Category: Pop Daypop

CBS released a statement on Monday, April 15 to apologize after the Billy Joel’s concert special, The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden – The Greatest Arena Run of All Time was cut off during the end of Joel’s iconic song, “Piano Man.” The network aired the two-hour special (taped in March) in honor of Joel’s record-setting run at Madison Square Garden, which he began in January 2014 and will conclude on July 25. The special also marked the musician’s first-ever broadcast concert special.

Per Billboard, the network’s apology statement read: “A network programming timing error ended last night’s Billy Joel special approximately two minutes early in the Eastern and Central Time Zones. We apologize to Mr. Joel, his fans, our affiliated stations, and our audience whose viewing experience was interrupted during the last song. Due to the overwhelming demand from his legion of fans, BILLY JOEL: THE 100TH – LIVE AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN will be rebroadcast in its entirety on CBS on April 19th at 9:00PM ET/PT.”

Fans who tuned in were upset after the broadcast was delayed by 30 minutes due to the 2024 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. As a result, the network cut the end of Joel’s performance of ‘Piano Man’ to switch back to local news coverage at 11PM. Setlist.fm also notes that Joel played an additional five songs afterward as part of his encore, so viewers also missed out on performances of:  “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “Uptown Girl,” “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” “Big Shot” and “You May Be Right.”

Joel’s next performance at MSG is set for Friday, April 26, and is currently sold out. Joel’s full performance on the “Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden” special is also available to stream on Paramount+

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Imagine Dragons has returned with their new single entitled “Eyes Closed” and an accompanying music video via KIDinaKORNER/Interscope/Universal Music Canada.

“Eyes Closed” follows ID’s 2023 single “Children of the Sky (a Starfield song),” inspired by the blockbuster Sci-Fi role-playing game, Starfield. Their last album, the two-volume Mercury, was released over 2021-2022.

The video for ‘Eyes Closed’ sees frontman Dan Reynolds making his way through a desert maze and crashing his car; Reynolds shares: “After taking some time off the road and spending time catching up with family and loved ones, I finally have felt the desire to go back to the sonic places that originally brought me the most joy, but with a new outlook and mentality. The world looks much different after being a band for more than a decade. But some things will always remain the same. It’s finding that right balance of nostalgia and freshness that brings me the most joy in the studio. We had a lot of fun making this one and hope you enjoy it too.”

Take a look at the video for ‘Eyes Closed’ – here.

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Camila Cabello recently dropped her new single “I Luv It” featuring rapper Playboi Carti, written by Camila and executive produced alongside El Guincho (Rosalia, J Balvin, Billie Eilish) and co-producer Jasper Harris (Baby Keem, Jack Harlow, Roddy Rich).

Said Cabello of the new music: “Certain things in our human realm do make me feel like I’m in outer space, and the very rare few times where I’ve had incredible chemistry with someone is one of them. Part of that cocktail is also the emotional drama between you and that person, and the chaos and butterflies and nerves and passion. It’s unsustainable and not peaceful and exhausting, but also, ‘I Luv It.’”

“I Luv It” is accompanied by its official music video, shot in Miami earlier this year, and directed by Nicolás Méndez at Canada (Dua Lipa, Tame Impala, Travis Scott).

Take a look at the video for ‘I Luv It’ – here.

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Selena Gomez will return for the sequel series to her teen fantasy-comedy, Wizards of Waverly Place.  

Disney posted the news on Instagram, writing: “Making magic, then and now The new Wizards of Waverly Place series is coming this fall!”  with Gomez, 31, commenting on the post: “WE ARE BACK!! SOOOO GRATEFUL MAGIC.”

The project will be written and executive produced by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas, who are behind the Disney Channel comedy spinoff, Raven’s Home. The original Wizards of Waverly Place series ran from 2007 through 2012, co-starring David Henrie and Jake T. Austin. Henrie is also expected to reprise his role in the sequel series alongside Gomez, who will both serve as executive producers.

Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television, said in a statement: “Wizards of Waverly Place captivated hearts with its spellbinding adventures and big laughs, creating unforgettable memories for kids and families everywhere. We can’t wait to step back into the magical world of Wizards, inviting longtime fans and a new generation to experience the enchantment alongside Selena, David, and our incredible cast and crew.”

The Wizards sequel series is set to begin production starting next month in Los Angeles, and is expected to premiere later this year on Disney Channel and Disney+.

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Halle Bailey has shared the video for her new single, “In Your Hands.”

Says Halle of the song: “‘In Your Hands’ is an incredibly special song to me. It’s basically a message about fighting for a love that you know is an incredibly beautiful one-of-a-kind love, but also a reminder to that special someone that your love has changed their life and is something they won’t experience in this lifetime again. It’s a love song but also an empowerment song to ourselves, and a reminder that we are a one of a kind special being and that we’re worth more than all the diamonds and gold in the world.”

“In Your Hands,” co-written by Halle and Feli Ferraro, comes along with a visual directed by Anastasia Delmark. In the video, Halle cradles her newborn son, Halo, (who she shares with rapper DDG) as she performs the moving ballad.

Check out the video for “In Your Hands’ – here.

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The Kid Laroi will embark on a run of shows in North America as part of his ‘The First Time Tour.’

