In case you forgot how absurd the amount of hate that plus-size women get for simply existing is, Lizzo just went off in a series of tweets about becoming the target of recent viral post prompting a dogpile of fatphobic, body-shaming comments.
On Wednesday (May 31), Lizzo shared a screenshot of a vitriolic tweet — in which a user shared a video of the Grammy winner dancing onstage and mocked her for being fat — and wrote, “I JUST logged on and the app and this is the type of s–t I see about me on a daily basis.”
“It’s really starting to make me hate the world,” the musician continued. “Then someone in the comments said I eat ‘lots of fast food.’ I LITERALLY STOPPED EATING FAST FOOD YEARS AGO… I’m tired of explaining myself all the time and I just wanna get on this app w/out seeing my name in some bulls–t.”
In subsequent tweets, she wrote, “The Love definitely do not outweigh the Hate on social media… all because I’m fat????” and “Y’all don’t know how close I be to giving up on everyone and quitting and enjoying my money and my man on a F–KING FARM…”
The “About Damn Time” singer has been transparent about the amount of body-shaming she’s received on social media, which she said just last week has only increased in recent months. To combat the negativity, she’s mostly kept her Twitter locked down on private — but that clearly hasn’t stopped bullies from appearing on her feed or in her mentions.
“I literally NEVER search my name this stuff just comes up on my TL & my FYP it’s wild,” the star also tweeted Wednesday. “I swear I just wanna look at dance videos and science news and this s–t comes in every day…”
A couple weeks prior, Lizzo had leveled with fans on TikTok about how a lot of people assume that she works out and eats healthy merely to lose weight, or “escape fatness,” as she put it. “As I got more professional in my career, I started to take the physical part more seriously,” she explained in the May 15 video. “I’ve always loved moving my body, I’ve always loved working out.”
“I think a lot of people see a fat person that way and immediately just assume everything they are doing is trying to be thin,” she added at the time. “I’m not trying to be thin, I don’t ever want to be thin.”
The Yitty founder echoed these sentiments in a follow-up tweet on Wednesday. “I’m not trying to BE fat I’m not trying to BE smaller I’m literally just trying to live and be healthy,” she shared. “This is what my body looks like even when I’m eating super clean and working out!”
She added: “Yall speak on s–t y’all know NOTHING ABOUT and I’m starting to get heated.”
Like Ted Lasso, Ed Sheeran is expert at shooting a laser-guided missile straight through your heart. On Wednesday (May 31) the the singer and the Apple TV+ series finally joined forces for a perfectly dramatic, tearjerker collab celebrating the finale of the pandemic breakout hit’s third season.
The episode features a sweeping ballad written by football-mad singer Sheeran entitled, “A Beautiful Game,” in which he waxes nostalgic about beginnings, endings and the triumph of love.
“Though we’ve not reached the end/ We should take some time apart/ Leave here with no regrets/ Knowing we gave our all,” Sheeran sings in the first verse of the tune that appears to point to a definitive end to the Jason Sudekis-led show about a scrappy soccer club that climbs from the depths to the heights thanks to Coach Lasso’s folksy wisdom, unorthodox style and a healthy dose of believe-in-yourself magic.
And while neither Apple nor Sudekis have given a definitive answer about Ted, or the show’s, future, Sheeran’s chorus has the feeling of a bittersweet farewell. “Out of the embers we’ll rise from the ashes/ Write in the stars with our names/ That we are here/ We are bruised, we are damaged/ But the joy was worth the pain/ Wooh, love’s a beautiful game.”Sheeran teased the new song on Tuesday night (May 30) in an Instagram video in which he revealed that he’d been asked to write it more than a year ago.
“I recorded bits of it whilst on tour using crowds from the stadiums that I’ve been playing, and I’m super, super, super proud of it,” Sheeran said. “I love the show. I’ve loved working on this song. I hope you enjoy it — just a bit of fun. Football!”
Listen to “A Beautiful Game” and watch Sheeran’s video below.
