throughout the weekend.

The SiriusXM channel comes on the heels of Marc Anthony’s new album, which is a testament to the singer’s knack for crafting salsa anthemic hits. In all tracks, except for “Ojalá Te Duela,” a ranchera with Pepe Aguilar, Marc shines solo putting centerstage the festive rhythms that have defined his career.

“A new Marc Anthony album is always cause for celebration, and it speaks to the timelessness and consistency of his voice and his musical collaborators that at any moment you can turn on any radio station and within the same commercial-free music block, hear a song he recorded last year next to a song he recorded 30 years ago,” Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote in an essay about Marc Anthony’s new album. “He is our Sinatra, and when we hear him, we also hear the echoes of all the unforgettable moments in our own lives.”

Gold House revealed its annual A100 list on Wednesday (May 1), honoring the 100 Asian Pacific leaders who have most significantly impacted American culture and society in the last year, and some of today’s biggest music stars have made the list.

Stray Kids, Charli XCX, Steve Aoki, Jung Kook, Keanu Reeves, Hayao Mayazaki, Dev Patel, Bella Poarch and many more are all honored this year under the list’s Entertainment and Media category. Olivia Rodrigo and Jason Momoa are among the entertainers in this year’s A100 Hall of Fame inductees, while HYBE Chairman Bang Si-Hyuk will be honored as a Gold Legend. Up-and-coming New Gold honorees include ATEEZ, Laufey and more.

The third annual Gold Gala event will take place at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles on May 11 and, as previously announced, the night will feature a performance from 2023 A100 honoree Saweetie, who will receive the first-ever Billboard Gold Music Honor at the event, recognizing her boundary-pushing musical accomplishments. In addition, the cast and creators of Emmy-winning Beef will receive the Gold Icon Honor for their groundbreaking representation of the Asian American experience, while Wicked star Cynthia Erivo will be given the Gold Ally Honor for her work to advance inclusive representation in front of and behind the camera. HYBE founder Bang Si-Hyuk will be bestowed with the lifetime achievement Gold Legend Honor and Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary will be celebrated with the Gold Generation Award.

“This year was special: Asian Pacific leaders had a record number of records broken while building a more inclusive tomorrow for all, particularly in new avenues like AI. Gold House is honored to celebrate so many new and established leaders who are committed to both equity and excellence,” said Bing Chen and Jeremy Tran, CEO and COO of Gold House.

The Gold Gala will be followed by the inaugural Billboard x Gold House Founders Party, which will feature a headlining set from producer/DJ Steve Aoki, as well as a performance from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 winner Nymphia Wind, a karaoke room presented by Rakuten Viki and an additional set from DJ Hu Dat.

The full A100 list and the Selection Committee can be found here.

You don’t get to be one of America’s most beloved comedic actors without being able to take a joke. Case in point: Melissa McCarthy was asked by a TMZ photographer on Tuesday (April 30) how she felt about Barbra Streisand seemingly commenting about her taking the weight-loss drug Ozempic and she was all smiles.

“I think Barbra is a treasure and I love her,” McCarthy reportedly responded to the paparazzo’s question about the incident, waving off a follow-up about whether the pop superstar/director was out of line with the quip. Asked if she thought the 82-year-old Streisand was “out of line” with the quip, McCarthy said “oh, please.”

The minor dust-up was kicked off when McCarthy posted two pics on Instagram on Monday of herself at the Pastels Center Theatre Group gala with Hairspray director Adam Shankman. “Pastels only to honor the incredible @matthewbourne13 at the @ctgla gala last night with this fella @adamshankman !!” she wrote in the caption. “Thiiiiis much closer to my dream of dancing on stage ????????????.”

Streisand commented, “Give him my regards did you take Ozempic?,” a question some fans speculated the movie and music icon left thinking it was a direct message to McCarthy instead of a public comment that everyone could see. Ozempic is a diabetes drug that has been repurposed as an anti-obesity treatment that has exploded in popularity among influencers and celebrities over the past year as many stars have suddenly revealed much slimmer profiles.

Streisand quickly deleted the comment and posted a mea culpa on her X profile, writing “OMG – I went on Instagram to see the photos we’d posted of the beautiful flowers I’d received for my birthday. Below them was a photo of my friend Melissa McCarthy who I sang with on my Encore album. She looked fantastic! I just wanted to pay her a compliment. I forgot the world is reading!”

McCarthy sang a duet on the classic Annie Get Your Gun tune “Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better),” on the 2016 Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway album, which also featured team-ups with Anne Hathaway, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Seth MacFarlane, Jamie Foxx and Antonio Banderas, among others. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (Streisand’s 11th, and most recent, to hit that mark) and received a Grammy nod for best traditional pop vocal album. 

According to TMZ, since the album’s release Streisand has made a habit of posting comments on McCarthy’s posts.

The title of stand-up comedian John Mulaney’s upcoming six-part Netflix series says it all: John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A. The series that debuts on Friday (May 3) is part of the annual Netflix Is a Joke Festival, which will take place in Los Angeles from May 2-May 12 and the streamer describes the series as a “comically unconventional show” mixing special guests and field pieces in which Mulaney “explores the city of Los Angeles during a week when every funny person is in it.”

While the festival will feature sets from some of the biggest and best stand-ups around, Mulaney has pulled together his own eclectic group of special guests for his live series that ranges from rock and hip-hip legends to scientists, journalists and movie directors. Among the musicians on tap for the series are: Beck, Weezer, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Ray J, Joyce Manor, Los Lobos, Warren G, and St. Vincent.

In addition, he’ll welcome fellow comedians David Letterman, Nate Bargatze, Jerry Seinfeld, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Mae Martin, Earthquake, Jon Stewart, Patton Oswalt, Stavros Halkias, Sarah Silverman, Ronny Chieng, Tom Segura, Bill Hader, Luenell, Hannah Gadsby and Cedric the Entertainer.

