Tag Archives: Fortnite

Bruno Mars Headlines Fortnite Festival Season 9 & Releases New Single “Bonde do Brunão”

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It’s a Fortnite to remember for Bruno Mars fans…

The 39-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is a Fortnite Festival Icon, after the game has announced that he is its Season 9 headliner.

Bruno MarsFollowing in the footsteps of past Festival Icons like The Weeknd, Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish, Mars transforms into a playable avatar performing some of his biggest hits — including Billboard Hot 100-topping Lady Gaga collaboration “Die With a Smile” and ROSÉ duet “APT.” — on an all-new main stage, as previewed in a trailer that dropped this week. 

The partnership comes about three years after Mars first entered the Fortnite universe alongside Anderson .Paak as part of a Silk Sonic collaboration with the game — something Mars enjoyed so much, he tells Billboard in an exclusive interview ahead of the Festival Season 9 launch that there was no hesitation when it came to teaming up a second time.

“When they hit me up again, I said, ‘Done!’” he recalls.

“Last time we did this, there was no Fortnite Festival, so this time we get to lean even more into the music,” Mars adds. “I’m excited that we put a bunch of songs in the game that people can play to.”

Bruno Mars, Fortnite FestivalFortnite first introduced its Festival counterpart in late 2023, taking inspiration from similar music-focused games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. It has since welcomed numerous A-list artists to serve as the face of the game over the course of nine seasons, including Gaga, Karol G, Metallica and Snoop Dogg.

Each season sees its Icon made into a digital persona that fans can also use in gameplay, complete with special outfits, accessories, instruments and emotes. In Mars’ case, fans will have access to his retro cowboy getup worn in the “Die With a Smile” music video, “APT.” kit drums and more goodies.

“It’s very fun seeing myself as an avatar,” Mars tells Billboard of the treatment. “They really nailed my body proportions — tall, chiseled,” he continues. “It’s uncanny.”

Mars’ solo partnership with the game is particularly special, however, as it coincides with the official release of his song “Bonde do Brunão” on streaming services.

The track started as an idea he shared with followers on social media that ended up going viral, leaving countless fans looking for a place to listen to it in full. Now, they have multiple; in addition to appearing on DSPs, “Bonde do Brunão” is also available in-game as part of Fortnite Festival S9.

“That song was a fun idea we put up on Instagram while I was in Brazil, but then it had a life of its own,” Mars explains to Billboard. “We had this idea of making it a part of the game, and Fortnite was into it. They went all out with it and got the song, the dance and the outfit.”

Fortnite Festival Season 9 featuring Bruno Mars is available to play now.

Kid Cudi Partners with Star Trek Franchise for New “Boldly Be” Campaign

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Kid Cudi is releasing an out of this world collaboration…

The 39-year-old half-Mexican American rapper, singer, songwriter and actor is partnering with Star Trek for the sci-fi franchise’s new campaign.

Kid Cudi x Star TrekThe “Day ‘n’ Nite” rapper will be the face of its latest campaign titled “Boldly Be.” 

The collaboration is set to launch at New York Comic Con — held at the Javits Center — on October 12, and features a Fortnite gaming experience, a streetwear capsule collection and a new song from the rapper titled “Heaven’s Galaxy.”

Kid Cudi’s fandom of the franchise inspired “Heaven’s Galaxy,” which was produced by Dot Da Genius. The track will be available on streaming starting on October 12.

The Star Trek x Cudi streetwear collection includes tees, crewnecks, hoodies, a custom button-up T-shirt and a colorful leather varsity jacket.

NYCC attendees can hit up Star Trek x Kid Cudi’s booth 2653 to pre-order items from the collaboration, with the collection dropping on Kid Cudi’s website on October 16.

The Fornite experience, titled Star Trek x Kid Cudi: Mirror Mayhem, will see Kid Cudi stepping into the world of the franchise and the popular video game.

“Heaven’s Galaxy” will be in the game, in addition to previously unheard songs from the rapper’s forthcoming album, INSANO. 

According to the press release, players can “partner with Captain Skyles (Kid Cudi) on a mission to uncover the source of a sonic anomaly that threatens the peaceful planet Vada.”

The collab’s NYCC booth will also offer a first look at the gaming experience.

J Balvin Signs Management Deal with Roc Nation

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J Balvin has new management…

The 38-year-old Colombian singer has officially joined Roc Nation as a management client, where he will be overseen directly by Jay Brown and Chris Knight.

J BalvinBalvin was previously managed by Fabio Acosta and Scooter Braun’s SB Projects. He parted ways with the latter on June 30, 2022, after nearly three years together.

He continued working with Acosta and his company, Akela Family Music, through March. Acosta had managed or co-managed Balvin in some capacity for the past decade. Sources say the two parted on amicable terms.

