TAYLOR SWIFT

SZA, Taylor Swift, And Morgan Wallen Show Out On Billboard Mid-Year Report

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Earlier today, Billboard released a massive sweeping mid-year report detailing which songs and albums have been the most popular in the first half of 2023. While there are a few surprises here and there, most of the big names you’d expect made the list. Country star Morgan Wallen proved absolutely dominant with both the first and fourth highest selling albums of the year. His newly released One Thing At A Time was particularly dominant. The album sold over a million more copies than anything else this year. He also scored the top streaming song of the year with his mega-hit “Last Night” which has spent 13 weeks at number 1 on the Hot 100.

Another big performed as expected was Taylor Swift. She clocked in on the albums chart with the third and tenth highest selling albums of the year so far. Her album Midnights from last year topped the charts in terms of pure album sales. The album’s single Anti-Hero also turned up on both the On-Demand Streaming and Top Radio Songs lists. The other big star of the show was SZA, whose long-awaited album SOS was the second highest selling record of the year so far. She also placed the albums smash hit single “Kill Bill” on both the On-Demand Streaming and Top Radio Songs list.

Billboard’s 2023 Mid-Year Report

In a year where much has been made about the lack of major hit songs and albums in rap music, the genre wasn’t completely under-represented. Two rap albums turned up in the Top 10 Best Selling albums, though they are both from last year. Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains slotted in at number five while Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss came in at number 7.

While recently released hit albums like Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape and Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) don’t appear on the report, it’s only because they’re too new. Pink Tape became the first rap album to hit number one all year earlier this week and Speak Now just racked up the highest selling week of any album so far this year in just 4 days. What do you think of the Billboard Mid-Year Report for 2023? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: Metro Boomin Shouts Out Lil Uzi Vert For “Pink Tape” Being First No. 1 Rap Album Of 2023

[Via]

The post SZA, Taylor Swift, And Morgan Wallen Show Out On Billboard Mid-Year Report appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

SZA, Taylor Swift, And Morgan Wallen Show Out On Billboard Mid-Year Report

by

Earlier today, Billboard released a massive sweeping mid-year report detailing which songs and albums have been the most popular in the first half of 2023. While there are a few surprises here and there, most of the big names you’d expect made the list. Country star Morgan Wallen proved absolutely dominant with both the first and fourth highest selling albums of the year. His newly released One Thing At A Time was particularly dominant. The album sold over a million more copies than anything else this year. He also scored the top streaming song of the year with his mega-hit “Last Night” which has spent 13 weeks at number 1 on the Hot 100.

Another big performed as expected was Taylor Swift. She clocked in on the albums chart with the third and tenth highest selling albums of the year so far. Her album Midnights from last year topped the charts in terms of pure album sales. The album’s single Anti-Hero also turned up on both the On-Demand Streaming and Top Radio Songs lists. The other big star of the show was SZA, whose long-awaited album SOS was the second highest selling record of the year so far. She also placed the albums smash hit single “Kill Bill” on both the On-Demand Streaming and Top Radio Songs list.

Billboard’s 2023 Mid-Year Report

In a year where much has been made about the lack of major hit songs and albums in rap music, the genre wasn’t completely under-represented. Two rap albums turned up in the Top 10 Best Selling albums, though they are both from last year. Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains slotted in at number five while Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss came in at number 7.

While recently released hit albums like Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape and Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) don’t appear on the report, it’s only because they’re too new. Pink Tape became the first rap album to hit number one all year earlier this week and Speak Now just racked up the highest selling week of any album so far this year in just 4 days. What do you think of the Billboard Mid-Year Report for 2023? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: Metro Boomin Shouts Out Lil Uzi Vert For “Pink Tape” Being First No. 1 Rap Album Of 2023

[Via]

The post SZA, Taylor Swift, And Morgan Wallen Show Out On Billboard Mid-Year Report appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Ice Spice Gushed That Taylor Swift Gives Her ‘So Much Advice’ And They Talk ‘All The Time’

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Taylor Swift, Ice Spice
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Ice Spice and Taylor Swift were an unexpected crossover, but when it happened it made sense. The pair teamed up for the new version of “Karma” from Swift’s Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition).

In a new interview with The Guardian, Ice Spice elaborated on her friendship with Swift. “I was like: ‘You f*ck with my project? Like, what?’” she said. “She’s so sweet — I was so obsessed with how humble she was and willing to work. She gives me so much advice — we talk all the time and she’s so funny… But I can’t say what she be telling me.”

