Music

Madonna's performance for the ages at the Billboard Music Awards ain't gonna be cheap ... it's gonna cost Madge a whopping FIVE MILLION BUCK$. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the Queen of Pop's gonna cough up the money herself with ZERO assistance from Billboard as it gears up to unveil Madonna's groundbreaking performance slated to air Wednesday live from the MGM Las Vegas. What M has planned is already being billed as one of the most ambitious performances ever attempted on live TV ... a set that'll include holograms and CGI. We're told Madonna's appearance will last almost 7 minutes. Madonna's clearly rehearsing ferociously. She posted a video Sunday saying she wants her feet to hurt. The performance comes on the heels of Madonna releasing a new track "Medelln" ... featuring Colombian superstar Maluma. The Material Girl's also set to drop her new album, "Madame X" June 14. So, while everyone's champing at the bit for the forthcoming album, buckle your seat belts for her BMAs set. It's gonna be lit. Wanna know why? She's Madonna. (TMZ)

Beyonce's 'Lemonade' Album Returns to Top 10 on Billboard 200 Following Wide Streaming Release. Beyonce claims a pair of concurrent top 10 albums for the first time, with 'Lemonade' and 'Homecoming: The Live Album.' It's a big week for Beyonce on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as the diva claims a pair of concurrent top 10 albums for the first time. Her 2016 album Lemonade re-enters the list at No. 9 following its wide streaming release, and Homecoming: The Live Album jumps 7-4 after its first full chart tracking week of activity. Further, two more Beyonce albums dot the list, as both I Am... Sasha Fierce and her self-titled set re-enter the tally. The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units are comprised of traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new May 4-dated chart, where Lemonade re-enters at No. 9, will be posted in full on Billboard's websites on April 30. Homecoming: The Live Album rises 7-4 after its first full chart tracking week of activity, earning 57,000 equivalent album units (up 47%) in the week ending April 25. The album gains in both SEA and TEA units but declines in album sales (8,000; down 43%). On the April 26-dated chart (reflecting the tracking week ending April 18), the album debuted on the list from just two days of activity, as it was released on April 17. Beyonce's former No. 1 Lemonade returns to the list following its wide streaming debut on April 23. The album was only previously available to stream via the Tidal service (though was widely available to purchase digitally and physically). In the week ending April 25, Lemonade earned 30,000 equivalent album units (up 627%). Of that sum, 4,000 were in album sales (up 35%), a little more than 1,000 in in TEA units (up 72%) and 25,000 in SEA units (up 5,801%). The latter figure translates to 31.45 million on-demand streams for its songs during the week (up from about a half-million streams in the previous week). Lemonade was last in the top 10 on March 7, 2017, when the set zoomed 33-9 following its exposure on the Grammy Awards (Feb. 12). With Homecoming: The Live Album and Lemonade both in the top 10, this is the first time Beyonce has claimed two concurrent top 10 sets. She's the first woman with two simultaneous top 10s in more than two years, since Lady Gaga scored two in the top 10 on the list dated Feb. 25, 2017, following her Super Bowl halftime show performance. (Hollywood Reporter)

Ronnie Wood Says Mick Jagger is 'Doing Well' After Heart Surgery. Laughter, as the old axiom has it, is the best medicine. And it's apparently working wonders for Mick Jagger, as the Rolling Stones frontman recovers from heart surgery. Speaking with Hello Magazine, the Stones' guitarist Ronnie Wood said he and his bandmates are keeping Jagger's spirits up with some amusing homemade videos. "Sally [Wood's wife] and I went on a break to the Caribbean with Keith [Richards] and [his wife] Patti and sent him videos of us playing and singing get well songs on the guitar." He added "That cracked him up. We're all so pleased that he's doing well." As Jagger works his way back to health, Wood is indulging his other creative passion, painting. The former Faces axeman has painted five Picasso-inspired works, which "amused and impressed" the band's ailing singer. "He is doing really well," Wood told Hello. "I spoke to him yesterday and he's feeling great." Earlier this month, Jagger underwent successful surgery to replace a heart valve and was back on his feet in a matter of days. The 75 year-old rock 'n' roll legend is expected to make a full recovery, though It's unclear exactly when he'll be back at the mic (and moving like Jagger). The Stones rescheduled their 17-date North American No Filter Tour, due to begin this month, so that Jagger could have the procedure. The Stones are expected to reschedule most the dates, though they dropped out of the Jazz Fest in New Orleans. Source familiar with the tour told Billboard the veteran band should be able to return to the road this July. (Billboard)

