Latest news with #Bellion
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Friend of Mine' Co-Producer Jon Bellion: Rihanna's New Single Resulted From ‘A Bunch of People Having a Blast'
At first blush, Rihanna's 'Friend of Mine' does not sound like a single from a kids movie. Unlike the superstar's previous soundtrack work for films like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Home, which tended to veer toward sweeping pop balladry, 'Friend of Mine' is a thumping club track, with Rihanna's voice positioned as an elliptical refrain over a house beat. Jon Bellion, who co-wrote and co-produced the track last year, was initially surprised to hear that the song would be featured in the upcoming Smurfs film, in which Rihanna is voicing Smurfette. Then he considered the sonic profile of 'Friend of Mine,' and understood its mass appeal. 'From a product standpoint, I don't think you get such major chords and such a positive [message] over a dance record that doesn't sound like a kids movie too often,' he tells Billboard. 'So when do you nail the feel-good, family-friendly, high-taste, deep '90s nostalgia, that can also be played into the kids movie? Shoot it out into the world!' More from Billboard Nessa Barrett Announces 2025 Australian Arena Tour Sombr Announces 2025 Australia and New Zealand Headline Tour Eddie Vedder Covers Springsteen's 'My City of Ruins' After Trump Clash That's exactly what Rihanna did on Friday (May 16) with 'Friend of Mine,' which precedes the Smurfs soundtrack (out June 13 through Roc Nation Distribution) and her star turn in the Smurfs film (in theaters July 18). Three years after her last music release, Rihanna has offered 'Friend of Mine' as a long-awaited check-in with fans, and an unexpected song of the summer bid. The song came together during one of Bellion's writing camps at his vacation home in the Hamptons last summer, with the studio veteran producing the song with Pete Nappi and Fallen, and all three receiving co-writing credits along with Elijah Noll, Elkan, Tenroc and Rihanna. That group of writers and producers are part of Beautiful Mind Projects, Bellion's management, publishing and label company, and Bellion — who's helped artists like Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Maroon 5 score pivotal hits in recent years — says that the energy heard on 'Friend of Mine' is a reflection of his collective's collaborative spirit. 'It was a bunch of people having a blast, doing a music camp together, jamming on some DJ s–t and playing chords and just having fun,' he says. 'And I think that that's probably why it ended up sounding so new. It just felt like a natural thing, with a bunch of guys who like being around each other and want to make great s–t.' 'Working with [Jon] is always exciting because you know you're going to walk away with a real song,' the producer Fallen, who's also worked with artists like Doja Cat and Summer Walker, tells Billboard in a statement. 'He sees things through. He's the kind of person who will spend an entire week on a single track if that's what it takes. We spent about three days on 'Friend of Mine,' just refining and dialing it in. Coming from the hip-hop world, I'm used to making five songs in a single session, so this level of detail was new for me. But it's been the most valuable lesson I've learned working with him.' One of Bellion's earliest hits as a co-writer was 'The Monster,' the 2013 smash from Eminem and Rihanna that topped the Hot 100 chart for four weeks. In the decade-plus since that breakthrough, he's stayed in touch with Rihanna's team, and says that he's contributed 'a couple songs' to her camp over the years that have yet to be released. Considering that Rihanna's output has been scant since her 2016 album ANTI, Bellion was uncertain that 'Friend of Mine' would see the light of day, but the spontaneity of the track's creation stood out in his mind when it came together last year. 'The song is raw — like, she didn't really mix it further than the two track that we sent out,' he says. 'We [sent] it out, and I had it on my phone for a few days, and I just remember, every morning I'd wake up listening to it. I'd listen to it in the shower, like, 'This is kind of jamming!'' Bellion couldn't recall another Rihanna single that sounded quite like 'Friend of Mine' — and he says that, at some point after the song was finished, the realization hit him that unexplored territory was exactly what she had been searching for. 'She's not looking for 'We Found Love 2.0,' or 'Work 2.0,'' he says. 'The arrangement and the feel feels all very new — very cutting-edge, in front of what the next wave will be, because she usually tries to do that every time she puts something out.' 'Friend of Mine' arrives shortly before Bellion's third studio album, Father Figure, is released on June 6; the project marks his first solo full-length in seven years, and features guest turns from Luke Combs, Pharrell Williams and Jon Batiste. While Father Figure includes deeply personal reflections on fatherhood and its challenges, Bellion is glad that 'Friend of Mine' has arrived a few weeks beforehand, to give him a chance to pull off something he has yet to accomplish professionally. 'My whole career, I've wanted [a song] that plays at all the events — all the baby showers and sweet sixteens and wedding and Bar Mitzvahs,' Bellion says with a laugh. 'I don't think I've ever really had one of those, so it feels great, and hopefully it does well.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jon Bellion Was Tired of Songwriters Getting ‘Paid F—king Dirt' — So He Flipped the Script With ‘Father Figure'
