A man from Lebanon, and an Ozarks legend, is retiring as an astronaut for NASA.
Mike Hopkins worked as an astronaut for 14 years, which included over 330 days spent in outer space.
Hopkins was born and raised near Richland, Missouri, but graduated from School of the Osage. After high school, he received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Illinois and his Master’s from Stanford University.
He retired from NASA on May 1. His last mission was as commander of SpaceX Crew-1 in 2020.
Hopkins was selected as an astronaut for NASA in 2009.
Don’t be stupid! A slight onstage slip won’t stop Shania Twain. The five-time Grammy winner and consummate professional didn’t let a brief fall halt her concert, as she powered through a headlining show during a stop at Chicago’s Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park on Saturday (July 1), as part of her current Queen of Me tour.
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While strutting across the stage in knee-high boots during a performance of her hit “Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You),” Twain slid and briefly fell to the ground.
Ever the pro, while still on the ground, she shouted to the crowd, “Don’t be stupid, Chicago! You know I love you!” She then quickly stood up and continued on with the performance.
Before launching the tour in Spokane, Wash., in April, Twain gave Billboard a glimpse into the setup behind the show’s production, noting that she has been involved in planning every aspect of the tour, including stage design, lighting and wardrobe.
The show’s sets have included several of the vocal-heavy songs off the tour’s namesake album, Queen of Me, and Twain noted to Billboardthat the songs required daily vocal rehearsals from her band.
“There’s a lot of vocals on all the stuff. I feel like with some of the more country-sounding stuff, you can get away with just a three-part harmony,” Twain said. “You don’t have to have all the layers. But with the new stuff, on my gosh, we need more. There’s more counterparting and things like that.”
She also crafted a setlist that includes a medley that allows her to incorporate fan favorites and deeper album cuts.
“It gives me a chance to touch base on songs that I may not have ever done live or I haven’t visited in a long time,” Twain said. “So I just put together songs I felt flowed best together and that I really have missed and that a lot of my fans have told me they’ve missed.”
Twain’s next Queen of Me tour stop is July 3 in Bethel, N.Y.
In the spirit of Fourth of July and the celebration of independence, Billboard‘s Latin editors put together a list of Latin songs that empower us to self-liberation. In the list of our 12 tracks that fall within the theme of independence, there’s Thalía‘s cover of the ultra liberating “A Quién Le Importa,” originally released by Alaska Y Dinarama in the ’80s. The bonafide Spanish-language anthem is about self-expression and the independence that comes from embracing individuality.
There’s also Bad Bunny‘s “Andrea,” a collaboration with Puerto Rican duo Buscabulla about “a woman who’s has the desire to grow, be free, be respected and understood,” he explained during an interview last year with Chente Ydrach. “Anyone could be an ‘Andrea,’ and I love how women are identifying with the song.”
Francisca Valenzuela’s “SALÚ,” part of her 2022 album Vida Tan Bonita (Such a Beautiful Life), can also be found on the list. The track is a joyful and feel-good anthem where the Chilean singer-songwriter sings: “Cheers to the good and the bad/ Cheers for unsuccessful attempts/ We’re changing, always changing/ Raise your glass, cheers.”
Closing the playlist is Pedro Capó’s “Gracias,” which sends positive vibes as the artist reminds listeners of what really matters in life. “We keep making songs even if we don’t win Grammys/ But I wake up, open my eyes and by my side, a great mother … I never lose faith and I always learn from failure when it’s my turn to lose,” he sings.
Below are 12 songs Latin that you should stream this Fourth of July weekend:
Charlie Puth may be in the midst of a headlining tour, and Selena Gomez may be enjoying one of the year’s biggest songs with her remix of Rema’s “Calm Down,” but the two Grammy-nominated pop stars are still reaping the benefits of “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” their 2016 duet.
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The music video for “We Don’t Talk Anymore” has surpassed 3 billion views on YouTube, joining a select few music videos to hit the impressive milestone. The duet served as the third radio single from Puth’s 2016 debut album, Nine Track Mind, which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. In December 2018, just a little more than two years after the music video’s release, “We Don’t Talk Anymore” crossed the 2 billion-view mark on YouTube.
