music
The Weeknd Calls For Justice With His Video Of The Year Speech
In late 2019, The Weeknd pulled a star move by playing himself (though the 2012 version of himself) in Josh and Benny Safdie’s film Uncut Gems. A key scene involves Adam Sandler’s hard-luck character taking a swing at the pop star, though things get broken up before they escalate too wildly. Around that same time, The Weeknd released his vision for indefatigable new single “Blinding Lights,” which chronicled him on a death-wish bender through Los Angeles; he ends up bloody, beaten, and flashing the biggest smile you’ve ever seen. It felt like a sign. Now, that omen has been made clear: “Blinding Lights” just won Video of the Year at the 2020 VMAs. And The Weeknd, who also opened the show with a stratospherically dizzying rendition of the song from ...
Angel Olsen Reveals New Album Whole New Mess: Stream
Angel Olsen has released her new album Whole New Mess. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. Today’s release follows last year’s stunning All Mirrors, which was one of the best records of 2019 and the 2010s overall. However, whereas that effort was an opulent extravaganza of 11-piece string arrangements and orchestral ambiance, Whole New Mess is a decidedly quieter and more intimate affair. It mostly features early, acoustic renditions of songs off All Mirrors, but also offers some new material like the beautiful title track. It’s technically the first true solo album Olsen’s made since her 2012 debut Half Way Home, but she sounds comfortable as ever in this raw and emotive musical environment. In a revealing interview with Pitchfork, Olsen opened up about how the aforemen...
Dua Lipa Unveils Club Future Nostalgia Remix Album: Stream
Dua Lipa already gave us one of our favorite albums of the year in Future Nostalgia. But the pop star isn’t quite done dancing to that record: today, she’s revealed its corresponding remix album, a star-studded affair called Club Future Nostalgia. Stream the entire effort below via Spotify. Helmed with the help of house/techno producer The Blessed Madonna, the Club boasts an impressive and eclectic guest list highlighted by BLACKPINK, Madonna, Missy Elliott, Mark Ronson, and Gwen Stefani, whom Lipa just interviewed while guest-hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live. Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard, Yaeji, Jayda G, Jacques Lu Cont, and Horse Meat Disco were also invited to party. Editors’ Picks Additionally, a number of the included reworks feature fun samples of Stevie Nicks (“Stand Ba...
The Weeknd Performs “Blinding Lights” High Above NYC to Kick Off 2020 MTV VMAs: Watch
The Weeknd has kept up a relentless schedule since dropping one of the year’s best albums so far in After Hours. Following a virtual concert on TikTok and collaborations with both Juice WRLD (“Smile”) and Calvin Harris (“Over Now”), the R&B singer also known as Abel Tesfaye took his magnetic energy to the 2020 MTV VMAs on Sunday night. The Canadian crooner kicked off the awards show with a high-flying performance of “Blinding Lights” from atop New York City’s Hudson Yards. He was even accompanied by a wave of fireworks. Watch him sing one of the best songs of 2020 below. Hosted by Keke Palmer, this year’s VMAs were originally supposed to take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, the evening’s performances were filmed with “limited or no audien...
Miley Cyrus Performs New Single “Midnight Sky” at 2020 MTV VMAs: Watch
Ever since 2013, Miley Cyrus has been known to stage memorable, jaw-dropping awards show performances. That was certainly the case on Sunday night at the 2020 MTV VMAs, where the pop star rolled out the live debut of her new single “Midnight Sky”. Channeling the track’s self-directed music video, Cyrus flaunted a glitzy biker chic aesthetic as she sang “Midnight Sky” from a brightly lit soundstage. In a call-back to her famous “Wrecking Ball” video, Cyrus concluded the performance by ascending a flight of stairs and straddling a large swinging disco ball. Watch the video replay below. The 27-year-old recently revealed that her long-teased She Is Miley Cyrus project — a compilation of three six-song EPs — has been put on hold. In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, Cy...
Doja Cat Went From Viral Superstar To PUSH Best New Artist
By Lauren Rearick 2020 is officially the year of Doja Cat. The performer, who also made her VMAs debut tonight with a performance of TikTok’s favorite singles, was crowned the PUSH Best New Artist winner. Accepting her award with a lengthy list of personal appreciation shout outs, Doja Cat also paid tribute to her fans, remarking that their “support meant everything to me.” Joking about her refusal to cry, the singer also asked for fans to stay safe, acknowledging that “it’s been a really hard year.” Before leaving the virtual stage, she gave one last important thank you to her mom. Prior to winning Best New Artist, Doja Cat performed a medley of “Say So” and “Like That,” two singles which have catapulted to popularity on TikTok. Although the performer has gained a much larger following th...
