At Electric Jungle music festival — one of China’s biggest and most influential electronic dance music events — Billboard Radio China caught up backstage with Christian Karlsson and Linus Eklöw, the duo that form the well-known Swedish DJ, electronic dance music production, and songwriting group Galantis. While both members have had success separately — Karlsson with the band Miike Snow and producing as Bloodshy, and Eklöw as Style of Eye — the pair discussed the beginning of Galantis and their realization that they had made a name for themselves as a duo. “I think our history is a part of why Galantis is what it is and sounds like what Galantis sounds,” Karlsson says. “I think our many years in the studio prior to being in Galantis [as] Style of Eye, Miike Snow, Bloodshy, all those things are tools in the toolbox that were very good to have on the path to Galantis’ birth.” That “Galantis sound” has seen the duo become known as one of the happiest dance music acts in the industry, a label that they welcomingly embrace. This sound didn’t come about by happenstance, according to Karlsson, it was the goal from the outset of their collaboration “to create music that made you feel good without being cheeky or cheesy.” To do this, they drew upon history, pinpointing music of the late ’60s, early ’70s and Motown, and adopted their “happy vibes.” Thus, much of Galantis’ music is heavily influenced by and based on the style of that period. Eklöw attributes their first performance at Coachella as the point they realized Galantis was a success and that they had a platform from which they were connecting with people. “It was a complete surprise to us that the tent was filled, that they were singing along to music that was a couple of weeks old,” he shared. The duo also discussed their philosophy when writing new music and their evolution. “I think the rule in Galantis is to not have any rules,” Karlsson said. Their songwriting process doesn’t have a template, he said, and they prefer to “switch it up” and embrace flexibility to create magic. To illustrate his point, he uses the analogy of making a puzzle and using a different piece to start the puzzle every time, thereby creating a different experience, allowing them to not sound like a copy of other music, including their own. This flexibility has allowed them to grow and evolve as artists from the release of their 2015 debut album, Pharmacy, to the 2017 release of The Aviary, and now their newest and current releases. The duo expresses love for EDM music because, in concert with their own evolution, it too is moving and evolving at such a pace that it allows them even more freedom in their creative process — exactly the “no rules” mantra on which they thrive. Galantis’ flexibility and template-free style can be heard in their latest releases. In 2018, we saw the release of “Spaceship,” which they describe as a pretty clean dance track with a noticeable Motown/Jackson 5 feel, “Mama Look At Me Now,” which has a very Swedish vibe they say could have been made in their early days, and “Emoji,” an example of their ability to grab hold of pop culture and incorporate it into their music. Despite continuing with their other music ventures, Galantis fans have a lot to look forward to in the near future as the duo have no intention of stopping anytime soon and promise “more music than ever” on the horizon. Chinese fans can delight in the fact that they have an appreciation for the increased spotlight that has been placed on EDM in recent years and its growing acceptance, both of which are sure to keep China on the radar as a regular stopping ground. To hear the full radio interview, visit Billboard Radio China.

Soulja Boy feels that he is fully responsible for almost all the biggest stars in hip-hop, and it is listing the reasons why he’s the “Godfather” of hip-hop.

We ran into Soulja in NYC after his Wednesday morning interview with The Breakfast Club, in which he also went in on Kanye West. The “Crank That” star doesn’t hold back when asked about Drake stealing his swag. “I know he do, check the Instagram, ” Soulja confidently said while pointing out lyrics he claims Drake copied verbatim.

Even though he’s producing the record, it’s known that Drake jacked his vibe, Soulja says, “I respect him.” He claims there’s simply no beef, but, “the people have to know exactly where the swag and flow came from.”

Soulja laughs at critics who also have never taken him seriously throughout his career and also revealed that rappers like Ice-T and Snoop Dogg were very hard on him during his early years.

