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Los Angeles Times
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Walter Scott of R&B group the Whispers dies at 81
Walter Scott, who with his twin brother Wallace founded the Los Angeles-based R&B group the Whispers — a hit-making force in the 1970s and '80s with songs like 'And the Beat Goes On,' 'Rock Steady,' 'Lady' and 'Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong' — died Thursday, according to multiple media outlets, including Billboard and the Los Angeles Sentinel. He was 81. The Sentinel reported that Scott's family said he died in Northridge after a six-month bout with cancer. With a smooth, danceable sound built on sturdy post-disco rhythms and carefully arranged group vocals, the Whispers put 15 songs inside the Top 10 of Billboard's R&B chart; 'And the Beat Goes On' reached No. 1 in 1980, followed by 'Rock Steady,' which topped the tally in 1987. The band's music was widely sampled in later years, including by 50 Cent, Mobb Deep, J. Cole and Will Smith, the last of whom used 'And the Beat Goes On' as the basis for his late-'90s hit 'Miami.' In a post on Instagram, the musician and filmmaker Questlove described Scott as 'one of the most trusted voices in '70s soul music' and compared him to 'the talented uncle in the family….who btw could DUST you inna min w his dizzying blink & you lost him squiggle gee doo dweedy scatlibs.' Scott was born in 1944 in Fort Worth, Texas, and later moved to L.A. with his family; he and his brother started singing as students at Jordan High School, according to the Sentinel, and formed the Whispers in the mid-'60s with Nicholas Caldwell, Marcus Hutson and Gordy Harmon. The group spent time in San Francisco before Scott was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. The group recorded for a series of record companies but found its biggest success on Dick Griffey's Solar label. The Whispers were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. Billboard said Scott is survived by his wife, Jan; two sons; three grandchildren and his brother.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Selena Gomez to Guest Star on ‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place' Season 2: ‘Just Feels Right'
What's that? A hat? No, it's Selena Gomez getting ready to work up some more magic! The singer-actress teased on Thursday (June 26) that she's returning to Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. The star, who portrayed Alex Russo on Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place, shared a photo from the spinoff's set of her hand — complete with glittering manicure — holding her red wizard wand on Instagram Stories. She wrote over it in white text, 'Just feels right..' More from Billboard Jam Out With Our Favorite Instruments & Karaoke Machines From Sam's Club Philo Is the Hidden Gem of Streaming Services: Here's How to Watch More Than 110 Channels Online for Free Nike's Oklahoma City Thunder Championship Merch Is the Real MVP of the NBA Finals: Shop Here But that wasn't all. After a Story teasing her hit Hulu show Only Murders in the Building, Gomez offered yet another photo from the Wizards set on Friday (June 27), confirming her return for the second season. In the snap, she sits alongside fellow Wizards of Waverly Place star David Henrie, who plays her brother Justin, and who stars in the spinoff. 'We want to do this forever… luv you brudder,' she wrote over the photo. Disney has confirmed the news of her return as a guest star for the second season of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. According to the synopsis for the sophomore year of the show, young wizard Billie (played by Janice LeAnn Brown) — who Alex sent to live with Justin in season one, struggles with not being the only wizard in the home after Roman Russo (Alkaio Thiele) and Milo Russo's (Max Matenko) magical abilities surface. The new season will also see Justin training the three young wizards for the Family Wizard Competition, all while the Russo clan faces a new threat that could change everything. Gomez and Henrie will executive produce the second season, which will arrive in the fall on Disney+ and Disney Channel. Best of Billboard Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble, Pentatonix & Train Will Bring Their Holiday Hits to iHeart Christmas Concert Fox Plans NFT Debut With $20 'Masked Singer' Collectibles 14 Things That Changed (or Didn't) at Farm Aid 2021
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift reportedly paid jaw-dropping amount to buy back her masters
Taylor Swift, who became a billionaire last year, reportedly paid a jaw-dropping amount to buy back her master recordings. Sources told Billboard Friday that Shamrock Capital sold Swift's catalog to her for around $360 million, which is relatively close to what the private equity firm paid for it in 2020. Reps for the singer-songwriter did not immediately respond to Page Six's request for comment. Retired music manager Scooter Braun bought the rights to Swift's first six albums — 'Taylor Swift,' 'Fearless,' 'Speak Now,' 'Red,' '1989' and 'Reputation' — in 2019 when his company Ithica Holdings acquired her former label Big Machine Records. The following year, he sold her masters to Shamrock. 'Scooter has stripped me of my life's work, that I wasn't given an opportunity to buy,' a 'sad and grossed out' Swift lamented at the time, calling Braun a 'bully.'In 2021, the Grammy winner began re-recording and re-releasing her albums as a way of reclaiming ownership over her songs. But earlier Friday, she announced via her website that she was able to buy back all of her original music. 'I'm trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow,' the 35-year-old began her note, which was formatted like a handwritten letter. 'A flashback sequence of all the time I daydreamed about, wished for, and pined away for a chance to get to tell this news. All the times I was thiiiiiiiiiiis close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through.' Swift admitted that she 'almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away. But that's all in the past now.' She marveled, 'I've been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening. I really get to say these words: All of the music I've ever made … now belongs … to me.' As for her highly anticipated 'Reputation (Taylor's Version)' album — one of the two she has yet to re-release — the pop superstar confessed to her fans that she hasn't 'even re-recorded a quarter of it.' However, she did note that 'Reputation (Taylor's Version)' and her self-titled debut album 'can still have their moment to re-emerge when the time is right.' Shortly after Swift's big announcement, Braun, 43, told Page Six he's 'happy for her.'
