Pop
White House’s 2022 Year-End Review References a Taylor Swift Lyric
Taylor Swift’s “22” completely changed how people think about its title number. Even the White House isn’t immune to the 33-year-old pop star’s contagiously catchy melody — at least, that’s what the executive branch’s official year-end review, posted Thursday (Dec. 29), would suggest. Written by domestic policy advisor Susan Rice and published on the White House’s website, the report summed up several of the Biden-Harris administration’s major accomplishments in 2022. But first, it began with the best, most obvious word-lyric association. “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling ‘22,” Rice wrote, referencing the lyric from the chorus of “22.” She also posted the quote on Twitter. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling ‘22. The past year undoubtedly brought its share of daunting challenges...
Naomi Ackie & Nafessa Williams Belt Out Whitney Houston Classics for Song Association
Naomi Ackie and Nafessa Williams stopped by Elle on Wednesday (Dec. 28) to play a round of Song Association filled with Whitney Houston tracks. Naturally, as the stars of the new biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody managed to fit plenty of Houston hits into their game using the words saving (“Saving All My Love For You”), broken (“Where Do Broken Hearts Go”), okay (“It’s Not Right But It’s Okay”), woman (“I’m Every Woman”), man (“All the Man That I Need”) and tonight (“I’m Your Baby Tonight”). However, the two actors also ventured outside the late icon’s extensive discography to belt out tracks like “In the Heat of the Night” by Ray Charles, Adele’s “One and Only,” “Who Wants to Live Forever” by Queen and “So Good” by Destiny’s Child. Ultimately, they went 13 for 15, matching previous score...
Taylor Swift Returns to No. 1 on Billboard Artist 100 for Record-Extending 58th Week
Taylor Swift rebounds to No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Dec. 31), spending a record-extending 58th week as the top musical act in the U.S. thanks to the continued success of her album Midnights. Plus, RM re-enters the Artist 100 at No. 6, a new best for the BTS member as a soloist. Swift’s Midnights ranks at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart with 155,000 equivalent album units earned in its ninth week (Dec. 16-22), according to Luminate. Of those nine weeks, five have been spent at No. 1, making it her sixth album to have five or more weeks at the summit. Swift is the only woman with as many as six albums that have reigned for five or more weeks, tying her with Garth Brooks for the second-most among all acts, since the chart became a combined stereo and mono survey in 1963. ...
The Weeknd Teases New Music Video for ‘Dawn FM’ One-Year Anniversary
The Weeknd is closing in on the one-year anniversary of his fifth studio album, Dawn FM, and if you’re a fan, you might want to keep an eye on his YouTube page as the date draws nearer. In a Wednesday (Dec. 28) tweet, the 32-year-old hitmaker teased that a new music video for a song off the record is in the works, just in time for the milestone. Dawn FM arrived one week into 2022 on Jan. 7, two years after his No. 1 record After Hours was released. On Wednesday, a fan on Twitter asked the Toronto native — born Abel Tesfaye — “dawn fm almost a year old, how do you feel?” “i feel istheresomeoneelsemusicvideo-ish,” he simply replied. “Is There Someone Else?” is the 10th track on Dawn FM. So far, lead single “Take My Breath” and subsequent tracks “Out of Time,” “Sacrifice,” “Gasoline” and “How...
Watch BTS’ Suga Go Back to the Basics in a Hip-Hop Dance Class
Aside from singing, BTS is also known for its larger-than-life dance moves and crisp choreography. And despite going on 10 years of being in the septet, a good dance practice every now and then helps keeps its members in peak performance shape. Suga wanted to go back to the basics and shared a 10-minute video on Thursday (Dec. 29) to BTS’ official YouTube page of him taking a Hip-Hop Dance 101 class with the help of a private instructor. Before the lesson kicked off, Suga sat down at the camera and told viewers, “Hello everyone. At age 30, I’ve come to take dance lessons. Basic hip-hop moves. It’s been about 12 years since I last did this in high school. I’ll give it a try.” After dancing to tracks by Snoop Dogg, 2Pac and more, Suga exclaimed, “I feel like a trainee!” referencing his days ...
A Figure Skater Just Recreated Wednesday Addams‘ ’Goo Goo Muck’ Dance on Ice
Kamila Valieva took the 2023 Russian Figure Staking Championships by storm last week by performing a routine to The Cramps‘ “Goo Goo Muck” dressed as Wednesday Addams. Starting outside the edge of the rink, the 16-year-old sensation nailed her recreation of the herky-jerky dance on the Jenna Ortega-led Netflix series — all the way down to the hand motions, gothic party dress and long black pigtails. “When the sun goes down and the moon comes up/ I turn into a teenage goo goo muck/ Yeah, I cruise through the city and I roam the streets/ Looking for something that is nice to eat,” Lux Interior’s voice sang as Valieva executed the choreography flawlessly and the audience in the stands clapped along to the beat. Then, halfway through the program, Valieva went full TikTok as the music abruptly ...
