NEWS
Kim Kardashian has shared that Kanye West played Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ at the exact moment their daughter North West entered the world.
Speaking this week on her sister Khloé’s podcast Khloé In Wonder Land on January 21, she looked back on how Ye took control of the music while she was in labour with her first child in June 2013.
“She knew what she wanted since the moment she was born,” Kardashian said. “Getting born to the song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. Kourtney and I talk about this all the time. Kanye was DJing, so he put on ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ for the moment she came out.”
“And isn’t it so her?” she added. “Kourtney and I cry laughing thinking of this moment and how it’s just so like her, you know? That’s such a weird fact. When I listen to it, I just, like get [emotional].”
North West’s musical journey continues to gather pace. Last week, she teased a new collaborative track with her father titled “Piercing On My Hand (Ye Version)”, which features her delivering lines including: “No friends, just filter, you wouldn’t understand / Shopping in Japan, that’s where I always stand / Went to school for two days, then I got banned / Skipping school, yeah, I do it on the daily.”
She also appeared on FKA Twigs’ ‘Childlike Things’ from last year’s album Euxesua, where North can be heard singing in Japanese. Twigs explained that she wanted North on the track because her “energy is so inspiring”, adding: “It needs someone who has that tenacity, who has that strong point of view that you have when you’re 11.”
The youngster also took to the stage in 2024, performing ‘I Just Can’t Wait To Be King’ at the live production of The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl. Later that year, she revealed she was working on her debut album, titled ‘Elementary School Dropout’, a nod to her father’s 2004 record The College Dropout, which has yet to see an official release.
North has also added a verse to ‘Talking’ and ‘Vultures’, songs from Ye’s 2024 joint album Vultures 1 with Ty Dolla $ign, and joined her father on stage in Paris that February for a live performance of the former.
As for Ye, he is preparing to release his 12th studio album BULLY on January 30, following a surprise announcement made during a comedy show at the Hollywood Improv last month. His team have also recently addressed rumours surrounding potential AI involvement on the record.
NEWS
Burna Boy gave fans an exclusive look inside one of the most important performances of his career, with Billboard there to capture the entire experience.
For a new Billboard video diary, the versatile musician walks viewers through his full routine as he got ready for the first FIFA World Cup Final halftime show on Sunday. The footage begins with his police escorted arrival and continues through the excitement of walking onto the field at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. It offers an honest look at everything that happened before and after the major performance.
Throughout the day, Burna enjoys several unforgettable encounters. He takes pictures with Shakira, his collaborator on the official 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem “Dai Dai.” The pair performed the track during Sunday’s halftime show, while it remains at the top of the Billboard Global 200 for a second week and leads the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for a fourth week. Burna also catches up with streamer iShowSpeed, shares a hug with Justin Bieber and meets Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, who surprised the audience by introducing Bieber. Once the greetings are over, Burna fits in one last rehearsal before heading out to perform.
The footage continues as Burna walks onto the field and joins the celebration. He looks thrilled when the set concludes, making his way through the players’ tunnel and returning backstage. There, he receives compliments from Chris Martin, who organized the halftime show and helped write the finale song “We Dance” alongside his Coldplay bandmates.
Watch Burna Boy’s complete Day in the Life video through Billboard below.
