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As the impending TikTok ban looms over the social media platform, Kesha is reminding fans of the OG “TiK ToK.” The star took shared a video on Thursday (Jan. 16), soundtracked by her breakthrough hit. “TikTok may be temporary but TiK ToK is forever,” she wrote over the selfie-style clip. The 2009 track gave the […]
Carole King’s Really Rosie, her 1975 collaboration with legendary children’s author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, marks its 50th anniversary with a vinyl reissue on Feb. 28. It will be the first time the album has been released on vinyl since its original release on Ode through A&M Records in 1975. (The album was released on CD in May 1999 on Ode through Epic Records.)
King was riding high in 1974 when she worked on Really Rosie, which featured 11 songs which she composed and performed, with story and lyrics by Sendak. The project encompassed an animated TV special that aired on CBS on Feb. 19, 1975 and also a soundtrack album. The album did very well, reaching No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and later receiving a Grammy nod for best recording for children.
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How did a children’s album climb so high on Billboard’s flagship chart? King was riding high at the time. Her previous pop album, Wrap Around Joy, had reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in November 1974 and spawned two top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, “Jazzman” (which received a Grammy nod for best pop vocal performance, female) and “Nightingale.”
There’s a second reason the album did so well. It’s really good. King didn’t “dumb down” her songwriting just because the songs were aimed at kids. AllMusic called it “that rare children’s album with the wit and intelligence to capture the imaginations of adult listeners as well.”
The album was co-produced by industry legend Lou Adler, who produced all of King’s albums from Tapestry (1971) through Thoroughbred (1976), and Sheldon Riss.
Really Rosie is based on Sendak’s books Chicken Soup with Rice, Pierre, One Was Johnny and Alligators All Around – which comprise 1962’s “The Nutshell Library” – and an earlier book, The Sign on Rosie’s Door (1960). The first four book titles mentioned here are song titles on the album.
The TV special was directed by Sendak and animated by Ronald Fritz and Dan Hunn of D&R Productions Inc. King voiced the title character. The special was released uncut on VHS by Children’s Circle in 1993. It has never been released in its entirety on DVD.
Sendak expanded the piece for stage productions in London and Washington, D.C. in 1978, and an off-Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Patricia Birch with designs by Sendak, which opened on Oct. 14, 1980 at the Westside Theatre.
Over the past five decades, Really Rosie has remained a staple for children’s theater groups.
King was 33 when Really Rosie was released, and keen to try new things. In March 1975, she appeared in a small role as Aunt Helen on an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. You can watch her scene here.
Sendak died in 2012 at age 83. King, now 82, has lived to get her roses, as they say. In 2002, she received the Johnny Mercer Prize from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2013, she became the first woman to receive the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The 2014 jukebox musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical ran on Broadway for more than five years. In 2015, she received the Kennedy Center honors. She has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice – in 1990 in tandem with first husband and collaborator Gerry Goffin and in 2021 as a solo artist
The anniversary edition of Really Rosie will be reissued worldwide on 1-LP standard-weight black vinyl in a gatefold sleeve. It is available for pre-order now in King’s digital store for $26.99.
Complete Track List
“Really Rosie”
“One Was Johnny”
“Alligators All Around”
“Pierre”
“Screaming and Yelling”
“The Ballad of Chicken Soup”
“Chicken Soup with Rice”
“Avenue P”
“My Simple Humble Neighborhood”
“The Awful Truth”
“Such Sufferin”
“Really Rosie (Reprise)”
Popular streamer Kai Cenat has reacted to being mentioned in Drake‘s UMG lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us.” During a recent stream, Cenat was confused at first as he read over the section of the 81-page lawsuit that highlights himself and other streamers like RDC World and Zias! “Wait, why am I in this […]
01/17/2025
Saving you from the endless scrolling in finding the perfect gift
01/17/2025
With 2025 officially under way, it’s time to get some new music from your favorite queer artists playing, pronto. Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
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From Lucy Dacus’ excellent new solo track to Perfume Genius’ ode to anxiety, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Lucy Dacus, “Ankles”
Leave it Lucy Dacus, phenomenal modern singer-songwriter and one third of alt-rock trio Boygenius, to craft a stunning song steeped in queer intimacy. “Ankles” is unlike much of Dacus’ previous work — guitars are swapped for string sections, sonic spareness for grandiosity — but still retains the core tenet of her artistry: writing singular experiences into practically universal songs. From beginning to end, “Ankles” is a career-best showing for Dacus, and a testament to her enduring talent today.
