Entertainment
Olivia Rodrigo Recalls ‘Awful’ Experience of U.S. Government Using Her Music for ‘Dystopian’ ICE Propaganda
Olivia Rodrigo is still in disbelief over the United States government using her music to promote ICE, the actions of which the pop star called “disturbing” in a new cover story interview with British Vogue.
In the piece published Thursday (March 19), Rodrigo recalled finding out that her Guts track “All-American Bitch” had been paired with footage of immigration enforcement officers tackling and detaining people posted by the Department of Homeland Security. “That was awful. Dystopian,” she told the publication.
“The way that ICE is ripping apart communities and terrorizing people is so disturbing,” she continued. “It’s a really sad, scary time.”
Billboard has reached out to DHS for comment.
The incident in question took place in November, with the DHS specifically using “All-American Bitch” to threaten undocumented citizens with “consequences” if they didn’t “self-deport” using the Trump administration’s CBP Home app. At the time, Rodrigo wrote in the comments, “don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda.”
The Grammy winner has also spoken up against the agency in the past, joining numerous other artists in condemning ICE for carrying out mass deportations in immigrant communities and acting violently against some protestors — including Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both of whom were shot and killed by officers in Minneapolis.
Elsewhere in the new interview, Rodrigo teased her next album — which is apparently only about 70% finished — and confirmed fan suspicions that many of the songs are about being in love. There is a twist, though; the former Disney star explained that the LP is actually rife with “sad love songs,” having realized that all of her “favorite romantic love songs were beautiful because they had a tinge of fear or yearning in them.”
“[I thought] that the second I’m in a really great relationship, I’m gonna start feeling good about myself, and this stuff is going to fall into place,” said the musician, who was most recently linked to Louis Partridge. “But it just doesn’t work like that.”
See Rodrigo on the cover of British Vogue below.
The Academy of Country Music is revealing ACM Radio Award winners during this week’s Country Radio Seminar in Nashville.
On Wednesday (March 18), Parker McCollum revealed the eight winners in the On-Air Personality of the Year and Radio Station of the Year categories, while Lauren Alaina will reveal the winners in the final two categories — National Daily On-Air Personality of the Year and National Weekly On-Air Personality of the Year — on Friday (March 20).
McCollum and Alaina are both past ACM Awards winners. McCollum won new male artist of the year in 2022 and visual media of the year in 2024 for “Burn It Down.” Alaina won new female vocalist of the year in 2018.
In the On-Air categories, Mo & StyckMan received their third collective win for Medium Market On-Air Personality of the Year. This win marks StyckMan’s sixth overall win. Chris Carr received his second win in Major Market On-Air Personality of the Year, marking his fourth overall win. First-time winners include Heather Froglear for Large Market On-Air Personality of the Year, and Eddie Foxx and Amanda Foxx for Small Market On-Air Personality of the Year. This award is the first for Carr, who was awarded alongside co-hosts Sam Sansevere and Dubs, as a team for Major Market On-Air Personality of the Year.
In the Radio Station categories, WUBE-FM in Cincinnati took home its fifth win for Large Market Radio Station of the Year, and WYCT-FM in Pensacola, Fla., took home its fifth win for Small Market Radio Station of the Year. KSCS-FM in Dallas, Tex., took home its second win for Major Market Radio Station of the Year, while WLFP-FM in Memphis, Tenn., took home its first win for Medium Market Radio Station of the Year.
These awards were announced in the lead-up to the 61st ACM Awards, which are set for Sunday, May 17, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and will livestream exclusively on Prime Video.
See the full list of ACM Radio Awards nominees below, with winners marked. This post will be updated when the final two winners are revealed.
