Month: July 2023

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R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Stormzy & RAYE, Lancey Foux, Ama Lou & More

Happy Monday! This week, we’re diving into the realm of alternative R&B/hip-hop with songs by artists like Lancey Foux, Ama Lou, Casper Sage and Paris Texas, while JAHKOY, Fridayy and Ghost Kidz hold it down with traditional R&B and rap offerings.

Per usual, this list is bound to have a track suitable for every moment of the week ahead so don’t forget to check out our ongoing July picks via the Spotify playlist, linked below.

Freshest Find: Stormzy & RAYE, “The Weekend”

Don’t even bother hitting up Stormzy and RAYE during the week. This week’s freshest find goes to this pair, who teamed up for an R&B-pop track about two love interests trying to find the best time to link — which happens to be on “The Weekend.” The U.K. artists trade verses and deliver a flirtatious duet, almost sounding like a real couple throughout the song.

Lancey Foux feat. Sexyy Red, “MMM HMM”

“Lancey Lancey, I’m ghetto and I’m fancy,” Sexyy Red declares halfway into her and Lancey Foux’s new single, “MMM HMM.” The two have become fast friends as Foux brought out the St. Louis newcomer during his Wireless Festival set earlier this month. Produced by Bally, “MMM HMM” is Foux’s first single since he released his sixth studio album LIFE IN HELL last fall.

Casper Sage, “Flow State”

Casper Sage is trying not to get caught up. “It’s a song about getting exhausted of constantly wishing for more out of life. I just want to remain loving and accepting of life as it is and grow along the way,” he shared in a press release. The soothing alt-R&B song is all about living in the moment — something we all should do more of.

JAHKOY, “More Than Anything”

JAHKOY is willing to give his lover any and everything — as a man should. The Toronto singer continues his winning streak of single releases with “More Than Anything,” all leading up to his upcoming project.

Ama Lou, “Silence”

Moody and off-kilter, Ama Lou’s enchanting new single “Silence” offers a glimpse into her upcoming debut album. The U.K. singer-songwriter showcases her intoxicating talent and takes her creativity to the next level by incorporating intricate choreography for the song’s video.

Fridayy, “When It Comes to You”

When it comes to his lover, Fridayy isn’t wasting any time. Over guitar strings, the visual for his new single “When It Comes to You” sees the baritone Philly singer singing his vows to his lover at the altar. The video also includes B-roll of a young and old couple.

Paris Texas, “Split-Screen”

On “Split-Screen,” Paris Texas lean into their hip-hop side. “F–k all that rock s–t, my n—a/ We letting this n—a s–t out,” Louis Pastel raps for the song’s chorus. “Split-Screen” appears on the duo’s debut album MID AIR. The 16-track project released last Friday (July 21) and includes features from fellow genre-bending artists Kenny Mason and Teezo Touchdown. 

Ghost Kidz feat. Vince Staples, “Goin’ Off”

After releasing their debut track “HA HA” earlier this month, virtual duo Ghost Kidz is following up with their new Vince Staples-assisted song “Goin’ Off.” The rappers go by Lil’ ILL and Filth-E and made their debut ahead of Lil Uzi Vert’s set at Rolling Loud Miami this past weekend (July 21-23).

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2023 Streamy Awards Nominations Announced: Full List

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A full list of nominations for the 2023 Streamy Awards — which will be hosted by MatPat, a seven-time winner at the event celebrating content creators across beauty, comedy, food, gaming, music, podcasts and sports — has been announced by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter.

The 13th annual Streamy Awards take place on Sunday, August 27 in Los Angeles at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET and will stream live on the Streamy Awards’ social channels.

Award categories that include music artists at this year’s show include the Rolling Stone Sound of the Year Award and the Crossover Award.

