Month: May 2023

No one is more excited for Ice Spice‘s feature on the new “Karma” remix than Taylor Swift. In a clip shared by Spotify, the pop star gushed about her latest collaborator and explained how the team-up — which dropped at midnight Friday (May 26) — came to be.

“Collaborating with Ice Spice on ‘Karma’ was one of the most natural things,” Swift said in the audio snippet, shared by Spotify’s official Twitter account. “She reached out through her team, just kind of saying, ‘Hey, Ice has been a big fan of Taylor’s since she was a little kid, would love to collaborate if that was ever something that came about.’”

As it turned out, the feelings were mutual. “I had been listening to her nonstop, like getting ready for my [Eras] tour, I was just listening to Ice Spice constantly,” revealed the “Anti-Hero” singer. “So I immediately got her number and said, ‘Hey, would you wanna do your version of ‘Karma’? Do you relate to this?’ So she jumped in headfirst.”

Swift first confirmed the “Boy’s a Liar” rapper’s involvement just one day prior to the remix’s release in a packed Instagram announcement Wednesday (May 24), also revealing that new versions of her Midnights album and her “Snow On the Beach” collaboration with Lana Del Rey would be arriving this week. “I’m a massive fan of this brilliant artist and after getting to know her I can confirm: she is THE ONE to watch,” she wrote of Ice at the time. 

“Getting to know her has been so special because I am blown away by her,” Swift echoed in her Spotify segment. “In my opinion, she’s the one to watch. 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.”

Ice also called Tay the “sweetest person ever” following the remix announcement, and on Friday shared an adorable photo to her Instagram Stories with the singer in the studio.

Listen to Taylor open up about her new collab with Ice Spice below:

Joy McKean, the Australian singer, songwriter and country music scene builder who, along with her husband, the late Slim Dusty, formed one of this nation’s great creative partnerships, died Thursday (May 25) following a battle with cancer. She was 93.

“Joy passed away peacefully last night with family by her side,” reads a message from her family, issued Friday (May 26).

A trailblazer in the country scene, McKean enjoyed a career spanning more than 70 years, and composed some of the genre’s most celebrated songs, from “The Biggest Disappointment” to “Ringer from the Top End,” “Walk a Country Mile,” “Indian Pacific” and “Lights on the Hill,” an award-winning hit for her husband Slim Dusty, whom she married in 1951. Many others have covered the song, including Keith Urban.

Lauded as the “grand lady” of Australian country, McKean made cut her teeth in the 1940s and ‘50s, working alongside her sister Heather — as the McKean Sisters.

After teaming up with Dusty, Australian country music had its golden couple. McKean wrote many of Dusty’s iconic songs, managed him for half a century, and the pair toured relentlessly in regional and remote Australia, at a time when the perceived role of women was that of home-maker.

With McKean as his support, muse and collaborator, Dusty released more than 100 albums and sold over eight million copies. Dusty died in 2003, aged 76.

McKean’s trophy collection is almost as impressive as her songbook. She’s a two-time inductee into the Australasian Country Music Roll of Renown and winner of the Industry Achiever Award, bestowed on her by the Country Music Association of Australia, which she co-founded back in 1992. She’s a winner of seven Golden Guitar awards, including the very first statue, won at the inaugural Tamworth Country Music Awards back in 1973.

In 1991, McKean was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for “service to the entertainment industry,” and, 30 years later, in 2021, was the recipient of the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music, one of the music industry’s highest honors. She said of the salute, “after what has been a lifetime of working in the music industry, and loving just about every minute of it, I find it fascinating to reflect on the changes that have taken place.” On the night, the award was presented by her children Anne and David Kirkpatrick. 

Joy is survived by her two children, four grandchildren, and six great grandchilden. “She will be remembered as a pioneer in Australian music,” reads the statement from her family.

Australia’s music community is paying tribute to the country music legend.

“Where do I start about this beautiful woman, your songs will always be the melodies that makes my heart sing,” writes homegrown country star Troy Cassar-Daley. “Your emails always like a hand written note of encouragement and love.” He adds, “thank you for being the best yard stick a man can ask for.”

“Vale Joy McKean OAM, the ‘Grand Lady of Country Music’, who has passed away at age 93,” reads a post from APRA AMCOS. “We extend our condolences to Joy’s family, friends and many fans. She will be greatly missed.”

ARIA Award-winning country artist Fanny Lumsden writes, “What an icon. Someone I didn’t even realize I was following in the path of until quite recently. (I know, shameful). But will I will draw strength from as I continue to play halls throughout regional aus, sharing stories, running a business & a family. Thank you Joy.”

Swifties asked, and Taylor answered: The new version of Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey‘s collaborative track, “Snow On the Beach” arrived, fittingly, at midnight on Friday (May 26), and features more of the “Say Yes to Heaven” singer on the track.

The “Anti-Hero” singer revealed that the new cut of the track will be arriving while simultaneously announcing that the “Karma” remix featuring Ice Spice will be released, also at midnight on May 26. “In addition to Karma Ft Ice Spice… You asked for it, we listened: Lana and I went back into the studio specifically to record more Lana on Snow on the Beach. Love u Lana,” the 12-time Grammy winner shared with fans on Wednesday (May 24.)

The original version of “Snow on the Beach” became Del Rey’s highest charting song on the all genre Billboard Hot 100 to date — following the release of Midnights in November, the track debuted and peaked at No. 4 on the chart, where it spent a total of six weeks on the all genre tally.

The new version of the track serves as a revision of sorts to the original. While recording the track, Del Rey told Billboard in an interview that she wasn’t aware she should have added more to the track.

“I had no idea I was the only feature [on that song]. Had I known, I would have sung the entire second verse like she wanted. My job as a feature on a big artist’s album is to make sure I help add to the production of the song, so I was more focused on the production,” she explained. “She was very adamant that she wanted me to be on the album, and I really liked that song. I thought it was nice to be able to bridge that world, since Jack [Antonoff] and I work together and so do Jack and Taylor.”

Listen to “Snow on the Beach (feat. More Lana Del Rey)” below.

Lauren Jauregui stopped by Billboard News on Thursday (May 25) to spill the tea on her forthcoming EP In Between.

“I think there’s more movement to this EP. This is a continuation of Prelude, which is my first EP that I dropped — kind of the sound and vibe that I’ve been cultivating from that point,” she explained to Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly.

According to the Fifth Harmony alum, the six tracks on her new project were written starting back in 2018, as she hasn’t “locked in to” writing new material as of yet. But don’t consider In Between leftovers from her Prelude era, she insists. Instead, the EP represents “a continuation of a story that would’ve been told, maybe, in the past.”

The EP’s lead single “Wolves” features dual guest appearances by her ex-boyfriend Ty Dolla $ign — who previously collaborated with the pop singer and her 5H bandmates on the worldwide hit “Work From Home” — and Russ, and it also contains previously released singles “Always Love” and the vulnerable “Trust Issues.”

Jauregui also spoke about learning to embrace her sexuality in her music and personal life after being outed by Perez Hilton in 2016. “I’m older now; I was 16 when I started in this industry and I’m now 26,” she said. “So I feel like you blossom into yourself over the course of those years; you discover yourself, you meet people, you fall in love, you fall out of love and you learn yourself.

“And I think, even when it comes to expression and identity and sexuality, I’m very fluid,” the singer-songwriter added. “So I feel like I’ll continue to discover and engage with different parts of myself as grow and as I’m alive.”

Jauregui’s In Between will drop Friday (May 26) via AWAL. Watch her full conversation with Billboard News above.