The new track “Drag Me Down” is the first since Zayn Malik’s departure four months ago.
One Direction is currently on tour in the United States, and the group will return to the U.K. in September. The band announced in a press release that their fifth album will be released this November.
One thousand musicians banded together in Italy to perform the Foo Fighters’ “Learn to Fly” all at once in an attempt to woo the band to come play a show for them.
“The Foo Fighters are not in Romagna since 1997, it’s time to get them back, but we need a crazy idea,” the Rockin’ 1000’s website explains. “We have to organize something that kicks ass worldwide and can be seen by Dave Grohl: We will ask one thousand rockers to play one of their songs, all together and at the same time.”
At 18 most people are getting ready for college, Hailee Steinfeld isn’t your typical 18 year old. She is an Oscar-nominee, who’s releasing a single called “Love Myself.”
Steinfeld joined the Shawn Mendes for a toned-down set of his latest single that was posted to YouTube today (July 28).
Carlos Serrano is a genius. His mixes are some of my favorites of all time.
Serrano’s latest mix blends Kanye West’s iconic “Stronger” and The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face”.
Listen below
Originally Posted on Billboard
Hitmakers are the lifeblood of country music. “Songwriting is sort of a 9-to-5 job in Nashville,” says Michael Dulaney, who has collaborated on singles with Tanya Tucker and Jason Aldean. Unlike in other genres, where artists and producers disappear into studios or rented mansions for months, Nashville’s most successful treat the craft more like a profession than a mystical experience. “I write at least 150 songs a year, so there’s really not a ‘writing ritual,’ ” says Rhett Akins, who has 18 career No. 1 singles. “You just hope and pray on the way to the writing session that you’ve got a good idea — or that the person you’re writing with does.”
Billboard’s First-Ever Nashville Top 50 Power Players List Revealed
1. Chris DeStefano*
Known for: “Good Girl” (Carrie Underwood); “Kick the Dust Up” (Luke Bryan)
A personal song I’ve written: “ ‘Something in the Water’ [Carrie Underwood]. When I’m singing it, sometimes I get a lump in my throat.”
2. Josh Osborne, 35
Known for: “Take Your Time” (Sam Hunt); “Sangria” (Blake Shelton)
Word I overuse in lyrics: “ ‘Ceiling fan.’ When [Eli Young Band’s] ‘Drunk Last Night’ went to No. 1, Rhett [Akins] sent me a text that said, ‘ “Ceiling fan” must be the new “tailgate.” ’ ”
3. Luke Laird, 37
Known for: “American Kids” (Kenny Chesney); “Give Me Back My Hometown” (Eric Church)
Why there aren’t more women on country radio: “Some of the best writers are female, but as far as writers in Nashville getting paid to write songs, it’s still more guys. That may have something to do with it.”
4. Nathan Chapman, 38
Known for: “Better Than You Left Me” (Mickey Guyton); “Homegrown Honey” (Darius Rucker)
Why there aren’t more women on country radio: “I don’t know. I’ve had 16 No. 1s as a producer and songwriter — and 12 of my No. 1s have been with female lead singers. It’s an important issue for me.”
5. Lee Thomas Miller, 46
Known for: “Southern Girl” (Tim McGraw); “In Color” (Jamey Johnson)
A personal song I’ve written: “My grandfather was in World War II, and we did a whole verse of ‘In Color’ [“In the middle of hell/In 1943”] about it.”
Dierks Bentley on His Bumpy Road to Stardom: ‘I Didn’t See It Working Out for Me’
6. Barry Dean, 48
Known for: “Pontoon” (Little Big Town); “Where We Left Off” (Hunter Hayes)
Most surprising place I’ve heard my song: “[At] my wife’s high school reunion, they were doing karaoke, and somebody did ‘Pontoon.’ They didn’t know I’d written it.”
7. Marv Green, 50
Known for: “Amazed” (Lonestar); “Who I Am With You” (Chris Young)
Dream collaborators: “Tom Petty, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Merle Haggard, Mick Jagger.”
8. Natalie Hemby, 38
Known for: “Tornado” (Little Big Town); “Automatic” (Miranda Lambert)
I wish I wrote: “ ‘Burning House’ by Cam. It reminds me of something the Dixie Chicks would sing.”
Nashville Power Players: The Billboard Cover Shoot
9. Michael Dulaney, 51
Known for: “The Way You Love Me” (Faith Hill); “Night Train” (Jason Aldean)
I wish I wrote: “[Chesney’s] ‘American Kids.’ The language is very smart, like a little movie.”
