music
Billie Eilish’s Name Is Among the Year’s Most Mispronounced Words
“Cheugy” is apparently a lot to chew on. Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce have something in common — broadcasters butcher their names. And virtually everyone is having trouble with “omicron.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news All four made it onto this year’s list of most mispronounced words as compiled by the U.S. Captioning Company, which captions and subtitles real-time events on TV and in courtrooms. The list released Tuesday identifies the words that proved most challenging for newsreaders and people on television to pronounce this year. The caption company said it surveyed its members to generate the list, which is now in its sixth year and was commissioned by Babbel, a language-learning platform with headquarter...
Chartbreaker: Mae Muller’s Best ‘Days’ Are Ahead Of Her
North London native Mae Muller started writing songs five years ago, when she was a 19-year-old working in retail and at a pub while also trying to figure out what to do with her life. She set her sights on pop stardom, co-writing the entirety of her 2019 debut album, Chapter 1, but was always reluctant to record a song written by someone else. In November 2020, however, Muller traveled to Sweden — the country had remained open to travelers from the UK during this phase of the pandemic — for a session with writer/producer Neiked, who played Muller a track he’d written called “Better Days.” Muller eventually decided to take on the buoyant, celebratory track, and the single subsequently became Muller’s first Hot 100 hit, climbing to No. 29 since its September release. “I feel like I’m a...
The 100 Best Songs of 2021: Staff List
The past and the future had something of a tug of war over pop music in 2021. In many ways, top 40 was pushed forward this year by artists who blended sounds and styles, expanding its center to include voices from areas of the globe (or corners of society) too rarely represented in the stateside mainstream. But pop history exerted a huge gravitational force as well, whether with retro sounds from the ’70s to the ’00s coming back in vogue, or with new hits being formed from older songs getting covered, sampled, mashed up and/or entirely re-recorded. It certainly made for a robust pop present: a year in which the best songs and biggest hits could come from seemingly anywhere, in space or in time. Whether they were reinventing what had been or reimagining what could be, here were our staff’s ...
Top 50 Albums of 2021
Our 2021 Annual Report continues with our Top 50 Albums list. As the year winds down, stay tuned for more awards, lists, and articles about the best music, film, and TV of 2021. You can find it all in one place here. We’re all friends here, so let’s be honest: Most playlists are boring. Corporation-curated playlists are boring, influencer playlists are boring, and the playlist you made for your high school crush became boring the moment you liked someone new. We use them at times — road tripping, studying, or working out — for a pleasant background vibe. But when it comes to prolonged active listening, only an album can demand your full attention. Advertisement That was especially true in 2021. Many workers returned to the office, even as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to teach us new let...
How 2021 Band of the Year CHVRCHES Navigated a COVID-Challenged Galaxy
Our 2021 Annual Report continues with the announcement of CHVRCHES as our Band of the Year. As the year winds down, stay tuned for more awards, lists, and articles about the best music, film, and TV of 2021. You can find it all in one place here. The last couple of years have undoubtedly been chaotic — and while many artists have used these uncertain times to provide a distraction, others, like CHVRCHES, our 2021 Band of the Year, have embraced that chaos to create profound and inspired works. CHVRCHES’ fourth studio album, Screen Violence, features the band working at the highest level since their debut, and with a little bit of cinematic horror and drama added to the mix, they sound like a band renewed. Tracks like “How Not To Drown (featuring Robert Smith),” which landed at No. 8 on our...
Adele’s ‘30’ Leads U.K. Chart Race
Adele’s blockbuster album 30 (Columbia) is on the way to a third consecutive U.K. chart title. But it won’t have an easy ride. Based on midweek sales and streaming data published by the OCC, 30 is on course for the crown, though it’s facing a challenge from JLS’s 2.0 (BMG), the X Factor alum’s first album of original material since Evolution, which hit No. 3 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart in 2012. JLS’s latest is on target for a No. 2 debut, for what would be the outfit’s sixth U.K. Top 10 album, continuing an unbroken streak which began with their eponymously-titled debut, in 2009. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Despite finishing runner-up on The X Factor in 2008, JLS has crossed the finish line first on the U.K. charts, including five No....