Nominees for the first-ever Rolling Stone Sound of the Year Award — honoring the year’s most impactful songs that have dominated content creation on social media and in popular culture — include Big Boss Vette, Doechii, d4vd, Coi Leray, Ice Spice, Kaliii, Sam Smith with Kim Petras, PinkPantheress, Meghan Trainor, and Armani White.

Hailey Bieber, the Jonas Brothers, Paris Hilton, Kate Hudson, and Camila Mendes, Madelaine Petsch and Lili Reinhart are nominated for the Crossover Award, which recognizes public figures embracing digital culture and demonstrating best practices.

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DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldrige. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.

See all the 2023 Streamy Awards nominations below.

OVERALL AWARDS:

CREATOR OF THE YEAR 

Airrack

Alix Earle

Charli D’Amelio

Jay Shetty

JiDion

Logan Paul

Mikayla Nogueira

MrBeast

Ryan Trahan

Zach King

SHOW OF THE YEAR      

AMP 

BRYCE • Brandon Rogers 

Challenge Accepted • Michelle Khare

Chicken Shop Date • Amelia Dimoldenberg

Good Mythical Morning

Hot Ones • First We Feast

I spent a day with • Anthony Padilla

RDCWorld 

Sam and Colby 

UNHhhh • WOWPresents

STREAMER OF THE YEAR             

Emiru 

HasanAbi 

Ironmouse 

IShowSpeed 

Kai Cenat 

Ludwig 

Quackity 

tarik 

Valkyrae 

xQc 

INTERNATIONAL             

Enaldinho (Brazil)

Gaules (Brazil) 

ibai (Spain) 

Khaby Lame (Italy)

Mikecrack (Spain) 

SHORT FORM                   

the cheeky boyos

Chris Olsen 

Connor Price 

Elyse Myers 

Rich Black Guy 

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:

BREAKOUT CREATOR    

Alix Earle 

Drew Afualo 

Dylan Mulvaney 

Jake Shane • octopusslover8 

Keith Lee 

BREAKOUT STREAMER  

Agent00

ExtraEmily

Fanum

filian

Shylily

COLLABORATION 

albert_cancook, Chef Rush • Protein Burrito with The Big Man Chef Rush

Cleo Abram, Marques Brownlee • Quantum Computers, explained with MKBHD

Cooking With Lynja, Nick DiGiovanni • Japan Vlogs

Haley Kalil, Jared Leto • In this economy

MrBeast, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson • Surprised he didn’t pick rock every time

CREATOR FOR SOCIAL GOOD 

Beast Philanthropy

DrLupo • St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Invisible People

jacksepticeye • World Central Kitchen

MrBallen • MrBallen Foundation

CREATOR PRODUCT      

BÉIS • Shay Mitchell

CrunchLabs • Mark Rober

Feastables • MrBeast

POPFLEX • Blogilates

PRIME • Logan Paul x KSI

CROSSOVER     

Hailey Rhode Bieber

Jonas Brothers 

Kate Hudson 

Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Madelaine Petsch • blondebrunetteredhead

Paris Hilton 

FIRST PERSON                  

Airrack

BENOFTHEWEEK 

Danny Duncan 

Ryan Trahan 

Safiya Nygaard

JUST CHATTING               

HasanAbi

Kai Cenat

Quackity

xQc

YourRAGE 

VARIETY STREAMER      

Emiru 

IShowSpeed 

LIRIK 

Ludwig

Valkyrae

VTUBER

filian

Gawr Gura

Ironmouse

Jaiden Animations

shxtou

MUSIC AWARDS:

ROLLING STONE SOUND OF THE YEAR   

Area Codes • Kaliii 

Boy’s a liar Pt. 2 • PinkPantheress, Ice Spice

GOATED. • Armani White

Here With Me • d4vd 

In Ha Mood • Ice Spice 

Made You Look • Meghan Trainor

Players • Coi Leray 

Pretty Girls Walk • Big Boss Vette

Unholy • Sam Smith, Kim Petras 

What It Is • Doechii 

SHOW AWARDS:

