Pop
Song of the Week: Haviah Mighty Channels Her Jamaican Heritage on “Obeah”
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, rapper Haviah Mighty channels her Jamaican Heritage on “Obeah”. Multiculturalism asks us to acknowledge and embrace the diversity within our own communities. Most of us try to live out that idea, recognizing that others experience the world (even the same community) differently than us and draw from different sources and traditions to cope with the daily challenges that we all face. That’s the crux of “Obeah”, the latest song by hip-hop artist and 2019 Polaris Prize winner Haviah Mighty, who our own Wren Graves describes as “one o...
Which Taylor Swift Re-Recorded Album Are You Most Looking Forward To? Vote!
Taylor Swift announced Thursday that Fearless is the first of six albums she’ll be re-recording — but which one are you dying to hear? Those albums — which were released between 2006 and 2017 by Big Machine Label Group, which Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings purchased in its entirety (including Swift’s master recordings) in June 2019 — include her self-titled debut, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation. The country-pop crossover star is only one of two female artists (along with Adele) to win album of the year at the Grammy Awards twice for her solo recordings, earning the major accolade in 2010 for Fearless and again in 2015 for 1989. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are loo...
Kelly Clarkson Brings Back a ‘Voice’ Classic by Covering This Christina Aguilera & Blake Shelton Duet
It’s been nine years since Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton performed “Just a Fool” on The Voice when they were both coaches. On Friday (Feb. 12), Kelly Clarkson took the stage of her own talk show to pull off the duet all on her own. She stripped down the country-pop ballad on the dimly lit stage with only The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s musical director Jason Halbert playing the piano. Clarkson powered through Aguilera’s first verse before taking on the swelling chorus. “I, I had my heart set on you/ But nothin’ else hurts like you do/ Who knew that love was so cruel/ I waited and waited so long/ For someone who’ll never come home/ It’s my fault to think you’d be true/ I’m just a ...
Justin Timberlake Apologizes to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson: “I Know I Failed”
Last week, the new documentary The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears sparked a conversation about how the music industry, media outlets, and even fans create obstacles for female performers. In the aftermath, Justin Timberlake has released a statement apologizing to his former partner Spears, as well as co-Super Bowl performer Janet Jackson, saying, “I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.” Among other stories, Framing Britney Spears examines how the Timberlake-Spears relationship was covered by tabloids, newspapers, and late-night hosts, with Spears receiving shame even as Timberlake bragged about his sexual conquests. Many fans have subsequently reached out to Timberlake through social media, demanding an account of his behavior. Today, February 12...
How to Watch Justin Bieber’s TikTok Valentine’s Day Concert
All that matters this Valentine’s Day is Justin Bieber‘s first-ever performance of his 2013 album Journals. Journals was Bieber’s third compilation album that he recorded during his Believe Tour from 2012 to 2013, which he dropped as a string of digital singles for his Music Mondays series from October-December 2013. The collection of R&B-leaning sensual tracks begot the pop superstar’s swagged-out “Biebervelli” alter ego and molded the R&Bieber he eventually resurrected for his Changes era earlier last year. Journals notched the Biebs four No. 1 hits on Billboard‘s R&B Digital Song Sales chart in 2013: his earliest Chance the Rapper collab “Confident,” “Recovery,”...
‘American Idol’ Was the First Show to React to COVID. Can They Be the First to ‘Pivot Back’ to Normal?
Instead, Kinane says they came up with “Idol Across America,” teaming with Zoom to create a custom audition process that tried to mirror the old way of auditioning as closely as possible. The new style included creating a huge Zoom room contestants signed in to from home, where they might find ex-Idol cast members sharing stories of their auditions as well as advice. The singers were then filtered through to producers in breakout rooms, which Kinane says actually ended up working to the show’s advantage and allowed Idol to virtually visit all 50 states for the first time in its 19-year history. “Everybody got seen by an Idol producer,” according to Kinane, who says she then sorted through the cream of the crop with Idol executive producer Megan Michaels W...