With just less than a week to go before The Idol premieres on Max, The Weeknd is turning up the promotional heat. On Wednesday (May 31), the “Blinding Lights” singer announced that the accompanying soundtrack for the Sam Levinson-directed drama series would be available for pre-order alongside a new single on June 2.
Titled “Popular,” the new single from The Idol, Vol. 1 features Madonna and Playboi Carti. The new single serves as the first musical release of 2023 for both Madonna and Playboi Carti. “Popular” follows the Future-assisted “Double Fantasy” as the second taste of The Idol soundtrack. Originally released on April 21 as the lead single from the soundtrack, “Double Fantasy” has since peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Starring Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, Lily-Rose Depp, Troye Sivan, Jennie Ruby Jane, Moses Sumney and Mike Dean, The Idol explores the dark intersection of popular music, celebrity culture, drugs, sex and contemporary cult aesthetics. The embattled and already controversial series received a standard five-minute standing ovation at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, and at press time has a score of 25% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Idol marks The Weeknd’s first proper television role, and he is also a credited writer, co-creator and executive producer of the series.
The Weeknd has been a mainstay on the Hot 100 in 2023. This year, he notched a pair of top 10 hits in the No. 3-peaking “Creepin’” (with Metro Boomin and 21 Savage) and “Die for You,” an Ariana Grande-assisted remix of his runaway 2016 hit, which became the seventh chart-topper for both artists. The “Save Your Tears” singer has earned 16 top 10 hits on the Hot 100, and he has sent four titles to the top of the Billboard 200 including Grammy-winning albums such as Beauty Behind the Madness and Starboy.
See The Weeknd’s announcement of the Playboi Carti and Madonna single below:
With June/Black Music Month just around the corner — doubly heightened by this year’s celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary — Billboard is back again with, yes, another GOAT list. This time, we’re counting down the 50 Greatest Rap Groups of All Time.
As with our inaugural golden anniversary salute, the 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the rap groups reveal will roll out in 10 weekly increments beginning today (May 24) with those ranked 50-41. Then over the next four weeks, 10 more groups will be unveiled with the final top 10 being announced on June 21.
In determining these rankings, the Billboard editorial team again took the following criteria into account, not in any specific order: body of work/achievements (charted singles/albums, gold/platinum certifications, other awards), cultural impact/influence (how the group’s work fostered the genre’s evolution), longevity (years at the mic), lyrics (storytelling skills) and flow (vocal prowess). Our definition of groups includes duos, proper groups and more nebulous collectives. Most notably, Inclusion on this list is based on the accomplishments of the group as a unit — not what the individuals may have separately accomplished. We tried to walk the line between what constitutes a group versus a collective or a crew, though at times that was not entirely clear.
It bears repeating that this undertaking wasn’t handled lightly. It took much deliberation and even deeper discussions to reason our way to what we believe is a well-thought-out, authentic list that reflects hip-hop’s foundational pioneers, evolutionary trailblazers and contemporary disruptors.The selected groups also encompass 50 years of cultural milestones for a genre initially dismissed as a passing fad — and now recognized as the industry’s market share leader.
So as the curtain raises on Nos. 50-41 of Billboard’s 50 Greatest Rap Groups of All Time, let the industry and fan debates rage once again.
South Korean group (G)I-DLE re-enters Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart (dated June 3) at No. 1, becoming the top emerging act in the United States for the first time, thanks to its new release, I Feel.
The set, released May 15 via Cube Entertainment, debuts at No. 1 on World Albums, No. 7 on Top Album Sales and No. 41 on the Billboard 200 with 18,000 equivalent album units, including 16,000 in album sales, in the May 19-25 tracking week, according to Luminate. It becomes the group’s first No. 1 on the World Albums chart, following five top 10s.
The album is also the group’s highest charting entry on the Billboard 200, after one previous title, I Love, its fifth mini album, reached No. 71 last November.
In the Emerging Artists chart’s six-year history, (G)I-DLE is the eighth K-pop group to hit No. 1, following NCT, BLACKPINK, NCT 127 (all in 2018); TOMORROW X TOGETHER, NCT DREAM (both 2019); ATEEZ (2021); and xikers (April).
