Pop
Shawn Mendes Achieves Fourth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With ‘Wonder’
Of Wonder’s 89,000 equivalent album units earned in the tracking week ending Dec. 3, album sales comprise 54,000, SEA units comprise 34,000 (equaling 46.92 million on-demand streams of the album’s songs) and TEA units comprise 1,000. All four of Mendes’ full-length studio albums have now debuted at No. 1. He began his chart career with his introductory project, The Shawn Mendes EP, which debuted and peaked at No. 5 on the Aug. 16, 2014-dated chart. He followed it up with his debut full-length studio set, Handwritten (No. 1 on May 2, 2015), and then his next studio effort, Illuminate (No. 1, Oct. 15, 2016). He then charted two live albums (Live at Madison Square Garden, No. 200 on Jan. 14, 2017, and MTV Unplugged, No. 71 on Nov. 25, 2017) before seeing his self-titled third studio...
A Taylor Swift Fan Unearthed a ‘Speak Now’-Era Hint at ‘Evermore’
If it’s meant to be, it will be. Was Evermore single “Willow” already on Taylor Swift‘s mind nearly 10 years ago? On Saturday (Dec. 12), a fan of Swift’s with a sharp eye found the word “Willow” was featured in the music video for “Mean,” circa 2011. The song was on Swift’s Speak Now album, released a decade ago. “No words,” they wrote. The tweet showed a collage of music video stills comparing “Willow” to “Mean,” both of which had Swift outfitted in a lace dress and wearing her hair in a braid. On Swift’s “Mean” stage set is a sign that clearly says “Willow” (which can be seen pretty well about 56 seconds in, if you’re watching for it yourself). You Dese...
Maren Morris, Kristin Chenoweth, Halsey & More Send Messages to Taylor Swift on Her Birthday
“Happy 31st, @taylorswift13,” Maren Morris sent out in a tweet, along with a glimmer of hope for 2021. “I am assuming you’ll be putting out 13 albums this next year?” Kristin Chenoweth, meanwhile, took her at-home celebration of Swift very seriously, recording a snippet of herself covering one of her favorite Folklore songs, “Mad Woman,” to share with the world. Blake Lively posted a personal snapshot in celebration of her pal’s birthday — “There was happiness because of you,” the actress wrote, quoting an Evermore track. “Happy happy birthday. Thank you for #Evermore. Absolutely nothing better than getting presents on other people’s birthdays. love you” — and Ryan Reynolds also put up an Instagram Story in ...
Taylor Swift Celebrates Her Birthday by Gifting Fans With a ‘Willow’ Remix
Taylor Swift may be celebrating her 31st birthday on Sunday (Dec. 13), but she’s the one giving out the gifts. The musician announced early the morning of her birthday that she has released a new remix of her latest single, “Willow.” “Not to be all ‘iTs mY BiRtHdAY & I jUsT wAnNa DaNcE’ but… it is and I do,” she wrote on social media, along with a link to the song off her new album, Evermore. “So here’s the willow dancing witch version, remixed by Elvira, a bad ass female producer I really respect.” It was just days ago on Dec. 10 that Swift announced that she was dropping Evermore, her second surprise album of the year, on Dec. 11. “Ever since I was 13, I’ve been excited about turning 31 because it’s my lucky number backwards, whic...
‘SNL’ Takes on Dionne Warwick’s Twitter Fame With Sketch Featuring Timothee Chalamet as Harry Styles
On the Dec. 12 episode of SNL, cast member Ego Nwodim portrayed Warwick in a talk show parody, hilariously interviewing such musical artists as Harry Styles (played by the evening’s host Timothee Chalamet), Billie Eilish (Melissa Villaseñor) and Machine Gun Kelly (Pete Davidson). In the nearly six-minute skit, Warwick read off a recent comical tweet to Snoop Dogg (“How do I send a tweet to @SnoopDogg? Did I do this correctly?”) before welcoming Styles as her first celebrity guest. “Maybe you know my song ‘Watermelon Sugar,'” Styles explains to Warwick, who then asks the meaning behind the hit single. “I think it’s just about summer, but some people think it’s about oral sex,” Styles explains. “That’s nasty!&#...
Taylor Swift Schedules First TV Interview Following ‘Evermore’ Album Release
Swift’s longtime publicist, Tree Paine, retweeted the Kimmel announcement, noting that the singer would indeed be giving an interview on late-night show. “Interview on Monday!” she captioned the retweet. Evermore is Swift’s second surprise album of 2020, following her critically acclaimed indie-folk album, Folklore, which dropped in July. The new 15-track set dropped Friday and finds Swift reuniting with Folklore collaborators Aaron Dessner, Jack Antonoff and Justin Vernon. “Ever since I was 13, I’ve been excited about turning 31 because it’s my lucky number backwards, which is why I wanted to surprise you with this now,” Swift explained in a letter announcing the project’s track list. “You’ve all been so caring, supportive and thoughtful...