Harry Styles’ Mom Shares Festive Peek at Family Christmas Celebrations
No place like home for the holidays. On Wednesday (Dec. 28), Anne Twist, mom to one Harry Styles, took to social media to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at how their family celebrated Christmas. “Christmas 2022,” she captioned the series of four photos along with a smiley face, Christmas tree and red heart emoji. The slideshow shows off Twist’s holiday decorations and cozy fireplace, Christmas Day feast including veggies, casseroles and Yorkshire puddings, and the family’s sparkling Christmas tree. However, the third photo of the bunch got fans most excited, with Twist posting a selfie with her pop star son, his sister Gemma Styles and Gemma’s longtime boyfriend Michal Mlynowski grinning ear to ear with their arms around one another. In the snap, Styles wears a blue hoodie beneath a ye...
Ariana Grande Sends Christmas Gifts to Children in Manchester Hospitals
Ariana Grande made certain that kids facing injuries or illnesses during Christmas this year still felt merry and bright. On Monday (Dec. 26), it was revealed that the 29-year-old pop star had sent presents to young patients at hospitals across Manchester, England, giving back to the city more than five years after it became the site of a horrific suicide bombing after one of her concerts. “Thank you Ariana!” tweeted the official Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital charity account. “We were so excited to receive Christmas gifts for young patients across our hospitals from Ariana Grande.” The foundation also shared photos of some of the gifts sent by Ariana Claus, each of them labeled with a tag reading “happy holidays! love ariana grande.” The presents were divided among “babies, children...
Courtney Love: Lana Del Rey and Kurt Cobain “Are the Only Two True Musical Geniuses”
Courtney Love showered Lana Del Rey with the ultimate praise in a new interview, likening the pop singer to her late husband Kurt Cobain. “Lana and Kurt are the only two true musical geniuses I’ve ever known,” Love said during an appearance on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast (via Stereogum). “And by that I mean they can Spielberg anything.” Love specifically cited Lana Del Rey reciting Allen Ginsberg’s Howl and Nirvana covering Meat Puppets on MTV Unplugged as examples of how the two musicians “Spielberged” it. “[Del Rey’s] got the integrity that Kurt had,” Love added. “The only two people I know that I can say… By the way, [Michael] Stipe? Bono? Yes, these are people that I know and love. Billie Joe [Armstrong], sure. But Lana? She’s got a magic thing. And she’s not even fucked up.” Advertisemen...
Halsey’s 10 Best Songs
There aren’t many self-release success stories quite like that of Halsey. When her original song “Ghost” was released to SoundCloud back in 2014, it instantly began to gain attention. With her very first release, Halsey was already on the map. In the years since, Halsey has become a reliable source of honest lyricism, innovative and creative concept albums, music video and film direction, and a deeply personal form of artistry. Over four full albums — from Badlands to If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power — Halsey has played with genre and self-mythology, constructing and deconstructing narratives as they see fit. It’s hard to narrow down their discography, so diverse in genre, to just ten songs, but we set out to give it a try. Advertisement Check out our list of ten favorite ...
Barack Obama Reveals His Favorite Songs of 2022
Barack Obama is getting in on the fun of list season by sharing his favorite songs of 2022. Some one may have taken a peak at our own top songs list (hi, Obama!), as the former president included five of our favorites: SZA’s “Shirt,” Ethel Cain’s “American Teenager,” Danger Mouse and Black Thought’s “Belize” featuring MF DOOM, Plains’ “Problem With It,” and Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange.” Sadly, our favorite song of the year — Paramore’s “This Is Why” — did not make Obama’s list. #JusticeForParamore. Obama’s list also includes songs like Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” Rosalía’s “SAOKO,” Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó,” Maggie Rogers’ “That’s Where I Am,” Burna Boy’s “Last Last,” NxWorries’ “Where I Go” featuring H.E.R., and Kendrick Lamar’s non-album hype trac...
Gwen Stefani Remembers Late No Doubt Member John Spence: ‘Today and Always’
Gwen Stefani honored the memory of one of No Doubt‘s founding members, John Spence, in a tribute posted 35 years after his death. Spence was the original lead singer in the earliest days of the Anaheim, Calif., group, while Stefani provided backing vocals. The first version of No Doubt — with a name inspired by a phrase Spence often said — was formed in 1986. “For some reason there was automatically this built-in following,” Stefani said in a 1996 interview with Spin. “People loved the fact that it was a girl, that it was 2-Tone, that it was me and John up there.” A year later, Spence died by suicide at the age of 18. “remembering John Spence today, and always,” Stefani wrote of the late singer and friend on Instagram Wednesday (Dec. 21). The pop star and Voice coach shared six photos on h...