10. Nicolle Galyon, 31
Known for: “We Were Us” (Keith Urban featuring Miranda Lambert); “Automatic” (Miranda Lambert)
Why there aren’t more women on country radio: “It’s not a lack of talent. I wish there were more women involved at the high level in record labels to help develop new female artists.”
11. Matt Ramsey, 37
Known for: “Chainsaw” (The Band Perry); “Say You Do” (Dierks Bentley)
Dream collaborator: “I’m a huge Bruce Springsteen fan, but if I was ever put in a room with him I’d probably cry.”
Stephen Colbert Inducts Toby Keith Into Songwriters Hall Of Fame: Read His Hilarious Speech
12. Jon Nite, 35
Known for: “We Were Us” (Keith Urban featuring Miranda Lambert); “Beachin’ ” (Jake Owen)
Word I overuse in lyrics: “Right now, I am instructed by my publishers not to use ‘truck’ or ‘whiskey.’ The problem is, I drive an F-150 and I live in Bourbon Country.”
13. Heather Morgan, 35
Known for: “Beat of the Music,” “Lose My Mind” (Brett Eldredge)
Word I overuse in lyrics: “ ‘Baby.’ Is that too obvious?”
14. Trevor Rosen, 40
Known for: “Say You Do” (Dierks Bentley); “Sangria” (Blake Shelton)
Dream collaborator: “Eminem. I’m from Detroit, too.”
Nashville Songwriters Hall Adds Rosanne Cash
15. Liz Rose, 57
Known for: “You Belong With Me” (Taylor Swift); “Girl Crush” (Little Big Town)
Most surprising place I’ve heard my song: “I was with a group of girls, and we’d been drinking on the beach all day. ‘You Belong With Me’ came on, so I said to the bartender, ‘I wrote that.’ She looked at me and said, ‘Sure you did, lady.’”
16. Rhett Akins, 45
Known for: “I Don’t Want This Night to End” (Luke Bryan); “Boys ’Round Here” (Blake Shelton featuring Pistol Annies & Friends)
I wish I wrote: “ ‘Sangria’ by Blake Shelton. All my friends write these songs, so I’m like, ‘Dang, how come we didn’t write that together?’ ”
17. Brad Tursi, 35
Known for: “A Guy Walks Into a Bar” (Tyler Farr)
Dream collaborator: “Pharrell. He’s been a part of so many great modern hits, I’d like to see how that works.”
18. Shane McAnally, 40
Known for: “Merry Go ’Round” (Kacey Musgraves); “Take Your Time” (Sam Hunt); “American Kids” (Kenny Chesney)
I wish I wrote: “ ‘Teenage Dream’ by Katy Perry. I’m obsessed with that song.”
Most surprising place I’ve heard my song: “Kacey Musgraves had her album-release party at a Nashville bar called Play. She had drag queens come out and each do a song, so I watched nine of my songs performed by drag queens.”
Big Loud Record Label Hits the Ground Running With One Artist and a Motown-Like Philosophy
19. Josh Kear, 40
Known for: “Need You Now” (Lady Antebellum); “Drunk on a Plane” (Dierks Bentley)
Most surprising place I’ve heard my song: “I was in Sri Lanka last year. I was holding my daughter, waiting in the bathroom line inside a marketplace, and I heard ‘Need You Now’ over the intercom.”
20. Ross Copperman, 32
Known for: “Pirate Flag” (Kenny Chesney); “Tip It on Back” (Dierks Bentley)
Word I overuse in lyrics: “We’re all trying to stray from the bro thing, you know? So ‘truck,’ I guess.”
Listen to songs from Nashville’s biggest songwriters (and more music from this issue) in the Spotify playlist below:
This story originally appeared in the Aug. 1 issue of Billboard.
Demi Lovato’s highly- anticipated video for “Cool for the Summer” has arrived and Lovatics are pumped.
During her interview with Ryan Seacrest , Demi said that “Cool For The Summer” has several meanings.
“It’s very fun. It’s definitely more provocative. I just think the more you listen to it, the more things it can mean.”
“Cool For The Summer” is the first single off Lovato’s upcoming fifth studio album, due out later this year. This hot new song marks the next step of her music career, giving the singer an edgier sound.
