Pop
Fans Choose Sam Smith’s ‘Unholy’ Featuring Kim Petras as This Week’s Favorite New Music
Sam Smith and Kim Petras‘ new collaboration “Unholy” has topped this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Sept. 23) on Billboard, choosing the devilish team-up as their favorite new music release of the past week. “Unholy,” which will be featured on Smith’s upcoming album, beat out new music by Lil Nas X (“Star Walkin’”), GloRilla featuring Cardi B (“Tomorrow 2”), Joshua Bassett (Sad Songs in a Hotel Room), Kelsea Ballerini (Subject to Change), and others. “Unholy” is the latest single off of Smith’s forthcoming, yet-to-be-announced fourth studio album, which they told Billboard in an August cover story would be their “first non-heartbreak album,” and mark a new, more optimistic sound for them. “I think joy for me, and for a lot of q...
President Biden Surprises Elton John with National Humanities Medal at White House Concert
President Biden surprised Elton John by bestowing him with the National Humanities Medal during a concert at the White House on Friday. The South Lawn performance was part of A&E Networks and The History Channel’s “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme,” an event celebrating “everyday heroes” like nurses, teachers, and activists. John performed hits like “Tiny Dancer” and “Rocket Man” at the event, but the artist, who created the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1991, seemed genuinely shocked when President Biden honored his activism instead of just enjoying his music. “Tonight is my great honor, and I mean this sincerely, to present the National Humanities Medal to Sir Elton John,” Biden said, as John, mouth agape and wiping tears from his eyes, clutched his piano. A White House officer ex...
Lizzo’s “Special Tour” Showcases All of Her (Many) Talents: Review
A visibly moved Lizzo returned to the stage Friday night for the debut show on her “Special Tour” (get tickets here), a 28-date jaunt in support of her latest studio album, Special. Part variety show spectacle, part megachurch empowerment retreat, the performance showcased all of Lizzo’s special talents, from powerhouse singing, to flute playing, to motivational speaking and choreo slaying. “My name is Lizzo, and welcome to the first night of my very first arena tour,” she said proudly in one of many moments when deep gratitude registered on her face as she paused to take in the rapturous screams of thousands. Before the stage lights blinked on and opener “The Sign” blared over the sound system, a voiceover of the singer set the heartening tone for the evening. “I really believe that love ...
Demi Lovato Rages at “HOLY FVCK” Tour Stop in Sacramento: Review and Setlist
After months of anticipation and the release of a rock-centric new album, Demi Lovato played their first solo show on the US leg of their “HOLY FVCK” tour (grab tickets here) at Sacramento’s Hard Rock Live on Thursday night (September 22nd). Dressed in all red and supported by an incredible backing band, Lovato was in excellent form, showcasing her powerhouse vocals while proving they’re well-suited for just about any genre, be it the pop sound that comprised Lovato’s last several albums, or the heavier rock tone that persists on her 2022 entry Holy Fvck. First up was opener Dead Sara, a Los Angeles five-piece who ripped their way through a barrage of tracks that combined hard rock, punk, and grunge elements. Frontwoman Emily Armstrong — who also features on the Holy Fvck album standout “H...
SEVENTEEN’s Jun Drops His Latest & Sexiest Solo Single ‘Limbo’: Watch
After SEVENTEEN wrapped the U.S. leg of their Be the Sun world tour, member Jun took no time to release a new solo track that keeps fans hot even as temperatures are cooling down. “Limbo” is the new single from Jun, the Chinese-born K-pop star who is one of the standout performers and dancers in SEVENTEEN, released in both Korean and Chinese. While Jun has previously focused on ballads and acoustic tracks when it comes to solo tracks, “Limbo” delivers his seductive side. The star purrs, “Listen, I’ve been looking for the love/ I wanna hear your voice/ You know what I mean?” over grinding, electro-pop production. The accompanying music video is equally bewitching. From rocking latex gloves and a crop top to giving his best sexy vampire character, Jun’s looks throughout the visual are only o...
Santigold on New Album Spirituals, Women in Music, and Her Own Line of Tea
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Santigold gives Kyle Meredith a call to discuss Spirituals, her first new album in six years. Related Video The genre-blending artist says the album that found a lot of influence in the big events of the past few years. She tells us about how the record was a lifeline for her, the moments that speak of Black women in survival mode, and how women are constantly being told they’re not of value. Santigold also talks about her upcoming tour (tickets for which can be found here), as well as the tea she created to go along with the multi-sensory experience of the LP. Advertisement Listen to Santigold disc...
