Pop
BTS Perform “Butter” to Celebrate the 1,000th Episode of Corden: Watch
Last night, The Late Late Show with James Corden celebrated its 1,000th episode, of which approximately 999 featured BTS (ok, that’s a slight exaggeration, though Corden undoubtedly wishes it were true). To honor the occasion, the Bangtan Boys returned once again to perform a rendition of their record-breaking hit, “Butter.” BTS sang the song live with a backing track, and if you’ve been following these performances closely, you’ll be able to hear a marked improvement in their English accents from just a few months ago. After a two-year marathon, the world’s most famous septet are getting close to a well-deserved “extended period of rest,” and this iteration of “Butter” was much looser than usual — a bit breathier at times, with slightly more ad-libbing on the mic, and a goofy dance ...
BTS Dishes ‘Butter’ on ‘Late Late Show’: Watch
After several years of world-domination, BTS is all set for a hard-earned break to replenish the creative juices and recharge the batteries. But before the lads find a beach and chill out, there’s work to be done. The K-pop phenomenon are regular guests on The Late Late Show with James Corden, and they stopped by once again on Wednesday (Dec. 8), this time to help celebrate its 1,000 episode. What better way to bring up four-figures of late-night TV than dishing out the full spread of “Butter?” On this occasion, there was little in the way of theatrics. Just a dancefloor, with Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook lighting it up for a performance of their chart-topping hit. Explore Explore BTS See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news It’s been ano...
Harry Styles to Headline Capital One Beach Bash Concert Ahead of Orange Bowl
Harry Styles will headline the Capital One Beach Bash to kick off the pregame festivities ahead of the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30. Khalid will team up with Styles on the lineup for the free concert, which will take place at Lummus Park in South Beach, Fla., on Dec. 30, just one day before the College Football Playoff semifinal game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Michigan Wolverines. The game will take place at Hard Rock Stadium on New Year’s Eve at 7:30 p.m. ET. “We can’t wait to ring in the new year with the Playoff Semifinal game at the Capital One Orange Bowl and host Capital One Beach Bash featuring Harry Styles and Khalid,” Byron Daub, vice president of sponsorships and experiential marketing at Capital One, said in a press statement. “We’re thrilled to provide a top-notch e...
Björk Announce Orchestral Shows in Miami
Björk will play a pair of special orchestral shows at Miami’s Arsht Center next February. Taking place on February 13th and 16th, the concerts will feature Björk performing acoustic orchestral arrangements of her work, with the accompaniment of conductor Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason. Tickets go on sale Friday, December 10th via the Arsht Center’s website. Björk previously teamed up with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra for a series of orchestral shows held at the Harpa Reykjavík Concert Hall in the fall. She’ll also play orchestral shows in Europe next summer. Related Video Additionally, Björk recently announced early 2022 stagings of her “Cornucopia” show in Los Angeles and San Francisco. “Cornucopia,” which made its debut in New York City in 2019, is described by Björk as her “most ela...
Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Adele & More: What’s Your Favorite Album of 2021? Vote!
While 2021 has arguably been much better than its thou-that-shall-not-be-named predecessor, the year is thankfully coming to an end. In between continued Zoom meetings, livestreamed concerts and a slight semblance of pre-pandemic life, the music of the year allowed even the most cold-hearted of pessimists to have something to look forward to — but which album helped you through 2021 the most? Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album, Sour, was for anyone who knows the sting of heartbreak. Lil Nas X fully blossomed from his “Old Town Road” beginnings into an out and proud artist unafraid to share his most vulnerable moments on Montero. Taylor Swift proved that lightning can indeed strike in the same place twice — and that the general public will let a 10-minute song reach No. 1 on the Billboard Ho...
Katelyn Tarver on Subject to Change: “Making This Album Almost Felt Like I Blacked Out”
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Katelyn Tarver sits down with Kyle Meredith to talk about her first full length album, Subject to Change. Related Video She tells us about the source of the heavy subject matter, how she was viewing love and relationships as some of her friends were divorcing, and not taking advice from people under 50. The actress/musician also discusses finally making an LP after more than a decade of singles and EPs, the choice to have minimal production, and how she plans to play the songs live. Advertisement Elsewhere, Tarver takes us into her side-project with Parachute’s Will Anderson and doing more songwriting for other artists, as with her...
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...