PODCAST            

Call Her Daddy

H3 Podcast

IMPAULSIVE

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

The Yard

SCRIPTED SERIES

BRYCE • Brandon Rogers 

Dhar Mann

The Game Theorists 

Ginormo! • Steven He 

RDCWorld

UNSCRIPTED SERIES      

Challenge Accepted • Michelle Khare

Chicken Shop Date • Amelia Dimoldenberg

Hot Ones • First We Feast 

I spent a day with • Anthony Padilla

Sam and Colby 

SUBJECT AWARDS:

ANIMATED

Haminations

HELLUVA BOSS • Vivziepop 

Jaiden Animations

The Land of Boggs 

MeatCanyon

BEAUTY

Brad Mondo

colleen.makeupp 

Mikayla Nogueira

MissDarcei

NikkieTutorials

COMEDY             

DeMarcus Shawn 

Kris Collins 

Lucas Lopez 

The McFarlands 

RDCWorld 

COMMENTARY                

Chad Chad 

D’Angelo Wallace 

Danny Gonzalez 

Kurtis Conner 

penguinz0

COMPETITIVE GAMER  

iiTzTimmy

Scump 

tarik

TenZ

Typical Gamer 

DANCE                

Cale Brown 

Enola Bedard

Matt Steffanina

Merrick Hanna

yoolwxnder 

FASHION AND STYLE     

Gunnar Deatherage

Kenz Lawrén

Max Alexander 

Mina Le

Wisdom Kaye

FOOD 

Alexis Nikole 

Chef Reactions 

Cooking With Lynja

Nick DiGiovanni

Nigel Ng 

GAMER               

Aphmau

Caylus 

Dream

Markiplier

TommyInnit

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Austen Alexander

Doctor Mike

Dr Julie

HealthyGamerGG 

LeanBeefPatty

KIDS AND FAMILY 

Brittikitty 

Gracie’s Corner 

Ms Rachel 

Rebecca Zamolo

Recess Therapy 

LEARNING AND EDUCATION      

Big Weird World

Colin and Samir

TierZoo

Tom Scott

Veritasium

LIFESTYLE  

AMP 

Bretman Rock 

Charli D’Amelio

Kara and Nate

Sofia Richie Grainge 

NEWS

Brian Tyler Cohen

Gay News • Josh Helfgott

HasanAbi

The Philip DeFranco Show

Task & Purpose 

SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING      

Allen Pan 

Hacksmith Industries 

I did a thing

Mark Rober

techjoyce

SPORTS               

Deestroying

Duke Dennis 

Good Good Golf

Jesser

Olivia Dunne 

TECHNOLOGY                   

iJustine

Linus Tech Tips

Marques Brownlee

Mrwhosetheboss

Supercar Blondie 

CRAFT AWARDS:

CINEMATOGRAPHY       

Ashley Xu

Cole Walliser 

Lyrical Lemonade

Recider 

Will Freeark 

EDITING              

Cooking With Lynja

Jet Lag: The Game 

Kelly Wakasa 

Savanah Moss 

Yes Theory 

VISUAL AND SPECIAL EFFECTS                  

Buttered Side Down

Corridor Crew

Justin Yi 

SoKrispyMedia

Zach King

WRITING                                         

CalebCity 

Dami Lee 

Josh Zilberberg 

Leo González

Petey 

BRAND AWARDS:

