Plus, the latest on BTS, Justin Bieber, Madonna and more.
Welcome to the This Week in Billboard News podcast, where Jordyn Rolling, Billboard News host, and Gary Trust, Billboard senior director of charts, dive into the week's biggest music news stories.
This week, Jay-Z and Beyoncé responded to the reaction that they received for not standing during Demi Lovato's performance of the national anthem at the Super Bowl last Sunday (Feb. 2), with many inferring that the couple was making a political statement.
While speaking on a panel at Columbia University on Tuesday (Feb. 4), however, Jay-Z said that wasn't true, explaining that when Lovato began he went into "artist mode" and was focused on elements like, "Did the] mic start? Was it too low? …" He also said that Beyoncé was explaining to him the nerves that Lovato was likely feeling, since Beyoncé sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl in 2004.
Jay-Z further pointed out the diverse array of talent that he helped assemble for the game, including Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and other Latin music superstars, saying, "We were making the biggest, loudest protest of all. Given the context, I didn't have to make a silent protest."
Plus, Jordyn and Gary cover BTS' historic achievement on the Social 50 chart, as the K-pop kings spend a 164th week at No. 1, surpassing Justin Bieber's 163 weeks tallied on top to-date, and Billboard social chart manager Kevin Rutherford stops by to discuss how they were able to break the record.
Jordyn and Gary additionally cover, among other headlines, the latest episode of Bieber's new YouTube documentary; Selena Gomez's forthcoming beauty line; and Madonna's invitation to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (because who better to advise royalty than the Queen of Pop?)
Plus, get up to date on this week's biggest chart news about Dua Lipa, Maroon 5, Lil Wayne and more.
Enjoy the latest This Week in Billboard News podcast and check back for additional upcoming episodes. And, to receive every episode automatically in your inbox, subscribe to (and rate) the podcast on Apple Music and listen on Spotify, Google Play, Simplecast and more.
