Barbie The Album officially arrived on Friday (July 21), with a star studded tracklist featuring songs by Nicki Minaj with Ice Spice, Lizzo, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and more. But following the film’s theatrical release, also on Friday, the expanded version of the album — titled Barbie The Album(Best Weekend Ever Edition) — now features two additional tracks.
The first new track in the expanded album is a cover of Indigo Girls’ “Closer To Fine” performed by Brandi Carlile alongside wife Catherine Carlile. Ryan Gosling, who performs “I’m Just Ken” in the movie, also gets his cover of Matchbox Twenty’s “Push” added to the soundtrack.
Speaking with Billboard about the creation of the soundtrack album, executive soundtrack producer Mark Ronson scored the album alongside Andew Wyatt. Initially, the pair was mean to score the opening credits, but director Greta Gerwig saw their potential. “They started giving us a few more bits to score at a time,” to the point where “we didn’t want anyone else to touch the music of this film,” he said. “We were like, ‘This is ours!’ It was a ton, ton, ton of work. [The movie] overtook my life for a year, but it was completely worth it.”
Now, with the release of the film, Atlantic Records executives Kevin Weaver and Brandon Davis are happy that fans can hear the song — including the deluxe edition tracks — in its designed setting. “These records are all strong enough to live in a world by themselves,” Weaver said. “But what’s so amazing is people are now going to get to experience the songs within the four walls of the film and it’s going to give them a whole new life.”
Listen to Barbie The Album(Best Weekend Ever Edition) below.
On the heels of the stunning Book of HOV exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library, JAY-Z’s The Shawn Carter Foundation & Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism have joined forces for an initial $2 million fund to stop the spread of book bans. The announcement arrived today (July 21) via a press release.
Through the foundations’ collaboration, the Brooklyn Public Library will receive $1.5 million to bolster the library’s overall operations and support its Books Unbanned initiative, a nationwide campaign dedicated to providing young people with free access to books without restrictions. The funds will also provide much-needed support to a wide range of the library’s programs, including teen and children’s programs, justice initiatives, entrepreneurial support, and efforts to combat censorship.
Since the launch of The Book of HOV — a sprawling exhibit honoring Jay-Z’s life, legacy, and career — opened to the public at the library’s central branch on July 14, the Brooklyn Public Library has experienced a massive surge in attendance. The donations from the Shawn Carter Foundation and Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism will support the influx of patrons, a figure that has tripled in size since the exhibit’s debut. Book bans have become a hot political topic in recent years as various state and local governments seek to censor books that deal with marginalized identities and histories,
Last week, also on July 14, the Shawn Carter Foundation, co-founded by the “99 Problems” rapper and his mother, Gloria Carter, raised $20 million through their 20-year anniversary black-tie charity gala. Notable celebrities in attendance included Beyoncé, Babyface, Blue Ivy, Jeff Bezos, and Jack Dorsey.
If you took one look at 19-year-old Kenzie‘s Instagram, you’d see a smiling girl who loves spending time with her friends, playing with her sense of style and cuddling with her boyfriend.
But, as we all know, social media isn’t always what it seems. “I feel like everyone thinks that all of these people on social media are perfect and don’t go through struggles. We all do,” the singer and dancer tells Billboard.
That’s why Kenzie decided on Friday (July 21) to release “Anatomy,” a heart wrenching ballad about her strained relationship with her father. “It’s just anatomy, you’re only half of me / But still you don’t know me at all / You’ve been my missing piece, so why aren’t you missing me?” she sings in the chorus, her voice nearly trembling in the way it usually does when being so deeply vulnerable for the first time.
The song, which acts as a musical therapy session, started out fittingly as a suggestion from her therapist. “When I turned 18, I started therapy and it was a big moment for me, because I just never trusted anyone to listen to my emotions,” she explains. “It just felt like a weird concept to me, you know, talking to a stranger. As I started doing therapy, she kept telling me write a letter to my dad and I felt that was so weird. So, I ended up just writing a song about it. I sent it to her and I was like, ‘Here’s my letter to my dad. Here’s everything.’”
She continues, “I ended up really loving the song and I hit the realization that there are people who will relate to this and I feel like it could help a lot of people in some way. It also gives people a chance to get to know me better.”
The track arrived along with an equally goosebump-inducing music video, in which the Dance Moms alum dances in an empty studio with the younger version of herself. “I’m healing my inner child for sure,” she says of the clip. “It was really important to me to add a younger version of myself in the video because when I was younger, I didn’t think about all of these issues. I think the second I turned 18, it all literally just came crashing down. I always used to make jokes about it. I’d just be like, “Yeah, well, that’s my life.” You know how kids are. But it’s a real life struggle that people go through and it really didn’t hit me until I was 18. Every time I watch the video, it just makes me cry because she’s so amazing in it.”
