Pop
Rebecca Black Transforms ‘Friday’ Into a Hyperpop Symphony With Help From Big Freedia, 3OH!3 & More
By the time 3OH!3 arrives to declare that they’re “sick of living through these Monday, Tuesday, Wednesdays” for the bridge, the track completely changes once again to an ethereal, synth-filled chorale. But Big Freedia quickly rips the song back into a thrumming dance rhythm, as the Queen of Bounce commands you to “Make it clap like you’re grateful/ Make it clap like you’re blessed/ Make it clap clap, dance in your backseat, ain’t nobody strapped.” “I’d had the idea to do this remix of Friday for years leading up to now, but honestly it was also mildly insane for me to think anyone else would want to be a part of it,” Black said of the song in a statement. “As I started talking about it with other artists and producers, I couldn’t...
P!nk Makes TikTok Debut With Daughter Willow Singing a Sunshiny Original Song
P!nk brought some sunshine to TikTok for her first video on the video platform Monday, and she got some help from 9-year-old daughter Willow. The mother-daughter duo kick off their first clip by finishing up a short chat, where Willow concludes with, “Or I could just sing ‘Cover Me in Sunshine,'” and delves right into the sweet original song. “Cover me in sunshine/ Shower me in good times/ Tell me that the world’s been spinning/ Since the beginning and everything will be all right/ Just cover me in sunshine,” she sings before the 41-year-old pop superstar pops into the video frame for the first time and cheers her on. 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...
The Weeknd’s ‘The Highlights’ Proves That Greatest-Hits Albums Can Still Work in 2021
On the Pop Shop Podcast, we discuss the status of greatest-hits albums — including our favorite hits collections of all time. If you loved The Weeknd‘s Super Bowl halftime show and want to listen to all the songs he performed (and then some!) in one place, you’re in luck: On Friday, ahead of his big Super Bowl Sunday set, the Canadian superstar dropped The Highlights, an 18-track collection that ties all his biggest hits up in a bow. Of course, in the age of streaming and digital music, greatest-hits packages are not as prevalent as they once were. Why buy a curated album when you could stream a curated playlist — or even compile a playlist of your personal favorites by an artist? Well, a lot of people just discovered The Weeknd on Sunday (as hard as that is to beli...
Britney Spears’ Boyfriend Sam Asghari Says He’s Looking Forward to ‘Normal, Amazing Future’ Together
Following the Feb. 5 debut of the troubling Framing Britney Spears documentary, the singer’s longtime boyfriend Sam Asghari has issued a rare public statement about the couple’s life together. In a statement via People magazine published on Monday (Feb. 8), the 27-year-old Family Business actor and personal trainer offered up some comforting words of support for the star, whose turbulent rise to fame is chronicled in the hour-long special from the New York Times that takes a deep dive into her long-running conservatorship. “I have always wanted nothing but the best for my better half, and will continue to support her following her dreams and creating the future she wants and deserves,” Asghari reportedly said. “I am thankful for all of the love and s...
Claudia Conway to Audition on Latest Season of ‘American Idol’
Later, introducing herself to judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, who look surprised, Conway introduces herself by saying, “I’m Claudia Conway. My parents are high-profile political figures.” In the ad, Perry tells her, “We want an American Idol.” Conway first suggested that she would appear on the show in a TikTok video last fall. Idol‘s new season will premiere at Feb. 14 on ABC. Conway made headlines in January after posting a series of videos appearing to show her mother yelling at her, insulting her and seemingly hitting her on TikTok. At the time, Conway said Kellyanne was “physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive.” Conway has occasionally posted about her disagreements with her mother on the social media pla...
Kelly Clarkson Keeps It in the ‘Voice’ Family With Gwen Stefani-Approved Cover
Kelly Clarkson started Monday (Feb. 8) with a mighty cover of “Misery” by her fellow The Voice coach Gwen Stefani. “So put me outta my misery, oh/ Hurry up, come see me/ Put me outta my misery/ Hurry up, come see me/ Enough, enough of this suffering,” she sang in the chorus. “Misery” was the third single from Stefani’s Billboard 200 No. 1 album This Is What the Truth Feels Like. Stefani took to Twitter to shout out Clarkson’s mind-blowing cover of her song. “ok @kellyclarkson my mind is blown – can’t believe u sang #misery on your show!! so beautiful!1 thank u,” she wrote. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. I...
