Anthony Ramos Releases Powerful New Single “Stop”

There’s no Stop-ping Anthony Ramos’ trajectory…

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican singer/actor, currently appearing in the film version of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Hamilton, has released the new single “Stop,” as well as the official music video for the powerful track.

Anthony Ramos

Featuring church bells, handclaps, shimmering keys and Ramos’ impressive vocal runs, the song serves as a reminder to carpe diem

“Stop came from my inability to do just that. It’s a song about stopping, breathing, being present in whatever moment you’re in and finding the beauty in it,” says Ramos.

Directed by Blythe Thomas, the music video seamlessly reflects the spirit of the song.

It follows Brooklyn artist and stylist Anthony Payne. After losing his job at a hair salon in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, he grabbed his scissors and comb and decided to bring a little light into the world following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

The video finds Payne cutting hair outdoors in Brooklyn while supporting the Black Lives Matter movement by donating the proceeds.

The video also shows Ramos canvasing the streets, linking up with Payne, and delivering a subtle and well-placed message, “Vote.

Ramos, a multi-talented force, recently joined forces with Storybooth to produce an animated tribute to Black Lives Matter. The collaboration showcases 12-year-old Keedron Bryant’s unofficial Black Lives Matter anthem “I Just Wanna Live.”

Ramos first made his mark originating the dual roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the Hamilton musical. He’s also appeared opposite Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born, and Spike Lee’s acclaimed Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It

Signed to Republic Records, Ramos released his debut album last fall. The album, The Good & The Bad, debuted in the Top 10 on iTunes Pop Albums chart.

He’s currently featured as the voice of King Trollex in the recently released film Trolls World Tour. And he’ll next star as the lead role in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s highly anticipated film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical In The Heights.

Christina Aguilera Marks 10th Anniversary of “Bionic” with “Little Dreamer” Streaming Release

Christina Aguilera’s celebrating an anniversary with a dream treat…

It’s been 10 years since the 39-year-old half-Ecuadorian American singer released her sixth studio album Bionic,and to mark the occasion, Aguilera’s made bonus track “Little Dreamer” available on streaming platforms for the first time.

Christina Aguilera

On the mid-tempo electro-pop ballad, which was previously available only as a bonus track on iTunes,  the pop star bids farewell to her titular dreamer over a skittering beat filled with beeps, glitches and trills. 

“So long, my little dreamer, I will miss your face/ We’ll always stay connected through time and space/ The journey that we shared, but now have to leave/ Will live inside of us for eternity,” she declares on the track’s churning chorus.

Released on June 4, 2010, Bionic occupies a unique space within Aguilera’s oeuvre. Featuring brashly sexual lead single “Not Myself Tonight” as well as the raunchy Nicki Minaj-assisted banger “Woohoo” and the soaring, oft-overlooked ballad “You Lost Me,” the album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 — Aguilera’s lowest entry on the chart in her career at the time.

Bionic was met with mixed reviews and underwhelming sales, particularly compared to the smash successes of 2006’s Back to Basics, 2002’s Stripped and Aguilera’s 1999 self-titled debut. But, while it was quickly overshadowed by the singer’s starring turn alongside Cher in Burlesque just five short months later, Bionichas become known as something of a cult favorite LP among her most passionate fan base in the decade since its release, complete with regular calls of #JusticeForBionic on social media.

Daddy Yankee Featured on Beat Fever’s Interactive Album to Help Puerto Rico’s Recovery Efforts

Daddy Yankee is spreading the Fever to help his homeland…

Beat Fever, a mobile music app with more than 9.1 million fans, has launched a campaign to help Puerto Rico recovery efforts, featuring the 41-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar.

Daddy Yankee

Play for Puerto Rico,” which Beat Fever launched in conjunction with non-profit organization Today I’m Brave, seeks to raise $500,000 to rebuild at least 100 roofs in Puerto Rico by driving awareness and donations to 100Roofs.org, which is spearheaded by actress Rosie Perez and Ramon Rodriguez in partnership with disaster relief organization Heart 9/11.

An interactive album featuring music from Daddy YankeeLuis Fonsi, Nicky Jam and more allows fans tap to the beat of the songs, and learn about the project via pop-up videos between songs. They can then donate directly to 100Roofs.org with the click of a button. Puerto Rican-themed virtual clothing will allow fans to personalize their avatar.

