Pop
With His Final Dodger Stadium Show, Elton John Wrote His Own Happy Ending: Review
Something I never expected to see in Dodger Stadium during Elton John’s last live concert in North America — a peek at his belly. But due to the poor fit of the icon’s first wardrobe choice (a sequined tuxedo jacket with tails, and pants that needed adjusting every time he stood up to acknowledge the crowd), at a certain point a bit of pink skin became visible through a gap in his button-down shirt. This tiny wardrobe malfunction was the only notable misstep during an intense marathon of music seeped in legacy, and it proved to be charming, in a way — a moment of human fallibility that felt all too relatable. Especially because this semi-final stop on the “Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour” was otherwise transcendent, an invitation into the passion Elton John has for his work...
Jack Antonoff Says Venues “Fuck Artists so Hard” by “Taxing Merch”
Young artists on the road face death by a thousand merch cuts, as Jack Antonoff pointed out on Twitter November 18th, writing that venues “fuck artist[s] so hard” by “taxing merch.” The sustainability of post-pandemic touring has been hotly debated in recent months, especially with what Lorde called the “demented struggle to break even or face debt.” Antonoff, a frequent Lorde collaborator, tweeted, “while we are having the discussion can venues simply stop taxing merch of artists? this is literally the only way you make money when you start out touring.” In a series of posts, he added, “the more we make it tenable for young and small artists to make a living on the road the more great music we will get,” continuing, “touring is one of the most honest ways to make a living. some of th...
Elton John Introduces Dua Lipa on Stage at Dodger Stadium For ‘Cold Heart’ Performance
Elton John pitched a major surprise when he brought out Dua Lipa to help wrap things up for his final performance at Dodger Stadium. The Rocket Man is winding down his touring career with his Farewell Yellow Brick Road trek, the U.S. leg for which came to an end Sunday night (Nov. 20) with the third of three shows in Los Angeles. Elton made it a night to remember when, during the encore, he invited Lipa onstage for their hit 2021 single “Cold Heart,” which had just won the best collaboration category at the 2022 American Music Awards. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Remixed by Australian electronic trio PNAU, “Cold Heart” interpoles Elton’s hits “Sacrifice” with “Rocket Man,” “Kiss the Bride” and “Where’s My Shoorah,” and smashed records around...
Jungkook Debuts New Single “Dreamers” at FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony: Watch
Jungkook debuted his new solo single “Dreamers” during the opening ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar on Sunday. The BTS member was joined by popular Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi. Watch the replay below. Other performers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony included Robbie Williams and Black Eyed Peas. Rod Stewart revealed he turned down over $1 million dollars to play the event in protest of Qatar’s poor human rights record. Shakira and Dua Lipa also reportedly declined offers to perform at the event. “I look forward to visiting Qatar when it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host the World Cup,” Dua Lipa said in a statement earlier this week. As part of BTS’ “second chapter,” a time for the group...
Adele’s Las Vegas Residency: See the 22-Song Setlist
At long last, Adele launched her “Weekends With Adele” Las Vegas residency on Friday night (November 18th) at the Colosseum in Caesars Palace. “Weekends With Adele” was originally slated to begin in January of this year, but she postponed the shows on the eve of their premiere, originally citing COVID-related production delays. Later, she opened up about her issues with the creative direction, explaining that the stage setup was too flashy for her liking, leaving “no soul” in the production. Months later, Adele’s re-worked Vegas residency offered the type of intimacy she was missing. As Billboard reports, the show began with just the singer and a piano before growing into a more glamorous affair, complete with a rain and fire display and huge video screens. Always one to put her fans ...
Skittles Reminds Fans Not to Throw Skittles at Harry Styles With Full-Page L.A. Times Ad
“Protect the rainbow. Taste the rainbow. But please, don’t throw the rainbow,” a full-page print advertisement in the Los Angeles Times reads, Skittles announced on Saturday (Nov. 19). The ad is the brand’s latest reaction to Harry Styles getting an eyeful of Skittles thrown at his face at a concert earlier this week. On Saturday, the candy brand released a similar image on social media, along with the tweet: “PSA: Protect your eyes from Skittles (by eating them, not throwing them).” The ad features a large pair of heart-shaped, protective eyewear in homage to Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” sunglasses. Styles was hit with Skittles while performing “Kiwi” at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, on Monday night (Nov. 14). Footage of the unfortunate moment circulated online, and by Thursday, S...