Swift also discussed their friendship back in May. “Collaborating with Ice Spice on ‘Karma’ was one of the most natural things,” she said. “She reached out through her team just kind of saying, ‘Hey, you know, Ice has been a big fan of Taylor since she was a little kid. We’d love to collaborate if that was ever something that came about.’ And I had been listening to her nonstop like getting ready for my tour I was just listening to Ice Spice constantly.

She continued, “So I immediately got her number and said, ‘Hey, would you want to do your version of ‘Karma’? Do you relate to this? And so she jumped in headfirst and getting to know her has been so special because I’m blown away by her. She is — in my opinion — she is the one to watch. Just watching her work ethic and how thoughtfully she approaches her career — she’s like my new favorite artist and I’m so honored that she’s on the song. So, yeah, what a joy!”

Taylor Swift Fans Believe ‘Castles Crumbling’ Is Connected To Her 2009 VMAs Incident With Kanye West

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Kanye West is about as provocative as they come these days, but there was a point in his life, years ago, when swiping the microphone from Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards was considered a relatively major controversy for him. Fast-forward to present day: Taylor Swift just released her latest re-recorded album, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). One of the previously unreleased “From The Vault” songs is a Hayley Williams collaboration called “Castles Crumbling,” and Swifties are convinced the song is about the West situation.

One fan on Twitter theorized, “‘they used to chant my name now they’re screaming that they hate me’ oh my god she wrote castles crumbling after the VMAs when she thought she was getting booed… she thought everyone hated her… i’m gonna jump off a bridge #SpeakNowTaylorsVersion.” Another wrote, “i just realized that castles crumbling is about what happened after the vmas when she thought everyone was booing her.. ‘my frozen friends watched my reign end’….’used to chant my name now now they’re screaming that they hate me..’”

Swift hasn’t addressed this, but Williams recently said of Swift, “Taylor was the first industry friend I ever made and hung out with outside of work things. When Speak Now dropped, I bought my friend’s record (as you do!) and listened to the whole thing in my first car, sitting still in the driveway. It’s my favorite Taylor Swift album for so many reasons.”

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is out now via Republic. Find more information here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Drake Meets Taylor Swift Lookalike And Immediately Makes A Joke

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Overall, Drake is one of the biggest artists in the world. Consequently, he very much gets treated like it. Right now, the artist is on tour with 21 Savage as they go all across North America. The first two tour stops were in Chicago, and they were massive successes. As we reported yesterday, Drizzy showcased a ton of interesting visuals during the first night. Additionally, he dissed Childish Gambino which turned out to be quite the news story. Needless to say, the artist knows how to make headlines.

Last night marked the second night in Chicago, and for the most part, it went a bit smoother. Furthermore, this performance coincided with the release of Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). As it turns out, while in Chicago, Drake got to meet a lookalike of the famous artist. This subsequently led to him posting the encounter on his Instagram story. He did so with the caption “Congrats on the drop sis. Dialed in.” Overall, this is a pretty funny thing to do considering it isn’t actually Swift.

Read More: Drake Opens Tour Next To What Appears To Be A Hologram Of Himself

Drake With Some Kind Words For Taylor

The woman in the photo goes by the name Jaime Kitt Carson. She is well-aware of the fact that she looks like Taylor Swift. Although, she wasn’t going up to Drake in the context of whom she resembles. Instead, she was simply working somewhere when Drake arrived. She even detailed how he was very nice and the whole thing is quite humorous to her. That said, there are some people taking exception to her, albeit they are T-Swift stans who are known for their psychopathy.

As for Drake, he is looking to continue his tour this weekend in Detroit. From there, he will be heading to Boston as well as Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has been a fun tour so far, and we can’t wait to see what else takes place. Let us know what you think of the Taylor Swift lookalike story, in the comments below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news from around the music world.

Read More: Drake Blasts Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” On Tour, Calls It “Overrated”

The post Drake Meets Taylor Swift Lookalike And Immediately Makes A Joke appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Drake Congratulated Taylor Swift (Or Rather, A Super Convincing Lookalike) On The Release Of ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’

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Drake Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert 2022
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A few hours ago, Taylor Swift released the highly anticipated new re-recorded album, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). As with any Swift project, it’s a major event in the music industry, and Drake found a funny way to chime in.