“It’s hard to imagine that 60,000 homes are still using blue tarps as roofs in Puerto Rico a year after the hurricanes. In the spirit of teaching a man to fish, 100Roofs is a sustainable and scalable way to help Puerto Ricans rebuild their homes and communities,” said David Angelo, founder of Today, I’m Brave.

Beat Fever, which was launched last year and has fans in over 150 countries, will run the “Play for Puerto Rico” campaign through November. 30 here and via iTunes and Google Play.

 

Camila Cabello Pulls a Rare Double as She Earns First No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Havana”

It’s a rare double for Camila Cabello

The 20-year-old Cuban and Mexican singer and former Fifth Harmony Member has reached the summit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated January 27) for the first time, as “Havana,” featuring Young Thug, rises from No. 2 to No. 1.

Camila Cabello

The song was released on SYCO/Epic Records and is the 1,070th No. 1 in the Hot 100‘s history, which dates to the chart’s August 4, 1958, inception.

Cabello’s Hot 100 coronation accompanies her No. 1 entrance on the Billboard 200 albums chart with her debut solo set, Camila.

Additionally, “Havana” becomes Cabello’s first No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, jumping from No. 5 with a 34 percent gain to 44.9 million U.S. streams in the week ending January 18, according to Nielsen Music.

The track charges 4-2 on Digital Song Sales (which it led for two weeks), up 57 percent to 80,000 downloads sold in the week ending Jan. 18, aided by a 69-cent iTunes Store sale price. It claims the Hot 100’s top gains in both streaming and sales.

On Radio Songs (which it topped for four frames), “Havana” holds at No. 2, with 131 million in all-format airplay audience (down 5 percent) in the week ending Jan. 21.

Cabello had previously peaked as high as No. 4 on the Hot 100 both as a soloist and a member of vocal group Fifth Harmony, which she departed in December 2016. Her own “Bad Things,” with Machine Gun Kelly, hit No. 4 on February 11, 2017, while 5H‘s “Work From Home,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, reached the same rank on June 11, 2016.

“Havana” spent seven (nonconsecutive) weeks at No. 2 before topping the Hot 100. That’s the most time for a song at the runner-up spot before hitting No. 1 since Justin Bieber‘s “Sorry” logged a record-tying eight weeks at No. 2 in 2015-16 prior to leading for three weeks beginning January 23, 2016.

“Havana” hits No. 1 in its 23rd week on the Hot 100, equaling the longest rise to the summit for a song by a female artist in the Hot 100’s history. It matches Sia‘s “Cheap Thrills,” featuring Sean Paul, in 2016, and Patti Austin‘s “Baby, Come to Me,” with James Ingram, in 1982-83.

Only six songs overall have taken more scenic routes to No. 1 than those three, led by Los Del Rio‘s “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)“: 33 weeks in 1995-96.

Beyonce was the last artist to earn both firsts as a soloist simultaneously, with “Crazy in Love,” featuring JAY-Z, and Dangerously in Love, on July 12, 2003. The song began an eight-week Hot 100 reign the same week that her first solo album apart from Destiny’s Child (and including “Crazy”) launched at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Still, Beyoncé had previously topped both charts as a member of Destiny’s Child.

Counting purely first weeks at No. 1 on the tallies overall, Cabello is the first artist to earn both firsts in the same week since Britney Spears, whose “…Baby One More Time” ascended to No. 1 on the Hot 100 dated Jan. 30, 1999, the week that her debut album of the same name opened atop the Billboard 200.

Meanwhile, Cabello is the first artist to top both the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 concurrently at all since Kendrick Lamar, who did so “Humble.” and DAMN., respectively, on May 6, 2017.

The last woman to double up at No. 1 on the charts before Cabello this week? Rihanna, with “Work,” featuring Drake, and ANTI, nearly two years ago (April 2, 2016).

ABC to Release “The Goldbergs” Mixtape, Featuring Six Hayley Orrantia Tracks

Hayley Orrantia is back behind the microphone…

After five seasons on the air, ABC‘s The Goldbergs, starring the 23-year-old part-Mexican American actress/singer, will finally have a soundtrack.