Other guests include seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones, Citizens for L.A. Wildlife representative Tony Tucci, hypnotherapist Kerry Gaynor, lawyer Marcia Clark, director John Carpenter, journalist Zoey Tur, actress Cassandra Peterson and Dr. Emily Lindsey, the assistant curator and excavation site director of the La Brea Tarpits and Museum, plus others. The series will air live beginning on May 3 at 10 p.m. ET and from May 6-May 10 at the same time.

Check out the poster and teaser video for the Everybody’s in L.A. below.

As a former executive at music companies in Singapore, Hong Kong, New York and Los Angeles, Wendy Ong certainly has the globe-trotting credentials to help a roster of music artists including Lana Del Rey, Ellie Goulding and Noah Cyrus navigate an increasingly global business. But Ong charted the flight path she took to her current role as global co-president/chief marketing officer of the artist management and publishing company TaP Music largely on her own because, she says, mentors for an Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) music executive were virtually nonexistent then.

As a result, Ong — who was raised in Malaysia and Singapore and worked at BMG, Arista, RCA, the Metropolitan Opera, EMI, Capitol, Interscope and Roc Nation — says she makes it a priority to be one herself, particularly for Asians and Asian Americans. Her mentorship has been aided by her participation in Gold House — a community of Asian Pacific entrepreneurs, creatives and other leaders — after, she says, she was invited to one of the organization’s dinners “by accident.” She adds that when opportunity presents itself, “it depends on what you do with it.”

Ong sat down with Billboard to discuss the continued importance of music festivals, the work of Gold House and the promise of artificial intelligence (AI), among other topics.

Lana Del Rey returned to Coachella this year as a headliner. Do festival bookings still move the needle?

When you’re strategic about it, it allows you to make getting into smaller markets cost-effective. It’s hard to do proper global touring these days, and even in the U.S., festivals allow an artist to complement their overall touring strategy. From the TaP perspective, it’s still a very key component, especially for developing artists. It’s the same reason that collaborations work because it’s crossing over to other artists’ audiences. And not just for young people. I’m supposed to be the jaded music executive, but I’m not. The Justice set [at Coachella] blew me away. I actually went and checked immediately [to see if they’re touring] because I wanted to see it again.

Prior to Coachella, what other major wins has TaP scored in the past 12 months?

Ellie [Goulding] is one of the most multifaceted artists anywhere. She had a No. 1 single and album last year [with “Miracle” featuring Calvin Harris and fifth full-length Higher Than Heaven] in the same week in the U.K. That was stunning. And Caroline Polachek’s album [Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, which debuted at No. 9 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart]. I love that Caroline and Mookie Singerman, who manages her, have been together since the beginning of [Polachek’s former band] Chairlift. There’s something to be said for loyalty. Sometimes when an artist gets bigger, they feel they need to switch up their teams. They are the CEO of their own company, so they need to make tough calls sometimes. But it’s nice to see those that remain loyal.

How are label layoffs affecting management?

Significantly. I always look to partner with our major labels in the best possible way, and when things are up in the air, it makes it very challenging to understand how much support we’re going to have. The company that [TaP co-CEOs] Ben [Mawson] and Ed [Millett] have built is very much on the ethos of self-­sufficiency. Going back to Lana, at the beginning of her career, they had a lot of pushback. She signed to Universal Germany because nobody believed in her. And that was and still is today a big takeaway for how we function as a company. We try to do as much for our artists as we can without overly relying on third parties, whether it’s a label, a brand, a social [platform] or a [digital service provider]. We need that agency to be able to make a difference.

What does that entail today?

All anybody wants to talk about right now is superfans. And it’s such a wake-up call. Fans want that close, direct relationship with the artist, and we were all slow in realizing that we need to take control of this relationship. We, as a management company, have made big strides in CRM [customer relationship management]. We have someone employed specifically at our company to do CRM. We’re platform agnostic, whether that’s OpenStage or Community or Laylo. What is important for us is to be able to take back the data. I say “data,” but that’s the fans. Artists need to be able to talk to their fans directly, and I think we’re leading the charge on the management side. It’s a testament to how [much] we value our artists’ fans.

You’ve talked about not having a mentor in the industry. When you switched to management, was it even more apparent?

It was glaring. I wish that wasn’t my answer, by the way. I wish I could say that, “Oh, yeah. So-and-so really lifted me up and helped me out so much.” Younger people, whether it’s on social media or in real life, often reach out to me, and I do my best to play whatever small part I can because I think that my path may have been a little less rocky if I had more guidance early in my career. And the very reason I had no mentors is because there weren’t enough people that looked like me when I was coming up in the industry. Now there’s K-pop, so that has changed things in the best possible way.

How does Gold House encourage more mentorship and visibility of the AAPI community in music?

With Gold House, I think it’s the first time that I became a part of something greater for the AAPI community. It makes it easier to give back and to spotlight minority communities like ours. I’m also very proud to be part of the Gold House Music Accelerator program. The spotlight K-pop has put on the AAPI community is wonderful, but being a judge on the Gold House Music Accelerator program helps to shine a light on other types of artists, whether it’s indie-rock or R&B.

Why has K-pop become an umbrella term in the United States for all Asian music right now?

Because we’re dealing with the greater media that is not Asian, it eclipses all these other interesting artists and music that’s coming out from countries like Indonesia and the Philippines and Taiwan. Nowhere else in the world would you put South Asians, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Filipinos, Indonesians all under one umbrella. It makes no sense outside of America. We have to do it in this country because we’re all minorities and we can have a bigger voice if we band together. It’s a challenge, though, because K-pop has changed so much of what we think pop music looks like. So now that we have a sliver of an opening, I hope that we get to demonstrate through Gold House efforts, for example, other types of music made by Asians.