This week, Jon Bellion returned to center stage after years of remaining behind the scenes: the veteran songwriter-producer released Father Figure, his first album in seven years and a poignant reflection on fatherhood, including his relationship with his own father and his experiences as a dad of three. A deeply personal project that includes a picture of his parents on the album cover and a voicemail from his uncle on the track list, Father Figure also demonstrates Bellion's status as a gifted collaborator, with Luke Combs, Pharrell Williams and Jon Batiste lending their voices to his story. Bellion — who has contributed to hits by Justin Bieber, Maroon 5 and Miley Cyrus, and recently co-helmed 'Friend of Mine,' Rihanna's first new single in three years — says that he's not playing a 'numbers game' with the album, and that the metric of success he'd like to reach with Father Figure is more abstract. 'If my album can give you one more day, then I'm cool with that — that's the goal,' he tells Billboard. 'To give a listener another day of inspiration? I could live with that.' More from Billboard Elvis Crespo, Elena Rose, Kapo & More: Vote for the Best New Latin Music This Week The Weeknd Wanders Through Purgatory in 'Baptized in Fear' Music Video Miley Cyrus Says Madonna 'Was Down' to Mud Wrestle in a '4x4' Music Video, But Her Label Said No Yet along with its emotional power, Father Figure also offers a fresh industry blueprint, as the rare project in which its credited co-writers will receive a percentage of master royalties, or 'points,' on the album. Bellion worked alongside the artists that comprise Beautiful Mind Projects — his management, publishing and label company — including studio whizzes Pete Nappi, Tenroc and Elkan, all of whom also contributed to Rihanna's 'Friend of Mine.' Bellion says that the decision to provide points to his fellow songwriters was the result of his own 'frustrations of being a songwriter and being paid dirt — morally paid dirt — for 10 years. I don't want to hear people talking about, 'Oh, he's made money and he's successful, so he can't talk about how songwriters get paid dirt.' … If you write an entire song with a group of people, and there's $10 and they only pay you 25 cents, there's moral injustice there. 'If it's $10 million and they only pay you $250,000, there's moral injustice there,' he continues. 'It doesn't matter the way you microscopically change that — it's an insane thing to say. I've always been vocal about that, and I don't care what people's perception of that is, because songwriters get paid f—king dirt.' After self-funding Father Figure, Bellion admits that he does have 'a new perspective and a new appreciation for what the label is doing,' but still believes that there's a way for record labels to allocate less money toward promotional efforts and more towards creative collaborators. To that end, Bellion says that he decided to focus his promotional campaign less on short-form content, and more on proper music videos for four songs from the album — including the title track, which received a moving visual on Friday (June 6). Bellion says that the album rollout has been an invaluable learning process. 'You've got to start somewhere,' he says. 'I'm understanding the workings of the label, and stumbling through it. And even if I come out losing money — which I think I will on this album — but still getting the writers paid at least a point or two, and giving them the courage to go into the next meeting to say 'Well, John did it!' … Someone has to be the guy to be like, 'I don't really know how to make my money back while giving out a ton of points if I'm funding the thing myself, but I'm gonna have to jump into the world to put my money where my mouth is.' I don't know if this is gonna work out, but at least I tried to do the thing.' As Bellion gears up to promote Father Figure from the stage — he'll perform a sold-out intimate show at SOB's in New York, and headline Forest Hills Stadium on Aug. 23 — he hopes that his unique standing in the industry will turn his gambit with the album into a successful model. 'I've been on both sides of the spectrum,' he says. 'I've been on the label side, I've been on the publisher side, I've been on the writer side, and I've been on the artist side. So there's more of a holistic angle, and I can try to bring everything in closer, to get to a better place, possibly. 'I'm not trailblazing,' Bellion continues. 'I'm gonna go to Capitol Hill and dedicate my life to — I'm not saying that. But putting my money where my mouth is, where it actually counts? It's a good place to start.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
BBC News
07-02-2025
- BBC News
Sheffield: Ricky Bellion jailed for 22 years for abusing girl
A man has been jailed after he was convicted of sexually abusing a young girl across a seven-year period in the 1980s and 1990s. Ricky Bellion, 60, preyed on his victim after first grooming her aged 10 when she attended swimming sessions in of Washington Road in Sheffield, was sentenced to 22 years in prison on Thursday. He was found guilty of nine charges relating to two victims after a trial at Sheffield Crown Court in a statement issued through South Yorkshire Police, the victim described Bellion as "sadistic" and said his crimes had crushed "my inner soul and mind". "To finally get justice, is beyond any words or feelings that I can ever attempt to describe or express," she said."The audacity of him to remain acting like an innocent man from the very start of this case, has been insulting, when all along, there were never any doubts about the truth."The woman told police what had happened in 2019, which prompted a criminal investigation into Bellion. A second victim came forward the same year. The woman also praised the police for their work in securing Bellion's conviction. In a letter to Det Sgt Joanna Vine, who worked on the case alongside Det Con Janine Innes, she wrote: "Words will never thank you enough for all the effort this has taken professionally and for all the extra input needed, where it has required the 'above and beyond' efforts to ensure this case reached its conclusion."Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
