Month: June 2023

Bluegrass musician Bobby Osborne, who helped popularize the song “Rocky Top,” died early Tuesday, according to a statement from the college where he worked. He was 91.

Osborne and his brother Sonny made up The Osborne Brothers, and their version of the song “Rocky Top” in 1967 became an official state song of Tennessee, his website said. Osborne was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

“To say he was a legend falls short of the impact he had on all of us,” said Paul Schiminger, interim executive director at the International Bluegrass Music Association. “An innovative musical pioneer, Bobby set and held the gold standard for bluegrass vocals.”

While Osborne and his brother will be remembered by many for the song “Rocky Top,” Schiminger said that barely scratches the surface of the many songs they recorded and performed.

A native of Hyden, Kentucky, Osborne taught at the Hazard Community and Technical College’s Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music in Leslie County for several years.

In January, he received the Governor’s Awards in the Arts for his dedication to sharing Kentucky’s rich history in the arts around the world.

Osborne was still performing and teaching last year when he told WYMT-TV that “as long as I can open my mouth and sing, I ain’t going to quit.”

Hazard Community and Technical College President Jennifer Lindon said the school was deeply saddened to learn about Osborne’s death.

“He was a pioneer in the Bluegrass music industry and a champion for Eastern Kentucky,” she said.

The Backstreet Boys are continuing their celebration of 30-plus years as a group, and they’re adding a little fun in the sun to the mix.

The group announced Backstreet’s Back at the Beach on Tuesday (June 27), an all-inclusive concert vacation situated on the beach in Cancún, Mexico. The inaugural event will feature two shows right on the beach, including their DNA show as well as a 30-for-30 performance in which the group will perform a set entirely chosen by fans, per a press release.

The weekend trip, which will take place at Moon Palace Cancún from April 18 to 21, 2024, will include a full resort takeover, daily pool parties, themed activities and more. There will also be several events with the boys, including a tequila and guacamole tasting with Howie Dorough, a DJ set by Kevin Richardson, karaoke with AJ McLean, a beach volleyball tournament with Nick Carter, and a special variety show featuring Brian Littrell’s whole family.

To round out the musical portion of the trip, Jason Derulo will be joining the Backstreet Boys as a headliner in addition to daily performances from Eric Cubeecchee and DJ YO-C. 

Travel Packages for Backstreet’s Back At The Beach will be available to purchase starting on July 7 at 1 p.m. ET here, with the pre-sale beginning at 12 p.m. ET on July 6. All event packages include resort accommodations, round-trip airport transportation, bottomless top-shelf drinks, culinary offerings, 24-hour room service, access to private white sand beaches, daily yoga sessions, complimentary WiFi and more.

The full itinerary for the weekend will be announced soon.

Singer-songwriter Otis Kemp scores his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart (dated July 1) with his first single, “Daily Bread.”

Kemp, who hails from South Florida and is the son of a pastor, solely wrote and produced the song. “I am extremely honored that the world has embraced this song,” Kemp tells Billboard. “I hope this encourages everyone in the world that was told that they weren’t good enough or that they would never be great. As long as you keep God first [and] believe in yourself second, there’s nothing you can’t do.”

“Daily Bread” is the second debut single to top Gospel Airplay so far in 2023; in February, Marcus Jordan’s “Call on the Name” led for one week.

On the multi-metric Hot Gospel Songs chart, “Daily Bread” returns to its No. 22 best so far.

Meanwhile, on Christian Airplay, Jon Reddick banks his second top 10, as “I Believe It (The Life of Jesus)” ascends 12-9. It scored a 23% gain to 3.7 million airplay audience impressions June 16-22, according to Luminate.

Concurrently, the song becomes Reddick’s second to reach the top 10 on the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs list (13-9), also sparked by 1.1 million official U.S. streams in the tracking week.

Reddick, the worship pastor at Church of the City in Franklin, Tenn. (just south of Nashville), co-authored the single. His second top 10 on both charts follows “God, Turn It Around,” which reached No. 4 on each ranking in June 2022.

Gracie Abrams re-enters Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart (dated July 1) at No. 1, becoming the top emerging act in the U.S. for the first time thanks to her debut studio album, Good Riddance.

The set, released Feb. 24 via Interscope/IGA, re-enters the Billboard 200 at No. 63 with 13,000 equivalent album units (up 773%) June 16-22, according to Luminate. Its re-entry can be attributed to the set’s vinyl release on June 16, as 10,000 of the album’s units total are from vinyl sales alone. The album debuts at No. 3 on the Vinyl Albums chart, and re-enters the overall Top Album Sales chart at No. 7, a new high.

Good Riddance debuted at its No. 52 best on the Billboard 200 in March.

The album’s single “I Know It Won’t Work” reached No. 20 on the Hot Alternative Songs chart and No. 28 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs in March. This week, it stands at No. 35 on Pop Airplay, after reaching No. 32 a week earlier — it’s Abrams’ first song to chart at the format.