Still, Soulja takes it all in stride while listing the 5 artists he thinks are the greatest in rap. If you guessed Soulja just called himself 5 different ways as the greatest, then you definitely would be wrong. He also listed Drake.

Last November, City Girls issued a challenge in hopes of discovering the world’s greatest twerker. The top 20 girls would get “flewed” out to Miami and join Yung Miami and Cardi B on the set of their music video “Twerk.” Though they announced the winner in December, on Wednesday (Jan. 16), City Girls released their visual headlined by a troupe of booty shaking savants. Both painted in tiger stripes, Yung Miami and Cardi lead an endless twerk session on a huge yacht. With a pole in tow, the two MCs flaunt their crispy lyricism all while dancing alongside their bodacious counterparts. The titillating video reaches its climax when the girls hit the dirt and break into some next-level twerking. The mesermizing display will certainly drop some jaws, as both Cardi and Yung Miami redefine the meaning of twerk with their fun-filled visual. Check it out below.

Three years after winning La Banda and touring with Ricky Martin, CNCO are kicking off their first-ever headlining tour, presented by Cardenas Marketing Networks. As an extension of their world tour, which had stops in Latin America, South America, Asia and Europe, the award-winning Latin boy band is set to hit 11 U.S. cities on Jan. 14 in McAllen, Texas, and wrapping March 2 in Orlando, Fla. Billboard hung out with Erick, Christopher, Richard, Zabdiel and Joel ahead of their U.S. tour to talk all about it. Check out our Q&A below, followed by the full U.S. tour dates. What can fans expect from this tour? Erick Brian Colon: It’s fire! Richard Camacho: It’s special. Joel Pimentel: Lots of energy. Zabdiel de Jesus: Unique. Christopher Velez: I would say fantastic or spectacular. How do you guys prepare for a show? Zabdiel: We drink lots of water. Christopher: We warm up our voices too. Joel: I’m more a tea guy. I like to drink teas. Richard: We like to go to a quiet zone and do push-ups. Joel: We pray before going onstage. What’s your favorite song to perform live? Christopher: Me, personally, I like “Primera Cita.” I like to sing it a cappella too. Zabdiel: Me, “Estoy Enamorado de Ti.” Joel: I like that one too! There’s new choreography coming soon. Richard: I like “Bonita,” “Buena Suerte,” they have a good vibe… and “Mamita” too. Erick: I think my favorite one is “No Me Sueltes.” How have you guys changed from the time you went on tour with Ricky Martin to now that you’re kicking off your world tour? Erick: Now we have our own songs. Back then we used to do covers. We’re also more comfortable and confident onstage. Richard: We’ve grown not only as artists, but also as people. I feel that we see life differently now. We’re more considerate. We know what to do and what not to do. We’re still learning but now we’re more ahead of our game than before. CNCO WORLD TOUR U.S. DATES: Jan. 24 – Mcallen, TX – Hidalgo Arena Jan. 25 – Houston, TX – Smart Financial Credit Union Jan. 26 – Dallas, TX – Fair Park Jan. 27 – El Paso, TX – The Coliseum Feb. 16 – San Jose, CA – City National Civic Feb. 17 – Los Angeles – Microsoft Theater Feb. 21 – Boston, MA – House of Blues Feb. 22 – Rosemont, IL – Rosemont Theatre Feb. 23 – New York, NY – United Palace Theatre March 1 – Miami, FL – American Airlines Arena March 2 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues Orlando

