Pop
Livestreams & Virtual Concerts to Watch: Week of March 22
See which other artists are performing virtually for fans the week of March 22-28. We’ll update this list as more notable events are announced. March 22-28: Korean culture festival KCON:TACT 3 continues with more performances. Shows begin at 8 a.m. ET. March 25: Ha Sungwoon, iKON, Jessi, JO1, and P1Harmony March 26: A.C.E, EVERGLOW, HyunA, Lee Jin Hyuk, and Stray Kids March 27: ATEEZ, ENHYPEN, ITZY, and SUNMI March 28: BTOB, Kang Daniel, MAMAMOO, and TOO Visit KCon’s website for more information. March 25: Trisha Yearwood, Kelsea Ballerini, and Carly Pearce are performing for Radio.com’s “Leading Ladies Live” special hosted by Hillary Scott of Lady A. The show kicks off at 6 p.m. ET on Radio.com. iHeartRadio is ...
5 Things to Know About Benjamin Mascolo, Bella Thorne’s Fiance
His Roots Are in Italy Mascolo is from Modena, Italy. In an interview with Icon, he explained that he tries to spend half the year in Italy and half the year in Los Angeles. During the coronavirus pandemic, Mascolo and Thorne were unfortunately separated due to quarantine, with Mascolo staying safe with his family in Italy. The couple connected on Instagram Live with each other (among fans) and adorably expressed how much they missed each other. He’s a Musician and an Actor Mascolo is one-half of the pop duo Benji & Fede (with Federico Rossi). He said they aimed to “make our own path in our own way because I believe the sort of artist we are is different than most Italian people that came here before us” in an interview at the Billboard Latin Music Conference in 2016....
How to Watch the ‘We’re Texas’ Concert Featuring Post Malone, Kelly Clarkson & More
Texas was devastated when a major cold snap hit the state in mid February. The frigid temperatures from Storm Uri, combined with a lack of electricity and clean water, led to the deaths of at least 57 people, according to the Texas Tribune. But Matthew McConaughey and wife Camila McConaughey are here to help those impacted by the deadly storm. The Oscar-winning actor announced March 12 that he had put together a benefit concert to help his fellow Texans. The concert, happening Sunday (March 21), will feature performances by Post Malone, Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert, Willie Nelson, Khalid, and many others. Celebrities making special appearances include Meghan Thee Stallion, the Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez, and more. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. S...
Joe Jonas Eats McDonald’s Off Spotify’s Billion Streams Plaque to Celebrate ‘Cake by the Ocean’ Milestone
Even better than the sweet smell of success? The taste, if you ask Joe Jonas. The musician celebrated his side project DNCE‘s “Cake by the Ocean” reaching a billion streams on Spotify by literally eating McDonald’s off the plaque. “One Billion never tasted so good!” Jonas captioned a March 20 video of himself in a lavish dining room, enjoying the french fries, Chicken McNuggets and a burger that were placed on the music streaming service’s silver platter-shaped plaque marking the achievement. In such a stunning setting, he naturally enjoyed his meal using silverware. “Thank you @Spotify!” The song — released in September 2015 — was the debut single from DNCE. It was included in the group’s self-titl...
Charli XCX’s Alone Together Is a Cyber-Dusted Love Letter To Her Fans: SXSW Review
Editor’s Note: The following review is part of our coverage of the 2021 South by Southwest Film Festival. Stay tuned for further reviews straight outta Austin — well, virtually, of course. Below, Rachel Reeves checks out Charli XCX’s new doc. The Pitch: Charli XCX, born Charlotte Aitchison, has never been an artist to play by conventional industry rules. Ever since she began posting songs on MySpace in 2008, her avant-garde approach to pop music has rallied fans and defied common practice. Collaborating with everyone from Iggy Azalea, Carly Rae Jepsen and Troye Sivian to Dorian Electra, Brooke Candy and Sophie, her genre-defying sound and conscious approach to inclusivity quickly resulted in a passionate LGBTQIA+ forward fanbase. Then, just as she was wrapping up her 2019 arena-p...
Demi Lovato Opens Up About Her Recovery After Drug Overdose: ‘I Had to Essentially Die to Wake Up’
The singer also opened up about the progress she’s made in dealing with her substance abuse issues since last appearing on CBS Sunday Morning in 2016. “I was probably 24 when we did the interview, Lovato says. “I’m in recovery for a bunch of things and I had been sober for how many years, but I’m still miserable. For the first time in my life, I had to essentially die to wake up.” Lovato’s CBS Sunday Morning interview — which airs March 21 at 9 a.m. ET — arrives ahead of the singer’s four-part documentary series, Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil, premiering March 23 on YouTube. The tell-all docuseries explores Lovato’s devastating overdose, which left her with three strokes and a heart attack, as well as blind s...