Watch Hilary Duff Re-Create Her Iconic ‘That’s So Gay’ Anti-Bullying PSA: ‘A Culture-Defining MOMENT’
Think homophobia’s cool? That’s so yesterday. On Thursday, Hilary Duff took to social media to re-create her iconic anti-bullying PSA that taught an entire generation of millennials to stop saying: “That’s so gay.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Luckily, the “That’s What Dreams Are Made Of” singer had some help from Pentatonix star Scott Hoying and his fiancé Mark Manio, who gamely played the roles of the girls Duff sassily educated in the 2008 clip. “Do you like this top?” Hoying lip-synced, to which Manio thoughtlessly replied, “So gay.” Overhearing the pair, Duff interrupted to kindly end homophobia in its tracks. “You know, you really shouldn’t say that,” the Lizzie McGuire alum chided. “Say that something’s gay when you mean it’s bad. It’...
Taylor Swift to Headline 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show: Report
Taylor Swift is set to headline the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show, according to Variety. Citing “three sources close to the situation,” Variety reports that Swift will take the stage during Super Bowl LVII on February 12th, 2023 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. It’ll mark her first time headlining the halftime show. Earlier on Friday, Apple Music was announced as the new presenting sponsor of the Super Bowl Halftime Show, replacing Pepsi. Because of the timing of the announcement — at 12:00 a.m. — fans took it as a hint that Swift would be performing (her new album is titled Midnights, after all). What’s more, the pop singer has a longterm relationship with Pepsi’s chief rival, Coca-Cola, which would have prevented her from headlining past halftime shows. Related Video Las...
Lewis Capaldi Recalls the Time He Drunkenly Sent Harry Styles a ‘You Up’ Message: ‘He Didn’t Say No’
Looks like Lewis Capaldi was doing some “Late Night Talking” with none other than Harry Styles himself. During a new interview with Kiss FM UK, Capaldi remembered an instance during which he sent Styles a video at five in the morning — except he doesn’t remember what the video said. “I don’t know what it was — I was hammered,” he said with a laugh. “But he said to me, ‘This feels like a ‘you up’ text.’ I could’ve sent him an unsolicited picture of my … phone.” But, he added, the interaction wasn’t a complete wash: “I mean, he didn’t say no! In fact, he seemed quite agreeable to the proposition.” Of course, Capaldi’s friendship with Niall Horan puts him just one degree of separation away from the “As It Was” singer. But he also recalled the recent moment when he and Horan went busking toget...
First Stream: New Music From Lil Nas X, Sam Smith & Kim Petras, Joshua Bassett and More
Billboard’s First Stream serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. This week, Lil Nas X plugs in with a new anthem, Sam Smith shakes up their formula with Kim Petras’ help and Joshua Bassett continues his evolution. Check out all of this week’s First Stream picks below: Lil Nas X, “Star Walkin’ (League of Legends Worlds Anthem)” “Star Walkin’” may exist thanks to a partnership with enormous multiplayer video game franchise League of Legends (which also helped produce the Imagine Dragons top 10 hit “Enemy” earlier this year), but Lil Nas X’s 2022 World Championship anthem is far from a corporate stopgap for the superstar: the single sit...
Lewis Capaldi Delivers a Heart-Wrenching Cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Drivers License’: Stream It Now
If you thought “Drivers License” was sad before, just wait until you hear Lewis Capaldi‘s new cover. The 25-year-old singer-songwriter teamed up with Spotify Singles to record his own version of Olivia Rodrigo‘s smash debut single along with a reimagining of his new song “Forget Me,” both of which proved that no one does raspy vocals over heartbreaking piano quite like him. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news For his take on “Drivers License” — which dropped on the streaming platform Wednesday (Sept. 21) along with the new “Forget Me” — Capaldi distilled Rodrigo’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 into a simple, effective piano ballad, assisted only by the occasional touch of atmospheric reverb and strings. “Sidewalks we crossed, I still hear your voice in t...
Taylor Swift Announces Next ‘Midnights’ Song Title & It’s Spicy
The Midnights song title lottery game continues, and this one is spicy. Taylor Swift unveiled the next installment of her “Midnights Mayhem With Me” series on TikTok on Thursday night (Sept. 22) at midnight, of course. Like the first episode just two days before, the Grammy-winning superstar was once again seated next to a gold lottery-ball cage with ping-pong balls labeled 1 to 13, representing each track on her upcoming album, due out Oct. 21. This time, Swift was joined by her O.G. cat Meredith (who even lets out a perfectly timed meow) to announce the title of Track 8. She’s still in front of the brown crushed-velvet backdrop, but this time she’s wearing a chartreuse V-neck cardigan with white flowers down the sleeves and her hair in braided pigtails. The new title? “Vigilante Shi...