Florence Welch Breaks Foot, Florence + The Machine Postpone UK Tour
Florence + The Machine have postponed the remainder of their UK tour after singer Florence Welch broke her foot during a show in London on Friday night. “I’m so sorry to say that after an X ray it seems I was dancing on a broken foot last night,” Welch wrote in an Instagram post. “It is not in my nature to postpone a show, and certainly not a UK tour, but I’m in pain and as dancers know, dancing on an injury is not a good idea. And have been told not to perform to avoid further damage.” “I’m heartbroken as the ‘Dance Fever’ tour has been my favourite show we have ever put on.The communion with you. Your beautiful faces shining,” Welch added. “I love you so much, and I’m so sorry to anyone who is disappointed. My heart is aching. I can’t wait to be back on my feet and back in your arms.” Ad...
BTS’ Jung Kook Announces New World Cup Song ‘Dreamers’ & Performance at Opening Ceremony in Qatar
BTS‘ Jung Kook will release a new single as part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup soundtrack. Revealed alongside official artwork featuring the K-pop star, “Dreamers” will be released this weekend to coincide with the Opening Ceremony at the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar. BTS’ Korean label BIGHIT MUSIC also shared that Jung Kook will perform the new song at the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The music video to “Dreamers” will be released on Nov. 22 on FIFA’s official YouTube channel. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The upcoming track joins other official songs for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 soundtrack, including “Tukoh Taka” by Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares, as well as “Hayya Hayya (Better Together)” by Davido, Trinid...
Taylor Swift Issues Statement on Ticket On-Sale Shitshow: “It Really Pisses Me Off”
After Swifties battled — and ultimately lost — a vicious war with Ticketmaster earlier this week on their quest for access to “The Eras Tour,” Taylor Swift has issued a statement on the resulting chaos that led to the cancelation of general ticket on-sale. “It goes without saying that I’m extremely protective of my fans. We’ve been doing this for decades together and over the years, I’ve brought so many elements of my career in house. I’ve done this SPECIFICALLY to improve the quality of my fans’ experience by doing it myself with my team who care as much about my fans as I do,” Swift wrote in a post on her Instagram story November 18th. “It’s really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes...
P!nk Promises That Upcoming ‘TRUSTFALL’ Album Is Her Most Fun to Date: ‘It’s Very, Very True To What I Believe’
P!nk has always been about having fun. But on her upcoming 9th studio album, TRUSTFALL, the singer says she’s having the most fun she’s ever had. “It’s very, very true to what I believe and where I am and what I’m feeling and what I think a lot of people are feeling,” she told Good Morning America on Friday morning (Nov. 18) about the vibe of the collection. The follow-up to 2019’s Hurts 2B Human is due out on Feb. 17 and it will feature her bouncy new double-negative-into-a-positive single, “Never Gonna Not Dance Again,” produced by Max Martin and Shellback. In describing the inspiration for the collection, the singer told GMA that in addition to bringing the party, TRUSTFALL is her favorite album to date because of the leisurely time she had to make it during a difficult stretch in her p...
First Stream: New Music From Pharrell Williams & Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Maluma and More
Billboard’s First Stream serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news This week, Pharrell Williams tosses out another major collaboration, Nicki Minaj and Maluma headline a World Cup anthem, and Saweetie toasts to the single life. Check out all of this week’s First Stream picks below: Pharrell Williams & Travis Scott, “Down In Atlanta” In addition to producing tracks for artists ranging from Rosalía to Kendrick Lamar to Omar Apollo this year, Pharrell Williams also dropped “Cash In Cash Out,” a masterclass from 21 Savage and Tyler, The Creator with o...
Kings Elliot Shares Origins of New Song “Lost Again” Written for The Callisto Protocol: Exclusive
Origins is our recurring series that gives artists a space to break down everything that went into their latest release. Today, Kings Elliot takes us through “Lost Again,” her new original song for The Callisto Protocol. Fresh off the release of her Bored of the Circus EP, Kings Elliot has returned on Thursday (November 17th) with “Lost Again,” a new original single she wrote as the theme for the upcoming horror game The Callisto Protocol. Featured in the game’s trailer (which was also released today) and a key in-game cutscene, Elliot collaborated with the game’s developers for weeks to achieve the perfect tone for The Callisto Protocol’s take on the survival horror genre. A gamer herself, Elliot describes the opportunity to contribute to the game’s soundtrack as “an absolute dream come t...