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Perfume Genius, “It’s a Mirror”
In a time where anxiety seems to be more and more the norm, Perfume Genius is here with a definitive track to capture just that feeling. “It’s a Mirror” bathes itself in themes of isolation and loneliness, while letting the musicality carry out bigger and bolder sounds for the artist born Mike Hadreas, as he waxes poetic on the seemingly unbreakable cycle of paralyzing angst. “It’s a diamond, my whole life is/ Open just outside the door,” he croons.
Chloe Moriondo, “Shoreline”
Chloe Moriondo has made a name for herself in the music business as a purveyor of big, messy thoughts through wild, often hilarious songwriting. So it’s jarring when she never goes for the joke on “Shoreline,” their stunningly spare new single. Instead, Moriondo aims for earnestness, landing bolts of truth directly into your heart as she reels from the “first big breakup” of her life through effortless metaphor, simple production and a gorgeous vocal performance.
Zora, Belladonna
Belladonna, at its core, is a horror story told from the oft-neglected perspective of a black trans woman fighting for her life. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that Zora, the talented Minnesota singer/rapper/producer behind it’s creation, is a victim. No, Belladonna makes it clear from the jump that Zora is instead taking firm control of the narrative, spinning tales of desire (“Sick Sex”), secrecy (“Hush”) and revenge (“Bodies in My Room”).
Jasmine.4.t, You Are the Morning
Meet your new obsession Jasmine.4.t, the first British addition to Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records and a rising alt-rock star in her own right. With her stunning new album You Are the Morning, Jasmine tells her own transition story on her exact terms, examining sex (“Skin on Skin”), queer friendships (“You Are the Morning”), trauma (“Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation”) and navigating the complexities of finding your truest self (“New Shoes”). Keep your eye on Jasmine.4.t — if Morning is any indication, than she’s only at the start of a long, fruitful career of incredible alt-rock stardom.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
Benji Madden is in proud husband mode. In a sweet Instagram post Friday (Jan. 17), the Good Charlotte guitarist praised Cameron Diaz on her return to acting in new film Back in Action, as well as marked their 10-year wedding anniversary. Sharing a glamorous shot of the Bad Teacher star looking stunning in a silver […]
Bad Bunny‘s upcoming “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” summer residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico has officially sold out, according to a press release issued by the artist’s team on Friday (Jan. 17). Produced by Noah Assad Presents and Move Concerts, the 30-date stint, set to kick off July 11 and wrap Sept. 14, sold 400,000 tickets in just four hours through online and in-person sales across the island.
The announcement further states that while more than 2.5 million people registered for online pre-sale, Bad Bunny’s team “worked diligently” to eliminate 1.8 million scalpers and bots to “ensure Bad Bunny’s loyal fans were eligible for the pre-sale.”
The first nine shows, reserved exclusively for Puerto Rico residents, officially went on sale Wednesday (Jan. 15) at nine different locations throughout Puerto Rico, including Palacio de los Deportes in Mayagüez and Plaza del Mercado Río Piedras in San Juan. (The shows sold out that day.) Subsequently, Bad Bunny unveiled nine additional dates to the residency for a total of 30 dates at El Choli. Those 21 shows, which went on sale this morning, sold out in under four hours.
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The residency has also incorporated VIP concert and hotel experiences featuring a two-night hotel stay, premium tickets and limited edition VIP gift bags, among other elements. Offered through Vibee, more than 80,000 VIP packages have already been sold, with a limited number of VIP experiences remaining.
Bad Bunny (real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) is no stranger to selling out tours or breaking records at the box office. His World’s Hottest Tour in 2022 grossed $314.1 million and sold 1.9 million tickets, breaking the record for the biggest Latin tour ever. That same year, Bad Bunny became the first Latin act, and first act who doesn’t perform in English, to finish atop Billboard’s year-end Top Tours chart.