National daily on-air personality of the year
B-Dub – “B-Dub Radio”
Cody Alan – “Highway Mornings with Cody Alan”
Katie Neal – “Katie & Company”
Rob Stone and Holly Hutton – “The Rob + Holly Show”
Steve Harmon – “Steve Harmon Show”
National weekly on-air personality of the year
B-Dub – “B-Dub Radio Saturday Night”
Big D, Bubba, Shaffer – “Honky Tonkin’ with Big D & Bubba”
Heather Froglear – “90’s Country with Heather”
Kelleigh Bannen – “Today’s Country Radio”
Ryan Fox – “American Country Countdown with Ryan Fox”
On-air personality of the year (major market)
“Angie Ward” – Angie Ward, WUBL-FM, Atlanta
WINNER: “Chris Carr & Company” – Chris Carr, Sam Sansevere, Dubs, KEEY-FM, Minneapolis
“The Coop Show” – Coop, WKIS-FM, Miami
“Erik & Jenny” – Erik Scott Smith & Jenny Lee, KCYY-FM, San Antonio
“Frito & Katy”– Frito and Katy, KILT-FM, Houston
“Niko + Cheyenne” – Niko + Cheyenne, KMLE-FM, Phoenix
“Rachel Ryan” – Rachel Ryan, KSCS-FM, Dallas
On-air personality of the year (large market)
WINNER: “Heather Froglear” – Heather Froglear, KFRG-FM, Riverside, Calif.
“Jesse & Anna” – Jesse Tack, Anna Marie, Jake Thomson, WUBE-FM, Cincinnati
“Kelli and Anthony” – Kelli Green and Anthony Donatelli, KFRG-FM, Riverside, Calif.
“Mad Dawg in the Afternoon” – “Mad Dawg” Strattman, WQDR-FM, Raleigh, N.C.
“Maria D’Antonio” – Maria D’Antonio, WDSY-FM, Pittsburgh
On-air personality of the year (medium market)
“The Bee Morning Coffee Club” – Billy Kidd, TJ Sharp, and Hope Breen, WBEE-FM, Rochester, N.Y.
“The Doc Show with Chewy” – Doc Medek, Chewy Medek, WGGY-FM, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
“Julie and DJ in the Morning” – Julie K and DJ Thee Trucker, WPCV-FM, Lakeland, Fla.
WINNER: “Mo & StyckMan” – Mo & StyckMan, WUSY-FM, Chattanooga, Tenn.
“Steve & Gina in the Morning” – Steve Lundy and Gina Melton, KXKT-FM, Omaha, Neb.
Tug Cowart Show” – Tug Cowart, WCKN-FM, Charleston, S.C.
On-air personality of the year (small market)
“Ben & Arnie: – Ben Butler, Arnie Andrews, WCOW-FM, Sparta, WI
“B-MO in the MO’rning” – Brian “B-MO” Montgomery, WCKK-FM, Walnut Grove, MS
“Dan Austin” – Dan Austin, WQHK-FM, Fort Wayne, IN
“The Dr. Shane and Tess Show” – Dr. Shane and Tess, WPAP-FM, Panama City, FL
WINNER: “The Eddie Foxx Show” – Eddie Foxx and Amanda Foxx, WKSF-FM, Asheville, NC
Radio station of the year (major market)
KILT-FM – Houston
WINNER: KSCS-FM – Dallas
KSON-FM – San Diego
WPOC-FM – Baltimore, Md.
WXTU-FM – Philadelphia
Radio station of the year (large market)
KFRG-FM – Riverside, Calif.
WLHK-FM – Indianapolis
WMIL-FM – Milwaukee
WSIX-FM – Nashville, Tenn.
WINNER: WUBE-FM – Cincinnati
Radio station of the year (medium market)
KUZZ-FM – Bakersfield, Calif.
WBEE-FM – Rochester, N.Y.
WHKO-FM – Dayton, Ohio
WINNER: WLFP-FM – Memphis, Tenn.
WQMX-FM – Akron, Ohio
Radio station of the year (small market)
KCLR-FM – Columbia, Mo.
KFGE-FM – Lincoln, Neb.
WCKK-FM – Walnut Grove, Miss.
WXFL-FM – Florence, Ala.
WINNER: WYCT-FM – Pensacola, Fla.
WYOT-FM – Rochelle, Ill.