First Stream: New Music From Taylor Swift, Nipsey Hussle & Jay-Z, Dua Lipa and More
While Taylor Swift’s decision to re-record her first six albums marks a fascinating business move and creative choice, for her many fans, the project also provides an excuse to dive back into one of the most captivating discographies in modern pop. “Love Story (Taylor’s Version),” from the upcoming re-recorded version of 2008’s Fearless, represents a faithful re-creation with Swift’s current voice — and for a breakthrough top 10 hit as undeniable as this one, the lack of gimmickry makes for a loving revisit. Nipsey Hussle & Jay-Z, “What It Feels Like” A dream team-up has materialized for the soundtrack to Judas and the Black Messiah, as Jay-Z and Nipsey Hussle — who had a close personal relationship but never appeared on a song together prior to the latter’s 2019 deat...
Hayley Kiyoko, Mindy Kaling & More Are Obsessed With ‘Love Story (Taylor’s Version)’
Taylor Swift released her refreshed version of “Love Story” on Friday morning (Feb. 12) and her biggest A-list fans are already obsessed with it. Mindy Kaling put it best with the tweet, “God I love this song,” about the zhuzh’d up version of the beloved song, which has a reconfigured opening section and louder strings than the original. Because we can’t be together to dance and sing at the top of our lungs together, the Vamps’ James McVey did it for us, tweeting, “Romeo taaaake meeeee,” while Hayley Kiyoko addressed the elephant in the room with the Insta Story caption, “Also this is still absolute MADNESS you have to do this but so proud of you @taylorswift13 Taylor’s version is the only version :)” You Deserve to Make Mone...
Brandy Shares How Whitney Houston ‘Changed My Life Forever’ While Filming ‘Cinderella’
The color-blind casting led to one of the most lauded multicultural casts in a Disney fairytale flick, which also features Paolo Montalban, Victor Garber, Bernadette Peters, Jason Alexander, Veanne Cox, and Natalie Desselle-Reid, who died on Dec. 7, 2020, from colon cancer. But the cast’s cultural impact didn’t quite hit Brandy while she was filming. “I didn’t really understand what really was going on. I couldn’t really grasp the the history … I didn’t really know that it was gonna be historic in the way that it was, and [that] it was gonna have such an impact and be so revolutionary,” she told ET. “But I did know that something special and magical was happening. I was just so happy to be around my childhood idols and re...
Halsey Goes Full Regina George With Rico Nasty, Chris Mintz-Plasse & More in ‘Anti-VDay’ Makeup Ad
Lounging in a bathtub covered in roses while munching on a perfectly-styled tray of doughnuts, Halsey is on an inadvertent four-way call with Blackwelll, Maraduena and Nasty, asking them to come on board for what sounds like a very over-the-top commercial. Asked why she’s going to all these lengths for an anti-Valentine’s Day ad if she’s not even single, Halsey does her best Regina George eye roll: “I’m single, like, in theory. It’s advertising; you know how it works.” When the trio of girls decide not to join Halsey for her massive commercial (she gives us the classic one-liner “boo, you w—es”), Halsey calls on Mintz-Plasse, asking the Superbad actor, “You’re comfortable with on-screen nudity, right?” ...
20 Questions With Grae: New Single ‘Soft,’ Worshiping The Cure & The Billy Joel Song That Makes Her Cry
1. What’s the first piece of music that you bought for yourself, and what was the medium? Around the age of 12, I remember buying Michael Jackson’s Thriller with birthday money, I was a massive fan. 2. What was the first concert you saw? Oh man, the first concert I saw was One Direction! haha 3. What did your parents do for a living when you were a kid? My dad is an entrepreneur, he has ideas for businesses and then builds them from the ground up. I think that’s where I got my drive and confidence to build my own music career. My mom was very artsy and helped run a little antique shop in my hometown Elora. I like to credit her for my creative, spiritual side. 4. Who made you realize you could be an artist full-time? When I was 18, I left high school and moved to Australia and I was somewha...
Miley Cyrus Shows Off Sexy Pre-Show Video That Brings All the Boys to the Yard
But, for the record, Miley is perfectly happy being single. She proved it by posting a Hannah Montana throwback clip where teen Miley says, “I have no problem not having a boyfriend,” before cutting to footage from her TikTok Tailgate show in which she told the crowd, “I’m single now, you know, after COVID I’m ready.” Before you start mailing her out expensive Valentine’s Day gifts, though, read the caption on that tweet, in which MC clarifies, “Man. Being single sucks. All I ever do is WHATEVER THE F–K I WANT! Bahabahahahahabahahhahaha!” Watch the video below. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beaut...
