Pop
Ben Folds Serenades a Sucky Year with “2020” Performance on Colbert: Watch
At this point in 2020, it’s hard to even glance at any information source without deepening this sustained sense of despair. Imagine what it’s like for someone like Stephen Colbert, who has to actually put a smile on and joke about this dumpster fire of a year every night. Yet power to him, the late-night host continues on cheerily, even when a musical guest like Ben Folds comes on to remind him of how crappy everything is with a performance of “2020”. Folds delivered a #PlayAtHome performance of his new single on Thursday night’s Late Show. Colbert introduced the waltz by saying it “really captures the spirit of the moment” before the piano pop master took over from his (shockingly white) office. Sitting behind his keyboard, Folds asked, “How many years will we cram into one?” while ...
Who Is William Bowery, Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ Co-Writer? Even Aaron Dessner Doesn’t Know
Who is William Bowery? Unless you’re Taylor Swift, or Bowery themself, the answer to that question seems to be the equivalent of the shrug emoji. Thanks to the remote nature of pandemic-era collaboration, even the National‘s Aaron Dessner — who produced and co-wrote 11 tracks on Swift’s new Folklore album, and has been giving a satisfying amount of insight into the process of creating the project with her — has never met Bowery, who’s credited as a co-writer on two songs, “Exile” and “Betty.” When Swift dropped the surprise on Thursday (July 23) that Folklore was coming that night, Bowery was included in a list of “musical heroes” she name-dropped as collaborators: “@aarondessner (who has co-written or produ...
Justin Bieber Shares Scenic Photos From Road Trip With Wife Hailey
POP 7/25/2020 by Mitchell Peters The Biebers are taking some time to explore the U.S. countryside on a scenic road trip. The 26-year-old pop star took to Instagram on Friday (July 24) to share numerous snapshots from the outing, including pics of farm animals, city streets, truck stops, lakeside views and cuddly photos with his model wife. “A good way for me to find peace is to connect with nature,” Justin Bieber captioned a photo of horses grazing in a pasture. “Watching animals graze, clouds pass, or simply putting your feet in the grass can take you away from your anxious thoughts and get you in touch with gods beauty.” Some of Bieber’s posts drew the attention of his celebrity friends, including fellow singer Niall Horan, who commented, “It’s g...
Katy Perry Brings High-Energy Medley, Featuring ‘Smile’ & ‘Daisies,’ to Tomorrowland Virtual Stage
Katy Perry graced the big, virtual Tomorrowland stage with a big top-inspired show ahead of the release of her upcoming album, Smile. The pregnant pop star, rocking bold, orange hair and a bright, polka dot dress, teased her set on social media Saturday afternoon (July 25). “Orange you glad TODAYS THE DAY!” she quipped on the caption for some snapshots showing off her Tomorrowland costume. “Hope you enjoy my (big) top tier performance at @Tomorrowland Around the World.” Perry popped in following Afrojack at the live streaming dance festival, hosting a lineup including Martin Garrix, Steve Aoki, David Guetta and more this weekend. Backed by an elaborate virtual set, she performed a feel-good medley that kicked off with “...
Doja Cat Reveals She Tested Positive for Coronavirus
Doja Cat has spoken out about being diagnosed with COVID-19. The rapper says she is feeling better now, but experienced four days of coronavirus symptoms. “I got COVID,” she said on Friday (July 24), relaxing at home in a leopard-print get-up while being interviewed over video with the U.K.’s Capital XTRA. “Honestly, I don’t know how this happens but I guess I ordered something off of Postmates, and I don’t know how I got it but I got it.” “I’m OK now. It was a four-day symptom freak-out but I’m fine now,” she added. In March, Doja Cat had posted a video on Instagram addressing the coronavirus. “B—-, I’m not scared of a coronavirus,” she said at the time. “It’s a flu.” See her new interview clip below. ...
How to Watch Joe Biden’s Star-Studded ‘Celebration For Change’ Fundraiser
Whether you’re obsessively listening to Taylor Swift’s new Folklore album or reveling in finally getting to watch some baseball this weekend, surely you have time on Sunday night (July 26) to devote a couple hours to presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s star-packed virtual fundraiser “Celebration for Change.” The socially-distanced grassroots event, which will be hosted by Jay Leno, is slated to feature appearances from John Legend, Sara Bareilles, Barbra Streisand, Dave Matthews, Adam Lambert and Andra Day, among many others. Slated to kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET., it will be hosted here with attendance prices ranging from $15 to $25 (friend), $50 (guest) and up to $500 (sponsor) and $1,000 (champion). The ...
