MBW Explains is a series in which we dig behind the headlines, via data and context, to improve your understanding of key stories. Only MBW+ subscribers have unlimited access to these articles. MBW Explains is supported by Reservoir. HYBE’s latest earnings call offered a clear signal of where the K-pop giant’s priorities lie in 2026:…
Read More
A so-called ‘activist’ investor based in London called Independent Franchise Partners (IFP) has built a 3.01% stake in Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company, according to a filing published by the Dutch financial markets regulator, the AFM. The filing shows that IFP held 55,155,646 ordinary shares in UMG as of last Monday (February…
Read More
Taylor Swift‘s “Opalite” is the soundtrack in a new NBC Olympics preview that has the pop star introducing Team USA figure skaters Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito — a trio of athletes also known as “The Blade Angels.” “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to Amber, Alysa and Isabeau, three American showgirls on ice…
Read More
J. Cole is hitting the road in support of his latest album. On Monday (Feb. 16), the 41-year-old rapper announced his upcoming worldwide The Fall-Off Tour in support of his Billboard 200–topping album, The Fall-Off. The headlining arena run will visit more than 50 cities across 15 countries, making stops throughout North America, Europe, the…
Read More
“The idea for that song came from personal experience,” Billy Steinberg said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, as chronicled in Fred Bronson’s The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, about Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.” “I wasn’t just trying to somehow get that racy word virgin in a lyric,” mused Steinberg, who co-authored…
Read More
Billy Steinberg, the Grammy-winning songwriter who co-wrote such pop classics as Madonna’s “Like A Virgin,” Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” and the Bangles’ “Eternal Flame” that were some of the biggest, most indelible hits of the 1980s and beyond, has died, his attorney confirmed to Billboard. Steinberg, who was 10 days away from his 75th birthday,…
Read More
Austrian public prosecutors filed terrorism-related charges Monday (Feb. 16) against a 21-year-old defendant who they say planned to carry out an attack on one of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna in August 2024. Vienna public prosecutors said in a statement that the unnamed defendant had declared allegiance to the Islamic State group by sharing propaganda material and videos via…
Read More
Songwriter Billy Steinberg, who died Monday (Feb. 16) from cancer, was responsible for some of the most indelible pop songs of the ‘80s and ‘90s, including “True Colors,” which became one of Cyndi Lauper’s signature hits and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986. But the Grammy-nominated song wasn’t the only tune…
Read More
Robert Duvall, the Oscar-winning actor of matchless versatility and dedication whose classic roles included the intrepid consigliere of the first two Godfather movies and the over-the-hill country music singer in Tender Mercies, has died at age 95. Duvall died “peacefully” at his home Sunday (Feb. 15) in Middleburg, Virginia, according to an announcement from his…
Read More
Beyoncé is unveiling a brand new hairstyle. On Friday (Feb. 13), the 44-year-old superstar shared a series of Instagram photos showcasing a chic new blonde bob. The gallery, dated Feb. 8 — the same day as Super Bowl LX — features Bey in a light green trench coat as she prepares for the big game…
Read More