STREAMYS BRAND AWARDS: AGENCY OF THE YEAR   

BENlabs  

Content+

kvell

Reach Agency

Whalar

STREAMYS BRAND AWARDS: BRAND ENGAGEMENT   

Dumb Ways to Die • PlaySide Studios

Feastables • MrBeast

No Drone? No Problem! • Insta360 

Subs for Subs • Jersey Mike’s x TSM

SweeTARTS Film Fest on TikTok • SweeTARTS x Content+ 

STREAMYS BRAND AWARDS: BRAND OF THE YEAR     

Barbie • Mattel

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Insta360

Old Spice • Procter & Gamble

Prime Video • Amazon 

STREAMYS BRAND AWARDS: BRANDED SERIES

A Style Is Born • Wayfair x Made In Network 

LIVE@4:25 • Totino’s Pizza Rolls x the cheeky boyos, Flighthouse, Content+

Plot Pitch • Prime Video

Real People, Real Stories • AARP

Who Wore It Best • Netflix x Harry Jowsey

STREAMYS BRAND AWARDS: BRANDED VIDEO                 

ASMcaR • Nissan x Donut

Give Odor The Bird • Old Spice x SypherPK x United Esports

My poor friend • Photoshop Express x beeveekee

Wait for it #corn • Chipotle Mexican Grill

When u meet her dad and Old Spice saves the day • Old Spice x Adam W 

STREAMYS BRAND AWARDS: INFLUENCER CAMPAIGN

#heinzmasterz • Heinz x Whalar 

Blasting to the Top • Gel Blaster x BENlabs 

Chainsaw Man Viewing Party • Chainsaw Man x Crunchyroll

DiGiorno Made Us Do It • DiGiorno x Reach Agency 

Nebula • Standard

STREAMYS BRAND AWARDS: SOCIAL IMPACT CAMPAIGN

Barbie You Can Be Anything Series • Barbie x Mirrored Media 

Loot for Good • Call of Duty Endowment x Activision 

Play by the Rules • International Committee of the Red Cross x PopShorts 

Real Recipes for Real Change • Chipotle Mexican Grill x The Farmlink Project x Nick DiGiovanni

The ReTok Shop • Nature Valley x Content+ 

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Miguel Scales a Skyscraper, Teases Next Era in Sony’s ‘For the Music’ Campaign: Watch

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Miguel reaches new heights in the visual for Sony’s “For the Music” campaign announced on Monday (July 24). The Grammy winner came up with the concept, which finds him scaling a massive skyscraper and breaking through the building’s glass window.

“There were a few things that myself and my creative advisor, Franc Fernandez, have been tossing around in general in order to build out some of the storytelling, and this one just felt like it could be a fun opportunity to not only push myself but to also push the brand [and] how far Sony’s willing to go for artists,” Miguel explains to Billboard. “That was pretty much the way we came up with [the concept]. It didn’t take much time because we had already had it in the bank of ideas.”

Directed by Liam McRae, the one-minute visual symbolizes the multiplatinum-selling singer’s next era in music and Sony’s commitment to supporting artists like Miguel in breaking through “creative barriers” and connecting directly with their fans.  “I think across the board that’s been the intention,” Miguel said. “To hopefully give my fans new ways to appreciate my music and creativity and this is one of them. It was exciting to be able to do this. Not too many people can say they scaled a building!”

Miguel will be the first artist “For the Music” will support with brand campaigns for Sony’s WF-100XM5 headphones and X-Series wireless speakers.

Sony’s new platform aims to foster various collaborations with artists, including creating specialty content, activations and memorable experiences for music fans and allowing artists’ input on Sony products and tools such as 360 Reality Audio and 360 Virtual Mixing Environment to improve content creation and listening experiences on headphones, wireless speakers and other products.

Fans will hear a new track from Miguel’s upcoming album in the Sony visual. “The song is called ‘Number 9.’ It’s about completion and new beginnings,” he explained. “It’s my intention to push beyond creative bounds and discover new places to go as a musician and an artist. Sony was intent on honoring artists’ creative vision and the song is about ending the old, starting new, and the cylindrical nature of change. I think all of that comes to a head in this very short visual. It’s powerful. It sets the tone for what’s to come, I’m excited for people to see it.”

“I’ve never done commercials for anyone, but this felt like such an authentic collaboration. We were on the same page about really pushing the boundaries about what’s expected of both our brands and what they represent. It’s exciting to be the first one to be able to express themselves through this medium with a partner as supportive of a vision as they were. It was really dope.”