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lorde Summer Officially Arrives With New Album ‘Virgin'
Lorde is finally back, as Virgin, the New Zealand superstar's first album in nearly four years, officially released on Friday. Lorde preceded the new album with the singles 'What Was That,' 'Man of the Year,' and 'Hammer,' the latter of which also serves as Virgin's opening track. So far, 'What Was That' has been the most popular song, charting at 36 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and amassing over 80 million streams on Spotify. The prospect of new music has helped boost her catalog as well, as 'Ribs,' her much-beloved track from debut album Pure Heroine, finally charted on the Hot 100 back in May after her viral, chaotic pop-up in Washington Square Park back in April. More from The Hollywood Reporter Lalo Schifrin, Acclaimed Composer of 'Mission: Impossible' and 'Mannix' Themes, Dies at 93 Background Performer at Kendrick Lamar Halftime Show Arrested Over Gaza Sudan Flag How Diddy's Right-Hand Woman Became the Phantom of His Trial Virgin follows Lorde's 2021 Solar Power, which represented a bit of a sonic and aesthetic departure from the synth-pop she'd been associated with. Solar Power was more divisive among fans and critics and failed to meet the commercial heights of Pure Heroine or her lauded sophomore album Melodrama. For Virgin, Lorde worked mostly with producer and co-writer Jim-E Stack, who also produced Bon Iver's latest album Sable, Fable. Other contributors on the album include Dan Nigro, producer for Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo, and Buddy Ross, whose credits include tracks for Vampire Weekend, Haim and Frank Ocean among others. Lorde sat down with Zane Lowe for an interview that aired Thursday ahead of Virgin's release, giving a wide-ranging conversation touching on everything from recording 'Hammer' to giving an early peak at the album to Jack Harlow, to addressing becoming a star as a teenager. ' I think for a long time I've tried to be very binary about it,' Lorde told Lowe. 'When I'm in the studio or when I'm in America, I'm an artist. When I go home to New Zealand, I'm not an artist and I turn that part of myself off. It's impossible obviously.' Lorde will be taking her new album on the road later in the fall for the Ultrasound World Tour, which is shaping up to be one of the hottest shows of the year as nearly every date has already sold out. The tour will kick off at the Moody Center in Austin on September 17th. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Christian Alicea's ‘Swingkete Vol. 1 – Maratón' & More Best New Music Latin
New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week's picks below. Christian Alicea, (Rimas Entertainment) More from Billboard Ask Billboard: Here Are the Nos. 1 & 2 Reasons That the Hot 100 Has Been Historic This Month Inside Bouyon: How a Fusion of Local Folk Music & Digitized Instruments Gave Way to Dominica's Fast-Spreading Homegrown Genre Lorde Performs New Album 'Virgin' in Full at Surprise Glastonbury 2025 Show Alicea's first album under Rimas Entertainment, his label since February, is exactly what the title suggests: a marathon of tropical gems. In a moment where regional sounds continue to dominate the scene in Latin music — from Bad Bunny's Debí Tirar Más Fotos to Karol G's Tropicoqueta — Alicea's Swingkete is a standout, honoring his beloved Puerto Rico fusing traditional styles like bomba, plena and salsa with cumbia and Afrobeat. The salsa singer, formerly a fireman, recruits Jowell & Randy, J Álvarez, Frabian Eli and Eliot 'El Mago D Oz,' to help him usher a new era for salsa music. From beginning to end, the LP is a joy to listen to. From the unexpected but really fun Colombian cumbia 'Me Lo Gozo' powered by an earworm chorus to his 'Homenaje a J Álvarez,' an ode to the OG reggatonero from Puerto Rico who joins him to sample the anthemic 'La Pregunta.' And then there's 'Carrusel,' a signature fast-paced salsa powered by a potent percussion and commanding brass instruments. He closes with 'Gracias,' a violin-led power ballad that shows another side of Alicea. With Swingkete, it's safe to say that Alicea cements his role as a leading force among the new generation of salsa hitmakers. — GRISELDA FLORES Gerardo Ortiz, 'Échame el Grito' (Badsin Entertainment) Gerardo Ortiz, one of the most respected figures in regional Mexican music, releases new music for the first time in