As Cowboy Carter enjoys a second consecutive week atop the Billboard 200, the world continues to dissect Queen Bey’s latest opus. On Thursday (April 18), via a press release, Max announced a new documentary titled Call Me Country: Beyoncé & Nashville’s Renaissance slated to hit the streamer on Friday, April 26. Produced by CNN FlashDocs, the upcoming documentary will provide a look at the impact of high-profile acts like Beyoncé and Lil Nas X on the contemporary country music scene and how their contributions connect to the history of Black artists in Nashville. Trending on Billboard Earlier this year, Queen Bey made history with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the lead single for Cowboy Carter, announced and released during the 2024 Super Bowl (Feb. 11). On the chart dated Feb. 24, “Texas Hold ‘Em” reached No. 1 on Hot Country Songs, marking the first time a Black woman had ever topped the ranking. The following week (chart dated March 2), “Texas Hold ‘Em” became the first country song by a Black woman to top the Billboard Hot 100. Following the release of “Texas Hold ‘Em” and its B-side, “16 Carriages,” streaming activity for other Black women in country exploded across the board. Call Me Country will feature interviews with Grammy-winning country duo Brothers Osborne, “Texas Hold ‘Em” banjo player Rhiannon Giddens, Rissi Palmer, Aaron Vance and Denitia, as well as analysis from a slew of cultural critics and country music experts, including Touré and co-directors of the Black Opry Holly G. and Tanner D. Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé’s eighth solo studio album, arrived March 29 with 27 tracks that pay homage to the Black roots of country music and envision a distinctively Beyoncé-esque future for the genre. The sprawling album included collaborations with several ascendant Black country stars including Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Tiera Kennedy, Shaboozey and Willie Jones. In addition, country music legends Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton voiced interludes on the album, which Beyoncé described as a “continuation” of her Grammy-winning Renaissance record. Fans may still be waiting on the visuals, but, in the meantime, they can enjoy the Call Me Country documentary.

MediaCo Holding has acquired all of Estrella Media’s network, content, digital and commercial operations, the company  announced on Thursday (April 18). According to a press release, the transaction — which closed April 17 — will see Estrella Media brands join MediaCo. These include the EstrellaTV network’s linear and digital video content business, Estrella Media’s digital […]

AP Dhillon is leaving the California desert behind. Coachella announced that the Punjabi-Canadian star will not appear at the festival’s second weekend as planned, citing a “scheduling conflict.” The festival announced the news in a follow-up tweet to one announcing that rapper Kid Cudi has been added to the lineup. Due to a scheduling conflict AP Dhillon is unable to join us in the desert for Weekend 2 — Coachella (@coachella) April 17, 2024 While Dhillon’s first-weekend performance was well-received by the Coachella crowd and many of his supporters, he’s also had some backlash due to how he closed his set, which has been widely covered by media in India. Trending on Billboard The artist finished his performance by smashing his guitar onstage. Some fans have invoked India’s cultural reverence for musical instruments, criticizing Dhillon’s rock-star move as a sign of disrespect and arrogance. “The guitar that has provided you with life, love, peace, success and respect- you end up breaking it!” reads one popular comment on Dhillon’s post featuring footage of the smash. In a subsequent post, Dhillon shared photos of his tribute to the late Sidhu Moose Wala, with the caption “the media is controlled and I’m out of control.” The last slide of the post features footage of Kurt Cobain smashing his guitar, linking Dhillon’s move to a longstanding rock and roll tradition. If guitar-smashing has a long lineage in rock and roll, so does criticism of the move. Phoebe Bridgers faced backlash in 2021 for breaking her guitar on Saturday Night Live, while even some notable guitar-smashers are now critical of their former selves. Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea tweeted his regrets shortly after Dhillon’s Coachella set. “feel like such an idiot for smashing my bass to pieces on stage back in the day, pathetic,” he wrote on X. feel like such an idiot for smashing my bass to pieces on stage back in the day, pathetic.— Flea (@flea333) April 15, 2024 Fans who are disappointed to miss Dhillon’s second Coachella performance can take some solace in his recent collaboration with U.K. Grime artist Stormzy, until there’s more news of upcoming performances. This article was originally published by Billboard Canada.

Taylor Swift’s upcoming album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ has everyone excited, and fans can’t wait to uncover the hidden meanings and Easter eggs within her Spotify pop-up, The Tortured Poets Department Library. Chris Olsen:This is crazy. I mean, what Spotify has done is also so beautiful. The energy here is beautiful, Swifties are the best […]

Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” extends its stay atop the Billboard Japan Hot 100 to 12 weeks on the chart dated April 17. While downloads for the MASHLE Season 2 opener dropped to No. 5, the hip-hip track continues to hold the top spot for streaming, video views, and karaoke. [embedded content] Kenshi Yonezu‘s “Sayonara, Mata Itsuka!” (“goodbye, see you again sometime”) debuts at No. 2 this week. The latest track by the J-pop hitmaker is currently being featured as the theme song for the latest installment of the historic NHK morning drama series entitled The Tiger and Her Wings. After being digitally released April 8, the song racked up 39,275 downloads in its first week, surpassing the 34,423 downloads of its predecessor “Spinning Globe.” “Sayonara” also debuts at No. 8 for streaming and No. 5 for video, also a better start than the previous single. The 33-year-old singer-songwriter’s previous No. 1 hits “KICK BACK” and “Lemon” rise 75-72 and 98-82 respectively, possibly influenced by the release of this new track. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news [embedded content] Bowing at No. 3 is “Chance wa byodo” (“chances are equal”) by Nogizaka46. The J-pop girl group’s 35th single went on sale April 10 and hit No. 1 for sales with 713,872 copies sold in its first week, while also coming in at No. 15 for downloads and No. 14 for radio. The song’s first-week sales was about 20,000 copies more than the group’s previous single, “Monopoly.” [embedded content] Number_i’s “Blow Your Cover” debuts at No. 5 on the Japan Hot 100, after hitting No. 1 for radio, No. 2 for downloads, and No. 7 for video. Number_i took the stage at Coachella for the first time on Sunday (April 14), performing “FUJI” and “GOAT,” the latter including a surprise collaboration with Jackson Wang. Trending on Billboard [embedded content] Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” debuts at No. 11. The opener for the anime Oblivion Battery comes in at No. 4 for downloads, No. 15 for streaming, and No. 8 for video. In other Japan chart news, Hikaru Utada’s songs off her latest best-of album Science Fiction, which topped all the album charts this week, also moved up the song chart. “Traveling” is at No. 27, “First Love” at No. 43, and “automatic” at No. 80.  The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data. See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from April 8 to 14, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.