Bad Bunny’s residency in Puerto Rico is in honor of his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, which he released Jan. 5. The set debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, securing him his seventh top 10-charting set. Meanwhile, the LP opened at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Streaming Albums chart (dated Jan. 18), marking the largest streaming week for a Latin title in over a year. All 17 songs on the set entered the Billboard Hot 100, upping his career total from 98 to 113 and making him the first Latin artist to tally 100 career Hot 100 hits.
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Welp, it’s not looking good for everyone’s favorite social media platform, TikTok. The Supreme Court upheld the law banning the app in the U.S. if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, couldn’t facilitate a sale.
The clock officially ran out after TikTok’s final attempt to continue operating in the United States. The Supreme Court delivered the death blow, upholding a lower court ruling that ByteDance must sell the app by January 19 due to national security concerns.
“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” an unsigned opinion from the justices read. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary. For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights.”
The ban would go into effect under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Controlled Applications Act that President Joe Biden signed.
TikTok’s future in the United States is in dire jeopardy due to no sale on the table that could save it from the ban, forcing social media influencers to find another platform to do their “influencing” to continue making a living.
TikTok’s Fate Is In The Hands of Donald Trump
The outgoing Biden administration is punting on the matter, leaving TikTok’s fate in the hands of the platform’s newest “fan,” President-elect Donald Trump, who said to CNN, “It ultimately goes up to me, so you’re going to see what I’m going to do.”
“Given the sheer fact of timing, the administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next administration, which takes office on Monday,” the Biden administration said.
“President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months, including since Congress sent a bill in overwhelming, bipartisan fashion to the president’s desk: TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law,” the statement read by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre said fresh off the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Trump also confirmed on his sh*tty platform Truth Social that he has spoken with China’s president Xi Jinping, claiming that he brought up TikTok during the conversation, whatever that means.
So What’s Going To Happen With TikTok?
When the ban officially begins, it will be up to the Google and Apple APP stores to enforce it and keep it from being available to users or face potential fines.
According to Deadline, the roughly 187 million Americans currently using the app will still have access to it, but they will not receive routine updates, rendering it a shell.
According to The Information, TikTok is prepared to go dark in the U.S. on Sunday, but the company could also “wait and see” what the Trump administration does.
Who Are The Potential Buyers?
During the previous nightmare that was Donald Trump’s first term, he was in favor of banning or forcing a sale of the app before his flip-flopping on the matter.
Deadline notes that he cannot stop the bipartisan legislation, but he could ask his incoming “Justice Department” not to enforce the ban.
There were rumors that China was considering Elon Musk’s potential purchase of TikTok. What could go wrong with this man owning another social media platform? TikTok has denied those claims.
Even Canadian Trump fan and Shark Tank cast member Kevin O’Leary is part of a formal bid submitted by Frank McCourt-founded Internet advocacy group Project Liberty to potentially buy TikTok without its algorithm to allow the 170 American users to “preserve the platform’s vibrant community, while also giving 170 million American TikTokers the ability to control, protect, and benefit from their data.”
We shall see what happens with the platform, but it looks like it’s a wrap right now.
You can see reactions to the news in the gallery below.
2. What is wrong with y’all ?
3. There might be some truth to this
4. Never forget!
5. Interesting take on the matter
8. Well, you should ask the GOP about most of those matters, TikTok was the only thing Republicans and Democrats agreed on
10. Womp, womp, womp
12. We shall see if his warming up to Donald Trump will help him in the long run
2025 is in full swing, and a slew of music artists have kicked off the new year with a bang. Mac Miller’s estate gifted fans with Balloonerism, a posthumous album that has been the subject of speculation for years. Balloonerism is a 14-track journey that showcases Miller’s experimental side, blending neo-soul and jazz elements. The album kicks off […]
Women artists lead this week’s crop of stellar new songs, including Hailey Whitters‘ somber examination of grief and friendship, as well as Sierra Hull’s shimmering new bluegrass offering and Lanie Gardner’s raw, rock-fueled new track.
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Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of several top new country, bluegrass and Americana tracks of the week.