Diplo Debuts 'Old Town Road' Remix With Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus at Stagecoach 2019. Diplo closed out Stagecoach Sunday night (April 28) by unveiling another remix of Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" with the rapper himself. After reports that Lil Nas X would be making an appearance at the country festival, anticipation was high. While the track played on the speakers multiple times throughout the fest, it wasn't until after 11 p.m. on the last day that Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus joined Diplo for the live debut of the song during the DJ's late-night set at the Palomino tent. Lil Nas X and Cyrus marked the third surprise of Diplo's set, and the Major Lazer star prefaced their performance by taking a stance on the controversy surrounding "Old Town Road": "Let me tell you, it's a country song." The thousands of fans in attendance erupted as the men took the stage to make the live debut of the remix, donning cowboy hats and jean jackets -- Lil Nas' getup complete with fringe and black cowboy boots. The original two-minute track is now three thanks to Diplo's added production, which includes whistling throughout the entire song (Lil Nas X and Cyrus' verses remain the same). The track is the first tune released under Diplo's new country project, Thomas Wesley. Sam Hunt also made an appearance singing his hit "Body Like a Back Road." (Billboard)

Yodel Kid's absence at Stagecoach this weekend was a huge bummer ... but he's got a fix to cure your blues ... 'cause TMZ's learned he's gearing up for a massive fall tour!!! 12-year-old Mason Ramsey -- the boy who became famous after yodeling at a Walmart in Illinois -- will announce next week a 30-date fall tour set to kick off October 3. We're told his yodeling will echo across all major markets ... including NYC, Nashville, Philly and L.A. Mason's about to wrap up his 11-date How's Your Girl and How's Your Family tour, which he launched back in March. His final show went down Saturday in Milwaukee and he's been killing it everywhere. Mason surfed the crowd on an inflatable horse earlier last week in Ohio ... and the crowd ate it up. Mason's enjoyed incredible success since video of him yodeling Hank Williams' "Lovesick Blues" in 2018 at a Harrisburg, IL Walmart blew up. It led to an appearance on 'Ellen' and gigs at Coachella and Stagecoach ... where he actually upstaged Florida Georgia Line. Mason's truly a global superstar ... his single, "Famous," has racked up nearly 40 MILLION streams on Spotify. In short ... the kid's legit and clearly, he's in hot demand. (TMZ)

Mystikal is stepping back into the limelight after being released from prison ... taking the stage for his first big performance after spending 18 months behind bars on rape charges. The rapper made a surprise appearance Saturday night at Funk Fest in Orlando in his first major gig since getting out of prison ... and the crowd went wild, welcoming him back with open arms! Mystikal got a special introduction from Doug E. Fresh ... and then launched into his throwback hits, performing "Move B*tch" and "Shake Ya A**" in front of thousands of screaming fans. It's a triumphant return to the spotlight for Mystikal ... Funk Fest is a huge two-day festival, with headlining performances from T.I., Erykah Badu, Jeezy and Plies. We broke the story ... Mystikal was released from a Louisiana prison back in February once he was finally able to scrape together $3 million for his bond. The money came from an advance for a new recording deal, plus fund raised by Mystikal's friends and family. Mystikal snapped a pic with his lawyers on his way out and said he was thankful for the opportunity to get back to being a father and working on his music. Mystikal was hyped up after his ser . . . thanking his fans for the love and reflecting on his long road back to the top. (TMZ)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Fall Book Discussion and Movie Series

Book discussion group to meet

City Page Survey