Helmed by Phil Pinto, the video tracks Puth and a former lover as they work through living without each other in New York City. The protagonists cycle through concerts, parties and dates with other people, but they simply cannot forget each other. Nonetheless, they never take the leap to reach out to one another, hence the song’s title.
Other notable music videos that have reached the 3-billion milestone include Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” Justin Bieber’s “Sorry,” Katy Perry’s “Roar” and Puth’s own “See You Again” (with Wiz Khalifa), which has clocked more than 5.9 billion views to date.
Puth has earned four top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Attention” (No. 5) and “We Don’t Talk Anymore” (No. 9). On the Billboard 200, the acclaimed singer-songwriter has earned three consecutive top 10 albums. Gomez has earned nine top 10 hits on the Hot 100, including her sole chart-topper, 2019’s “Lose You to Love Me.” Rare, Gomez’s third solo studio album, was the first album released in the 2020s to top the Billboard 200.
Watch the music video for “We Don’t Talk Anymore” above.
This week’s collection of new country music releases includes songs from Travis Denning, Kameron Marlowe and Margo Cilker. Meanwhile, Billy Currington and Maddie & Tae each offer a return to form with their new releases.
Maddie & Tae, “Heart They Didn’t Break”
In 2020, Maddie & Tae earned a No. 1 hit with “Die From a Broken Heart,” a languid ballad that finds a girl seeking her mother’s advice in the wake of heartbreak. With their latest, the duo revisits a similar sentiment, this time celebrating the steadfast support of good friends, instead of mama, to help navigate the aftermath of a romantic breakup.
The duo’s latest release is written by Anna Vaus, Benjy Davis and Ryan Beaver. Though the melody of “Heart They Didn’t Break” isn’t quite as hooky and memorable as its predecessor, the song’s tastefully restrained, acoustic-based production puts emphasis on the duo’s warm, inviting vocals, which further elevate beautifully detailed lyrics depicting a best friend who would drop other commitments to drive 200 miles away to be there for a heartbroken friend.
Billy Currington, “City Don’t”
Nearly two years after surprise-releasing his synth pop-shifted album Intuition, Currington returns with this affable ode to pastoral living, written by Scooter Carusoe, Joshua Miller and Chris LaCorte, with production from Carson Chamberlain.
“They got five stars/ We’ve got millions,” Currington’s easygoing baritone offers, while the song’s leisurely melody and city vs. rural sentiments evoke some of Currington’s earlier hits, such as “Good Directions.” Over his career, Currington has dabbled in sounds like country-soul (“Must Be Doin’ Something Right”) and stadium-sized rock (“We Are Tonight”), but his latest is a welcome return to a more traditional-leaning country sound.
Kameron Marlowe feat. Erin Kirby, “I Can Lie (The Truth Is)”
In this TikTok moment-turned-official duet (Marlowe found a TikTok video of former American Idol contestant Kirby singing a duet version of the song, and surprised Kirby in the studio to officially re-record the track as a duet), these two passionate, soulful country vocalists pair wondrously, backed by a stone cold country instrumentation, accented by harmonica. Marlowe’s gravelly vocal embodies shades of early Travis Tritt as he deadpans about a hot-and-cold relationship, “So, when I promised you forever/ The truth is, I can lie.”
Fans of classic ’90s country will love this track, which Marlowe wrote with Shane Minor and Jordan Fletcher, with production from Dann Huff.
Ray Scott, “Hey Fool”
Ray Scott made headway on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in the mid-2000s with songs including “My Kind of Music.” He still possesses one of country music’s most sterling voices. On his latest, Scott’s signature gravelly voice gets tossed up with guitar, fiddle and mandolin as he takes on the role of a wisened onlooker at a bar. “You’re gonna have to lie down in that bed you’re making/ Hey fool, It’s gonna haunt you night and day,” he sings, attempting to distill hard-earned wisdom to a man at a bar who is attempting to lure a new lover, when he’s already in a relationship.