On his Instagram Story, he shared a photo of himself with a woman who isn’t Swift but sure does look a lot like her. He wrote on the photo, “Congrats on the drop sis. Dialed In.”

drake taylor swift lookalike
@champagnepapi/Instagram

The lookalike is actually a woman named Jaime Kitt Carson (who, by the way, has the excellent Instagram username of @trailer____swift). She took to Twitter to explain that the encounter happened while she was at work last night, and that Drake was “so nice.”

Carson apparently got some sort of negative feedback, as she tweeted a photo of herself giving a thumbs up and wrote, “getting cyberbullied on twitter cause drake posted a photo with me on his IG story <3 worth it.”

The release of the new album confirmed suspicions that Swift switched up the lyrics to the song “Better Than Revenge.” Meanwhile, Swift’s music popped up in the new season of The Bear, so check out our interview with the people who curated the show’s music here.

Ice Spice Owns Two Spots In The Top 10 Of The ‘Billboard’ Hot 100 For The Second Time This Year

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Ice Spice 2023 BET Awards
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It’s getting more difficult to remember a Billboard Hot 100 that didn’t include Ice Spice, despite the fact Ice Spice’s Hot 100 debut (“Gangsta Boo” with Lil Tjay) came in January 2023. This week’s Billboard Hot 100 dated July 8 features Ice Spice, Nicki Minaj, and Aqua’s Barbie movie soundtrack single “Barbie World” debuting at No. 7, one slot above “Karma” by Taylor Swift featuring Ice Spice.

Per Billboard, “Barbie World” — Ice Spice and Minaj’s reinvention of the Aqua classic — is Ice Spice’s fourth top-10 Hot 100 entry and Minaj’s 23rd. Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” tops the chart for a 13th week.

The publication contextualized the feat for both women:

“The track bows as Minaj’s 23rd Hot 100 top 10 – extending her record for the most among female rappers – while she ties Whitney Houston for the sixth-most among women overall in the chart’s history. Taylor Swift leads all women with 40 top 10s, followed by Madonna (38), Rihanna (32), Mariah Carey (28), and Janet Jackson (27). Ice Spice scores her fourth Hot 100 top 10, and second with Minaj, after their ‘Princess Diana‘ debuted and peaked at No. 4 in April.”

Along with “Barbie World,” “Princess Diana,” and “Karma,” Ice Spice’s other top-10 entry was “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2” with PinkPantheress. In fact, this week isn’t the first in 2023 when Ice Spice had two top-10 hits on a Hot 100 chart, as “Princess Diana” and “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2” occupied No. 4 and No. 10, respectively, in late April.

“YALL!!!!! 2 songs in the TOP 10 is crazy!!!!!!! Congratulations!!! Princesssssssss @icespicee_ #PrincessDiana #HeavyOnIt #Barbz #Munchkins Stay tuned Love you guys sm,” Minaj tweeted on April 24.

“Thxxxx queen,” Ice Spice tweeted back. “We eatin good tn !”

Minaj will soon be eyeing the Billboard 200 crown, as she announced the release date for her forthcoming Pink Friday 2 album last week.

Barbie arrives in theaters on July 21. The accompanying star-studded, Mark Ronson-produced soundtrack is also due that day, boasting Ice Spice, Minaj, PinkPantheress, Ava Max, Charli XCX, Dominic Fike, Dua Lipa, Fifty Fifty, Gayle, Haim, Kali, Karol G, Khalid, Lizzo, Ryan Gosling, Tame Impala, and The Kid Laroi.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Most Anticipated Concert Tours Of Summer 2023

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Anticipated Summer Tours
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Summer has officially arrived. Though many spring festivals are already behind us — from the chaotic Coachella to the stacked Governors Ball — there are many opportunities for music fans to catch exciting performances in the coming months. No matter what you listen to, there’s something for you, whether that’s Taylor Swift’s instantly-iconic The Eras Tour, Drake and 21 Savage’s hyped-up collaborative run, or Big Thief’s highly anticipated lap. See the most anticipated concert tours of summer 2023 below.

Taylor Swift

Let’s start with the obvious. Since the first night in March, The Eras Tour has been all anyone’s ever talking about. With openers like Paramore, Phoebe Bridgers, Beabadoobee, and more on select dates, the shows are a formula for perfection. The setlist is a whopping 44 songs from all of her different albums, and the extravagant outfits and dance choreography only make it even more special.

