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Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” has landed a fifth week at No. 1 on the U.K. Singles Chart on Friday (April 18), and is now the longest-running chart-topper of 2025 so far. By securing his fifth week, he breaks a tie held with Lola Young’s “Messy,” which had also notched up four weeks earlier in the year. […]
This week, Billboard is publishing a series of lists and articles celebrating the music of 20 years ago. Our 2005 Week continues here with a look at the unusual (and decades-spanning) path “Everytime We Touch” took to becoming a college basketball marching band jock jam.
What’s the connection between ‘80s Scottish folk singer-songwriter Maggie Reilly and Duke University athletics? Cascada’s 2005 Eurodance smash hit, “Everytime We Touch.”
20 years ago, German dance music group Cascada – then comprised of frontwoman Natalie Horler and producer-composers DJ Manian and DJ Yanou – found international success with “Everytime We Touch,” an advance single from their 2006 debut album of the same name.
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Before “Everytime,” Cascada scored European hits with “Bad Boy” and “Miracle,” the latter of which earned them a deal with American dance label Robbins Entertainment. After the U.S. release of “Miracle” failed to move the needle, the trio launched “Everytime We Touch” in August 2005. With American airwaves still dominated by sleek R&B/hip-hop fusions, pop-rock crowd-pleasers and Caribbean-flavored riddims, Robbins understood that breaking a Eurodance act in the U.S. would take some time. In fact, just two months before they released “Everytime,” Robbins earned a Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit with Belgian dance group DHT’s cover of Roxette’s “Listen to Your Heart,” which they dropped back in 2003.
As “Everytime” slowly gained traction across dance music clubs and radio stations, the song debuted on the Hot 100 at No. 86 for the week dated Dec. 17, 2005. Curiously, America was the first country to embrace “Everytime” despite its Eurodance foundation being at complete odds with top 40’s dominant sounds at the time. To this day, Horler is still shocked at that initial reception.
“I know that ‘Everytime We Touch’ was quite out there for that time, especially in the States. Dance music just was not played on the radio much back then and generally wasn’t accepted as commercial music,” she tells Billboard. “Travelling to New York for the first time and getting into a cab — I think it was Z100 or KTU – and [hearing the song play] was quite an insane experience.”
By March 2006, the song reached its Hot 100 peak of No. 10, still Cascada’s best showing on Billboard’s marquee singles chart. According to Luminate, in the 20 years since its release, the song has sold over 2.9 million digital downloads and logged over 603 million official on-demand U.S. streams. Many of those streams likely came from Duke University’s Cameron Indoor Stadium during the NCAA men’s basketball season, where “Everytime We Touch” has emerged as a go-to anthem to galvanize the Cameron Crazies.
As “Touch” was making its way up the American charts, Duke marching band director Jeff Au was settling into his new job after previous band directing stints at Elizabeth City State University and Towson University. He got to Duke in June 2005, and for the last 20 years, his philosophy has remained “get suggestions from students, see what works for a band, write [an arrangement] and go from there.”
As with any good college tradition, the origins behind Duke’s adoption of the hi-NRG dance staple are a bit hazy — but the story goes that a group of students (or maybe just Greg Caiola, then a sophomore and the band’s secretary) suggested adding “Everytime” to the band’s repertoire during an officer meeting. Au tells Billboard that the first time he heard the song was when the students played it in that very meeting.
“I thought it could work; it wasn’t going to be something we did a big halftime production to, because it’s not that intricate,” he says of his initial reaction to the song. “But a catchy song, combined with the students’ love for it, is a sure way to sell me on something.”
Making good on his promise to incorporate students’ suggestions and nourishing the top 40 proclivities he teased with the prior year’s interpretation of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone,” Au quickly wrote an “Everytime” arrangement. Though “pretty spot on with the original,” Au’s version adds harmonies to the primary melody line and an ultimately unused woodwind section. He says it only took “three or four games” for the song to cement itself as a staple, and legend has it, that’s about how long it took for the accompanying student-crafted pseudo-choreography – dramatic slow claps during the verses and manic fist pumps during the chorus — to spread across the Cameron Crazies.