Elsewhere on the Emerging Artists chart, French singer-songwriter Jain debuts at No. 12 thanks to her viral hit “Makeba.” The song, originally released in 2015 (and which is an ode to iconic South African artist Miriam Makeba), jumps 68-41 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and 89-55 on the Billboard Global 200 (20.4 million streams, up 18%, worldwide). The track has recently gone viral on TikTok, where one portion of it has been used in more than 800,000 clips, and another has soundtracked over 700,000.

“Makeba” also sold 3,000 downloads (up 71%) in the latest tracking week, as it jumps 50-17 on the Digital Song Sales chart, and tallied 3 million U.S. streams (up 24%).

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.

Gracie Abrams re-enters Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart (dated July 1) at No. 1, becoming the top emerging act in the U.S. for the first time thanks to her debut studio album, Good Riddance.

The set, released Feb. 24 via Interscope/IGA, re-enters the Billboard 200 at No. 63 with 13,000 equivalent album units (up 773%) June 16-22, according to Luminate. Its re-entry can be attributed to the set’s vinyl release on June 16, as 10,000 of the album’s units total are from vinyl sales alone. The album debuts at No. 3 on the Vinyl Albums chart, and re-enters the overall Top Album Sales chart at No. 7, a new high.

Good Riddance debuted at its No. 52 best on the Billboard 200 in March.

The album’s single “I Know It Won’t Work” reached No. 20 on the Hot Alternative Songs chart and No. 28 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs in March. This week, it stands at No. 35 on Pop Airplay, after reaching No. 32 a week earlier — it’s Abrams’ first song to chart at the format.

Elsewhere on the Emerging Artists chart, French singer-songwriter Jain debuts at No. 12 thanks to her viral hit “Makeba.” The song, originally released in 2015 (and which is an ode to iconic South African artist Miriam Makeba), jumps 68-41 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and 89-55 on the Billboard Global 200 (20.4 million streams, up 18%, worldwide). The track has recently gone viral on TikTok, where one portion of it has been used in more than 800,000 clips, and another has soundtracked over 700,000.

“Makeba” also sold 3,000 downloads (up 71%) in the latest tracking week, as it jumps 50-17 on the Digital Song Sales chart, and tallied 3 million U.S. streams (up 24%).

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.

iHeartRadio is celebrating Black music and culture with the return of its Living Black! event. On Tuesday (June 27), iHeartMedia announced that Usher, Miguel, GloRilla, Coco Jones and NLE Choppa will be performing for the 2023 iteration.

iHeartRadio Living Black! will take place on Aug. 2 at Market Street in Inglewood, Calif., a historic location for Black culture in the Los Angeles area. This year’s event largely draws inspiration from the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, as well as the history and innovation within the genre and Black culture. LL Cool J, Ty Dolla $ign, Roddy Ricch, Warren G, Chlöe, Lola Brooke, D Smoke, Kash Doll, SleazyWorld Go, DDG and more will also make special appearances at the annual celebration.

iHeartRadio Living Black! — which will be broadcast on iHeartRadio’s YouTube and Facebook, iHeartMedia Hip-Hop and R&B stations and the iHeartRadio app on Aug. 2 at 7 p.m. local time — will feature The Breakfast Club’s DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God, Angela Yee, Big Boy and Nyla Symone. The hour-long special is also an interactive block party with multiple themes, including artists reflecting on their journey in the music industry (In the Booth, Mic Drop) and iconic moments in hip-hop (Flip The Script: Big Boy’s Neighborhood) and mental health within the genre (FundaMENTAL).

“We’re thrilled to celebrate iHeartRadio Living Black! in its third year, bringing together fans and superstar artists to honor Black culture and continue to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of hip-hop,” Doc Wynter, president of hip-hop and R&B programming for iHeartMedia, said in a press release. “Living Black! is a true testament to the power and lasting influence of Black artists and the community they reflect. We’re excited to once again partner with some of the very best talent and celebrate the impact that Black lives have on American culture.”

Lil Uzi Vert‘s long-awaited album The Pink Tape is coming sooner than you think. On Monday (June 26), the Generation Now artist announced that his third album would arrive this Friday (June 30), after unveiling the artwork and trailer. 

The artwork is semi-patriotic as Uzi stands before a U.S. flag draped in pink versus the traditional red, white, and blue. Uzi’s signature spiked hair also appears as he dons a jacket matching the flag. As for the trailer, it’s an animated clip helmed by Gibson Hazard.

The amine-style visual finds Uzi in combat with a demon creature who initially bests him in their contentious showdown. The creature rips off Uzi’s pink diamond from his forehead and steals his powers. Upon having his diamond pulled out, Uzi reverts to human form, and is transported to a mysterious world. Seeking vengeance, Uzi races to retrieve the diamond and ends up in more action-packed battles. Proving to be the ultimate samurai, Uzi wins his early bouts before entering a rematch with the demon creature for his diamond. This time, Uzi is sharper and evades any attacks issued against him and retrieves his prized possession. 

The Pink Tape is the follow-up to his 2020 album Eternal Atake, with wich he dodged the sophomore slump when he netted his second Billboard 200 No. 1 album with EA. The celebrated project sold 288,000 copies in its opening week, and had three songs debut in the Billboard Hot 100 top 10, led by “Baby Pluto” at No. 6. 

Check out Uzi’s trailer and artwork for The Pink Tape below.