Beyoncé

Beyoncé’s Renaissance was the biggest album of last year, serving as the highly anticipated follow-up to 2016’s colossal Lemonade. So it makes sense that the legend’s tour for her new record stretches all the way from May to September, stopping by as many stages as possible. It’s already going strong, with a Tiny Turner tribute in London and an appearance from her daughter Blue Ivy in Paris. Check out the full dates here.

Zach Bryan

“Without this album I don’t know where I would have turned when I didn’t have anyone who understood,” Zach Bryan wrote on Instagram about his debut album American Heartbreak, which came out a year ago. He’s bringing those songs on the road with him on The Burn, Burn, Burn Tour, and he’s making sure it’s a good time by keeping tickets affordable despite Ticketmaster’s wrath.

Metallica

Earlier this year, Metallica unleashed their highly anticipated new album 72 Seasons. Beginning in August and going all the way through the fall, their world tour will come to the US with bands like Pantera, Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Nine Kills, and Mammoth WVH. It won’t be an event to miss.

Karol G

Last year, Karol G was named the most-streamed female Latin artist on Spotify. She shared her fourth studio album Mañana Será Bonito in February, and it was a major moment for the world-dominating artist. With a Shakira collaboration and tons of catchy hits “Provenza” and “Amargura,” it only elevated her status as a pop queen, and her upcoming tour is definitely going to be a must-attend. It kicks off in Chicago at Lollapalooza and ends in New Jersey in September.

Drake/21 Savage

Drake and 21 Savage had fun building up the anticipation of their collaborative album Her Loss last fall with shenanigans like a faux NPR Tiny Desk and a fake Howard Stern interview. The two are unpredictable when they’re together, but that record proved their musical chemistry. The It’s All A Blur Tour is a run that ranges all the way from June to October; they’ll be stopping by a lot of cities, so there are no excuses. Drake even has a new album on the way.

Dominic Fike

Dominic Fike announced his sophomore album Sunburn at the end of May and shared dates for the Don’t Stare At The Sun Tour along with it. The singles have been previewing an eclectic record from the Euphoria star. The run begins in Indiana in July and ends in Kentucky in August.

aespa

aespa’s SYNK: Hyper Line World Tour is no casual affair. Earlier this year, they became the first K-pop act to perform at Governors Ball. They’re taking their show to stages in Europe, the United States, and Latin America this summer. It kicks off in California in August and continues until the end of September.

Big Thief

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief was one of the most beloved indie albums of 2022. Since then, the band has taken the stage on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to perform an unreleased ballad called “Vampire Empire” and fans have not stopped begging for an official release. Hopefully they’ll play in on their upcoming tour, which starts in July in Vermont and ends in California in August.

Paramore

Hayley Williams brought out Lil Uzi Vert for “Misery Business” at Madison Square Garden, paid tribute to Tina Turner with a performance of “What’s Love Got To Do With It” in Atlanta, and covered Fleetwood Mac in Dublin all on Paramore’s tour for This Is Why. It’s been getting better with every show, and the shows are raging until August.

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran’s The Mathematics Tour just stopped by New Jersey at MetLife Stadium, and it broke an attendance record for having just above 89,000 fans in the crowd. The pop star just released his sixth studio album – (Subtract), and the setlist is packed with songs from it as well as his beloved radio hits.

Beabadoobee

Beabadoobee was busy earlier this year opening up for Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour. The singer unleashed her sophomore album Beatopia this year, and collaborated with Clairo for “The Glue Song” in April. She just has a few dates coming up in the United States, and only in New York City, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and a recently-added date in Seattle.

Post Malone

The name of the If Y’all Weren’t Here I’d Be Crying Tour is an accurate depiction of Post Malone’s vulnerability and his appreciation of his fans. The “Circles” performer is dropping his new album Austin at the end of July but he’ll hit the road at the start of that month. It stops by cities all over North America and it’ll definitely be a simultaneously fun and emotional time.

Don Toliver

In February, Don Toliver unveiled his new album Love Sick. It’s coming to life on stage on the Love Sick Tour, which is already in the midst after kicking off in Colorado. It will hit Atlanta, Houstin, Los Angeles and more in July with opener Pi’erre Bourne as well as “special guests” that’ve been teased.