Hayley Orrantia

The Goldbergs “Mixtape” will feature 14 tracks, including five classic ’80s songs that Orrantia, who portrays Erica, has covered, including Cyndi Lauper‘s “True Colors” and Katrina & the Waves‘ “Walking on Sunshine,” performed with AJ Michalka.

The other nine tracks on the album, which is being released by Madison Gate Records, are original songs written specifically for Adam F. Goldberg‘s 1980-something semi-autobiographical comedy and include “Love Ninja,” with Orrantia and Troy Gentile (Barry).

The Goldbergs, produced by Sony Pictures Television, has featured a number of original songs on the series as Erica has an interest in becoming a singer-songwriter, while Barry has dreams of becoming a famous rapper via his “alter-ego” Big Tasty. Many television shows like Empire, Glee and Nashville have turned to producing soundtracks featuring their original music as a form of earning ancillary revenue.

Orrantia rose to acclaim as a member of Lakoda Rayne, a country-pop girl group assembled by Paula Abdul during the first season of The X Factor. During her teen years, she sang background vocals for Demi Lovato on Disney‘s Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam soundtrack and background vocals for Miley Cyrus on Disney’s Hannah Montana Forever soundtrack.

Here’s a look at the track list:

  1. “Rewind” (The Goldbergs Main Title Theme) — I Fight Dragons
  2. “Love Ninja” — Hayley Orrantia & Troy Gentile
  3. “D&D” — Kurtis Blow
  4. “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” — Hayley Orrantia
  5. “Bad Boy Good Guy” — Troy Gentile
  6. “True Colors” — Hayley Orrantia
  7. “Ferris Wheel” — Troy Gentile
  8. “Tom Sawyer” — Hayley Orrantia & AJ Michalka
  9. “He’s the Man” — Troy Gentile (feat. Hayley Orrantia, AJ Michalka & Sam Lerner)
  10. “Eternal Flame” — Hayley Orrantia & AJ Michalka
  11. “Judah Macabee” — Troy Gentile (feat. Sean Giambrone, Sam Lerner, Noah Munck, Matt Bush)
  12. “Barry Goldberg: A Rap Story” — Anthony Petix
  13. “Walking On Sunshine” — Hayley Orrantia & AJ Michalka
  14. “Dads Just Don’t Care” — Troy Gentile

The Goldbergs “Mixtape is available for pre-order on digital platforms, including iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and more. The Goldbergs album costs $8.99.

Ferrera to Guest on Norman Lear’s New PodcastOne Podcast

It’s training day for America Ferrera

The 33-year-old Honduran American actress and former Ugly Betty star will serve as a celebrity guest on Norman Lear’s new weekly podcast on PodcastOne.

America Ferrera

The veteran writer, producer, director and creator of landmark sitcoms like All in the Family, Good Times, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons and Maude will host the podcast, cover topics ranging from comedy to family, current events, music, politics and social issues featuring the unique perspectives of celebrities, politicians and everyday folk.

The conversation topic during Ferrera’s visit will be training for a triathlon.

Other early celebrity guests include Amy Poehler, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jerrod Carmichael.

“I have known and admired Norman for a very long time. Having his podcast on our PodcastOne network is gigantic, not to mention totally cool,” said Norman Pattiz, PodcastOne founder and executive chairman. “From one Norman to another, ‘Welcome aboard.’”

The podcast will debut May 1, with new episodes available every Monday on PodcastOne.com, the PodcastOne app and iTunes.

Cabello Working with Major Lazer on New Music

Camila Cabello is apparently Lazer-focused on her solo career…

Major Lazer are dishing some major details about their studio time with the 20-year-old Cuban singer and former Fifth Harmony member.

Major Lazer & Camila Cabello

In an exclusive interview with Billboard Dance on Tuesday, the dance supergroup divulged more about their forthcoming collaborations Cabello.

The trio’s founder Diplo has teased their studio time together multiple times on Snapchat, the latest being back in January alongside Benny Blanco and Cashmere Cat.

And it seems the year-long stream of social media snippets resulted in a lot of unreleased material between them.

“We made like 20 songs with Camila Cabello,” Diplo says. “We love her.”