Before releasing the track, she showed it to her mother and sister — fellow dancer Maddie Ziegler — and, while she was “nervous,” the result was everything she hoped for. “I sent it to my sister and she just FaceTimed me and didn’t say anything and had tears coming down her face,” Kenzie recalls. “I also played it for my mom which I was a little nervous for because it’s a touchy subject. She’s just so supportive and she obviously cried as well. She just looked at me and was like, ‘that’s the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard.’”
In fact, Maddie ended up choreographing the music video. “I mean, she loves it so much because, of course, it’s her childhood too,” Kenzie explains. “It was so special having her there with me because it is a big moment in my life to be talking about this. Just having her be a part of it made me feel at home and comforted.”
As for how she perceives her relationship with her father now, Kenzie says “Anatomy” (and therapy) has helped her immensely in coming to terms with it. “I was really hesitant to release the song, because I have so much love for my dad no matter what because he is my family. I love very deeply and I don’t hold grudges,” she says. “But it definitely was healing because I just feel so content and I feel so happy with myself. I honestly don’t have these struggles anymore and I think it’s because I was so vulnerable and got to let everything out.”
Moving forward, Kenzie wants to continue being vulnerable in her music — not only to help herself heal, but also to help others. “I just feel like it’s just so personal and I really look up to people that are honest and share their story to other people. It helps other people in many ways,” she shares. “Bottling it up and acting like it doesn’t exist is not always the healthiest way. I think it’s important to talk freely about what you’re going through, and not be afraid to share your feelings. It’s also not embarrassing! That’s how I felt for a long time with my friends that had a mom and dad, and I just felt really embarrassed and left out. I learned that it made me a strong person and it’s made me who I am.”
A man from Nixa will spend several years in prison for charges stemming from the stabbing of a teenage girl that occurred at his house.
Prosecutors say Joe Dutton entered into an Alford Plea earlier this week on charges of:
Endangering the welfare of a child
Resisting arrest
Two counts of assault
According to investigators, a teenage girl was at Dutton’s home and was stabbed several times.
Several people had arrived at the home in June of 2021 for a fight that was expected to happen.
The victim’s mother said her daughter and Dutton’s had previous disputes, and that Dutton’s daughter had threatened her several times prior to the stabbing.
It is unclear to KWTO whether Dutton or his daughter stabbed the victim.
The Alford Plea is not an admission of guilt, but an admission that the prosecution had more than enough evidence to get a conviction in the case. He was sentenced to five years in prison.
A man from Springfield will spend several years in prison for a murder that he did not commit during a home invasion.
Investigators say Rick Johnson Jr, his father Rick Johnson Sr. and Joshua Woods were attempting to break into a unit at an apartment complex in Springfield in June of 2020.
Both men said they were searching for a person they believe stole from the elder Johnson.
While breaking into the apartment, the resident inside opened fire, shooting and killing Woods.
Prosecutors say that while neither of the two men fired the shot that killed Woods, the death occurred during a felony crime they were taking part in, making them culpable to second-degree murder charges according to Missouri law.
The elder Johnson was sentenced to 12 years in prison earlier this year, while Johnson Jr. was sentenced to 15 years in prison this week after changing his plea to guilty.
Chris Stapleton is back with a new song and an upcoming new album.
The country star revealed he will release his new album, Higher, on Nov. 10, and revealed a new song from the album, “White Horse,” which Stapleton wrote with Semisonic’s Dan Wilson. (This isn’t the first time the two have collaborated; they previously worked together on Stapleton’s 2015 track “When the Stars Come Out.”)
Not to be confused with Taylor Swift‘s own mournful 2008 tune, Stapleton’s new blistering, bluesy rock anthem warns a lover that she might have a while to wait before he settles down.
“If you want a cowboy on a white horse riding off into the sunset/ If that’s the kinda love you wanna wait for/ Hold on tight, girl, I ain’t there yet,” he sings.
Higher will mark the first project from Stapleton since 2021’s Starting Over.
The new album was produced by Stapleton with Morgane Stapleton and Dave Cobb, and recorded at Nashville’s RCA Studio A. The 14-song album features work from Cobb (acoustic guitar, eclectic guitar), J.T. Cure (bass), Paul Franklin (pedal steel), Derek Mixon (drums), Morgane (background vocals, synthesizer, tambourine) and Lee Pardini (organ, piano).
Stapleton is currently opening for George Strait’s stadium shows, and leading his own headlining All-American Road Show tour. Earlier this year, he showcased his signature burly voice on a global stage, as he performed the national anthem to open the Super Bowl.
The City of Springfield is hoping to take a more proactive approach to combat nuisance properties.