Keke Palmer And CNCO Are The VMA Doubleheader We Needed
By Harron Walker Two major musical acts made their VMA debuts back-to-back at the 2020 Video Music Awards, and we don’t know which one to rave about first! First up, we had Keke Palmer pausing on her hosting duties to whip out a snippet of her new summer jam, “Snack,” followed by Latin American boy band CNCO giving us their extremely playlist-friendly track, “Beso.” Where to begin? Well, since Keke held down the whole shebang, let’s start with her. Clad in a neon yellow zip-up leotard that stretched all the way to her Day-Glo manicured fingers, which she paired with a lime Jell-O see-through visor, Palmer kicked off the doubleheader with her feel-good, feeling yourself anthem, “Snack,” off of her new EP, Virgo Tendencies, Pt. 1. From the high-energy choreography to the lyrics promotin...
Lady Gaga Wins First-Ever MTV Tricon Award And Knows ‘A Renaissance Is Coming’
Lady Gaga: singer/actress, fashion icon, and activist. And now, fittingly, she’s also the first recipient of the MTV Tricon Award, an honor that spans everything Gaga is and does. “You can’t just call her a triple threat,” Bella Hadid said to introduce Gaga as this year’s award winner. “She turns pop music into high art. She redefines fashion,” Hadid continued, calling Gaga “a powerhouse” actor and someone who “inspires and empowers all of us” with her activism. When she took the stage in one of her latest visionary 2020 VMAs looks (including a mask, of course), Gaga said she was eager to share the prize. “I want to share this award with everybody at home tonight, everybody at home who is their own form of a Tricon,...
Black Eyed Peas Lit Up The Stage (And Their Crotches) At The VMAs
By Lauren Rearick Before closing the book on the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, the Black Eyed Peas made their VMAs live performance debut, sharing a classic and a new single with viewers. Taking the stage with “glowing crotches,” the Black Eyed Peas performed their new single, “Ritmo” along with a special performance of the always classic, “I Gotta Feeling.” For those that don’t remember, “I Gotta Feeling” was a true staple of 2009, appearing at middle school dances everywhere, and atop the Billboard charts. Ahead of their VMAs appearance, BEP had teased fans on social media with a promise for “something awesome.” The group had also talked of their anticipation for performing in a pre-show interview with MTV, pledging to bring joy and energy to the stage. Based on the social media reaction ...
BTS Perform TV Debut of “Dynamite” at 2020 MTV VMAs: Watch
BTS continued their world domination tonight at the 2020 MTV VMAs, where they delivered the live TV debut of their new English-language single “Dynamite”. The appearance also marked the beloved K-pop boyband’s first-ever VMAs performance. This year’s awards ceremony was originally supposed to take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, the evening’s performances were filmed remotely. In the case of BTS, they broadcasted all the way from South Korea. However, thanks to the power of green screen technology, they were able to incorporate iconic New York City locations into the background, such as Times Square and the famed cobblestoned area of DUMBO. As with everything BTS-related, their performance was a flashy extravaganza from start to finish, highl...
Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande Perform “Rain on Me” at 2020 MTV VMAs: Watch
Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande poured it on at the 2020 MTV VMAs with a stirring rendition of their smash hit “Rain on Me”. When it comes to pop collaborations, some big-name blockbusters are all thunder and no lighting. Not so with “Rain on Me”; this Chromatica standout lights up the dance floor with electrifying hook after electrifying hook. The pair’s moves Sunday night were nothing to mess with either; Gaga, while in a bondage-like outfit, strutted across a stage made to look like an otherworldly planet. Grande, meanwhile, twirled effortlessly in enormous white heels. In addition to “Rain on Me”, the MTV VMAs Artist of the Year also performed “911” and “Stupid Love”. For the latter single, Gaga kicked things off by playing a piano shaped like a brain (really!), before stepping into a gree...
Adele Posts Photo Wearing Jamaican Flag Bikini, Bantu Knots and the Internet Is Not Happy
If not for the pandemic, today would have marked the start of Notting Hill Carnival, a celebration of West Indies culture in Britain that dates back to the 1960s. But while the coronavirus has cancelled those plans, Adele chose to participate anyway, with a picture of herself in a Jamaican flag bikini and a Bantu knot hairstyle. The Internet, which posses infinite judgment if not quite infinite wisdom, thought she looked even more strained than the roots of her honey-colored hair. Adele posted the flamboyant image to Instagram Sunday evening. She captioned the picture, “Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London,” and punctuated the remark with the British and Jamaican flags. The Twit wits quickly provided captions of their own. Comedian Jaboukie Young-White pretended to q...
