Pop
Artist of the Month TOMORROW X TOGETHER on Connecting Through Their Music: “We Want Our Fans to Be Proud”
We’re taking a break from our 2021 Annual Report to recognize our last Artist of the Month of the year! AOTM is an accolade given to an up-and-coming artist or group who is poised for the big time. In December 2021, we recognize K-pop act TOMORROW X TOGETHER, who continue to solidify themselves as 4th-generation leaders in the genre. Throughout 2021, TOMORROW X TOGETHER was frozen in time. The K-pop group (whose name is often shortened to TXT) burst onto the international scene with a remarkable debut in 2019 and quickly amassed a no-skips reputation. The still very young group was poised to explode in 2020 — when the world, of course, came to a screeching halt. It must have been somewhat frustrating for the five members — Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai — but if that’s th...
Dua Lipa on ‘Levitating’ Up Our Year-End Charts, Plus Her ‘Service95’ Passion Project, New Music & More
“That song has really taken a whole life of its own… it’s just absolutely mind-blowing to me,” says Dua Lipa about the extraordinary success of her smash hit single “Levitating.” The track was recently crowned the No. 1 song of 2021 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, following its record-breaking run on the weekly edition of the list. Explore Explore Dua Lipa See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The superstar singer-songwriter joins the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen below) to discuss “Levitating’s” year-end coronation on the Hot 100 (and many other charts) and also a bevy of other topics. On the show, Lipa discusses what it’s like to see the song and her March 2020 album Future Nostalgia keep finding new fans more than a year and a half after its rel...
Olivia Rodrigo Plays “drivers license” at the DMV for Tiny Desk (Home) Concert: Watch
If you recently tried going to the DMV only for it to be unexpectedly closed, Olivia Rodrigo might be to blame. The pop phenom capped off an unfathomably accomplishment-filled year with a performance for NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert series, literally shutting down a DMV location to play an acoustic set of highlights from her recent debut album, SOUR. If the DMV bit wasn’t already obvious, Rodrigo’s remote Tiny Desk set included a rendition of her breakout hit, “drivers license.” She also played “good 4 u,” “traitor,” and “deja vu” while joined by a backing band underneath the dingy fluorescent lights. Despite the set’s dreary location, however, Rodrigo’s contagiously giddy attitude and stunning vocals are more than enough distraction from the nerve-wracking flashbacks of failing you...
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 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...
Pink Helps Terminally Ill Fan Check Off Bucket-List Item With Sweet Zoom Chat
P!nk took time out of her busy schedule recently to connect with a terminally ill fan over Zoom. Sixty-three-year-old Diane Berberian is currently in hospice with terminal bone cancer, and she shared a portion of her chat with the pop star on social media. “THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO TRY AND MAKE CONNECTIONS… OUR DREAM CAME TRUE!!!!!” the triathlete and Ironman competitor captioned the post. “You have a kind of bravery I don’t understand,” P!nk says in the 13-minute clip to Berberian, who competed twice in the U.S. Paratriathalon National Championships. “You’re bringing comfort to other people while you’re walking through this.” Explore Explore P!nk See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The singer also treated Berberian to a cover of Queen’s ...
Jonas Brothers Set to Debut Remember This Tour Mini-Series on Social Media
The Jonas Brothers are coming to a screen near you: On Monday afternoon (Dec. 6), Joe, Kevin and Nick revealed they’ve been cooking up a special behind-the-scenes look at their recently wrapped Remember This Tour. “As some of you already know… we were doing a bit of filming during the #RememberThisTour,” the sibling trio shared on Instagram. “Starting tomorrow we’re dropping a mini-series (including footage from a special secret show in LA) all month on Facebook. It’s so exciting for us to be able to share some off these off-stage moments with all of you. Thank you again for making these last few months special for us.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news The first episode of Moments Between the Moments premieres Tuesday via Instagram and Facebook Messenger. If the promo photo of th...
Mariah Carey Shares Festive Commercial for Her McDonald’s Menu: Watch
It’s almost time for McDonald’s to get extra festive. Nearly a month after announcing it, Mariah Carey unveiled the first commercial for her upcoming Mariah Menu at McDonald’s on Monday (Dec. 6). The queen of Christmas stars front-and-center in the 30-second spot, which kicks off with the lights of a McDonald’s flickering on to the twinkling opening notes of “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news “This holiday season, you’re not getting the Mariah meal. You’re getting the Mariah Menu, and it’s free!” the Elusive Chanteuse says before launching into her smash hit with the help of an army of uniformed backup dancers and a single Chicken McNugget dipped in barbecue sauce. Starting Dec. 13, McDonald’s fans can get a new daily deal for free through Dec. 24...
2021 Artist of the Year Lil Nas X Is the Star We’ve Been Waiting For
Our 2021 Annual Report kicks off with the announcement as Lil Nas X as our Artist 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. In the 2017 film Call Me By Your Name, two lovers (Timothée Chalamet’s Elio and Armie Hammer’s Oliver) dance around a pivotal question: “Is it better to speak or to die?” It’s a question that lingers in Elio’s head in particular as he grapples with his sexuality, his acceptance of his blossoming affair with Oliver, and eventual heartbreak. Though Lil Nas X has said his song “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” is more personal than directly linked to the Academy Award-winning film or book of the same name, the connection to a queer coming of age lo...