What genre would you like to see gain prominence?

I’m so excited about South Asian Desi music. It is so much fun and joy and rhythm and bass. That joyousness is similar to how I view a lot of Latin music. It’s inevitable that a Desi artist is going to break through, and I’m excited for that to find its way into America.

TaP has its publishing, philanthropic, fashion and sports divisions, but is there another sector you would love to see the company tackle in the future?

I am very excited and a huge advocate for all the positive changes that AI can bring. But I also have that personality of an early adopter. I think that in two years’ time the music industry is going to look extremely different — maybe more so on the publishing side because that’s where it’s the most scary. When things are challenging, that is when opportunity comes. It’s whether we can find a way to leverage it.

Outside of new music, what are you looking forward to this year?

The Gold Music Alliance. It was really encouraging when [the organization] had the chance to do the event around the Grammys this year. It was the first experience for me as a member of the Recording Academy to realize that there was interest in growing the AAPI membership base. Because I don’t think we’re very represented.

Do you think that will change with this year’s nominations?

In 2023, two AAPI trustees were elected to the academy’s national board of trustees. I think that is a sign that we are getting more representation. And I want to use my platform to encourage more AAPIs to become members of the Recording Academy. I know K-pop dominates in terms of consumption, but recognition is what I’m speaking about. I would be really excited to see a non-fan-voted award with K-pop. We should be represented not just in Billboard sales charts, but also in critical acclaim. Once again, I hope that K-pop forges the path for other types of Asian music.

The academy added a best African music performance category this year. Would you like to see a similar addition for K-pop?

How amazing would that be, but it’s a double-edged sword. Like, why isn’t K-pop just part of pop? It’s [like asking] why is there a best actor and a best actress at the Oscars? Sometimes I think it’s necessary because we can’t [bestow] the right amount of acclaim and recognition by putting everyone in the same bucket. We’ll see more changes due to AI than we’ll see anything else. I wish technological advances could help advance this type of conversation — maybe that’s the challenge.

This article originally appeared in the April 27, 2024 issue of Billboard.

Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott has joined the cast of Pharrell Williams’ upcoming coming-of-age movie musical. Variety reported that the Grammy-winning hip-hop superstar will play an as-yet-undetermined role in the film being produced by Williams and directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

Elliott responded to the news with her typical enthusiasm, tweeting, “Ayyyyyye,” followed by a series of emoji including hands up, fire and a dancing woman. The untitled Universal Pictures project set in Skateboard P’s hometown of Virginia Beach in 1977 is inspired by the Atlantis Apartments in Williams’ childhood neighborhood, with a script by Martin Hynes (Toy Story 4) and Steven Levenson (Fosse/Verdon).

Elliott joins a cast that already includes Halle Bailey, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Oscar nominee Brian Tyree Henry and Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph. While the legendary rapper/producer/songwriter has appeared in a number of films over the past two decades, mostly as herself, the upcoming musical turn is her first big screen gig since voicing the character Missy in 2004’s Shark Tale. She also appeared in two episodes of the Fox musical drama Star in 2017.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is slated to hit the road this summer for her first-ever headlining tour, the Out of This World — The Missy Elliott Experience, on which she’ll be joined by Ciara, Busta Rhymes and Timbaland on a 24-city outing slated to kick off on July 4 in Vancouver at Rogers Arena and hit Seattle, Oakland, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Tampa, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit and Toronto before winding down in Rosemont, Ill. on August 22.

Check out Elliott’s response below.

Samantha McClymont, a founding member of Australian country act the McClymonts, is battling a rare type of breast cancer.

The 38-year-old artist shared the troubling news on her social media page.

“Last October, I found a lump,” she writes. “After initially being misdiagnosed,” she continues, her “life completely turned upside” down four months later when she was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer. According to Cancer Research U.K., about 15% of breast cancers are of this type.

“It has become my full-time job having treatment,” she continues. “It has begun with chemotherapy/ immunotherapy, which in total will be 5 months, followed by surgery and then radiation.”

Friends and family “have been incredibly supportive as Ben, the boys, and I navigate our new routine,” she writes in a post that’s accompanied with a picture of the singer getting hugs from her sons.

McClymont has wiped clean her work slate for the rest of the year, as she recovers from her illness. “I know I will come out the other side of this,” adds McClymont, “but it’s one step at a time.”

The sibling trio – Sam, Brooke, and Mollie – has released six studio LPs, the most recent, Mayhem To Madness (Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia), dropping in 2020 and opening at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Mayhem To Madness was shortlisted for country album of the year at the ARIA Awards.

“Their harmonies are tight, and their songwriting is nothing short of first rate,” wrote Billboard’s late country writer Chuck Dauphin for a 615 Spotlight on the group, published in 2011. “For every Keith Urban that has been able to transcend nationalities with their sound in the genre, there are at least two that have not been able to. The McClymonts are making that jump – and making it successfully.”

Over time, the group has collected 13 Golden Guitar Awards, two ARIA Awards and an APRA Award.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

It’s been almost 40 years since Prince released his hit album Purple Rain and its impact is still felt today as the album is being adapted into a stage play. As fans wait to see their favorite songs live on stage, a new book looks to celebrate the album’s milestone anniversary with rare photography and track-by-track analysis from music journalist and author Andrea Swensson.

Prince and Purple Rain: 40 Years will become your ultimate piece of Prince merch you can display as a coffee table book or in the front spot of your mantle. While the book doesn’t officially come out until May 21, Amazon, Target and Walmart have opened their preorders to help ensure you land yourself a copy once it’s released. Plus, it’s currently being offered for 25% off, dropping the price to under $50.

Keep reading to shop the Prince book below.