(G)I-DLE comprises members Minnie, Miyeon, Shuhua, Soyeon and Yuqi.
Meanwhile, Hawaii-born Polynesian singer-songwriter – and new American Idol champion – Iam Tongi debuts at No. 3 on Emerging Artists, thanks to two songs: “I’ll Be Seeing You” and an apt cover of ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All.” The former, released May 19 via 19/BMG, debuts at No. 1 on Rock Digital Song Sales, and No. 3 on Digital Song Sales, with 11,000 downloads sold. It also starts at No. 19 on Hot Rock Songs and No. 23 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, bolstered by 996,000 U.S. streams. “Winner” debuts at No. 19 on Rock Digital Song Sales (2,000 sold).
Tongi was crowned the winner of ABC’s American Idol May 21. Also on the season finale, Tongi teamed with James Blunt to perform a duet of the latter’s 2019 track “Monsters.” The performance sparked the original’s 925% vault to 10,000 sold and a No. 4 re-entry on Digital Song Sales.
The Emerging Artists chart ranks the most popular developing artists of the week, using the same formula as the all-encompassing Billboard Artist 100, which measures artist activity across multiple Billboard charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200. (The Artist 100 lists the most popular acts, overall, each week.) However, the Emerging Artists chart excludes acts that have notched a top 25 entry on either the Hot 100 or Billboard 200, as well as artists that have achieved two or more top 10s on Billboard’s “Hot” song genre charts and/or consumption-based “Top” album genre rankings.
For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Flume, Confidence Man, Julia Jacklin, Daniel Johns and Vance Joy are among the high-profile nominees for the 2023 AIR Awards, set for Aug. 3 in Adelaide, South Australia.
The coveted independent album of the year will be contested by former Silverchair frontman Johns (for FutureNever), Jacklin (Pre Pleasure), King Stingray (King Stingray), Laura Jean (Amateurs), and Northlane (Obsidian).
Also in the running for honors are Cub Sport, Genesis Owusu, The Jungle Giants, Ball Park Music, Pnau & Troye Sivan, and The Wiggles, organizers the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) announced Wednesday (March 31).
In a change from tradition, AIR this year adds two new industry categories, independent marketing team of the year and independent publicity team of the year, while the main business category — best independent label — will be selected from a shortlist that features ABC Music, Chapter Music, Domestic La La, Liberation and UNFD.
This year’s edition will be held at the Freemasons Hall in the city of churches, through a long-term alliance with the South Australian government.
“It is fantastic to be hosting the awards here in Adelaide – Australia’s only UNESCO City of Music – and I congratulate all of the nominees,” comments state minister for arts Andrea Michaels member of parliament.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to recognise the work the independent music industry does in providing talented and emerging artists and music businesses with a platform to share their art with a wider audience.”
The 17th annual AIR Awards will be bookended by the Indie-Con Australia conference, a gathering that focuses “on issues that are specifically relevant to the independent music sector,” organizers explain. Indie-Con is set for Aug. 2-4 at Mercury Cinema.