Courtney Cox Totally Nailed This Cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Drivers License’
In the latest in her series of at-home covers, Courtney Cox slipped behind her piano to rip off a cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s runaway smash “Drivers License” with some assistance from her pal Joel Taylor on acoustic guitar. And, damn all the jellyfish, they nailed it. The acoustic, instrumental take on the breakout hit of the winter from the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star gets a makeover from the pair, who play along to Rodrigo’s vocals as two of Cox’s dogs look on. “Even my dogs love this song,” Cox wrote in a caption to an Instagram post of the performance. Cox had been spending her time during the COVID-19 lockdown to flex her musical skills, including a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs” with Taylor and...
Ariana Grande Replaces Herself Atop Pop Airplay Chart as ’34+35′ Dethrones ‘Positions’
Prior to Grande, four acts supplanted themselves atop Pop Airplay, which ranks weekly plays, as tabulated by MRC Data, on a panel of over 160 mainstream top 40 radio stations. Halsey last swapped songs at No. 1 when “Eastside,” with Benny Blanco and Khalid, replaced her own “Without Me” in March 2019. Grande was involved in the last such switch before Halsey’s, as Grande’s “Problem,” featuring Iggy Azalea, took over for Azalea’s “Fancy,” featuring Charli XCX, in July 2014. Previously, OutKast’s “The Way You Move,” featuring Sleepy Brown, ended the Pop Airplay reign of the pair’s “Hey Ya!” in 2004, while Mariah Carey’s “One Sweet Day,” with Boyz II Men, replaced her own &#...
Jazmine Sullivan, H.E.R., and Maluma Talk Memorable 2021 Super Bowl Moments: Watch
Notably, Sullivan and Church’s performance marked the first Super Bowl duet in over a decade. H.E.R. also shined with her rocking rendition of “America The Beautiful.” “I was super nervous but I wanted to bring my flavor to it,” the Grammy winner said. “To be alongside someone like Jazmine, for two black women to be up there, was a powerful message.” Though he was not physically present at the 2021 Super Bowl, Maluma was also spotted as part of Michelob Ultra’s Super Bowl LV commercial. “I’m in Miami. That was one of my biggest dreams to be at the Super Bowl and I understand, The Weeknd had to do his thing and the whole show was on fire but of course, I wanted to be there,” the Colombian artist said. “I wanted to perform [the] ‘Hawai’ remix, I’m not gonna lie.” He continued: “I would love ...
The Weeknd Performs 2021 Super Bowl Halftime Show: Watch
The Weeknd got his money’s worth with a lavish Super Bowl Halftime performance. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, this year’s NFL championship had an eerily small audience compared to the usual overflowing stadium. But that didn’t stop The Weeknd from pleasing the crowds, both those in the stands and people watching at home, with a decked-out concert featuring fireworks, a massive choir, and doppelgängers galore. The seven-song set kicked off with “Starboy” and “The Hills” before segueing into to material from The Weeknd’s massive After Hours, one of the best albums of 2020. In particular, the Toronto coroner delivered thrilling performances of “Can’t Feel My Face”, “Save Your Tears”, and “Blinding Lights”, which appropriately served as the closer. The setlist was rounded out by “I ...
How to Watch Miley Cyrus’ ‘TikTok Tailgate’ Super Bowl Pre-Show Concert
The big day is finally here! If you’re planning to celebrate Super Bowl LV the entire day Sunday (Feb. 7) from pre-game tailgating to post-game cheers, don’t forget about TikTok’s first “tailgate” party — which Miley Cyrus is headlining — to your list of Game Day festivities. The two-hour livestream kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET on the NFL’s TikTok account (@NFL), and is hosted by Steve Harvey and MJ Acosta. The show will also feature Kane Brown, Rebel Wilson, and others. Cyrus’ set is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on TikTok, and a portion of it will air on CBS. The 7,500 vaccinated health care workers from around the country that the NFL invited to the Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla., will get to see the former teen star perform live during...
Olivia Rodrigo Delivers Emotional ‘Drivers License’ Performance for Grammy Museum
Olivia Rodrigo, who said she used to live just a few blocks from the Grammy Museum’s location in downtown Los Angeles, sat down with them for a virtual interview about her breakout single “Drivers License.” The segment, which debuted on the museum’s online streaming service Collection:live on Saturday (Feb. 6), included a live performance of the song — one that was just Rodrigo, her keyboard and all her emotions. “It’s absolutely beyond anything I ever could have dreamed up,” she said of the reaction to “Drivers License” toward the start of the question-and-answer session, which was taped three weeks ago, just as the hit was taking off. Rodrigo talked to Scott Goldman, the museum’s moderator of public programs, about being &...