As part of the collaboration, Sony and Miguel will partner on various giveaways, VIP experiences and sweepstakes, including a chance for five lucky fans to receive a VIP invite to his upcoming album and “For the Music” campaign release party in Los Angeles. (Visit forthemusic.electronics.sony.com to enter for a chance to win an invite.)

“Sony’s audio team has long supported artists because at its core, Sony represents passion for music, for listeners and creators,” added Jordy Freed, Sony’s head of brand and business development and partner marketing and strategy. “This passion drives our existing products and services, as well as newly launched products, from our consumer WF-1000XM5 headphones to professional studio headphones such as the MDR-MV1 to sound technologies such as 360 Virtual Mixing Environment and 360 Reality Audio. These exciting new activities mark the perfect time to formalize our continued support for creators, celebrate artistry, and create a tangible platform to empower their visions and reach music fans wide.”

Sony has partnered with other Sony Music artists in the past including SZA, Khalid and Tate McRae. Miguel’s collaboration comes ahead of his forthcoming album.

“I think the biggest, most relatable way of describing the overall tone [of the album] is that I took a snapshot of my life and realized that it was about the violent and beautiful nature of change. The most exciting thing about that is it gives me the opportunity to have really intimate and vulnerable moments that I don’t think I’ve ever been able to have with my fans.”

“This album is maximalism. It’s intimate, dynamic, manic at times, but it’s all very, very much the fringe of my creativity and I’m excited to even push beyond that. I think it marks the beginning of a very prolific era in my career and my expression.”

Watch Miguel in Sony’s “For the Music” campaign below.

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Tones And I, BIA and Diarra Sylla Kick Off FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 With ‘Bring It On’

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is underway, with 32 teams competing for the biggest prize in the sport. Tones And I helped get the ball rolling.

The Australian singer and songwriter teams-up with American rapper Bia and French-Senegalese singer-songwriter Diarra Sylla on the competition’s official walkout anthem, “Bring It On,” which dropped in full Friday (July 21).

Produced by multi-Grammy Award-winner RedOne, the tune will play before all 64 games across the tournament and will enjoy sync opportunities on free-to-air commercial TV in Australia.

The triumvirate of artists represents “different continents and a variety of musical influences,” explains FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura, pointing out the tune will be used for future tournaments.

“By bringing together voices from Africa, Australia, Europe and North America, this song symbolises how music – and football – can unite the world,” comments Samoura.

“Bring It On” premiered ahead of the opening match last Thursday, July 20 between New Zealand and former World Cup champion Norway at Eden Park, Auckland.

“Being able to bring different people and cultures together through music is just the best thing for me,” comments Bia, whose homeland is the reigning World Cup champion.

Though Senegal missed out this time, “there will be four African teams taking part and I will be proud to represent my country through music,” adds Sylla.

Stream “Bring It On” below.

Tones cut her teeth busking on Australia’s east coast before landing a global smash with “Dance Monkey,” which swung to the top of sales charts in at least 30 markets. Along the way, the track clocked a record 24 weeks at No. 1 on Australia’s ARIA Singles Chart, and, in the U.K., logged 11 weeks at the summit, an all-time mark for a solo female artist.

The hitmaker (real name: Toni Watson) led Billboard’s Hot 100 Songwriters Chart in January 2020, as the song cracked the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Global combined streams top 10 billion across her catalog, which includes “Fly Away,” which peaked at No. 11 in the U.K. in 2021.

Tones is currently in the studio recording her sophomore album, due out in 2024. It’s the followup to 2021’s Welcome to the Madhouse, which led the ARIA Albums Chart.

But first, a new song, “The Greatest,” is slated to arrive Aug. 4.

The World Cup is co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand for the first time. For the record, both home teams got their campaigns off to winning starts.

The hosts are represented in music by Kiwi pop artist BENEE and Aussie singer and songwriter Mallrat, whose collaboration “Do It Again” is the “official song” of the tournament.

