Pop
Alessia Cara Explains Why Her ‘Nostalgic’ Recent EP Needed To Help Raise Money
Alessia Cara says that her latest project, a live covers EP of her own material, This Summer: Live Off the Floor, “brought a whole new life” to her songs. “I feel like hearing them this way just makes them a lot more nostalgic, cathartic in a way,” she tells the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen below). “It feels a little bit more emotional than they do on the original record.” The project sees Cara putting a new spin on the songs she released on her last release, 2019’s This Summer EP, in addition to a couple earlier hit singles not found on the set, like “Scars To Your Beautiful” and “Here.” Released on July 17, the new live effort also has a charity bent, as all of Cara’s proceeds from the album, for the next 21 years, will benefit Save the Children. She says that so much has been “unc...
Unpacking Taylor Swift’s Huge Debut & Grammy Album of the Year Chances
When Taylor Swift’s surprise album Folklore blasted in atop the Billboard 200 chart with the biggest week of the year for any album, she not only did it without the benefit of any pre-release promotion, but also while taking a sonic left-turn away from pure pop and into a more alternative soundscape. On the latest Pop Shop Podcast (listen below), the team discusses Swift’s epic chart feats achieved with Folklore and its single “Cardigan,” and speculates on if the album would have achieved such great heights if it had been a surprise-released customary pop effort. The Pop Shoppers also chat about on how Folklore may have brought in new fans to the Swift fold, thanks to her collaborations with alt-rock acts like Bon Iver and The National’s Aaron Dessner. And finally, could Folklore factor in...
Sony Picks Up Whitney Houston Biopic ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’
Where do broken hearts go? To Sony Pictures. After a protracted bidding war, Sony and its TriStar division have won I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the musical biopic of singer Whitney Houston. A theatrical commitment was part of the deal, and Sony is setting a Thanksgiving 2022 release. Anthony McCarten, the writer behind the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, will pen the screenplay, while Stella Meghie, who was behind the Issa Rae romance The Photograph, will direct. The project has the backing of Houston’s estate as well as music producer Clive Davis. Pat Houston will produce the movie on behalf of the Houston Estate, along with Davis, Primary Wave Music’s Larry Mestel, Denis O’Sullivan and McCarten. {“nid”:”9406510″,”type”:”post”,”title&...
Harry Styles Tops Pop Songs With ‘Watermelon Sugar,’ Is First One Direction Member to Top Tally Twice
Harry Styles becomes the first member of One Direction to notch multiple No. 1s on Billboard’s Pop Songs radio airplay chart, as “Watermelon Sugar” ascends from No. 2 to No. 1 on the list dated Aug. 8. Styles first ruled the ranking with “Adore You” on the list dated April 11. Both songs are from his second solo LP, Fine Line, released on Erskine/Columbia Records. (With “Adore You” at No. 5, he joins 25 other acts historically by placing a record two songs in the top five simultaneously.) Four members of One Direction have topped Pop Songs. No other group has more than two members with solo No. 1s. Here’s a look at all the Pop Songs No. 1 by members of One Direction. (Zayn departed the act, which is currently on hiatus, in 2015.) Harry Styles...
Taylor Swift Achieves Seventh No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart & Biggest Week of 2020 With ‘Folklore’
Taylor Swift’s Folklore flies in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, capturing the biggest week for any album since Swift’s last release, 2019’s Lover. Folkore was released with little advance notice on July 24 and earns Swift her seventh No. 1 album. Folklore starts with 846,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending July 30, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. That marks the largest week registered for any album since Swift’s own Lover, which debuted at No. 1 on the Sept. 7, 2019-dated chart with 867,000 units. Further, in the last four years, the three biggest weeks for any album have been racked up by Swift. Dating back to July of 2016, the three largest frames for any album are: Swift’s Reputation (1.24 million units, Dec. 2, 2017-dated chart), Lover (86...
The Best Fan Reactions to Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ Hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200
Before Taylor Swift’s Folklore officially topped the Billboard 200, fans were waiting with bated breath for the numbers to come in. Swifties did their research and predicted that Swift’s seventh studio album might break some records. “Turn notifications on now!” one fan account alerted. Indeed, Folklore stood on its tallest tiptoes, spinning straight to No. 1. It debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart with 846,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending July 30, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. {“nid”:”9428290″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Taylor Swift Achieves Seventh No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart & Biggest Week of 2020 With 'Folklore'”,”relative_p...
Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz Celebrate 10-Year Anniversary: ‘So True and Real and Genuine’
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz have spent the weekend sharing their anniversary bliss on social media. The couple, who got married 10 years ago, gushed about their decade of love and marveled at how quickly the time has passed. “My love, you are my dream come true!!” Keys wrote to her husband on Saturday (Aug. 1). “You always make me smile. You make me laugh and think and grow and dream and reach and stretch and I am in awe of our love! 10 joiiiwwnnntttttttzzzzzzz!!!!!! It’s so fast bc it’s so much fun! and so true and real and genuine! I adore you!!! Here’s to so much more of the greatness we create together!!! Deeply appreciating and loving every moment.” “Feels like 10 weeks,” Swizz commented on her post. “Wow wow wow! Let’s Keep going Queen Love y...
Dua Lipa and Anwar Hadid Adopt an Adorable ‘Tiny Best Friend’: See the Photos
What a cutie! Dua Lipa proudly showed off the newest addition to her and boyfriend Anwar Hadid’s family on Friday (July 31) when she shared photos of an adorable black rescue puppy in a series of photos on Instagram. “our tiny bestfriend Dexter!!!” the singer-songwriter gushed of her new puppy pal. “thank you @thelabellefoundation HE’S PERFECT” In Lipa’s gallery, Dexter sports a blue fleece jacket in the first photo, shows off his floppy ears with his new family in another, and sunbathes in the third. {“nid”:”9370877″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”These Musicians Are Making the Best of Quarantine With Their Adorable Pets”,”relative_path”:”\/articles\/news\/9370877\/m...
Beyoncé Releases Deluxe Edition of The Lion King: The Gift, Shares “Already” Video: Watch
Beyoncé knows how to orchestrate a promotional cycle better than almost anyone in the game. So we probably shouldn’t be surprised that there’s more than just her new visual project, Black Is King, arriving today. In addition, the Queen Bey has shared an expanded deluxe edition of The Lion King: The Gift, as well as a music video for the album cut “Already”. Black Is King is a companion film to The Gift, itself a companion album to Disney’s live-action Lion King remake. The new deluxe edition of the LP includes Beyoncé’s recent single “BLACK PARADE”, originally released on Juneteenth, as well as an extended version that adds a good 35 seconds. There’s also a remix of “Find Your Way Back” by MeLo-x. Stream the collection below via Spotify and Apple Music. You can also hear it ...
Adele Shows Off Quarantine Curls While Paying Tribute to Beyonce’s ‘Black Is King’
Adele is loving Beyonce’s new visual album, Black Is King. The 32-year-old British songstress, who rarely shares photos of herself on social media, gave fans a double whammy on Instagram Saturday (Aug. 1), showing off her luscious quarantine locks while paying tribute to Bey’s Lion King-inspired release. “Thank you Queen for always making us all feel so loved through your art,” Adele captioned a spectacular photo of herself kneeling by a TV featuring Beyonce’s stunning “ALREADY” music video. In the pic, a smiling Adele is wearing a crescent moon-decorated long-sleeve shirt similar to the Marine Serre catsuit Beyonce and her dances don in the clip. On Friday, Bey once again made the world stop with the release of Black Is King on Disney+, an im...
Taylor Swift Fan Turns ‘Betty’ Into a TikTok Rom-Com
Taylor Swift‘s “Betty,” one plucky part of what she’s affectionately coined Folklore‘s “Teenage Love Triangle,” ends with a cliffhanger. “If I just showed up at your party, would you have me? Would you want me? Would you tell me to go f— myself, or lead me to the garden?” the song’s protagonist, James, sings throughout the track — but the listener isn’t privy to Betty’s immediate answer. One Swift fan took the liberty to build upon Swift’s fantasy scene with a TikTok comedy series from the perspective of everyone else at that fated high school party, where a teen is fumbling through an apology. In some of TikTok user @kerrinotcarrieokay‘s videos, she’s Betty’s “stupid frie...
Gigi Hadid Kisses ‘Baby Daddy’ Zayn in Sweet Selfie
Soon after Zayn‘s return to Instagram, Gigi Hadid shared a personal snapshot of the couple smooching on her own account. “baby daddy,” she affectionately captioned an intimate Instagram selfie of the pair Friday night (July 31). The supermodel, who’s expecting her first child with Zayn, recently gave followers the first glimpse at her growing belly. “There’s my belly y’all,” she said on Instagram Live on July 15, pointing out that she doesn’t always look pregnant in the pictures she posts because “from the front it’s different.” “I really appreciate your positive messages,” she said at the time. “I’m just taking my time with sharing my pregnancy.” Hadid confirmed that she and the form...