Diplo confirmed that there is a particular track in mind, set for release in the near future, but that “until we have the video and the song is on iTunes, you never know.” He adds, “But of course we have stuff with her. She’s done stuff with a lot of our friends, like Cashmere Cat, Benny Blanco, Frank Dukes — a lot of great producers we work with.”

There’s a good reason Camila has developed a close working relationship with the powerhouse trio: In the midst of her skyrocketing fame, she feels grounded when she’s with them. “Sometimes we just take for granted because we’re old, we’re not even famous,” Diplo says. “When you’re young and you’re that amazing and famous like that, it’s hard to live and be normal. When we’re with her, she enjoys that time because we take her places where she can enjoy herself. We love her, her voice is amazing. We’ve done many demos.”

Fergie Releases Timely New Single “Life Goes On”

Fergie is bringing new Life to the world…

The 41-year-old part-Mexican American singer and The Black Eyed Peas member has released her new solo song, “Life Goes On.”

Fergie

Fergie enters tropical pop territory with this latest track, which seems to be apropos following this week’s presidential election.

“Life goes on with or without you/It’s up to you what you’re gonna do/You could go or you could stay/Who cares anyway? Life goes on with or without you,” she sings.

Earlier in the day, Fergie tweeted: “In the midst of all the madness, remember life is beautiful.”

“Life Goes On” is the follow-up to this summer’s “M.I.L.F.$“.

Fergie has been teasing her forthcoming second LP, Double Dutchess, for quite some time and its expected the new song will appear on it.

 

Download the track at iTunes.

Lopez & Miranda Perform Tribute to Orlando Shooting Victims on “Today”

Jennifer Lopez & Lin-Manuel Miranda are making the world go round…

The 46-year-old Puerto Rican singer/actress and the 36-year-old Broadway star performed their new peace anthem entitled “Love Make the World Go Round,” inspired by the Orlando Shooting, on Today on Monday morning.

Jennifer Lopez & Lin-Manuel Miranda

The track, made available for download on July 7 on iTunes, benefits the Hispanic Federation‘s Proyecto Somos Orlando initiative, which “will address the long-term needs for mental health services that are culturally competent and bilingual.

The initiative will enable care to be delivered to those affected directly in the communities in which they live. Beyond emergency assistance, they will be provided with case management, crisis intervention and mental health services, among other needs.

Fifty survivors and family members of the victims of the Orlando tragedy were present in the Rockefeller Plaza crowd for the performance.

Beginning with a clip of the Hamilton creator’s “Love is love” speech at the Tony Awards, the dance track features Miranda rapping about peace and love (“A generation of innovators enabled to patiently wait for change ’cause change is what they’ve been afraid of / the malevolence can wait, raise a level of debate, celebrate, elevate”) while Lopez sings the titular line to ring in the chorus: “We’re not staying inside today / they’re not taking our pride away.”

How did the song come to be? Lopez explained on Today that she’s had the song for eight months, but “when everything happened in Orlando, I heard it in a different way for the first time. I was like, ‘The world needs this right now. The world really needs the message of love being the answer. That’s what really matters; that’s what really makes the world go round, nothing else. Hate, anger, it’s not gonna get us anywhere.'” She then approached Miranda about rapping on the bridge of the track.

Gomez Among 24 Artists Featured on Orlando Shooting Charity Single “Hands”

Selena Gomez is lending her hands to help the victims of the Orlando Shooting.

The 23-year-old half-Mexican American singer/actress is among 24 artists featured on a new recording to raise money for the victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre.

Selena Gomez

The all-star release, entitled “Hands” — a charity single from Interscope Records with support from GLAAD — was conceived by hit songwriter Justin Tranter, co-writer of Justin Bieber’sSorry” and hits for Gomez, DNCE, Fall Out Boy and Gwen Stefani.

In addition to Gomez, the single also features Jennifer Lopez, who has worked on her own charity single with Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stefani, Jason Derulo, Meghan Trainor, Juanes, Pink, Mary J. Blige and Britney Spears.

The June 12 shooting at the gay nightclub in Orlando, which killed 49 people and injured 53, is the most deadly mass shooting in American history and the deadliest act of violence against the LGBT community.

Funds from the song will aid families with medical care, counseling and will also be used for education.