The 31-date North American leg kicks off on Saturday, May 18th in Vancouver at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, with stops in Seattle, Los Angeles, Denver, Miami, New York, Toronto, Detroit, and more before wrapping up on Wednesday, July 10th in Omaha, Nebraska. Glaive and Chase Shakur will serve as support on all North American dates.

The North American run follows the artist’s upcoming European leg of The First Time Tour which kicked-off Thursday, April 4th in Stockholm at Annexet and includes 12 shows across Amsterdam, Dublin, London, Berlin, Milan and more.

Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.

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Billie Eilish will release her highly anticipated third studio album, titled Hit Me Hard and Soft , on May 17th. The 22-year-old singer/songwriter worked on the new album with her brother, singer, songwriter and music producer Finneas O’Connell. Hit Me Hard and Soft is Eilish’s first album in nearly three years, since 2021’s ‘Happier Than Ever.’

Eilish wrote on Instagram: ““HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” MY THIRD ALBUMMMMMMMMMMMMM COMES OUT MAY 17THHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHH so crazy to be writing this right now i’m nervyyyyy & exciteddd not doing singles i wanna give it to you all at once :PPP finneas and i truly could not be more proud of this album and we absolutely can’t wait for you to hear it. love you love you love you. ”

More recently, Eilish’s single “What Was I Made For?” off the soundtrack to the Barbie film earned Billie and Finneas ‘Song of the Year’ honors at the Grammy Awards, ‘Best Original Song’ at the Golden Globes and the coveted ‘Best Original Song’ Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards.

To pre-order Hit Me Hard and Soft , head here.

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Dua Lipa will drop her third studio album, Radical Optimism, due out on May 3. The album will mark the artist’s first full-length effort since 2020’s Future Nostalgia.

Dua posted the album cover art on her socials: “RADICAL OPTIMISM * MY 3RD STUDIO ALBUM * OUT MAY 3RD 2024 * SHOT BY @tyronelebon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Dua also revealed the album’s tracklist, which features titles such as “End Of An Era,” “French Exit,” “Watcha Doing” and “Illusion,” among others. Dua’s previously-released tracks, “Houdini” and “Training Session,” also appear on the album, which presently does not include features.

Dua said in a statement: “A couple years ago, a friend introduced me to the term ‘radical optimism.’ It’s a concept that resonated with me, and I became more curious as I started to play with it and weave it into my life. It struck me – the idea of going through chaos gracefully and feeling like you can weather any storm. At the same time, I found myself looking through the music history of psychedelia, trip hop and Britpop. It has always felt so confidently optimistic to me, and that honesty and attitude is a feeling I took into my recording sessions.”

To pre-order Radical Optimism, head here.

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Billboard revealed that Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ has reached No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart, making her the first-ever Black female artist to achieve the feat since the chart’s launch in January 1964. In February, Beyoncé became the first-ever Black female artist to top the Hot Country Songs chart with the album’s lead single, “Texas Hold ‘Em.”

Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé’s eighth album, also reached the top spot on the Billboard 200, Americana/Folk Albums and Top Album Sales charts, having sold 407,000 equivalent album units in its first week of chart eligibility. Cowboy Carter claims the biggest week of 2024 and the largest since Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version), with 1.653 million units on the Nov. 11, 2023-dated list. The feat also marks Beyoncé’s biggest week by units, since her Lemonade album debuted at No. 1 with 653,000 units (mostly from traditional album sales) on the May 14, 2016, chart. The new effort also lands Beyoncé her biggest streaming week ever.

Cowboy Carter was released on March 29, and features “vocalists, musicians, and orators” including Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Linda Martell, Stevie Wonder, Chuck Berry, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Jon Batiste, Rhiannon Giddens, Nile Rodgers, Robert Randolph, Gary Clark, Jr., Willie Jones, Brittney Spencer, Shaboozey, Reyna Roberts, Tanner Adell and Tiera Kennedy. Additional collaborators on the project include The-Dream, Pharrell Williams, NO I.D., Raphael Saadiq, Ryan Tedder, Ryan Beatty, Swizz Beatz, Khirye Tyler, Derek Dixie, Ink, Nova Wav, Mamii, Cam, Tyler Johnson, Dave Hamelin and Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter.

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“Barbie The Movie: In Concert” will hit the road this summer, featuring a live orchestra performing alongside a screening of the film.

Macy Schmidt and the Barbie Land Sinfonietta, an all-women and majority women-of-color orchestra, will perform the Barbie score live at each stop of the 37-city tour, which kicks off on July 2nd in Tampa, Florida. The North American trek will also feature concerts in St. Louis, Denver, Nashville, Toronto, and a previously announced date in Los Angeles.

According to a press release, “the record-smashing film will be projected onto a giant LED screen above The Barbie Land Sinfonietta as they perform the film’s award-winning score. Music lends so much heart and excitement to the Barbie film; between the stunning and clever orchestral score and the upbeat iconic pop soundtrack, music is carrying us through the story. On top of getting to experience the film unlike ever before, Barbie The Movie: In Concert audiences will have the privilege of watching some of the world’s best musicians come together and do what they do best.”

Schmidt said: “Throughout this entire process, I’ve been so inspired by Mattel’s genuine commitment to everything this film stands for. I am particularly excited to be partnering with Mattel as I have long been inspired by Barbie’s purpose statement: ‘To inspire the limitless potential in every girl.’ It couldn’t be more aligned to have an all-women orchestra performing this film, bringing its message to life onstage.”

Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.

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