Margo Cilker, “Keep It on a Burner”
Singer-songwriter Cilker has spent most of her time in the rural Northwest, ranging from California to Oregon, and brings a small-town sensibility, as well as a keen poet’s observations, to her latest batch of songs, having released her first full-length album, Pohorylle, in 2021. On this doo wop-tinged latest release — from the upcoming Valley of Heart’s Delight, due in September — Cilker employs horns aplenty for a stream-of consciousness cataloguing of her life at the moment, from mundane to the profound, with lyrics such as “I got sidewalks, I got sunburned, I got books I haven’t read/ I got neighbors telling neighbors they’ll bе burning up when they’re dеad… I got wasted, I got waylaid, I got stuck in Lodi again,” a nod to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1969 hit “Lodi.” Tying it all together is the relaxed sureness in Cilker’s honeyed vocal.
The surprise Migos set at last week’s 2023 BET Awards was something the culture, and the surviving members, really needed. At least according to Offset, who explained in a recent video how his first onstage performance in over a year with bandmate Quavo came together as a tribute to their fallen third member, Takeoff.
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The pair performed their breakthrough Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Bad and Boujee” and danced to Take’s verse from “Hotel Lobby” — from Quavo and Takeoff’s 2022 spin-off project, Unc & Phew — for the crowd as an image of Takeoff filled the screen behind them. “We did a BET performance man it was iconic, it cleared my soul,” Offset said in the clip of the homage to Take (born Kirshnik Khari Ball), who was gunned down at a Houston bowling alley in November.
Offset said he and Quavo pulled the whole thing together in less than 16 hours after landing on a flight from Paris at 9 p.m. and getting right to work on their first performance together since Takeoff’s death. “And we do that because we some real stars,” he explained while repeatedly lighting up a smoldering blunt. “We do this music. We the greatest group to ever touch the mic. RIP my brother Take. We did it for my brother Take. Me and Quay, stood tall, brother-to-brother… and I appreciate everyone for supporting [us]. It was a movie, it was a vibe. We needed that for the culture.”
The unannounced June 25 performance about an hour into the broadcast was preceded by the image of a giant rocket on the two screens behind the stage as Offset and Quavo walked into the spotlight surrounded by smoke and lasers for their first joint performance in more than a year.
Long-time residents of Springfield are celebrating a recent budget announcement that will restore a classic piece of Springfield infrastructure.
Governor Parson included on the 2024 fiscal year list of budget approvals, an 8 million dollar appropriation to restore the Jefferson Avenue footbridge.
The footbridge has been in Springfield for over 100 years, and has been out of commission for the last several years.
A shooting late Saturday night has left one man in critical condition.
According to the Springfield Police Department, officers were called to respond to reports of an assault around 10:45 Saturday evening. When they arrived on scene near the 200 block of West Madison, the found one man with life threatening gun shot wounds.
Officers administered first aid and the man was transported to a Springfield hospital where he remains in critical care.
Springfield Police have not reported any suspects but believe there is no ongoing threat to the public.
The mud has dried on Glastonbury Festival 2023, but the good times continue to roll for a string of this year’s performers.
Elton John’s Diamonds (via Mercury/UMC) collection goes off like a rocket following the pop legend’s headline slot at the main Pyramid Stage, on the final night.
The career retrospective climbs 11-2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published June 30, with an 188% uptick in week-on-week chart sales (sales and streams), according to the Official Charts Company.
The Rocket Man also makes his mark on the Official U.K. Singles Chart as his “Cold Heart” (EMI/Warner Records) collaboration with Dua Lipa, remixed by Pnau, vaults 66-30 and his 1983 classic “I’m Still Standing” (Mercury) stands at No. 34. That’s the first top 40 appearance for the single since its year of release.
Elton’s Glastonbury slot was billed as potentially his last show on home soil.