Scott Helman Fondly Remembers Moments With His Late ‘Papa’ on Sentimental New Song
Canadian singer-songwriter Scott Helman is honoring his late “Papa” with a poignant new single. The vulnerable tune finds the 24-year-old remembering happy childhood moments with his grandfather, who died in June 2019. “Remember the way you drove those London roads, had to hold on for my life / You were like fee-fi-fo-fum coming up the stairs / We’d laugh, me and Jack, saying, ‘Papa I’m scared’ / Now I’m really scared,” he mellifluously sings in the chorus against a soft, nostalgic instrumental. The song ends with a voicemail, in which Helman’s Papa is heard saying, “OK, I’ll speak to you perhaps, tomorrow morning. OK I loves you darling.” In a tweet, the singer revealed that the voicemail is one his grandfather &...
Taylor Swift’s folklore Dismantles Her Own Self-Mythologizing: Review
The Lowdown: Born of isolation, Taylor Swift’s eighth album, folklore, interrogates the pop star’s self-mythologizing and turns her gaze outward. Created during the ongoing pandemic, Swift collaborated remotely on 11 songs with Aaron Dessner of The National, who shared orchestrations composed inside his own quarantine. The results lean toward modern folk and glitchy experimentation, abandoning pop bombast but not the drama of swelling strings or anxious percussion. The accompanying visuals depict a gloomy summer, and listeners can imagine Swift watching storms barrel across the Atlantic horizon and wandering old-growth forests in half-done braids, alone or with a companion socially distanced beyond the frame. Dropped on 24 hours’ notice without her typically painstaking roll-out, the 16 mo...
The Track List For Max’s New Album Confirms the Collab With BTS’s Suga We’ve All Been Wishing For
The just-revealed track list for pop singer Max‘s upcoming sophomore album, Colour Vision, features the BTS collaboration he’s been teasing since he revealed that he hung out with his “new brother” Suga earlier this year. The pair will meld their voices on the track “Blueberry Eyes,” one of a handful of duets on the album, due out on Sept. 18. They previously teamed up on “Burn It” from Suga’s D-2 mixtape. Also included on the 12-track release are previously-released collabs with Hayley Kiyoko (“Missed Calls”), Chromeo (“Checklist”) and Quinn XCII (“Love Me Less”), and the next single, “Working For the Weekend,” which will drop on Aug. 14. Check out the full Colour Vision track list below....
Which Taylor Swift Album Is Your Favorite? Vote!
Happy Folklore day, Swifties! On Friday (July 24), Taylor Swift dropped her surprise eighth album with less than 24 hours notice, sending Swifties around the globe deep into their feelings over her thoughtful, incisive storytelling. And now that you’ve had time to digest the LP’s 16 exquisite tracks in full, Billboard wants to know where you think Folklore ranks in the superstar’s storied, ever-growing discography. Is 2012’s transitional, pop-driven fan favorite Red the T. Swift album you love the most? Are you obsessed with the dark cityscapes of 2017’s Reputation or booming pop of 2014’s 1989? Are you still wrapped up in the warm glow of 2019’s Lover or have you traded that album for Swift’s latest cozy “Cardigan&#...
Halsey, Alex Lahey and Other Artists Are Loving Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’
With Folklore dropping like a bolt out of the blue, everyone is a Swiftie right now. Including some of the biggest artists in the music scene. Taylor Swift wrote her eighth and latest album in isolation and let her “imagination run wild” across 16 songs. The rest of us only knew what was coming in the hours before TayTay unleashed it. And what a bombshell it has been on social media, with Taylor and her new LP trending for hours after the release as millions of fans poured over all the hooks and lyrics. Several artists also gave us their Folklore reviews, including Halsey, Australian indie-rock artist Alex Lahey, and collaborators Bon Iver (Justin Vernon collaborates on album track “Exile”) and The National. Check out some of the artist feedback below. Awww buddy…❤️Righ...
There’s One Song From Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ You Can’t Hear Yet
Taylor Swift surprise released her eighth album folklore overnight along with a lyric video for every damn song on the album (yep, all 16). And it’s not over yet — there’s one more folklore tune that isn’t available on streaming. The song in question, “The Lakes,” will be on physical versions of the folklore album, which is available on CD, cassette and vinyl. Never one to do things by half, Swift isn’t just releasing one physical version of the CD or vinyl record – she’s got eight collector’s editions of her eighth LP for each format, each one featuring photography unique to that version. Each edition has a cute nickname: “in the trees” edition, “in the weeds” edition, “meet me behind the mall” editi...