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Prince and Purple Rain: 40 Years will easily become your most treasured collector’s piece. It comes in an exclusive slip cover that’s not only the same bold purple shade of the album, but will help keep the book in pristine shape. You’ll also have 176 pages to flip through that will go into detail about the artist’s life growing up, his bandmates during the Purple Rain tour, provide rare photos of Prince and memorabilia and more.

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The Prince book features a forward by Maya Rudolph — a longtime fan — who will introduce what you can expect from the book as well as the artist’s impact in the music world.

And, if you’re looking for more music books about Prince to add to your collection, be sure to pick up bestselling titles including Prince: All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track for 44% off; Prince: A Portrait of the Artist for less than $20; this book by his first wife that’s under $10 and a photo book on Prince that’s on sale for 56% off.

For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best female musician memoirs, books about jazz and Taylor Swift books.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Layering pieces give you a quick yet fashionable way to keep yourself comfortable — especially if the office AC is kept high during the summer months. While oversized leather jackets are one way to create an elevated office-appropriate look, Quince’s cashmere sweater has captured TikTok’s heart for its softness at an affordable price and landed itself on ShopBillboard‘s Shop 100 list.

“Quince cashmere” has gathered more than 4.4 million views on the social media platform, with users posting their own reviews of the highly affordable luxury item. High-end brands like Reformation, J. Crew and Banana Republic offer sweaters from the coveted cashmere fabric for $100+, but Quince’s mission is to provide shoppers with luxury items including cashmere, silk, jewelry and home items for a more budget-friendly cost. And at just $50, you can snag arguably one of the best sweater deals available online now.

Like with most TikTok viral products, the cashmere sweater quickly sold out, but it’s been restocked in all 21 shades for you to stock up on now.

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The Quince sweater is made with a crew neckline that’s perfect for layering over a tank top or T-shirt. Since it comes in a range of neutral and bold shades, you can pair the sweater with jeans or trousers making it versatile enough to wear from the office to happy hour. What’s most notable though is its 100% Grade-A Mongolian cashmere fabric that’s soft enough to keep you comfortable all day long.

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The $50 cashmere sweater has garnered a 4.9-star rating with more than 12,000 reviews (and counting!) One shopper couldn’t help but gush over the style saying, “I love how soft this sweater is and that it holds its shape well throughout the day.”

And in case the brand runs out of your size or most-wanted color, UNIQLO is offering a cashmere sweater that’s similar to the Quince look and for just as cheap at $50. The UNIQLO cashmere sweater is a great Quince alternative and we have multiple colors stocked in our closet.

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UNIQLO’s sweater is made from 100% cashmere materials and provides a crew neckline for layering or wearing alone. Both sleeves and the bottom of the sweater come with a ribbed hemline that’s cuffed for added style.

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For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best shackets for women, cropped puffer coats and fleece-lined leggings.

The eye-popping debut of Taylor Swift‘s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, is just the latest in a string of epic achievements from the music superstar.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are wondering: With the project earning 2.61 million equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending April 25 — and traditional album sales comprising 1.914 million of that sum — could Swift be the last artist to sell a million-plus albums in one week?

When you look back at every million-selling week since 2010, there are 11 weeks total (including TTPD), and seven of those are Swift’s. (Three others belong to Adele’s 25 and one is the debut week of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way.) Can anyone other than Swift hit that mark again? Or is she in a league of her own?

Listen to our Pop Shop Podcast discussion below:

Also on the show, we’ll be talking more about Swift’s massive debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and how she dominates the Billboard Hot 100, as all 31 songs from the deluxe version of The Tortured Poets Department debut on the chart — including the entire top 14 — led by “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone, at No. 1.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Thinking about switching from cable to a streaming platform? Cutting the cord is a lot easier than you might think and can save you more on your monthly bill than certain basic cable plans.

For TV lovers who want to make the leap to streaming, and Spectrum and other cable customers looking for streaming alternatives, we’re breaking down some of the best platforms for live TV.

Check below for a roundup of streaming options that range from $25 a month up to $150 a month. The services recommended below offer month-to-month subscription plans that can be canceled at any time.

From Fubo to Peacock: Best Streaming Services for Live TV

Though major league streamers like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Paramount+ produce mostly on-demand content, Sling TV and Philo, DirecTV Stream and YouTube TV are some of the more affordable options for live content.

If you’re on a tight budget, Philo is the cheapest among the regular-priced plans on our list at $25/month after a one-week free trial. Stream 90+ channels including ESPN, MTV, BET, A&E, Food Network, Discovery, Hallmark, ID, Nickelodeon, OWN, AMC, IFC, Lifetime, CNN, Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, WeTV, HGTV, Comedy Central, Hallmark, TLC, TV One, OWN and the Paramount Network. Philo also includes DVR and like all other streamers, you can watch content from any compatible device.

When it comes to sports, it can be tricky finding an affordable streamer that offers your favorite games and other sporting events along with other channels. Thankfully, streamers like DirecTV, Fubo and Sling TV offer a bit of everything.

Looking to put some money back in your pocket? Save $30 over three months when you subscribe to DirecTV Stream and include the Sports Package ($14.99).

Stream live channels and DVR recordings and add Max, Starz and more when you subscribe to some of the larger streaming packages. And if you want to stream from outside of the U.S., you can access streaming platforms internationally with VPNs such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

In terms of affordability, Sling TV rivals Philo as streaming plans start at $20 for your first month ($40 after).

Sling’s Orange and Blue plans include dozens of channels like ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, QVC, Disney, Freeform, FS1, NBA TV, E!, Syfy, Tru, HLN and networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox in select regions. Plus, DVR storage and streaming on multiple devices.