BEST INDEPENDENT BLUES AND ROOTS ALBUM OR EP BABY VELVET – Please Don’t Be In Love With Someone Else DOPE LEMON – Rose Pink Cadillac LITTLE QUIRKS – Call to Unknowns WILLIAM CRIGHTON – Water and Dust ZIGGY ALBERTS – Dancing In The Dark
BEST INDEPENDENT HIP HOP ALBUM OR EP ALLDAY – Excuse Me DANTÉ KNOWS – Phase One JESSWAR – LIFE’S SHORT, LIVE BIG KWEEN G – Sensible Rebel YAWDOESITALL – LIFE I CHOSE
BEST INDEPENDENT COUNTRY ALBUM OR EP ADAM BRAND – All or Nothing ANDY GOLLEDGE – Strength Of A Queen CASEY BARNES – Light It Up FREYA JOSEPHINE HOLLICK – The Real World LYN BOWTELL – Wiser
BEST INDEPENDENT JAZZ ALBUM OR EP BARNEY MCALL – Precious Energy DONNY BENÉT – Le Piano JEREMY ROSE – Face to Face MILDLIFE – Live From South Channel Island SURPRISE CHEF – Education & Recreation
BEST INDEPENDENT CLASSICAL ALBUM OR EP ENSEMBLE OFFSPRING – To Listen, To Sing – Ngarra-Burria: First Peoples Composers MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA/BENJAMIN NORTHEY – Nigel Westlake: Blueback [Original Motion Picture Score] MIRUSIA – Songbird TASMANIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – Nightlight WILLIAM BARTON/VERONIQUE SERRET – Heartland
BEST INDEPENDENT CHILDREN’S ALBUM OR EP EMILY WURRAMARA – Ayarra Emeba (Calm Songs) EMMA MEMMA – Emma Memma PLAY SCHOOL – Very Jazzy Street Party TEENY TINY STEVIES – How to Be Creative THE WIGGLES – ReWiggled
BEST INDEPENDENT DANCE, ELECTRONICA OR CLUB SINGLE CUB SPORT – Always Got The Love FLUME – Say Nothing feat. MAY-A LIME CORDIALE, IDRIS ELBA, FATBOY SLIM – Holiday Fatboy Slim Remix MEMPHIS LK – Coffee PNAU & TROYE SIVAN – You Know What I Need
BEST INDEPENDENT PUNK ALBUM OR EP BODY TYPE – Everything Is Dangerous But Nothing’s Surprising HARD-ONS – Yummy! PRESS CLUB – Endless Motion TEEN JESUS AND THE JEAN TEASERS – Pretty Good For A Girl Band THESE NEW SOUTH WHALES – TNSW
BEST INDEPENDENT HEAVY ALBUM OR EP CLAMM – Care NORTHLANE – Obsidian PARKWAY DRIVE – Darker Still THORNHILL – Heroine YOURS TRULY – is this what i look like?
BEST INDEPENDENT DANCE OR ELECTRONICA ALBUM OR EP CONFIDENCE MAN – TILT FLUME – Palaces NINAJIRACHI – Second Nature TELENOVA – Stained Glass Love (Telenoir Versions) THE JUNGLE GIANTS – Love Signs Remixed
BEST INDEPENDENT ROCK ALBUM OR EP BALL PARK MUSIC – Weirder & Weirder CAMP COPE – Running with the Hurricane KING STINGRAY – King Stingray OCEAN ALLEY – Low Altitude Living SLOWLY SLOWLY – Daisy Chain
BEST INDEPENDENT SOUL/RNB ALBUM OR EP ASHLI – Only One BECKAH AMANI – April FELIVAND – Ties WANDERERS – WANDERERS WINSTON SURFSHIRT – Panna Cotta
BEST INDEPENDENT POP ALBUM OR EP BIG SCARY – Me and You DANIEL JOHNS – FutureNever JEM CASSAR-DALEY – I Don’t Know Who To Call TELENOVA – Stained Glass Love VANCE JOY – In Our Own Sweet Time
BREAKTHROUGH INDEPENDENT ARTIST OF THE YEAR – PRESENTED BY PPCA ANDY GOLLEDGE JEM CASSAR-DALEY KING STINGRAY TEEN JESUS AND THE JEAN TEASERS WANDERERS
INDEPENDENT SONG OF THE YEAR CUB SPORT – Always Got The Love GENESIS OWUSU – Get Inspired JEN CLOHER – Mana Takatāpui JULIA JACKLIN – I Was Neon KING STINGRAY – Camp Dog
INDEPENDENT ALBUM OF THE YEAR DANIEL JOHNS – FutureNever JULIA JACKLIN – PRE PLEASURE KING STINGRAY – King Stingray LAURA JEAN – Amateurs NORTHLANE – Obsidian
INDEPENDENT MARKETING TEAM OF THE YEAR ABC MUSIC, THE ORCHARD – The Wiggles, ReWiggled CHUGG MUSIC, THE ANNEX – Lime Cordiale, Cordi Elba DOMESTIC LA LA – Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Pretty Good For A Girl Band FUTURE CLASSIC – Flume, Palaces I OH YOU, MUSHROOM MARKETING – Confidence Man, TILT
INDEPENDENT PUBLICITY TEAM OF THE YEAR GENNA ALEXOPOULOS – Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Pretty Good For A Girl Band MUSHROOM PUBLICITY – Confidence Man, TILT POSITIVE FEEDBACK – Lime Cordiale, Cordi Elba RPM, THE COMMS DEPARTMENT – The Wiggles, ReWiggled THINKING LOUD – Genesis Owusu, Get Inspired
BEST INDEPENDENT LABEL ABC MUSIC CHAPTER MUSIC DOMESTIC LA LA LIBERATION UNFD
In celebration of their 10th anniversary, the K-pop superstars will drop “Take Two,” a new digital single, on June 9.