Hailey Whitters, “Casseroles”
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ACM Award winner Whitters, known for her charming, sunny songs such as “Everything She Ain’t,” returns with her first new music since 2023. This time, she offers a somber ballad reflecting on how the pain, loss and realities of a life irrevocably shifted by the passing of a loved one don’t pause for those navigating grief. In the song’s later verses, the song veers more introspective, as Whitters ponders the caliber of friend she has been to those going through grief–a friend whose concern is fleeting, or one who keeps showing up with long-term support. Whitters is known for her own wisdom-filled songwriting prowess, but on this elegantly-instrumented ballad, written by Hillary Lindsey, James Slater and Tom Douglas, Whitters gives a reminder that her nimble voice is a potent emotional translator.
Sierra Hull, “Boom”
Multi-IBMA Award winner Hull is set to release her first album in five years (and first independently-released project) on March 7, with A Tip Toe High Wire. The lead single from that project is a slab of sparkling mandolin, steady acoustic guitar, syncopated rhythms and high-flying harmonies. Written by Hull and Adam Wright, “Boom” has been part of Hull’s live shows for a couple of years. Hull wraps her conversational, angelic vocal around lyrics of moving past mistakes and regrets to embrace new eras of hope and love. “Promises break like little figurines,” she sings knowingly, but reminds listeners that it takes is a heart-shifting moment to turn heartbreak to love.
Lanie Gardner, “Buzzkill”
Gardner has seen her musical profile ascend thanks to her breakthrough cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” and having a song included on the blockbuster Twisters: The Album. She follows it with this funky, bold takedown of a certified “mean girl,” turning this defiant blast of wisdom into a communal rallying cry. Gardner’s voice is at once searing and sultry, and she stands from a crowded pack of country music newcomers by infusing her music with seething rock fusions.
Emily Ann Roberts, “Easy Does It”
On her previous debut album, Can’t Hide Country, Roberts cemented her current status as one of country music’s most engaging, neo-traditional voices. She follows that project with this new song, one in which her butter-soft voice in a single breath encapsulates both the sting of painful memories and the emotional exhale of relief at a current romantic situation. “I thought doors were meant to slam/hate and love went hand in hand,” she sings, reflecting on an emotionally-battering relationship, juxtaposing that past toxic experience with her present easygoing, faith-restoring love. Roberts wrote this song with Jason Haag and Autumn Buysse.
The Droptines, “Old Tricks”
Texas band The Droptines formed in 2019 and has since been growing their audience in a time-tested, one-show-at-a-time fashion, becoming an in-demand live act. The group’s unfiltered alt-country sound continues on “Old Tricks,” written by The Droptines frontman and lyricist Conner Authur. “I try to change, but I’m a stray after all,” he sings, musing about brief romantic flings and jilted lovers that war with an un-dimming desires. The Droptines released their self-titled project last year, and keep building their reputation as a must-hear group.
Willow Avalon, “The Actor”
Avalon’s vivid songwriting and signature vocal warble have commanded attention with her previously released songs such as “Gettin’ Rich and Goin’ Broke.” Here, she pours her distinct drawl over a tale of rueful reflection over romantic mistakes on this song from her newly released project Southern Bell Raisin’ Hell. “I was a fool and he was an actor,” she sings over robust guitars. The song teems with regrets over a ex-lover, but Avalon sings it with a grit that seems to suggest someone who’s learned the lessons and moved on with defiant confidence.
Olivia Wolf, “The Veil”
Northern California native Olivia Wolf transcends the boundaries between temporal and the ethereal, blending incisive, observant lyricism with elements of bluegrass, folk and country. Wolf’s debut album Silver Rounds released today (Jan. 17), featuring tracks including the somber song “The Veil,” which Wolf wrote with Sean McConnell. Backed by sparse guitar, she ponders the fast-arriving sense of loss on lyrics such as “I won’t be here tomorrow/ But this midnight is ours.” Her voice is imbued with an earthy elegance as the song slowly builds around her, frothing into dramatic tension before concluding with a feeling of stoic resignation as she sings, “It’s heavy sometimes seeing behind the veil.” This album marks Wolf as an astute singer-songwriter well worth listening to.