Stream “Do It Again” below.

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J Hus Crowned on U.K. Albums Chart With ‘Beautiful and Brutal Yard’

 J Hus bags the U.K. chart crown with Beautiful and Brutal Yard, new at No. 1.

The leader at the halfway mark, Beautiful and Brutal Yard (via Black Butter) becomes the Stratford, England-born rapper and singer’s second leader, following 2020’s Big Conspiracy, and his third career top 10 placing (his 2017 debut Common Sense peaked at No. 6).

Three tracks from Beautiful and Brutal Yard appear in the current U.K. singles chart top 40: “Who Told You” with Drake (down 4-5), “Militerian” featuring Naira Marley (new at No. 23), and “Masculine” with Burna Boy (new at No. 24).

Taylor Swift continues to swamp the U.K. albums chart, led by Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), down 1-2. It’s one of six Swift titles on the climb in the top 20 (all via EMI), no doubt fueled by the excitement surrounding the ticket onsale for the 2024 U.K. leg of The Eras Tour. Further down the Official U.K. Albums Chart, 2022’s Midnights is up 9-5, 2014’s 1989 gains 10-8, 2019’s Lover improves 12-9, 2017’s Reputation lifts 21-15 and 2019’s folklore spikes 25-16.

Rita Ora’s return with You & I (BMG) nets her a second top 10 entry. The British artist’s new album bows at No. 6, for her highest-charting LP in over a decade. Her 2012 debut ORA peaked at No. 1, and its 2018 followup Phoenix hit No. 11.

Further down the list, British-born Canadian singer and songwriter Lauren Spencer Smith just misses out on a top 10 debut with Mirror (Island), new at No. 11; while Glasgow, Scotland singer and songwriter Gerry Cinnamon nabs his third top 40, with Live at Hampden Park (Little Runaway) appearing at No. 12. The live collection is the week’s best-seller on wax.

Also impacting the albums survey for the first time are titles from DJ and producer Joel Corry (Another Friday Night at No. 24 via Atlantic); U.S. pop band Pvris (EVERGREEN at No. 25 via Hopeless); New York rapper and singer Lil Tjay (222 at No. 26 via Columbia) and British singer-songwriter Mahalia (IRL at No. 31 via Atlantic).

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BTS’ Jung Kook Enjoys History-Making U.K. Chart Debut With ‘Seven’

It’s a great week for BTS‘s Jung Kook, who establishes a chart record in the U.K. with “Seven.”

The K-pop star’s hit lands at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published July 21, for the highest-charting debut by a solo Korean act.

The singer’s hot start with “Seven” (via BigHit Entertainment) surpasses the first-week bows by BTS bandmates j-hope and Jimin, the Official Charts Company reports.

All seven members of the K-pop phenomenon – Jin, Jimin, Suga, Jung Kook, RM, V and J-Hope – have shared solo material, with Jimin setting the bar with a top 10 for “Like Crazy” (peaking at No. 8) in March; he separately secured a top 40 appearance with “Set Me Free Pt. 2,” hitting No. 30.

J-hope was the first member of BTS to bag a U.K. top 40 single, thanks to his J. Cole collaboration “On The Street” peaking at No. 37.

With his podium finish, Jung Kook matches BTS’ best U.K. chart positions so far — 2020’s “Dynamite,” plus “Butter” and “My Universe” with Coldplay (both from 2021) all debuted and peaked at No. 3.

The highest-charting U.K. solo single by a Korean act belongs to Psy, whose “Gangnam Style” dropped in September 2012 at No. 61, then climbed to No. 1 in its fourth week on the tally. The viral hit clocked 55 weeks on the chart, last appearing in 2014.

“Seven,” which features vocals from U.S. rapper Latto, and blasts to No. 2 on Australia’s ARIA Chart, is pipped in the U.K. by Dave and Central Cee’s hip-hop hit “Sprinter” (Live Yours/Neighbourhood), which races to a seventh consecutive chart title. Following a tight three-way race at the top, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” (Geffen) flies in at No. 2, unchanged from the previous week.