Sports fans can stream NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL games along with NASCAR, MMA, tennis, soccer, boxing, golf, college sports and more on Fubo. Plans start at $79.99 per month (after the free trial) to access over 196 channels and 100+ sporting events. ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS, along with MLB Network, Golf TV, NBA League Pass and other sports-only channels in addition to MTV, ESPN, VH1, E!, FX, MSNBC, TLC, MGM+, Paramount Network, TV Land, TRVL channel, USA, Bravo, Telemundo and a bunch of other channels are available on Fubo.

The subscription includes 1,000 hours of DVR space and family share to simultaneously stream on up to 10 screens at home and two outside of your home internet network.

Need more channels? Subscribe to Fubo Elite and stream 267 channels for $89.99/month, or join Fubo Premier to access 276 channels for $99.99/month and free Paramount+ with Showtime. For Spanish speakers, Fubo Latino is $32.99/month to stream 66 channels, 250 hours of cloud DVR and streaming on up to two screens.

Hulu is one of the oldest platforms in the streaming age, and one of the more affordable. Plans start at $7.99 per month after a 30-day free trial, but if you’re interested in live channels, join Hulu + Live TV and stream for free for three day.

Streaming plans start at $76.99 a month after the free trial ends, and you’ll get to stream 95+ channels, including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN, MTV, BET, ID Network, HGTV, Own, USA, TRVL channel, Oxygen, FX, Freeform and more; along with access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu’s on-demand streaming library where you’ll find exclusives like Shogun, The Bear, We Are the Lucky Ones, Only Murders in the Building, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, Death & Other Details, The Impossible Heir, The Kardashians, and The Handmaid’s Tale.

What is the best way to save on your streaming bill? Most of the on-demand streamers like Hulu, Apple TV+, Disney+ and Paramount+ offer bundles, annual plans, student discounts, and cash back and free options through credit card companies, internet companies and other third parties, but streaming deals for live television can be a little harder to find, although not impossible. Typically, live TV streamers offer discounts on monthly streaming packages a few times a year (at the very least), including the NFL football season, which doesn’t launch until Sept. 5.

You can also find streaming deals during the NBA Playoffs, NHL Playoffs, MLB season and over the holidays. In fact, Black Friday is one of the best times of the year to score the deepest discounts on top streamers. But if you can’t wait that long, keep reading for affordable ways to save on your bill.

Streamers That Offer Live Channels

One of the perks of Peacock is that you’ll get a good mixture of live and on-demand content for $5.99/ month for ad-supported streaming, but Peacock Premium subscribers can enjoy live access to NBC and commercial-free streaming for $11.99/month.

Peacock gives you next-day access to current NBC programs; Premier League, WWE, Sunday Night Football, Indy 500 and other sporting events; plus movies, beloved TV shows (including Yellowstone) and original series such as The Traitors, Apples Never Fall, To The Edge, Poker Face, Wolf Like Me, Twisted Metal, Killing It, Bel-Air, Bupkis, and episode of Bravo shows such as the Real Housewives franchise, Vandperpump Rules and Below Deck.

Prime Video has its own collection of exclusive series and movies such as Fallout, Them, Invincible, Road House, Reacher, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Ricky Stanicky. There’s also live channels, depending on your streaming plan.

To widen the streaming net, add Paramount+, BET+, Max, Starz and other Prime channels and stream must-watch shows, movies and sporting events, from one platform.

Prime also slashed the price on a few of its bundles, Max and Cinemax for $20.99/month ($5 off) and Starz bundles starting at $11.99 per month.

Sports fans can stream select NBA playoffs games on Prime Video, alongside trending TV series such as Knuckles, Diarra in Detroit, BMF, The Beekeeper, The Jinx, Quiet on Set, Yellowjackets, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, The Chi, Halo and movies such as Bob Marley: One Love and Mean Girls.

Kelly Clarkson has proved once again that she can truly sing anything.

The superstar opened her eponymous talk show on Tuesday (April 30) with a cover of Post Malone’s “Chemical.” Dressed in a band tee, a red maxi skirt and a sleek ponytail, Clarkson effortlessly hit the chorus’ high notes, backed by her instrumentalists, whom she affectionately calls My Band Y’All.

“Outside of the party, smokin’ in the car with you/ Seven Nation Army, fightin’ at the bar with you/ Tell you that I’m sorry, tell me what I gotta do/ ‘Cause I can’t let go, it’s chemical,” she sings on the track, which was featured on Post’s 2023 self-titled album, Austin.

Post Malone took the stage with Morgan Wallen when the latter headlined Stagecoach on Sunday night (April 28), and the duo performed a new song called “I Had Some Help.” Post previously teased the uptempo track on social media, highlighting lyrics such as “I had some help/ It ain’t like I can make this kind of mess all by myself/ Don’t act like you ain’t help me pull that bottle off the shelf … they say teamwork makes the dream work.”

Wallen and Malone have yet to reveal a release date for the collaboration. In the meantime, watch Kelly Clarkson perform Post Malone’s “Chemical” below.

American Idol contestant Emmy Russell is a coal miner’s great-granddaughter, and she paid homage to her grandmother, the late Country Music Hall of Famer Loretta Lynn, on Monday’s (April 29) episode of the talent competition.

Seated at a piano, Russell performed Loretta Lynn’s signature song: the 1970 hit “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” The song focuses on Lynn’s Kentucky childhood, watching as her father worked hard in the coal mines to provide money for basic food and clothing for his family. As Russell performed the song, large screens showed Russell’s mother, Patsy Lynn, as she watched in the audience.

On Monday night, Russell advanced to the top seven on the show. For her Idol audition, Russell performed her own original song called “Skinny.” Throughout her time on the show so far, she’s also performed covers of Blink-182’s “All the Small Things” and Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”

Russell previously told People of a special moment just prior to her Idol performance of “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” “I think just closing my eyes and telling her, ‘I’m proud of you.’ I did that in rehearsal. I was like, ‘I’m proud of you.’ I want people to feel proud of their story, where they’ve come from, and I hope that that song made them feel like, ‘Oh, I can be proud of where I come from.’ I’m just really grateful.”