Moneybagg Yo

Uproxx cover star Moneybagg Yo is not messing around. The rapper shared his new mixtape Hard To Love at the start of June and then announced his Larger Than Life Tour, which brings along rising stars Finesse2Tymes, Sexxy Red, Luh Tyler, Big Boogie, and YTB Fatt. It’ll kick off in August.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Bidens, Taylor Swift, Megan Thee Stallion, And Many More Helped The USWNT Announce Its Women’s World Cup Roster

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The United States women’s national team is headed to Australia and New Zealand this summer with the hopes of becoming the first team to ever win the FIFA Women’s World Cup three times in a row. After lifting the World Cup in Canada in 2015 and France in 2019, the Americans have their sights set on history — not only would going back-to-back-to-back be unprecedented, but winning this time around with mark the fifth time they’ve won the tournament.

Wednesday was a big day for the team, as U.S. Soccer announced the 23 players who will make up the squad this time around. Beyond the release that includes the full list of players, the USWNT had some fun by lining up some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment, and politics to help with the announcement — in a video posted to the official USWNT Twitter account, Joe and Jill Biden, Issa Rae, Mariska Hargitay, Taylor Swift, Shaquille O’Neal, Megan Thee Stallion, Tina Fey, Rainn Wilson, Blake Lively, Lamorne Morris, Mikaela Shiffrin, Amy Rodriguez, Gabrielle Union, Matt Turner, Sophia Bush, Kelly Slater, Breanna Stewart, Tim Howard, Quinta Brunson, Mia Hamm, John Cena, Jalen Hurts, Brooke Baldwin, and Lil Wayne all read off the names of members of the roster.

And here is the full roster, via U.S. Soccer:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Aubrey Kingsbury* (Washington Spirit; 1), Casey Murphy* (North Carolina Courage; 14), Alyssa Naeher*** (Chicago Red Stars; 90)

DEFENDERS (7): Alana Cook* (OL Reign; 24/1), Crystal Dunn** (Portland Thorns FC; 131/24), Emily Fox* (North Carolina Courage; 28/1), Naomi Girma* (San Diego Wave FC; 15/0), Sofia Huerta* (OL Reign; 29/0), Kelley O’Hara**** (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 157/3), Emily Sonnett** (OL Reign; 74/1)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Savannah DeMelo* (Racing Louisville FC; 0/0), Julie Ertz*** (Angel City FC; 118/20), Lindsey Horan** (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 128/27), Rose Lavelle** (OL Reign; 88/24), Kristie Mewis* (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 51/7), Ashley Sanchez* (Washington Spirit; 24/3), Andi Sullivan* (Washington Spirit; 44/3)

FORWARDS (6): Alex Morgan**** (San Diego Wave FC; 206/121), Megan Rapinoe**** (OL Reign; 199/63), Trinity Rodman* (Washington Spirit; 17/2), Sophia Smith* (Portland Thorns FC; 29/12), Alyssa Thompson* (Angel City FC; 3/0), Lynn Williams* (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 52/15)

*: First Women’s World Cup
**: Second Women’s World Cup
***: Third Women’s World Cup
****: Fourth Women’s World Cup

The USWNT will begin group play on July 23 against Vietnam. From there, the squad will play The Netherlands — which it beat in the 2019 Final — on July 27 before wrapping up group play on August 1 against Portugal.

Flavor Flav Declares He’s In His ‘Red (Taylor’s Version) Era’ While Attending Taylor Swift’s Detroit Show

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Flavor Flav is going to have a blast tonight and he’s already off to a great start. He posted a new picture to social media where he declared he’s in his “RED (Taylor’s Version) Era and makin new friends” while attending Swift’s Eras Tour show in Detroit.

His outfit matched the era with a “I Knew She Was Trouble” t-shirt, a red hat, and of course, a red bedazzled clock around his neck. He also showed off his large stack of friendship bracelets that are usually traded between fans — but he probably received some for free from the VIP tent.

“Had to check myself and what version ya boy was reppin,,, artists supporting other artists,” he added.

Over the past few months, he’s been a serious supporter of her. So much so, that Swift and Flavor Flav posed for a sweet pic together at the iHeartRadio Music Awards earlier this year. “I always loved Taylor Swift’s music,” he said at the red carpet that night. “I’m here to support her. I’m here to support my girl.”

Swifties are loving Flav’s posts from the show and are wishing him nothing but the best time.

Check out Flavor Flav’s post above. Continue scrolling for some more Swiftie reactions.