Lana Del Rey Teases ‘Rock Candy Sweet,’ Her ‘Next Record’
“Just want to say thank you again for the kind articles like this one and for reminding me that my career was built on cultural appropriation and glamorizing domestic abuse,” she quipped via sideways text overlaying the article. “I will continue to challenge those thoughts on my next record on June 1 titled Rock Candy Sweet.” In her latest Instagram post, she repeated that album announcement: “ROCK CANDY SWEET,” she captioned a photo of herself. “June 1.” Billboard has reached out to a representative for Lana Del Rey for comment about Rock Candy Sweet. Her new album Chemtrails Over the Country Club, featuring singles “Let Me Love You Like a Woman,” “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” and “White Dress,” is av...
Song of the Week: SABA Stays Fresh as Ever on the Reflective “Ziplock”
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, Chicago rapper SABA returns with a double-single, his first new music of 2021. Chicago rapper SABA has returned this week with another set of double singles, “Ziplock” and “Rich Don’t Stop”, continuing the dual-drop format he established throughout 2020. “Ziplock” was produced by D. Phelps and Coop the Truth and marks the first new music from the emcee in 2021. (He can also be found on the soundtrack for the Oscar-nominated film Judas and the Black Messiah, appearing on “Plead The .45th” alongside Smino.) A recent press release st...
Britney Spears’ Mom Encourages Star to Sing ‘Again’ With Throwback Video
Spears added, “I’ve actually never watched this performance … it’s definitely from a while ago !!!! It’s from one of the first trips I took alone … mostly I just remember saying ‘WOW Singapore.'” Spears’ post drew comments from thousands of supportive fans echoing her mom’s encouraging words. “Please sing again,” one fan pleaded. Another wrote, “Listen to your mom and release the album.” Elle King also chimed in on the comments, writing, “SING FOR US BRIT! We love you so much.” And Jordin Sparks shared several emojis with a smiling face and tear. See Spears’ Instagram post here. In February, Spears shared another throwback video of herself performing “Toxic” in 2017, reminding fans that she’s en...
Justin Bieber Gets Too Woke for His Own Good on Justice: Review
The Lowdown: After an unfortunate misstep with Changes, released last year just before lockdown, Justin Bieber found himself, once again, at a sharp crossroads: carry on writing meme-able nonsense for lyrics, or put forth something that makes better use of the large production budget his label shells out. Fortunately, on Justice, he chose the latter. Unfortunately, if ever there was an example of the needle tipping too far, this is it. While Justice steps away from the lyrical fallacies of its predecessor, for an album that is much more expansive and explorative, the record has way too much nonsense surrounding it. If at any point you begin to wonder why the first voice on a song about submitting sexually to his wife is not Bieber, but civil rights leader and martyr Dr. Martin Luther King ...
Every Song Ranked on Justin Bieber’s ‘Justice’: Critic’s Picks
Although Bieber’s latest features high-quality pop throughout, some of its 15 songs stand out immediately. Here is a humble, preliminary opinion on the best songs on Justice. 15. 2 Much Beginning the album with audio from a Martin Luther King Jr. speech (and previewing the interlude midway through the album), Bieber quickly segues into a muted piano ballad designed to show off his impeccable vocals. “2 Much” is relatively short and has room to spare sonically, but effectively introduces the romantic core of the album that follows. 14. Lonely with Benny Blanco Adding months-old singles to the end of a track list is standard practice in pop’s streaming era, a way to acknowledge recent-ish hits while not exactly turning them into the centerpieces of a new body of work. Yet ending Justice with...
Lana Del Rey Strips Back the Glamour on the Charming Chemtrails over the Country Club: Review
The Lowdown: In 2019, Lana Del Rey released Norman Fucking Rockwell! to critical acclaim, an album that integrated her long-running motifs of allusive Americana, melancholy femininity, and seedy glamor with more memorable melodies and legibility – a full execution of the vision she’d been expressing since 2012. Now, on Chemtrails over the Country Club, the singer-songwriter and pop icon continues to weave sharp referential lyrics with atmospheric set-pieces. The album is a cohesive extension of NFR!, but the sound is more overtly connected to California country-folk, built around shimmering guitars and gentle pianos. She teams up with Nashville artist Nikki Lane while name-checking her forebears Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Stevie Nicks, and Tammy Wynette. Del Rey still addresses tragic ...