Loretta Lynn died at age 90 on Oct. 4, 2022. Lynn earned 16 chart-toppers on what is now the Hot Country Songs chart and was the first woman to win entertainer of the year at the CMA Awards. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988. Lynn’s 1976 autobiography Coal Miner’s Daughter was later adapted for the big screen, with Sissy Spacek in the lead role as Lynn in the 1980 movie. Spacek won an Academy Award for her role as Lynn. In 2021, Lynn issued her 46th solo studio album, Still Woman Enough.

Russell is following in the family tradition, as her mother Patsy has also been involved in music. Patsy teamed with her sister Peggy to form the duo The Lynns in the 1990s and earned CMA Awards nominations for vocal duo of the year in 1998 and 1999.

See Russell’s performance below:

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

When it comes to choosing the ideal straightener, versatility is essential. Although it can be challenging, you might want to seek out crucial features such as adjustable heat and protection sensors that can cater to your hair type.

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With its easy-to-use design and lightweight construction, you’ll be able to take it with you wherever you go. According to Walmart, the ceramic coated plates are “infused with keratin and almond.” Keratin is a protein that can be found in skin, hair, and nails. It’s often used to repair damaged hair. So, if you are looking for stronger, smoother, shinier hair, and better control, this is for you.

In addition to this, its energy-efficient ceramic heater allows for “one-pass styling” for your hair. While one pass sounds nice, it’s important to also note that every hair type is different, ranging from curly to fine hair.

This affordable iron is easy to use. With just the press of a button, you can effortlessly achieve your desired hairstyle. Its quality performance paired with its budget-friendly price makes it an ideal choice for anyone.

For more product recommendations, check out this roundup of hair care essentials, Dyson Airwrap dupes, and alternative TikTok viral heating tools.

Want free shipping? Join Walmart+ for free for the first 30 days. The membership includes free shipping and free delivery from your local store, free Paramount+ and so much more!

“Akureyri,” the new single by Aitana and Sebastián Yatra, reunites — in music, at least — one of the most popular couples in Latin music.

And it could be the first of many reunions. “This is already the third song I have done with Sebastián,” Aitana told Billboard exclusively. “We seem to understand each other very well in the studio,” she adds a bit cryptically without alluding to any romance. “We’ve understood each other very well for a long time, so having that complicity with someone inside a studio is hard to find; having that companionship that allows you to go inside the studio and a very beautiful song comes out again and again.”

So much so that for her next album, Aitana is working on “many Songs” with Yatra. “Not songs to sing together, but songs for my project as composers, both of us.”

But “Akureyri” in particular is a collaboration between Aitana and Yatra at all levels. The song, which came out on April 26, was conceived during a trip that Aitana and Yatra took to Akureyri, a town in Iceland, to celebrate Aitana’s birthday on June 27, 2023.

“Sebastián started tossing some verses, and I started making the melody. And we finished the song in a car,” adds Aitana, who had just gotten her driver’s license. All of those moments – the two of them driving, entering the store, singing with the guitar – are seen in the “Akureyri” video, which was filmed on a subsequent trip once Yatra and Aitana decided to record the song together.

“Akureyri” is one of two recent great looks for Aitana. In April, Netflix released the movie De Pared a Pared, in which Aitana, in her first acting gig, plays the lead role Valentina, a young classical pianist who establishes a “wall-to-wall” relationship with her enigmatic neighbor.

The movie, a sweet romantic comedy that’s utterly disarming, was shot two years ago, when Aitana was only 22 years old.

“I carry Valentina in my heart and all those months of filming that were very beautiful,” she says of the three months of intense filming and piano lessons.

Next up, more songwriting and preparation for her first stadium show at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu in December. Watch the full interview above.

Concord Label Group has promoted Joe Dent to executive vp of operations and Jill Weindorf to executive vp of marketing, the company announced Tuesday (April 30). Weindorf is based in Los Angeles while Dent is located in Concord’s Nashville headquarters.

The promotions, some of the first under newly-appointed Concord Label Group CEO Tom Becci, aim to modernize Concord’s structure to support an expanding roster of talent while increasing the company’s ability to sign, develop and support artists within the global ecosystem.

Weindorf began her career in marketing at Elektra Records and has spent 17 years at Concord. In her new role, she will lead marketing efforts across Concord’s eight active labels and, in conjunction with Concord’s label presidents, continue to develop career artists globally.

Dent previously spent a decade at Fat Beats Distribution, where he rose to GM. Since joining Concord, he has led the charge to stabilize the company’s vinyl pipeline during the COVID-19 pandemic, increased its in-house spatial audio capacity and developed a business-to-business (B2B) system for interacting with artists. In his new capacity, Dent will continue to concentrate on improving processes across the active label and back-office teams. He will also build further internal system efficiency and interconnection while working with external partners on capacity, supply chain and process efficiencies.

“Music is about connection and Jill’s ability to devise a marketing strategy in concert with an artist, while considering their priorities, who they are, the place they want to be, and then work tirelessly in support of that plan is unparalleled,” said Becci in a statement. “Having Jill in this role will certainly allow Concord to remain competitive in an increasingly complicated and global market. Joe has an incredible understanding of how to look at a classically messy system, identify areas for improvement, and make real and lasting corrections. I have no doubt that Joe will continue guiding Concord towards further operational efficiencies in support of our artists.” 

“My focus has always been the artists and music,” Weindorf said in a statement. “Concord has offered me the opportunity to build long-term trust with so many career artists and I love being part of the journey with them. I’m also excited by our legacy recordings and the depth and historical relevance of our catalog. Many executives don’t get the chance to work across such a wide breadth of repertoire; I have been here for 17 years, and I am still excited by that opportunity every day.” 

