Pop
Nandi Bushell Covers Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever”: Watch
Nandi Bushell blew up with her hard-hitting covers of rock classics, but the 11-year-old musician goes for modern hits as well. In her latest cover, Bushell took on Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever.” “I will love Billie and Finneas forever more!!!” Bushell captioned the cover, which she posted to Instagram. While she didn’t perform the full song, the clip — which focuses on the end of “Happier Than Ever,” when Eilish’s ballad explodes with firecracker drums — shows off Bushell’s skills like the best of them. She stomps along to the breakup kiss-off for about a minute before ending with her famous scream. Check it out below. “Happier Than Ever” isn’t really a strange choice for rocker Bushell. Eilish all but confirmed her status as a rock singer with her own performance of the song on Sat...
Kate Bush Backs NHS Worker Pay Raises in Christmas Message
Reclusive art-pop singer Kate Bush emerged today to share a Christmas message posted to her official website, in which she touched on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and advocated for UK National Health Service (NHS) workers to receive pay raises for their heroic efforts. “It’s been a terrible time of loss for so many. I want to say a big thank you to all the people on the front line and in the NHS,” she wrote. “I have such huge respect for all the nurses and doctors who’ve already been working flat out for nearly two years. These caring people are showing such extraordinary acts of kindness to others. Let’s hope they get the pay rises they rightly deserve.” Back in March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson came under fire for offering a puny 1% increase in wages to doctors and nurses....
The Story Behind Crowded House’s “Hey Now, Hey Now” Anthem “Don’t Dream It’s Over”
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSS Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” is one of the most memorable tunes of the ’80s, and the band’s Neil Finn explores that lasting legacy on the latest edition of The Story Behind the Song. Crowded House helped launch a new post-New Wave era in pop music in 1986, creating beautifully simple, earthy melodies driven by guitars rather than synths. Lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter Neil Finn founded the band after the demise of Split Enz (a Kiwi band out of New Zealand with several iconic songs of its own.) Over the years, the band has somewhat quietly sold over 15 million albums worldwide and continues to release new music; just earlier this year, the band rele...
Harry Styles’ Pre-Orange Bowl Concert Canceled Amid COVID Surge
It looks like Harry Styles won’t be headed to Florida for the Capital One Beach Bash after all. On Monday (Dec. 20), Capital One announced that the free concert, which was meant to kick off the pre-game fun at the Orange Bowl in South Beach, has been canceled due to the current spike in COVID-19 cases. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Due to increasing logistical and production challenges related to the pandemic and after consultation with the artists and their production teams, we have jointly made the difficult decision to cancel the Capital One Beach Bash originally scheduled for December 30, 2021 on South Beach at Lummus Park,” reads a statement from Capital One. “While we are disappointed to not host the concert, we are excited for a great...
What’s Your Favorite K-Pop Song of 2021? Vote!
As the year winds to a close, it’s a great time to look back on all the incredible music fans were gifted with this year, and the realm of K-pop is no exception. From BTS‘ “Butter”-y domination to long-awaited solo singles from Blackpink‘s Rosé (“On the Ground,” “Gone”) and Lisa (“Lalisa,” “Money”), some of the genre’s biggest stars continued to reach new career highs throughout 2021. Meanwhile, idols like TOMORROW X TOGETHER, TWICE and Seventeen celebrated well-earned breakthrough moments on the Billboard charts. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news So now, Billboard wants to know: Which K-pop hit was your favorite release of 2021? Did you prefer a boy band like NCT Dream (“Hot Sauce”) or CIX (“Cinema”)? What about a solo star like IU (“Lilac”...
R.I.P. Carlos Marín, Il Divo Singer Dead at 53
Carlos Marín, one-quarter of the multi-national vocal group Il Divo, has died at the age of 53. The surviving members of the quartet announced the news on Twitter. “It is with heavy hearts that we are letting you know that our friend and partner, Carlos Marin, has passed away,” the group wrote. “He will be missed by his friends, family and fans. There wiIl never be another voice or spirit like Carlos.” The statement continued: “For 17 years the four of us have been on this incredible journey of Il Divo together, and we will miss our dear friend. We hope and pray that his beautiful soul will rest in peace. With Love — David, Sebastien and Urs.” Advertisement Related Video Marín had been performing with fellow Il Divo members David Miller, Sébastien Izambard, and Urs Bühler in the UK until t...