The title of “Take Two” is a nod to BTS progressing into “their second chapter,” reads a statement from their reps at HYBE, and is said to be an “ode to their fans” — ARMY.
Bandmate SUGA participated in the production of the new recording, with RM and j-hope contributing to the songwriting, the statement continues.
As previously reported, the South Korea-formed phenomenon will celebrate their milestone with BTS 10th Anniversary FESTA. The annual event coincides with the date of the group’s debut (June 13, 2013), and will roll out from today, culminating in a grand finale June 17 in Seoul.
BTS FESTA at Yeouido, in the South Korean capital, will be open to the public.
Formed around Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, BTS made its first Billboard chart appearance in 2013, when “No More Dreams” debuted at No. 14 on World Digital Song Sales (before climbing to No. 2 seven years later). Since then, the group has broken numerous records, including the most Hot 100 No. 1 debuts among groups and the most top 10 debuts among groups. All seven members have now scored solo hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
With BTS having tallied six Hot 100 No. 1s, and Jimin notching his first with “Like Crazy,” BTS joined the Beatles and the Supremes as the only groups with at least six leaders and at least one member having led the list solo.
The hits have dropped around the globe. In the U.K., BTS has bagged five top 10 appearances on the national albums survey, including two No. 1s. The septet has also hit the top 10 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart on four occasions.
The late, great Tina Turner is about to make a major chart comeback.
As U.K. fans mourn Turner’s death last Wednesday (May 24), aged 83, the legendary performer could land four titles in the national albums chart, led by The Platinum Collection. Turner’s career retrospective could crack the top 10 for the first time, reentering at No. 8 on the midweek chart, the Official Charts Company reports. The Platinum Collection originally peaked at No. 14 following its release in 2009.
Close behind is Turner’s 1989 LP Foreign Affair, which features her hit “The Best.” Foreign Affair is set to reenter the Official Chart at No. 10.
Another hits compilation, 1994’s The Collected Recordings, is poised for a No. 12 return, while the U.S. superstar’s Private Dancer from 1984, one of the greatest comebacks of the 20th century, could vault to No. 31, having originally peaked at No. 2.
During her lifetime, Turner landed nine top 10 albums in the U.K., including two No. 1s (Foreign Affair and the soundtrack to What’s Love Got To Do With It).
Lewis Capaldi blasted to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart last Friday (May 26) with Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, the fastest-selling album of 2023. Broken By Desire leads the midweek chart again, ahead of two former leaders, Taylor Swift’s Midnights (up 10-2), which benefits from the release of Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition); and Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (up 5-3), which lifts as he makes a victory lap of his homeland with his Love On Tour.
Meanwhile, Mick Hucknall’s Simply Red could bag the highest new entry with Time, new at No. 4 on the Official Chart Update. If Time keeps ticking away, it’ll give the British act their 15th U.K. top 10.
Also eyeing top 10 berths are singer-songwriter Arlo Parks’ sophomore album My Soft Machine, the followup to the U.K. indie star’s debut Mercury Prize-winning LP from 2021, Collapsed in Sunbeam. My Soft Machine is new at No. 5 on the chart blast.
Finally, veteran alternative pop act Sparks’ is set for a best chart position since 1974 with The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte. The U.S. act, which recently completed a tour of the U.K., is eying a No. 6 bow on the national chart.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday (June 2).
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