over a year: the norteño ballad 'Échame el Grito,' a preview of his upcoming album. This new track is a great way to remember the artist's romantic side outside of the corridos that brought him fame a decade ago. It's accompanied by accordion, guitars, percussion, and even hints of country, all adding to the singer's heartfelt interpretation of a fervent declaration of love: 'Give me a shout/ When you feel like having a beautiful love/ Here you have the No. 1 fan of your eyes,' reads part of the lyrics. It's a feeling of hope and longing that is conveyed in the music video, recorded in Miami in a somber atmosphere in which Ortiz imagines the woman with whom he wants to share a romance. — TERE AGUILERA Camilo, 'Maldito ChatGPT' (El Taller Creativo/Sony Music Latin) On 'Maldito ChatGPT,' Camilo reflects on a love that's not worth it — because ChatGPT told him. Produced by Trooko, the Colombian singer-songwriter dives into a captivating house track with deep bass. Penned by the artist himself, alongside Jeffrey Peñalva, 'Maldito ChatGPT' is a clever twist on today's technology with artificial intelligence. 'You're not for me/ ChatGPT told me/ Who knows me better than I know myself/ And I asked him again/ But he said no and I wanted him to say yes,' he chants, before ChatGPT reminds him at the end of the song why he's better off alone. The music video, which shows a frustrated Camilo looking for answers in an office space, was directed by Evaluna Montaner and Sebastian Andrade at his own El Taller Creativo in Miami. — JESSICA ROIZ Anuel AA, 'Little Demon' (Real Hasta La Muerte) To give context to his new single 'Little Demon,' Anuel opens with a verse from Los Alegres Del Barranco's 'El del Palenque': 'I am the owner of the arena/ Four letters go in the front.' The Mexican group recently faced charges from the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office for allegedly advocating crime. In true Anuel fashion, 'Little Demon' is a deep, hard-hitting trap where the Puerto Rican artists delves into the harsh realities of the streets, including drug trafficking and cartels. This track is the first single from his upcoming album, RHLM2, which pays tribute to his musical roots with a raw and authentic essence. 'I'm not making music for the industry; I'm only working to stay true to myself,' he said to Billboard during his exclusive album listening session in Miami this week. — INGRID FAJARDO Maye, (Pink Poetry) Venezuelan artist Maye presents her debut album, Música Para Abrir El Cielo, an organic fusion of dream pop with nuances of bossa nova, bolero, and Latin influences, articulated with a contemporary Gen Z sensibility. Maye, who gained attention a few years ago when her song 'Tú' was included in Barack Obama's 2020 playlist of favorite songs, delivers eleven tracks that highlight her angelic performance and poetic lyrical sensitivity, perceptible from the opening of the set with 'Open the Sky,' which establishes the aesthetic for the rest of the album. From the enveloping 'Peter Pan,' with its bossa nova feel and nostalgia-filled guitars, to the sensual contemporary bolero 'Luna de Miel,' to the dynamic 'Una Medalla' and 'Lento' with Rawayana — which, although with a more pronounced groove, do not break the overall atmosphere — the album displays an extravaganza of styles and sonic influences, skillfully produced. Throughout the journey, Maye builds a nostalgic, sensual, and ethereal sound universe that invites you to fully immerse yourself. — LUISA CALLE Wampi & Leoni Torres, 'La Última' (Awaken Music/Virgin Music Latin) Wampi has steered away from his R&B-infused Reparto sound for a smooth heartfelt ballad in collaboration with Leoni Torres. In 'La Última,' Cuba's breakout star and the country's prolific singer-songwriter join forces to sing about two lovebirds meeting at the wrong time. 'Many relationships don't work out because a couple meets before the time is right. [This song] explores that phenomenon and there's nobody better to tell that story with than Leoni […] I grew up listening to Leoni and he's influenced my music greatly; especially my songwriting and delivery on slow songs,' Wampi, who penned and produced the jazzy tune, said in a press statement. 'La Última' forms part of Wampi's forthcoming El Rey de la Habana album — his debut studio set under Virgin Music Latin. — J.R. Check out more Latin recommendations this week below:Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
