Pop
The 100 Greatest Karaoke Songs of All Time: Staff List
As much as we here at Billboard missed live music in the thick of the pandemic, another cultural loss was just as devastating to our day-to-day lives: the shutdown of karaoke. Concerts were how we connected best with our favorite artists, but karaoke is how we really bonded with our favorite songs. Whether at a solo mic on stage in a strange and sparsely populated bar or packed in a room with a dozen of our closest and most animated friends, karaoke allowed us pop music lovers the opportunity to not just celebrate those tunes but to crawl inside them, to become an essential part of them. Throw in a cheaply made non-sequitur music video, a pitcher of domestic beer and a tambourine, and any random Thursday night downtown could turn into the most transcendent musical experience of your entire...
BTS Try Aerial Silks in Adorable New ‘Run BTS’ Episode
BTS take flight in an upcoming episode of their popular variety series, Run BTS. In a short teaser for the episode posted to the group’s YouTube channel on Tuesday (Oct. 4), the septet is seen brainstorming what they’d like to film for the show. While the BTS boys navigated through ideas like farming, going on a food tour, pole dancing and fencing — Jung Kook’s “flying yoga” idea ended up winning. The scene then cuts to the Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook struggling through an aerial silk class, hanging from the ceiling while holding on to purple silks, all while joking around and being their goofy selves. BTS first announced the return of RUN BTS — the first episode in 10 months — on Aug. 1. “We did some recharging and brought more fun back with us,” Jin said in&nb...
How to Get Tickets to Ed Sheeran’s 2023 Tour
Ed Sheeran has expanded the equation of his global “+ – = ÷ x Tour” a.k.a. the “Mathematics Tour,” and fans will definitely want to make sure all of their calculations have been checked before securing their tickets. And just to throw in some additional numbers, the North American run will mark the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter’s first U.S. jaunt in five years. Get tickets here, and read on for more details including pre-sale dates. What Is Ed Sheeran’s Next Tour? Sheeran will open 2023 with a month-long trek through Australia that begins in Wellington on February 2nd. He’ll play two nights in Auckland, three nights in Brisbane, and another two back-to-backs in Sydney and Melbourne each. The Australian leg winds down in Adelaide on March 7th and wraps in Perth on March 12th. Advertiseme...
Kesha’s Mom Explains That Jeffrey Dahmer ‘Cannibal’ Lyric
Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s name has been woven into the lyrics of a number of songs over the years, from tracks recorded by Katy Perry and Eminem to Kesha‘s 2010 track “Cannibal.” In response to recent controversy discussed on social media regarding pop culture references to Dahmer, Kesha’s mother, Pebe Sebert — a songwriter and non-profit founder who has a co-writing credit on “Cannibal” — says she’s the one who wrote the lyric “I’ll pull a Jeffrey Dahmer.” “The whole Jeffrey Dahmer lyric in ‘Cannibal’ is a big controversy right now, and I thought I’d just say a few things about it because that was my line that I wrote in ‘Cannibal.’” Sebert said in a TikTok video uploaded on Sunday (Oct. 2). She filmed herself in Panama, where she was on her way to an event put on by her non-pr...
Madonna Teases She’s ‘Back At It’ in the Recording Studio
Is a new Madonna album on the way? Well, the superstar appears to be cooking something up in the studio. “Back at it……..,” Her Madgesty tweeted Friday afternoon (Sept. 30) alongside four snaps of herself hard at work in the recording booth. In two of the pics, the singer is hunched over a laptop, transcribing her handwritten notes (or lyrics?), though whatever she was writing has been redacted. In another, she sits at piano, wearing sunglasses and fingerless black gloves with her pink hair in stark contrast to the instrument’s bright red finish. Just last month, Madonna released Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones, a remix collection of her record 50 chart-topping hits on Billboard‘s Dance Club Songs chart, ranging from 1983’s “Holiday” to 2019’s “I Don’t Search I Find.” The compilation ea...
Song of the Week: Paramore Gives Us a Reason to Leave the House with “This Is Why”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Paramore make a huge return with “This Is Why.” It’s been 20 years since Hayley Williams moved from Mississippi to Tennessee, met the Farro brothers, and began the story of Paramore, one of the most exciting bands of the new millennium. Paramore has outlived most of their contemporaries, not just by continuing to exist as an entity, but also in terms of their enduring cultural relevance. While many bands of the Warped Tour Era flamed out or carried on by catering to nostalgia, Paramore have managed to remain vi...