“That’s what this album is: I’m no longer serious. I’m done with like the sob stories and the tales. New chapter, new life, new album, new single. This is a completely new Demi. There’s definitely a lot of provocative songs on the album. There’s also an element that I really wanted to bring to the music. One was the rock element. I wanted to bring back that kind of rock-pop music, but I have a lot of rhythmic flares in there as well. I don’t know! There’s so many things that I wanted to bring back. I grew up listening to soul music, and then I only listened to metal music for a while. So, I have all these influences that influenced this album and me growing up.”
Watch the rager below.
Beyoncé — “7/11”
Ed Sheeran — “Thinking Out Loud”
Taylor Swift — “Bad Blood” (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
Mark Ronson — “Uptown Funk” (ft. Bruno Mars)
Kendrick Lamar — “Alright”
Ed Sheeran — “Thinking Out Loud”
Big Sean — “I Don’t Fuck With You”
Nick Jonas — “Chains”
The Weeknd — “Earned It”
Kendrick Lamar — “Alright”
Beyoncé — “7/11”
Taylor Swift — “Blank Space”
Sia — “Elastic Heart”
Ellie Goulding — “Love Me Like You Do”
Nicki Minaj — “Anaconda”
Hozier — “Take Me to Church”
Fall Out Boy — “Centuries”
Florence and the Machine — “Ship to Wreck”
Walk the Moon — “Shut Up and Dance”
Arctic Monkeys — “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?”
Fetty Wap — “Trap Queen”
Nicki Minaj — “Anaconda”
Kendrick Lamar — “Alright”
Wiz Khalifa — “See You Again” (ft. Charlie Puth)
Big Sean — “I Don’t Fuck With You”
Beyonce — “7/11”
Ed Sheeran — “Thinking Out Loud”
Mark Ronson — “Uptown Funk” (ft. Bruno Mars)
Taylor Swift — “Blank Space”
Maroon 5 — “Sugar”
Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar — “Bad Blood”
Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars — “Uptown Funk”
Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth — “See You Again”
Ariana Grande and The Weeknd — “Love Me Harder”
Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj — “Bang Bang”
Jennifer Hudson — “I Still Love You”
Colbie Caillat — “Try”
Big Sean — “One Man Can Change the World”
Rihanna — “American Oxygen”
Wale — “The White Shoes”
Fetty Wap — “Trap Queen”
Vance Joy — “Riptide”
George Ezra — “Budapest”
James Bay — “Hold Back the River”
FKA Twigs — “Pendulum”
Beyoncé — “7/11”
OK GO — “I Won’t Let You Down”
Chet Faker — “Gold”
Ed Sheeran — “Don’t”
Flying Lotus — “Never Catch Me” (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
The Chemical Brothers — “Go”
Jack White — “Would You Fight For My Love”
Skrillex & Diplo — “Where Are Ü Now” (ft. Justin Bieber)
Snoop Dogg — “So Many Pros”
Taylor Swift — “Bad Blood” (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
Childish Gambino — “Sober”
Hozier — “Take Me to Church”
Kendrick Lamar — “Alright”
Mark Ronson — “Uptown Funk” (ft. Bruno Mars)
Taylor Swift — “Bad Blood” (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
A$AP Rocky — “L$D”
Beyonce — “7/11”
Ed Sheeran — “Don’t”
Skrillex & Diplo — “Where Are Ü Now” (ft. Justin Bieber)
Taylor Swift — “Bad Blood” (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
Alt-J — “Left Hand Free”
Ed Sheeran — “Thinking Out Loud”
FKA Twigs — “Two Weeks”
Flying Lotus — “Never Catch Me” (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
Taylor Swift — “Bad Blood” (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
Childish Gambino — “Telegraph Ave”
FKA Twigs — “Two Weeks”
Skrillex & Diplo — “Where Are Ü Now” (ft. Justin Bieber)
Taylor Swift — “Bad Blood” (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
Tyler, The Creator — “Fucking Young/Death Camp”
Award-winning duo A Great Big World return this week with a brand new single on Epic Records, “Hold Each Other.”
The duo of Ian Axel and Chad King made music history with their #1 global hit “Say Something” with Christina Aguilera. Their sophomore album is due out later this year and “Hold Each Other” is the first track we have heard.
Axel and King explain, “We are hoping that we can inspire people, even just a little, to fearlessly speak their truth when it comes to who they are and who they love.”
Lana Del Rey has a new album coming out in September. So far all we have heard is teasers. Today, Lana released the first single and title track, “Honeymoon.”
Good Music. Good Life. 