Taylor Swift, Kid Cudi & More: What’s Your Favorite New Music Release? Vote!
Buckle up, because this week’s wave of new music is taking listeners on quite the wild ride! Taylor Swift lures the Swifties deeper into the woods with her second surprise album of 2020, Evermore, while Kid Cudi‘s trilogy-capping Man On The Moon III: The Chosen flies his fans back to the moon one decade after the second edition. Meanwhile, The Kid LAROI and Juice WRLD‘s “Reminds Me of You” single and Chris Cornell‘s final studio album No One Sings Like You Anymore soundtracks fans’ journeys down memory lane with their beloved late artists: the Legends Never Die rapper and the Soundgarden leader. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It ...
The Avalanches Transport the Listener on We Will Always Love You: Review
The Lowdown: In a recent interview with the BBC, founding member of The Avalanches, Robbie Chater, said of We Will Always Love You, “We were thinking a lot about signal transmission and how every radio broadcast from the last hundred years is still floating out there in space … It’s a beautiful thought to me that all these broadcasts are still out there, surrounding us.” It’s easy to feel this focus in the album, an expansive cosmic compendium that finds its tracks crackling and churning into one another. The context of the album’s production — how the band was inspired by the idea that sampling old records is like summoning old spirits and by the recording of Ann Druyan’s heartbeat for the Golden Record just after Carl Sagan proposed to her — helps, but it isn’t strictly necessary. This a...
9 Best Moments From iHeartRadio’s 2020 Jingle Ball Virtual Event
1. Doja Cat’s “Santa Baby” The singer kicked off the show with a sultry rendition of “Santa Baby,” dressed in a fluffy pink robe, as she sauntered down the stairs of a matching pink bedroom as she mused the lyrics and batted her eyes. The holiday hit was a perfect fit for Doja’s characteristically alluring vocals. She also revealed her favorite festive treat, naming a breakfast staple. “Waffles are better than pancakes and I think most people know that,” she claimed. “It’s not an opinion. It’s a fact.” 2. Shawn Mendes’ “cozy” “Dream” performance Among performances of his Wonder title track and a euphoric cover of Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,”...
Every Song Ranked on Taylor Swift’s ‘Evermore’: Critic’s Picks
15. Coney Island feat. The National After borrowing Aaron Dessner from The National for Folklore, Swift corrals the full band for “Coney Island,” a duet with singer Matt Berninger in which the two musical approaches meet in the middle. Whereas “Exile,” the Folklore duet with Bon Iver, was founded upon escalated drama, “Coney Island” rests on the gentle recollections of a pair that has shared a world, with Berninger’s soothing rumble returning every volley from Swift. 14. Dorothea As she did on Folklore songs like “The Last Great American Dynasty” and “Betty,” Swift creates emotional stakes on “Dorothea” by zooming in on passed-down narratives and singing from a new perspectives. The backstories of the characters in “Dorothea” are less crucial than the drama that Swift constructs: a separat...
Taylor Swift’s ‘Evermore’ Has Arrived: Stream It Now
Taylor Swift dropped her second (!!!) surprise album of 2020 on Friday (Dec. 11), continuing the woodsy romance of Folklore on Evermore. The 15-track Evermore includes collaborations with Haim, Bon Iver and The National. “Ever since I was 13, I’ve been excited about turning 31 because it’s my lucky number backwards, which is why I wanted to surprise you with this now,” she explained in an Instagram post announcing the project’s track list. “You’ve all been so caring, supportive and thoughtful on my birthdays and so this time I thought I would give you something! I also know this holiday season will be a lonely one for most of us and if there are any of you out there who turn to music to cope with missing loved ones the way I do, this is for you.” You...
Taylor Swift Unveils ‘Willow’ Music Video
Taylor Swift introduced her fans to the world of Evermore on Friday (Dec. 11), and to celebrate Folklore‘s “sister album,” the star dropped a music video for “Willow.” The romantic vignette finds the star following a flowing gold string, which leads her to her lover whom she can’t reach, whether she’s blocked by a reflection in the water or a glass screen. Playing off the idea of Folklore’s “invisible string,” she continues to travel until she finds her soulmate on the other side of the thread. “The more that you say, the less I know / Wherever you stray, I follow /I’m begging for you to take my hand / Make my plans, that’s my man,” the chorus fittingly narrates the video. You Deserve to Make Mone...