Balvin, one of the biggest Latin stars in the world, has had a series of management shifts over the past five years. In 2019, he parted ways with manager Rebeca León, who had managed him since the onset of his career in the United States, and signed with Braun.

Throughout both deals, Acosta remained part of his management team and worked in partnership with SB Projects, helping bring in groundbreaking deals and partnerships. These included his celebrity menu collaboration with McDonald’s — a first for a Latin act.
7/14 – Tenerife, Spain – Ritmo del Mundo
7/15 – Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal – Meo Mares Vivas Festival
7/21 – Byron Bay, Australia – Splendour in the Grass
7/23 – Melbourne – Margaret Court
7/25 – Sydney – Hordern Pavillion

Bruno Mars’ Silk Sonic Bringing Their Music & Retro Style to Fortnite

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It’s a Fortnite to remember for Bruno Mars…

The part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and Anderson .Paak’s Silk Sonic have joined the world of Fortnite by announcing that they’ve signed a deal to bring their smooth stylings to the virtual universe.

Bruno Mars, Silk Sonic, FortniteThe partnership between Atlantic Records and Fornite on the latest “Icon Series” will include in-game outfits for players, a new in-game “Icon Radio” station and an upcoming “Silk Sonic Cup” player tournament.

“When Fortnite asked me if I wanted to create an outfit for the game, I asked, ‘Are CGI muscles off the table?’ They said ‘no.’ I said ‘deal.’ I”ll see you on the Island,” Mars said in a statement, with .Paak cheekily adding, “When Fortnite agreed to give Bruno CGI muscles, I said, ‘I’m in. He could use the help, so I support it.’ And it makes me cool. Win, win.”

Bruno Mars, Silk Sonic, FortniteThe first “Icon Radio” station launched this week, allowing players to listen to all the songs on the duo’s debut, An Evening With Silk Sonic, in their cars, along with solo tracks from Mars and .Paak. Legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins serves as the radio station’s host.

The official “Silk Sonic Set” outfits — players can choose between a digitally jacked Mars or .Paak — are slated to launch on February 10 at 7:00 pm ET. They include signature accessories like Mars’ Sound Scepter Pickaxe, which can be worn as Back Bling, and .Paak’s Sonic Snare Back Bling and Boom Bap Pickaxe; Fortnite users can get early access to the new outfits and the pair’s signature “Silk Sonic Spray” by competing in the Silk Sonic Cup tournament, which kicks off on February 7.

Both performers are familiar to Fortnite users; .Paak performed a “Spotlight Concert Series” in the game in September 2020 and Mars’ “Leave the Door Open Emote” debuted in-game in April 2021.

The Icon Series skin line has previously featured collaborations with Ariana Grande and Marshmello, among others.

Lele Pons Appears in YouTube’s 2018 YouTube Rewind Clip

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Lele Pons is rewinding through the past year…

The 22-year-old Venezuelan internet personality, actress, singer, dancer and host of La Voz… México appears in YouTube’s “YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind.”

Lele Pons

The clip, jam-packed with references to this year’s music, features many of YouTube’s popular creators and recaps the year’s content, trends and tunes.

The YouTube Rewind series first hit the internet in 2010..

The eight-minute-plus video opens with Will Smith (who made his YouTube channel debut earlier this year) against a mountainous landscape, announcing, “It’s rewind time.” He continues, “If I control rewind, I would want Fortnite and Marques Brownlee.” Snapping his fingers, a dreamlike YouTuber-filled compilation begins.

“Is this what you wanted?” asks Brownlee from a flying Fortnite-esque bus full of YouTubers ready to pick out their own favorite moments as Cardi B’s “I Like It” plays in the background.

The scene eventually swaps to one in which the content creators crowd around a campfire together. “Apparently we control rewind this year. Y’all, we can do whatever we want,” confirms Liza Koshy. “What do we do?”

“K-pop!” pipe up the Merrell Twins and Casey Neistat as a dancing montage backed by BTS’ “Idol” plays in the background.

Marshmello soon makes a brief appearance (as does his collaboration with Bastille, “Happier“).

The next music moment comes when the animated TheOdd1sOut suggests they accept Drake’s “In My Feelings” Challenge, the moving-car dance craze inspired by the song earlier this year.

YouTubers including Pons, Anwar Jibawi and Rudy Mancuso later take on a catwalk wearing oversized blocky bodysuits meant to resemble the ones Kanye West and Lil Pump sported in the “I Love It” music video; Panic! at the Disco’s “High Hopes” backs them up.

The social-media-famous “Baby Shark” song by Pinkfong also gets a nod, accompanied by some colorfully costumed kid show characters.

This year’s video has, notably, at time of press, been disliked more than 2.2 million times — over twice as many times as it has been liked — with viewers pointing out that some of YouTube’s biggest stars, including PewDiePie (who boasts over 74 million subscribers), are absent. Despite this, the recap has already received 33 million views.