Finally, U.S. pop star Billie Eilish lands her ninth U.K. top 10 single with “What Was I Made For?” (Interscope). The new release, lifted from the Barbie movie soundtrack, is new at No. 10.

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Miranda Lambert Reacts to Fan’s ‘Shoot Tequila, Not Selfies’ Shirt at Vegas Show

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Miranda Lambert took a moment to address a fan in the crowd again Saturday night (July 22), but this time it was to give a compliment.

The country star, performing at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino at Zappos Theater during her Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo The Las Vegas Residency, spotted something that amused her in the audience.

“Her shirt says, ‘Shoot tequila, not selfies,’” Lambert announced on stage.

“She did it. I didn’t,” she said with a laugh.

Last weekend, Lambert paused her Vegas concert during “Tin Man” to call out a group of fans she believed were “worried about their selfie and not listening to the song.” “It’s pissing me off a bit,” Lambert said at the time. “Sorry, I don’t like it. At all.” One of the audience members whose mid-show selfie-taking irked Lambert later told NBC News she was “appalled” by the singer’s reaction and said, “It felt like I was back at school with the teacher scolding me for doing something wrong and telling me to sit down back in my place.”

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Woman Who Miranda Lambert Called Out Over Las Vegas Selfie Says She Was ‘Appalled…

But this weekend, what Lambert saw in the crowd seemed to leave her in good spirits: “That’s bad—,” she commented on the “shoot tequila, not selfies” shirt. She then leaned forward and accepted a mini bottle of what was probably tequila, said cheers and took a swig from the bottle.

See a fan-captured clip of the lighthearted bit below.

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Cody Johnson Offers Support to Jason Aldean Amid ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Controversy

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During his concert on Friday night (July 21) in St. Louis, Cody Johnson let his thoughts be known about the controversy surrounding Jason Aldean‘s latest song and video, “Try That in a Small Town,” which was removed from rotation by CMT earlier in the week.

Graham Allen, host of the Dear America podcast, posted a video of “Til ‘You Can’t” hitmaker Johnson coming to Aldean’s defense during the show at St. Louis’ Chaifetz Arena.

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Jason Aldean Addresses ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Controversy at Cincinnati Concert

“We live in a time where everyone gets p—-ed off at Jason Aldean for putting out a song,” Johnson said, adding, “If you’re videoing this, and Jason Aldean if you’re seeing this video, you keep it up, brother. You do you, boo boo.”

Johnson went on to note his interpretation of the song as a patriotic one, saying, “If being patriotic makes you an outlaw, then by God, I’ll be an outlaw.”

Artists including Travis Tritt, John Rich and Lee Greenwood have spoken out in defense of Aldean, while Aldean’s labelmate Blanco Brown defended Aldean, but emphasized that he strongly disagreed with the song itself. Artists such as Jason Isbell, Adeem the Artist, Margo Price and Sheryl Crow have slammed both the song and Aldean.

Aldean released “Try That in a Small Town” in May, and performed it during his Nissan Stadium set at CMA Fest in June. However, the video for the song was released last week; the clip and the song quickly began to draw criticism on social media from commenters who called the song racist and pro-gun. Commenters also noted the location of the video, which was filmed at the Maury County courthouse in Columbia, Tenn. — the same location where an 18-year-old Black man, Henry Choate, was lynched in 1927. CMT pulled the video from its rotation on Tuesday (July 18), a move that sparked both praise and backlash on social media.

In addition to releasing a statement about the controversy earlier in the week, Aldean also spoke out in a lengthy speech during his own concert on Friday night in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“It’s been a long week and I’ve seen a lot of stuff suggesting I’m this, suggesting I’m that,” Aldean told the crowd in a fan-captured video. “I feel like everybody’s entitled to their opinion. You can think something all you want to, it doesn’t mean it’s true. What I am is a proud American. I’m proud to be from here. I love our country. I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this bulls— started happening to us. I love my country, I love my family, and I will do anything to protect that, I can tell you that right now, he said, as the crowd began to chant “USA! USA!”