“What I genuinely appreciate about Concord is that, despite our size, we are still incredibly nimble,” added Dent. “If we believe there is a superior way that we can do things, there is a reasonable chance that we will do it that way. I’m incredibly grateful for the trust that so many amazing artists put in us and I’m excited to continue finding ways we can better support them. This really is a dream come true for a punk from New Jersey.”

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee convened on Tuesday (April 30) to discuss a proposed bill that would effectively create a federal publicity right for artists in a hearing that featured testimony from Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl, artist FKA Twigs, Digital Media Association (DiMA) CEO Graham Davies, SAG-AFTRA national executive director/chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, Motion Picture Association senior vp/associate general counsel Ben Sheffner and the University of San Diego professor Lisa P. Ramsey.

The draft bill — called the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act (NO FAKES Act) — would create a federal right for artists, actors and others to sue those who create “digital replicas” of their image, voice, or visual likeness without permission. Those individuals have previously only been protected through a patchwork of state “right of publicity” laws. First introduced in October, the NO FAKES Act is supported by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators including Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

Warner Music Group (WMG) supports the NO FAKES Act along with many other music businesses, the RIAA and the Human Artistry Campaign. During Kyncl’s testimony, the executive noted that “we are in a unique moment of time where we can still act and we can get it right before it gets out of hand,” pointing to how the government was not able to properly handle data privacy in the past. He added that it’s imperative to get out ahead of artificial intelligence (AI) to protect artists’ and entertainment companies’ livelihoods.

“When you have these deepfakes out there [on streaming platforms],” said Kyncl, “the artists are actually competing with themselves for revenue on streaming platforms because there’s a fixed amount of revenue within each of the streaming platforms. If somebody is uploading fake songs of FKA Twigs, for example, and those songs are eating into that revenue pool, then there is less left for her authentic songs. That’s the economic impact of it long term, and the volume of content that will then flow into the digital service providers will increase exponentially, [making it] harder for artists to be heard, and to actually reach lots of fans. Creativity over time will be stifled.”

Kyncl, who recently celebrated his first anniversary at the helm of WMG, previously held the role of chief business officer at YouTube. When questioned about whether platforms, like YouTube, Spotify and others who are represented by DiMA should be held responsible for unauthorized AI fakes on their platforms, Kyncl had a measured take: “There has to be an opportunity for [the services] to cooperate and work together with all of us to [develop a protocol for removal],” he said.

During his testimony, Davies spoke from the perspective of the digital service providers (DSPs) DiMA represents. “There’s been no challenge [from platforms] in taking down the [deepfake] content expeditiously,” he said. “We don’t see our members needing any additional burdens or incentives here. But…if there is to be secondary liability, we would very much seek that to be a safe harbor for effective takedowns.”

Davies added, however, that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which provides a notice and takedown procedure for copyright infringement, is not a perfect model to follow for right of publicity offenses. “We don’t see [that] as being a good process as [it was] designed for copyright…our members absolutely can work with the committee in terms of what we would think would be an effective [procedure],” said Davies. He added, “It’s really essential that we get specific information on how to identify the offending content so that it can be removed efficiently.”

There is currently no perfect solution for tracking AI deepfakes on the internet, making a takedown procedure tricky to implement. Kyncl said he hopes for a system that builds on the success of YouTube’s Content ID, which tracks sound recordings. “I’m hopeful we can take [a Content ID-like system] further and apply that to AI voice and degrees of similarity by using watermarks to label content and care the provenance,” he said.

The NO FAKES draft bill as currently written would create a nationwide property right in one’s image, voice, or visual likeness, allowing an individual to sue anyone who produced a “newly-created, computer-generated, electronic representation” of it. It also includes publicity rights that would not expire at death and could be controlled by a person’s heirs for 70 years after their passing. Most state right of publicity laws were written far before the invention of AI and often limit or exclude the protection of an individual’s name, image and voice after death.

The proposed 70 years of post-mortem protection was one of the major points of disagreement between participants at the hearing. Kyncl agreed with the points made by Crabtree-Ireland of SAG-AFTRA — the actors’ union that recently came to a tentative agreement with major labels, including WMG, for “ethical” AI use — whose view was that the right should not be limited to 70 years post-mortem and should instead be “perpetual,” in his words.

“Every single one of us is unique, there is no one else like us, and there never will be,” said Crabtree-Ireland. “This is not the same thing as copyright. It’s not the same thing as ‘We’re going to use this to create more creativity on top of that later [after the copyright enters public domain].’ This is about a person’s legacy. This is about a person’s right to give this to their family.”

Kyncl added simply, “I agree with Mr. Crabtree-Ireland 100%.”

However, Sheffner shared a different perspective on post-mortem protection for publicity rights, saying that while “for living professional performers use of a digital replica without their consent impacts their ability to make a living…that job preservation justification goes away post-mortem. I have yet to hear of any compelling government interest in protecting digital replicas once somebody is deceased. I think there’s going to be serious First Amendment problems with it.”

Elsewhere during the hearing, Crabtree-Ireland expressed a need to limit how long a young artist can license out their publicity rights during their lifetime to ensure they are not exploited by entertainment companies. “If you had, say, a 21-year-old artist who’s granting a transfer of rights in their image, likeness or voice, there should not be a possibility of this for 50 years or 60 years during their life and not have any ability to renegotiate that transfer. I think there should be a shorter perhaps seven-year limitation on this.”

While there are certainly far worse people to be compared to than Rihanna, Tyla wants to make it clear: She’s only interested in charting her own path.

In her Cosmopolitan cover story published Tuesday (April 30), the South African star shared her thoughts on recent comparisons between her and the Barbadian singer-turned-Fenty billionaire — which, while flattering, aren’t indicative of her full story.