“Right now, it just seems like an endless cycle of, you know, small fines, small threats of fines for minor resolutions, and then continuing the cycle,” Duane Keys, West Central Neighborhood Alliance President.
One neighborhood in particular, West Central, had 1,150 complaints in a five-year period.
The city is planning on changing the way it handles repeat nuisance properties, with a property care team being established in 2024.
The 38-year-old singer-songwriter was spotted Thursday (July 20) pouring coffee and chatting with customers at a Waffle House location in Florence, Ala., in full employee uniform complete with a “Lana” name tag. During break times, she was able to snap a few photos with fans, blue vape pen in hand.
Neither Lana nor folks on the scene have provided any explanation as to why she was working there. (Billboard has reached out to her reps for comment.) The “Doin’ Time” singer is, however, notorious for including homages to Americana aesthetics and traditions in her music — she even name-checked the city of Florence in her Ocean Blvd. track “Paris, Texas.”
“She was there, wearing a uniform and everything,” Karina Cisneros Juarez, who met the artist at the restaurant, told local news site AL.com. “It was a bit surreal. I just told her how much I loved her music and her work in general. She was super lovely, and incredibly nice.”
“It was great! She was so down to earth and real with us,” Macy Ladner, who also met the musician, told the publication. “Talked with me and my friend about our jobs as teachers, about how she’s working on a new recording.”
Whatever the reason, fans online think the situation is hilarious. One person commented on Twitter, “This is just so unbelievably Lana coded, she is so unserious,” while another joked, “Unfortunately Lana Del Rey was fired today at waffle house for vaping in the walk in refrigerator :(“
This isn’t the first time the Grammy nominee has been spotted in Alabama this week. Pictures and videos have been cropping up online for the past few days of her going about her business in the southern state, getting her nails done in a salon in Birmingham and signing autographs outside of an America’s Thrift Store in Florence.
Courtesy of John Paul Schmidt with OzarksFirst.com-
The Vince Lombardi Trophy is coming to the Queen City.
This morning, July 21, the City of Springfield Mayor Ken McClure announced that the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl trophy will be featured at the Route 66 Festival. The Kansas City Chiefs cheerleaders, Rumble drumline, Kingdom Cruiser bus and KC Wolf will accompany it.
“We are thrilled to be at the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival as part of the Chiefs Champion Tour this summer,” wrote Chiefs President Mark Donovan in a press release. “With a global pandemic in 2020, we were not able to celebrate properly with Chiefs Kingdom after our Super Bowl LIV victory, so this tour has been something we have been looking forward to for the past couple of years.”
Visitors who want to see the display can do so on Aug. 11. The trophy will be the main attraction at a rally from 4-6 p.m. at the Springfield Expo Center. At 6 p.m. the bus and entourage will leave the Expo Center and join the festival parade. At 7 p.m., the cheerleaders and drumline will perform at the Aaron Sachs Stage.
When Tony Bennett died at age 96 on the morning of July 21, 2023, the world lost one of the last vocal titans of the Great American Songbook.
Bennett – who was born Antonio Dominick Benedetto in Long Island, NY back when Calvin Coolidge was president – enjoyed an illustrious career that spanned nine decades. Post World War II, he began singing in nightclubs using the name Joe Bari, eventually changing his name to Tony Bennett after a suggestion from Bob Hope; Bennett’s final performances were with Lady Gaga – with whom he recorded two top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 — in August 2021 at Radio City Music Hall for the One Last Time concerts.
“I just love the fact that in an era where everything’s based on youth, I can communicate with everybody — the young, the middle-aged and the old like me. I’m very content,” Bennett toldBillboard in 2016 of his cross-generational appeal. Bennett’s musical career stood out in two important ways – instead of imitating other vocalists, his vocal stylings were influenced rather by jazz instrumentalists; additionally, the man never chased trends, resisting industry efforts to make him update his sound and style with each passing era. That commitment to his art may have caused him to experience a fallow period in the ‘80s, but by the ‘90s, his fealty to the Great American Songbook and his distinctive bel canto singing style helped endear him to new audiences, and he won the prestigious Grammy album of the year in 1995 for his MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett release. His cross-genre, cross-generational appeal was made doubly clear with the release of two duets albums with Lady Gaga in the last decade of his life, both of which reached the top 10 of the Billboard 200.
Below, here are his 15 biggest singles on the Billboard charts.
Tony Bennett’s biggest hits are based on peak positions, and, in the event of a tie, by weeks on the chart. For songs released before 1958, peak positions are determined by the highest position among the three major predecessor pop charts – Best Sellers in Stores, Most Played by Jukeboxes or Most Played by DJs. For songs released after 1958, peak positions are from the Billboard Hot 100, which launched on Aug. 4, 1958.
Reporting by Trevor Anderson and Keith Caulfield.
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