Hailey Mia Shines With Lewis Capaldi Cover on ‘The Voice’: Watch
Hailey Mia is the youngest competitor in The Voice 2021, and, thanks to her poise and talent-beyond-her-years, many fans of the show are wondering whether she’ll become the youngest-ever winner. Mia did her chances no harm on Monday night (Dec. 6), when she performed Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” during the Top 8 Live round. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The New Jersey native selected a song overflowing with drama and action, and the teen, accompanied with a string quartet, blazed away. “Someone You Loved” is the sad song that could. The Scot’s breakout hit took 24 weeks to reach the Billboard Hot 100 summit, in 2019, completing the fifth-lengthiest climb to No. 1 all-time. Will Kelly Clarkson’s impressive protégé take the long route to...
Suspect Charged With Murder of Jacqueline Avant, Wife of Clarence Avant
The man suspected of fatally shooting Jacqueline Avant in her Beverly Hills home on Dec. 1 has been charged with murder, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday. Aariel Maynor, 29, of Los Angeles is charged with one count each of murder, attempted murder and felon with a firearm — Maynor allegedly used an assault long barrel pistol during the crimes — as well as two counts of residential burglary with person present. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Maynor is charged with breaking into the home of the 81-year-old philanthropist and wife of legendary music executive Clarence Avant, where he fatally shot her, according to authorities. Maynor also is charged with shooting at a security guard at the location. The security ...
Ariana Grande, Megan Thee Stallion and Jimmy Fallon Get us Warmed up for a ‘Masked Christmas’: Watch
Your 2021 Christmas playlist has a new entry. Jimmy Fallon teams up with Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion on the holiday-themed, “It Was A… (Masked Christmas),” a fun new number that dropped at midnight. These here are pandemic times, and our trio won’t let us forget. “Masked Christmas” is a reminder that, yes, we can have fun these holidays with a mask on. On it, Jimmy and Ari sing: “It was a masked Christmas, we stayed in the house/ We covered our nose, and covered our mouth/ But it’s Christmas time/ We’ll be in line for a booster.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Megan delivers several raps, and doesn’t miss the opportunity to rhyme Fallon with Stallion. Grande, Fallon and Stallion are like one big happy musical family. Grande most rece...
Alice Cooper Announces Spring 2022 North American Tour
Alice Cooper has announced a Spring 2022 North American tour, with support from Buckcherry on select dates. The shows continue Cooper’s campaign in support of 2021’s Detroit Stories, a tribute to the musical legacy of the Motor City, Cooper’s hometown. The Spring 2022 leg with Buckcherry kicks off March 18th in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and runs through April 20th in Seattle. Cooper will then meet up with ex-KISS guitarist Ace Frehley for joint concerts on April 22nd and April 23rd in Reno, Nevada, and Paso Robles, California, respectively (sans Buckcherry). Get tickets via Ticketmaster. Advertisement Related Video The spring shows follow Cooper’s previously announced early 2022 US tour, which runs through January and February before concluding with an appearance on the Monsters of Rock C...
Adele’s Team Took Away Her Instagram Password After “The Only Picture I Ever Posted Myself”
In 2020, Adele’s team gave her the password to her own Instagram account for the first time, but after posting one picture — of herself in a Jamaican flag bikini and bantu knots — they took it away again. The British superstar revealed the drama during a sit-down with makeup and beauty vlogger NikkieTutorials. “In COVID, they let me have my password,” Adele said while receiving eyeliner. “I was never allowed my passwords for my socials before. It’s actually quite a well-known fact.” As she explained, “They were worried if I’d get drunk, or be annoyed, whatever I would do. Not responding to anyone, more just posting my general thoughts.” However, “Then I posted a picture, which a lot of people know about. It’s the only picture I ever posted myself. And then they took my password a...
System of a Down’s Serj Tankian on His New NFT Exhibition, Film Scores, and Upcoming Projects
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Serj Tankian sits down with Kyle Meredith to talk about his new art and music exhibition, Not for Touching: The Intangible Exhibition, which finds the System of a Down frontman animating his paintings, setting them to music, and presenting them in the NFT world. Advertisement Related Video The songwriter/activist takes us back to the moments that he began painting as a way to see his music come to life, how System of a Down’s albums Hypnotize and Mesmerize inspired his use of clocks in his work, and gives us the stories behind pieces based on Bowie and Jazz. Tankian also discusses his film score work, future exhibition ideas t...