“Rihanna is Rihanna. It’s a compliment,” she told the publication. “But at the same time, I’m my own artist. I’m Tyla. And I know as people get to know me and my music, they will see me as just Tyla. So I’m fine with it now.”

“People want to tie me to something familiar to them, cool,” added the musician. “But at the end of the day, we’re doing something no one’s done before, and it can’t really be compared to anyone.”

The 22-year-old singer is fresh off the release of her self-titled debut album, which dropped March 22 and features collaborations with Tems, Travis Scott and more. The set debuted at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 and has spent five weeks on the chart so far, led by mega-viral hit “Water,” which reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January.

Speaking of “Water,” Tyla also looked back on the slightly awkward process of getting her parents on board with the track — specifically, its NSFW lyrics. On the steamy, popiano track, which inspired a wildfire TikTok booty-shaking dance trend last year, she sings, “Make me sweat, make me hotter/ Make me lose my breath, make me water.”

“My mom was the person that saved me because my father was like, ‘What are you singing about?’” she recalled of the song, which won the Grammys’ first-ever African music performance award in March. “I was like, ‘Nah, it’s nothing bad, Dad. It’s just carefree fun.’ He’s like, ‘Oh, okay.’ And my mother was the person being like, ‘Relax, relax. Relax.’”

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From bags to wallets, shoes and accessories, Coach is a one-stop-shop for Mother’s Day gifts. If you plan on splurging this Mother’s Day, you can do it on a discount at the Coach Outlet.

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Calibre 50 continues its domination on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart as “Días Buenos, Días Malos” climbs from No. 7 to lead the list dated May 4. With the new win, The Sinaloan group adds its record-extending 25th No. 1 to its account.

According to Luminate, “Días Buenos, Días Malos” accrued 7.1 million audience impressions in the U.S. during the tracking week ending in April 25, with a 33% increase in audience from the week prior. The song also takes over with the Greatest Gainer honors, awarded weekly to the song with the largest increase in plays among the ranking’s 40 titles. (The previous week’s No. 1, Oscar Ortiz and Edgardo Nuñez’s “First Love,” falls to No. 2 with 6.9 million in audience, down 13%.)

“Días Buenos, Días Malos” completes its journey to No. 1 in 13 weeks, having debuted on the chart at No. 20 in February. Thus, it ties with three other songs which needed 13 weeks or more to arrive at the summit in the past year.

Here’s a recap of the songs that required the most weeks to top the chart, dating to April 2023:

Weeks to No. 1, Title, Artists, Peak Date
13, “Bipolar,” Peso Pluma, Jasiel Nuñez & Junior H, Nov. 25, 2023
13, “Según Quién,” Maluma & Carín León, Dec. 16, 2023
13, “Vas A Querer Volver,” Banda Los Recoditos, Jan. 6
13, “Días Buenos, Días Malos,” Calibre 50, May 4
14, “Neta Que No,” La Fiera de Ojinaga, Jan. 20
16, “Ahí No Era,” Gerardo Ortiz, Feb. 17

As “Días Buenos” takes over Regional Mexican Airplay, Calibre 50 cements its winning appeal with 25 total champs, stepping further from its next competitor, Banda MS, with 19 No. 1 songs since the tally launched in 1994.

Notably, dating to 2013, when Calibre 50 scored its premiere leader with “Ni Que Estuvieras Tan Buena,” all, except for “Decepciones,” with Alejandro Fernández (2020), have been unassisted rulers.

Elsewhere, “Días Buenos” takes Calibre 50 to its 28th top 10 on the overall Latin Airplay ranking, as the song surges 14-7, breaking a tie with Marco Antonio Solis for the most No. 1s for a regional Mexican act overall.

A dip in SiriusXM’s paid subscribers in the first quarter caused the satellite radio giant’s stock to fall by more than 7% on Tuesday (April 30), even as first-quarter revenue beat analysts’ expectations.

The company reported that first-quarter revenue inched 0.8% higher to $2.16 billion — analysts polled by the London Stock Exchange were expecting $2.13 billion — thanks mainly to a 7% uptick in ad sales revenue.

Ad revenue totaled $402 million in the quarter, enough to offset a 1% decline in subscription revenue, which came in at $1.68 billion and contributes nearly 80% of the company’s overall earnings.

A 1.4% decline in self-pay subscribers to 31.58 million customers in the quarter contributed to “slightly higher churn” as an increase in sales of vehicles with existing subscriptions led to those subscribers shifting into unpaid trials, SiriusXM CFO Tom Barry said on a call with analysts.

Executives reiterated their 2024 guidance and said they expected improvements in their subscription revenue, trial subscriptions and ad revenue in the second half of the year.

Despite the rollout of a new and costly streaming app with features SiriusXM says allow it to tailor content to subscribers, executives faced questions from analysts over what will charge future growth.

“On the business side, it’s really about reinvigorating demand,” SiriusXM CEO Jennifer Witz said on the call. “It’s taking longer than we’d hoped in terms of the rollout of the new platform and our ability to capitalize on improvements in marketing. But the key opportunities to build demand … are clear, across price, discovery and control, and we have this multipronged effort to [drive] these things.”

The company is hopeful that the revamped app, which launched in December and costs $9.99 per month, will attract new subscribers and drive revenue growth.

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 4% to $650 million. The company’s gross profit edged 0.6% higher to $1.13 billion, while the gross profit margin held flat at 53% in the quarter compared to last year. Total operating expenses held roughly flat at $1.73 billion.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is a big investor in SiriusXM, having purchased nearly 9.7 million shares worth approximately $44 million last fall and then another 1.9 million shares worth $50 million of its tracking stock earlier this month.

In February, SiriusXM laid off 3% of its workforce affecting around 170 workers at the company, which said the cuts would enable it to invest in content and new technologies.

SiriusXM’s stock closed at $2.92 on Tuesday (April 30), down 7.2%.