There’s an impressive chart ride for Stephen Sanchez who, after joining Elton on stage, sees his ballad “Until I Found You” (Republic Records) reennter the singles chart at No. 14, for a new high. “Until I Found You” posts a 105% week-on-week gain in combined sales.
Lewis Capaldi’semotionally-charged performance at Glasto has seen the Scottish artist’s sophomore set Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent (EMI) fly 16-3 — thanks to a 68% week-on-week gain in combined sales, the OCC reports. Also, Lewis’s debut LP Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent rises 34-9 on the chart, with a 114% gain in combined sales, while his trans-Atlantic hit “Someone You Loved” climbs 98-49 on the singles survey.
Around 210,000 people partied at Glastonbury from Friday, June 23, until Sunday, June 25, with the BBC airing all the hottest performances and highlights.
The Arctic Monkeys swung into Glastonbury with a Friday night headline slot, and this week lands three albums in the U.K. top 40 –– the most for any performer at the popular summertime festival.
The Sheffield rock band’s 2013 set AM lifts 12-7, 2005 debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not gains 29-20 and 2006’s Favourite Worst Nightmare reenters the top 40 at No. 38 — all through Domino Recordings.
Also benefiting from the exposure of playing Britain’s best-know festival is Foo Fighters. The band’s surprise set at the Eavis’ Worthy Farm helps lift former leader But Here We Are (Columbia), up 31-14, while their career retrospective The Essential Foo Fighters (Sony Music CG) enjoys a 63-22 spike, with a 67% week-on-week gain in combined sales, according to the OCC.
Lana Del Rey’s abridged Glasto set has added steam to her sophomore album Born To Die (Polydor), up 43-29, while Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. renters at No. 75, and Norman F**king Rockwell returns to the tally at No. 90.
Finally, Saturday Glastonbury headliners Guns N’ Roses can boast the highest-climber on the Official U.K. Albums Chart with Greatest Hits. Thanks to a 95% gain in combined sales, the collection soars 96-31.
One of those mega-hits, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (Geffen), which peaked at No. 6 back in 1989, appears at No. 40 on the singles tally. That’s “Sweet Child’s” first stint in the top 40 in 34 years.
The leader at the halfway stage, “Sprinter” soaks up 8.6 million streams during the latest cycle, the Official Charts Company reports, for its fourth consecutive week at the summit.
The rap track outruns J Hus and Drake’s “Who Told You” (holding at No. 2 via Black Butter/OVO/Republic) and Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding’s “Miracle” (unmoved at No. 3 via Columbia), respectively.
Also making moves inside the top 10, published June 30, are Rudimental, Charlotte Plank and Vibe Chemistry’s “Dancing Is Healing” (Room Two) up 6-5; while Hannah Laing and RoRo’s ”Good Love” (Polydor) is up 9-7; and South Korean DJ and producer Peggy Gou enters the top tier for the first time with ”(It Goes Like) Nanana” (XL Recordings), up 14-9.
The highest new entry belongs to Stormzy and Fredo with “Toxic Trait” (Def Jam), the British hip-hop artists’ first collaborative venture. It’s new at No. 11 on the Official U.K .Singles Chart, published Friday, June 30, for Stormzy’s 29th top 40 appearance, and Fredo’s 19th.
As Swifties enjoy the British summer, listening to their favorite artist, Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summit” (EMI) continues its march up the chart. The Lover release from 2019 rises 28-12 on the U.K. tally, for a new chart peak. Further down the list is Swift’s Midnights number “Karma,” up 32-31, and “Anti-Hero,” up 45-42. Swift recently announced the U.K. leg of her The Eras Tour, which is set to visit these parts in June 2024.
Also new to the Official U.K. Singles Chart is Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s contribution of the Barbie soundtrack, the Aqua-sampling “Barbie World” (Atlantic). It’s new at No. 25 for Ice Spice’s second U.K. top 40 appearance and Minaj’s 43rd.
Finally, Afrobeats star Burna Boy bags his 10th U.K. top 40 single with “Sittin’ On Top Of The World” (Atlantic), which lifts 46-38.
Are you still listening?
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