“Like the rest of the world I woke up to the news that morning and was horrified and sad and scared,” says Tranter, who has raised money and awareness for LGBT causes since coming out at age 14.

“Hands” is available on iTunes.

Proceeds will be distributed by Equality Florida Pulse Victims Fund, the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida and GLAAD.

The idea for the all-star project came together one day after the shooting.

L.A.-based Tranter and songwriting partner Julia Michaels had been on the road with Gomez writing songs aboard her tour bus in Miami the weekend of June 11 when news of the bloodshed prompted Tranter to switch course. That afternoon he signed on as a volunteer at The Center Orlando, the region’s chief LGBT community center.

“I called them and said, ‘If I fly up is there something for me to help with?'” he tells Billboard. “They say, ‘We need as many hands as we can possibly get.'”

“Hands” took hold the next day when Tranter met GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis who had arrived at the center from New York.

Beyond their immediate efforts — distributing food and water and GLAAD’s work with media — both were looking to make contributions that would have ongoing benefits. They point out that the massacre was also a profound attack on people of color, as that Saturday evening had been a popular “Latin Night” at Pulse. Most of the victims were of Latin heritage and Ellis says she does not want that point forgotten.

“When you hear the song it talks about hate being the driver here,” she says, “and that’s important because we have to be able to identify what’s driving these cruel acts in order to stop them. Artists using their platforms to accelerate acceptance is very powerful.”

Aligning with Interscope for the release, Tranter, GLAAD and Interscope president of A&R Aaron Bay-Schuck put the word out that a fundraiser was in the works. Within days artists from all spheres of the business had lined up — also among them Halsey, Ty Herndon, Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, Adam Lambert, The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, MNEK, Alex Newell, Mary Lambert, Prince Royce, Jussie Smollett, Nate Ruess and RuPaul — all recording separately from their homes, local studios, touring locations or wherever they happened to be at that moment.

“We assigned everybody what we thought would be the best part for their voice,” Tranter says, “and we asked them all to sing an additional part, just in case. But everybody got it done in time so we ended up with extra vocals.”

In Los Angeles “Interscope let us use their studio,” he notes. “Mary J. Blige recorded in New Orleans. Britney Spears in Thousand Oaks, I think. Pink in Santa Barbara. MNEK recorded at home in London. Selena recorded in her studio bus. Dan Reynolds recorded in his home. Adam Lambert was in Luxembourg. Ty Herndon the country star was in Spain. Kacey Musgraves, Nashville. Everyone just got it done.”

Another goal of the record, according to GLAAD, is to fund educational programs.

“This was an American guy who was born in Queens,” Ellis says of the gunman, Omar Mateen, 29, who was killed by police after a three hour stand-off. “He learned that hate here in America. This happened on American soil, against a particular community.”

While politicians and lobbyists have focused in recent weeks on Islamic terror and familiar narratives about gun ownership, Ellis, Tranter and others in the LGBT community want people to remember that this was a hate crime.

“I’m not educated enough to speak on the political details,” Tranter says. I’m a songwriter, not a politician. It could have been a million things but clearly, 100 percent, this was an attack on the LGBT community and people of color.”

“Hands” grew out of an unfinished piece that Tranter, Michaels and co-writer and producer BloodPop (formerly known as Blood Diamonds) had been working on and then shelved.

“The song didn’t ever finish itself and it didn’t ever feel right,” Tranter says of their initial efforts. “Now we know why.”

Mark Ronson also co-produced, while vocal engineer Benjamin Rice finessed the disparate tracks: “He helped us find the structure and make sense of it all.”

Warner/Chappell publishing executive Katie Vinten brought in numerous artists, among them P!nk, whom Tranter calls “a lifesaver,” adding, “Her vocal on the chorus is like from heaven directly.”

Spears opens the song with the plaintive line, “Can hold a gun or a hold a heart.” RuPaul is heard quietly toward the end, saying “take my hand baby.”

The songwriters had no specific plan as they entered the studio — only that they didn’t want the piece “to ever sound dated.”

“We didn’t want to have any trendy electronic elements,” Tranter notes. “We wanted it to sound classic, timeless and human. We want this anthem of positivity to be played for years to come.”

Download “Hands” here at iTunes.