Kelly Clarkson Kicks ‘the Door Open’ With Soulful Silk Sonic Cover: Watch
Kelly Clarkson tapped into her soulful side in her signature Kellyoke opening segment on the Monday (Dec. 20) episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, and performed her powerful take on Silk Sonic’s hit “Leave the Door Open.” Joined by a trio of background singers to assist her, Clarkson peppered the lyrics with smooth vocal runs to make the song her own. “I’ma leave the door open/ I’ma leave the door open/ That you feel the way I feel/ And you want me like I want you tonight, baby/ Tell me that you’re coming through,” Clarkson effortlessly sang. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Leave the Door Open” hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 2021; the track serves as Bruno Mars’ eighth No. 1 single, while Anderson .Paak earned his first wi...
Fans Choose FKA Twigs and The Weeknd’s ‘Tears in the Club’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
FKA Twigs and The Weeknd‘s new track has topped this week’s fan-voted new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll that was published Friday (Dec. 17) on Billboard, choosing “Tears in the Club” as their favorite new music release of the past week. “Tears in the Club,” the first team-up between the two artists, brought in just over half of the vote at 52.43%. FKA Twigs and The Weeknd dropped the song on Thursday, with the atmospheric chorus “Tears in the club/ ‘Cuz your love’s got me f—ed up.” While it’s unclear whether “Tears in the Club” will appear on an upcoming album from either FKA Twigs or The Weeknd, this year they’ve both hinted that new albums are in the works. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The Weeknd’s “Poison” collab with Aaliyah, re...
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett Bring Love for Sale to MTV Unplugged: Watch
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett unveiled the MTV Unplugged special for their latest album Love for Sale on Thursday night. Stream the televised concert below. The performance was recorded as Bennett continued to battle Alzheimer’s, shortly before he cancelled his remaining concerts last summer and officially retired. For Unplugged, Gaga served as MC for both audience and Bennett, transitioning from song to song and setting up her partner’s musical cues. She was playfully flirty with Bennett, asking his wife Susan’s permission before “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” and during “Love for Sale,” she ad-libbed a line about working for the 95-year-old crooner “any night of the week.” If you’ve ever seen Alzehimer’s up close, you’ll recognize that what Gaga is doing is truly special. The ...
25 Best K-Pop Songs of 2021: Critics’ Picks
K-pop expanded its perimeters and scope this year while simultaneously infusing itself into today’s trends and sounds in creative ways. While many acts raised their international profiles with releases that found bigger audiences than ever, the songs that truly soared pushed the limits to represent more than just the stars singing them. While it’d be impossible to capture the brilliance of the K-pop industry in one year-end list, these songs give a snapshot of some of the best that the scene had to offer in a year that was challenging for many but offered inspiration in other ways—including from these 25 songs.
Song of the Week: Best Coast and The Linda Lindas Collaborate on the Vibrant “Leading”
We’re taking a break from our Annual Report to highlight the Song of the Week. In this feature, we talk 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, Best Coast is back with a little help from rising stars The Linda Lindas. Pop culture right now seems dominated by a certain amount of sentimentality. Rebooting and revamping have become the norm, and people are starting to push back on the oversaturation. Best Coast probably weren’t intending to jump into that exact discourse with their latest, “Leading,” but the opening line is a relatable statement nonetheless: “Nostalgia’s overrated, or maybe it’s just complicate...
Kim Kardashian Is Apparently a Swiftie Now
Look what you made her do. On Thursday, Kim Kardashian opened up in a new interview about her feelings toward Taylor Swift’s music, and it appears she’s a Swiftie just like the rest of us. “I mean, I really like a lot of her songs,” she said on the podcast Honestly with Bari Weiss. “They’re all super cute and catchy. I’d have to look in my phone to get a name.” Of course, this is a major change of tune for the reality star, considering her long and tangled history with Swift amid the star’s well-documented feud with Kanye West… err, Ye. Advertisement Related Video Though Kim wasn’t yet married to the rapper when he infamously crashed the “All Too Well” singer’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV VMAs, she got involved in the pair’s drama over Ye’s single “Famous” several years later by leak...