He also added, “You guys know how it is this day and age, cancel culture… This day and age, if people don’t like what you say, they try to make sure they can cancel you, which means try to ruin your life. Ruin everything. One thing I saw this week was a bunch of country music fans that can see through a lot of the bullshit. I saw country music fans rally like I’ve never seen before and it was pretty badass, I gotta say. Thank you guys so much. I know a lot of you guys grew up like I did. You kind of have the same values, the same principles that I have, which is we want to take our kids to a movie and not worry about some asshole coming in there shooting up the theater.”

Before launching into “Try That in a Small Town,” Aldean told the crowd, “So somebody asked me, ‘Hey man, you think you’re going to play this song tonight?’ The answer was simple. The people have spoken and you guys spoke very, very loudly this week.”

After the controversy erupted, Aldean’s sales and streams have surged, according to preliminary reports from Luminate, and the video has now earned 14 million views on YouTube.

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Taylor Swift Debuts ‘No Body, No Crime’ With Haim at Eras Tour Concert in Seattle

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Taylor Swift gave the first live performance of her Evermore song “No Body, No Crime” with Haim during her Eras Tour stop at Seattle’s Lumen Field on Saturday (July 22).

To assist with the live unveiling, the pop superstar brought out longtime friends the Haim sisters, who were featured on the studio version of the 2020 track and serve as the opening act for the remainder of her Eras Tour in North America.

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“No Body, No Crime” — which peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 2020 — replaced “Tis the Damn Season” during the Evermore portion of Swift’s usual Eras Tour setlist.

Swift’s team-up with Haim in Seattle arrived almost exactly one year after the sibling trio invited Tay to help perform “Gasoline” and “Love Story” at London’s O2 Arena on July 21, 2022. Swift appears on the recorded version of “Gasoline, which was originally on the expanded edition of Haim’s 2020 album, Women in Music Pt. III.

Swift and Haim have been best pals dating back to the 1989 World Tour, when the multi-Grammy winner first had the sister band open for one of her tours. Since then, the four women have collaborated on “No Body, No Crime” and joined forces again in 2022 for Swift’s “Bejweled” music video.

The North American leg of Swift’s Eras Tour will continue at Seattle’s Lumen Field on Sunday (July 23) before heading to Santa Clara, Calif.’s Levi’s Stadium (July 28-29) and closing at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium (Aug. 3-5 and 7-9). Haim is among the opening acts for the remaining dates.

Watch Swift debut “No Body, No Crime” with Haim in Seattle here.

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Paramore Postpones San Francisco Concert Hours Before Showtime ‘Due to Sickness’

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Just hours before Paramore would be taking the stage Saturday night (July 22), the band canceled a concert at San Francisco’s Chase Center due to illness. The show has already been rescheduled.

“Due to sickness within the touring party, we will be rescheduling our show tonight at Chase Center in San Francisco to Monday, August 7, 2023,” a statement posted on Paramore’s Twitter account said.

“Previously purchased tickets are valid for the rescheduled date. If you cannot attend the rescheduled date and would like a refund, instructions will be sent to all ticket purchasers and refunds will be offered for the next 7 days,” read the post.

The note, which was also shared on Chase Center’s social media accounts, concluded with “We look forward you all soon at the next Paramore show.”

Paramore’s next concert is scheduled for Monday, July 24 at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.

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The band is currently on its This Is Why Tour in support of its studio album of the same name, and set to wrap the trek in August. It was recently announced that Paramore is heading to Europe as a supporting act on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, beginning on May 9, 2024.

See the full announcement about Saturday night’s concert below and keep up-to-date on all of Paramore’s tour dates here.