Björk Is as Vibrant as Ever on the Moving, Earthy Fossora
Aside from her unmatched ability to constantly and successfully reinvent herself, one of Björk’s greatest qualities is her deft, poignant interrogations on the complex ties between humanity and nature. On her previous album, 2017’s lovely Utopia, the Icelandic experimental pop singer envisioned a world beyond ours, contrasting ethereal imagery and feather-light production with her growing concerns about the environment and her lingering grief around her divorce. Fossora — the followup to Utopia and her 10th overall record, out Friday (September 30th) — finds Björk coming back down to Earth, surveying the decay of our natural world and meditating on its debilitating effect on our own relationships. We don’t take care of our planet, Björk seems to suggest, because we fail to take care o...
Taylor Swift Reveals a Colorful New ‘Midnights’ Album Track
Taylor Swift just added a stroke of color to Swifties’ day — some maroon. With her Midnights album due to drop Oct. 21, Swift is drip-feeding the names of its songs. The latest, we learned, is second track “Maroon,” she revealed at midnight on her socials. Swift is having some fun with the album rollout and keeping her followers connected at every step of the way, by way of her ongoing Midnights Mayhem With Me game. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On this occasion, TayTay spun the bingo cage, the remaining lottery balls dropped, and the lucky number was “2.” “Maroon” is the fifth track name announced from Midnights, following “Midnight Rain,” “Question…?” “Vigilante Shit” and “Mastermind.” Midnights is her tenth studio album, and Swift’...
Cher Walks in Balmain Finale at Paris Fashion Week in Spandex Bodysuit
Paris Fashion Week roared into full gear Wednesday (Sept. 28) with atmospherics and excitement over Balmain’s evening fashion-music festival spectacular — a star-studded charity concert featuring the latest fashions, members of the public and performances. That included a finale walk from none other than Cher. Olivier Rousteing proved he is one of global fashion’s biggest showmen — putting on, yet again, not a show but a festival for Balmain that took place in a giant stadium. Of course, the greatest celebrity moment of Paris Fashion Week just had to be clinched here — when the designer came out at the end arm in arm with Cher. The 76-year-old Oscar winner trod the boards all smiles — to screams from the crowds — in a marbled spandex bodysuit, plunging neck, platform wedges and the house’s...
Miley Cyrus Shares Sweet Voicemail From Taylor Hawkins Encouraging Her to ‘Kill’ This Def Leppard Cover
Taylor Hawkins had a gut feeling that Miley Cyrus could absolutely “kill” a cover of Def Leppard‘s 1983 Pyromania classic “Photograph.” We know he was right because Miley did just that on Tuesday (Sept. 27) during the mega-star tribute to the late Foo Fighters drummer at the Kia Forum, where she joined the veteran British glam rock band for a fiery rendition of one of their signature hits. We also know it because on Wednesday (Sept. 28), Miley shared a sweet old voicemail she saved from Taylor in which he encouraged her to take a swing at the pop metal ballad. “A personal request from the legend himself. #TaylorHawkins my friend, my idol…. My neighbor,” wrote Cyrus about the legendarily sweet, energetic and encouraging timekeeper who died at 50 on March 25 while on tour with the Foo Fighte...
Lizzo Kicks It Seriously Old School By Ripping Solo on James Madison’s Crystal Flute
Lizzo kicked it seriously old school on Tuesday night (Sept. 27) during her gig at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. Like, for real old, as in the 1800s. The rapper had a very special guest for the gig: a crystal flute once owned, but never played, by Founding Father and fourth president of the United States, James Madison. Surely you have questions. Earlier this week, the Library of Congress tweeted out a humble brag about having the largest flute collection in the world, with more than 1,800 pieces, including Madison’s 1813 crystal flute. “@lizzo we would love for you to come see it and even play a couple when you are in DC next week,” they wrote. “Like your song they are ‘Good as Hell.’” Because she’s a classically trained flautist, Lizzo could not possibly pass up the offer o...
Hooks, ’80s Influences & More: The Sonic Characteristics That Sparked the Hot 100 Reign of Harry Styles’ ‘As It Was’
As previously reported, Harry Styles‘ “As It Was” rewrites a pair of records atop the Billboard Hot 100 dated Oct. 1. With a 15th week at No. 1, the track solely claims the longest reign for a song by an act with no accompanying artists, as well as the longest domination for a song by a British artist in the chart’s history. As the song has ruled the Hot 100, as well as the Streaming Songs, Radio Songs and Digital Song Sales charts, what is it about its sonic characteristics that has propelled it to such prominence? Here’s a look at key stylistic traits behind the uncommon chart success of “As It Was.” Hook ‘Em In & Leave Them Wanting More While the entirety of “As It Was” is strong, its bookending sections are a cut above. On the front end, the child’s spoken vocal grabs the listener’...