---

An upcoming Showtime docuseries about legendary producer and label boss Rick Rubin will debut at the SXSW festival in March. The work-in-progress series, directed by Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom) and tentatively titled SHANGRI-LA, is slated to debut on the cable network later this year, according to a release announcing the project. Filmed at Rubin’s legendary California studio of the same name, the docuseries “pulls back the veil on Rubin and his work with musicians across every genre. The series is an all-access pass into Rubin’s creative process, giving viewers a taste of what it’s like to be produced by the music world’s most singular voice.” Rubin’s legendary career spans more than three decades, from the time he co-founded the pioneering rap label Def Jam Records in his his New York University dorm room in 1984, to his signature production work with everyone from LL Cool J, Run-DMC and JAY-Z to his time behind the boards for AC/DC, Slayer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Diamond, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Dixie Chicks, Adele, Weezer and many, many more. With his long, flowing beard and buddha-like posture, Rubin, 55, has become a kind of musical guru, sought out for advice and his one-of-a-kind ear and bare-bones style, which has garnered eight Grammy Awards over his career. Neville is an Emmy- and Oscar-winning director whose 2013 exploration of backup singers, 20 Feet From Stardom, won an Academy Award for best documentary and Grammy for best music film; his more recent effort was the critically acclaimed 2018 Mr. Rogers documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor. SHANGRI-LA is a Tremolo production, with Neville, Rubin, Jeff Malmberg, Danny Breen, Michael Goldberg, Eric Lynn, Isaac Heymann, Dianna Schmedeman and Jason Schrift listed as executive producers. Jeff Malmberg will direct two episodes of the series, whose release date has not yet been announced.

---

Among the growing wave of talent vying for the top spot in the increasingly competitive and international world of K-pop, SF9 are set on proving that 2019 will be their year for mainstream fame and global recognition.

After a 2018 that saw them score two more Top 10 entries on Billboard‘s World Albums chart, individual promotions in TV, radio and fashion, plus the group tackling genres like progressive dark-pop on “Now or Never” and ’60s rock via “Mamma Mia,” SF9 says they’re more than ready to take on the new year in a big way.

Ahead of their new album and tour, which will launch early this year, the members Young Bin, In Seong, Jae Yoon, Da Won, Ro Woon, Zu Ho, Tae Yang, Hwi Young, and Cha Ni sat down exclusively with Billboard to discuss their excitement over their fast-growing stardom, success, 2019 plans, and more. Keep watch on the ninesome as they trailblaze ahead of their K-pop careers.

Watch the video for “Now or Never,” and check out our Q&A after the jump.

First and foremost, congratulations on everything you guys have accomplished in 2018! SF9 is doing so well all over the world. How does it feel to finally have that kind of response to your music?

We are just honored to be recognized by people that love music, and do what we do. We will continue to try our utmost best to meet, and more importantly, exceed everyone’s expectations this year by giving great performances, and consistently work together as a whole to improve.

What can we look forward to in 2019? 

If there is one thing we, SF9, would like to accomplish as a group is to have our first No. 1 song on multiple music charts, and [be on] music TV programs. Also, we are working on our new album and tour! We can’t reveal the dates yet, but it will be very soon and we are extremely excited to share our new material with our fans worldwide.

What was the most memorable moment for SF9 in 2018?

The year was both challenging and memorable for us, but we were beyond excited and grateful to have had our first solo concert in Seoul. We were so overwhelmed by the amount of support and love we got from our fans. It was super special. We were also thrilled that we were able to meet our fans — Fantasy — in many different countries. It definitely made us want to engage more with our fans; we realized that there’s nothing more important to us than quality time spent with Fantasy.

Is there anything you want to say to your fans?

We want to truly thank our fans for their consistent support and love. We don’t have words to describe our gratitude towards Fantasy! We promise to deliver and show more of us in 2019. We will prepare and bring new performances and music to make you guys proud. We wish you nothing but health and happiness, and WE LOVE YOU!

Keith Richards is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his solo debut album by reissuing it. Richards originally released Talk Is Cheap in 1988 and will reissue the album on March 29. It will include six bonus tracks and will be released digitally, on CD, on vinyl and as a box set. The box set includes unseen photos, an 80-page hardback book and rare memorabilia, including lyric sheets, posters and a guitar pick. Talk Is Cheap features Maceo Parker, Patti Scialfa, Bootsy Collins and former Rolling Stones bandmate Mick Taylor.

---