The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
Afroman is speaking out after winning a blockbuster trial verdict against a group of Ohio police officers, celebrating a win that’s “not only for artists, it’s for Americans.”
The morning after a jury rejected an unusual lawsuit that accused Afroman of defaming seven sheriff’s deputies by mocking them after they raided his property, the “Because I Got High” rapper (Joseph Foreman) spoke out on CBS Mornings about his courtroom victory.
“It’s not only for artists, it’s for Americans,” Afroman told the network on Thursday (March 19). “We have freedom of speech. They did me wrong and sued me because I was talking about it. It’s ‘For the people, by the people,’ so when the people can’t use their freedom of speech — bring up the problem, address the problem — then the problem never gets solved.”
Wednesday’s verdict ended a case that started with a 2022 raid by the Adams County Sheriff’s Department on Afroman’s home. With guns drawn, officers smashed down his door and seized $5,031 in cash, but no wrongdoing was uncovered, no charges were ever filed and the money was later returned.
After the search, Afroman created music videos and other social posts mocking the officers, including a video for a song called “Lemon Pound Cake” in which he ridiculed one deputy for apparently eyeing a cake on his counter.
In 2023, seven officers (Shawn D. Cooley, Justin Cooley, Lisa Phillips, Michael D. Estep, Shawn S. Grooms, Brian Newland and Randolph L. Walters, Jr.) filed a civil lawsuit claiming they’d suffered “emotional distress” and been “subjected to threats, including death threats” because of Afroman’s posts.
But at trial this week, Afroman testified that he had a First Amendment right to mock the officers, particularly after they smashed down his door for ultimately no reason: “All of this is their fault, and they have the audacity to sue me.”
That argument resonated with the jury. After just hours of deliberation on Wednesday, the jury sided entirely with Afroman, clearing him of liability for defamation or invasion of privacy: “In all circumstances, the jury finds in favor of the defendant,” Judge Jonathan Hein said, speaking to the rapper, the accusers and their lawyers.
The verdict ended a three-day trial that captivated social media with outlandish moments from the courtroom, including Afroman mounting a colorful defense from the witness stand in a flamboyant American flag suit. It also cleared him of a whopping $3.9 million damages award sought by the officers.
Entertainment
Australia’s Steph Strings Wows Brooklyn Crowd During Her First World Tour: 5 Best Moments
Across the decades, the old, street-corner, publike “hotels” and bars of Melbourne, Australia, have launched many artists to global acclaim, including the likes of John Farnham, Nick Cave, Paul Kelly and Courtney Barnett, to name but a few.
Now Steph Strings is ready for her international breakout.
Hailing originally from Melbourne, Strings got her start as a street performer playing guitar instrumentals. She was 19 years old when she played her first formal gig at The Evelyn Hotel, a bar with a music room, on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, just outside central Melbourne, working up the courage to sing with her guitar for the first time.
“I sang ‘Dusty Roads’ that night,” she recalls in a mini-documentary posted on her website, describing her performance of an early song. “And it sounded horrific.” But her family, she says, “were so proud of me.” (On Spotify, “Dusty Roads” has since been streamed more than 2.1 million times).
Now 25, Strings is a confident, accomplished singer-songwriter whose debut album, Feel Alive, arrived in Australia on Jan. 9 and debuted at No. 2 on the ARIA album chart — a remarkable achievement for a fully independent, self-released title.
A charming virtuoso who has spent years posting performances online, String’s engaging social media presence has fueled her rise. She has topped 976,000 followers on Instagram, and a recent reel of her performance with Jesse Wells at Massey Hall in Toronto has topped 10,600 views.
All of this has set the stage for Strings’ first extended headlining tour of North America, Europe, Australia, with a one-off performance in Brazil, followed by festival dates including the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in June, and — just announced — dates with Wells in July, August and October.
Strings played her first headlining show in Brooklyn on March 18 at Baby’s All Right in the Williamsburg neighborhood. Here are five of the evening’s best moments:
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