Several theories attempt to explain why “Everytime” stuck at Duke. Musically, the slow build of the song’s verses paired with its explosive choruses makes for the perfect soundtrack to the adrenaline-infused excitement that engulfs Cameron Indoor Stadium just before tip-off. What’s helped the song’s longevity at the school is that it isn’t tied to a specific moment, but rather a constant sensation that sometimes morphs from pre-game buzz to post-game victory. That feeling is borderline euphoric – the very phenomenon that inspired Maggie Reilly’s “Everytime We Touch,” the foremother of Cascada’s generational dance hit.
In 1992, Reilly ruled the European charts with her original “Touch,” the second single from Echoes, her debut solo album following several successful Mike Oldfield collaborations, including 1983’s “Moonlight Shadow.” Cascada’s version isn’t a straight cover, but it does lift Reilly’s entire chorus, which was inspired by the literal static shock she felt after hugging her boyfriend in an elevator at New York’s Mayflower Hotel — their first meeting in a long while.
“When somebody comes up with something new to add to [your song], it’s always quite exciting to hear,” reflects Reilly. “When I heard [Cascada’s version], it was very refreshing – and the video looked great as well. Within a very short period of time, I was told that it was doing amazingly in America for them, which was obviously exciting. It was like having a baby!”
With her legal team’s permission, Yanou and Manian, who both prefer to keep a low profile and are no longer a part of Cascada, interpolated Reilly’s chorus and wrote entirely new verses and production arrangements. Cascada’s rendition replaces Reilly’s yearning with decidedly more bombast, but the ecstatic feeling of connecting with a lover – whether on an elevator, dancefloor or basketball court – remains at the center.
“I get goosebumps every game, because I run our in-game experience for our men’s basketball program,” says Duke director of sports marketing Meagan Arce, “As the clock is ticking down and we get closer to me hitting the lights in Cameron, we play a [highlight reel] of past seasons, our fans and our students with ‘Everytime We Touch’ [in the background] and it’s one of my favorite moments of the game day experience. The song makes such a huge impact.”
Horler became aware of the song’s popularity at Duke “a few years ago” after getting tagged in videos on Twitter. Her manager explained to her Duke’s stature in the States, but she wouldn’t get a chance to connect with the school until 2020. For that year’s graduation, the university organized a virtual ensemble rendition of the song led by Horler and featuring members of the graduating class. “I had a lot of fun doing this during lockdown because, obviously, we weren’t very busy,” she reflects. “I thought they did such a great job. It was funny but also endearing. To use my song for that was pretty special.”
Now squarely a part of Duke tradition and lore – upperclassmen routinely pass the “Everytime” torch onto incoming freshmen – Cascada’s megahit has also become a foundational building block for any reputable nightclub playlist. In 2023, Billboard‘s staff honored it as one of the 500 Best Pop Songs of All Time (No. 211), and this week also named it the No. 8 Best Song of 2005. The song’s success – and that of follow-up Hot 100 hits, “What Hurts the Most” (No. 52) and “Evacuate the Dancefloor” (No. 25) — has allowed Cascada to embark on a fruitful career. The group’s first three LPs each reached the top 10 of Dance Albums, while Horler has successfully toured and played shows for the past two decades both with Cascada and as a soloist.
“I think music comes around again, and when you listen to ‘Everytime We Touch,’ you can actually [hear] those elements [like the synthesizer] coming out in modern music now,” says Horler. “It does not feel like 20 years — I’m still performing this song to this day!”
“My family lived in an American Idol household,” says Amanda Ibanez, who goes by Kiddo A.I.; specifically, Adam Lambert was the contestant who inspired her to pursue music. “I would get in front of the TV and sing and my brothers would make fun of me.” But her mother believed in her and encouraged her to get involved with a local church youth group, in which she would write songs and perform. The Miami native, now 28, began self-releasing her music as a teenager, but calls her career a “really slow climb.” A decade in, after meeting hit-maker JKash (Charlie Puth, Morgan Wallen), she started connecting with Los Angeles-based songwriters — and even crossed paths with Max Martin at one point.
Kiddo’s “zero to 100” moment came three years ago, when she worked with Selena Gomez on Rema’s “Calm Down” remix, which hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. “I used to watch her as a kid on Wizards of Waverly Place, so it was very full circle,” she says. That moment encouraged Kiddo to home in on songwriting for other artists instead of herself — “It’s less invasive,” she says with a laugh. Since then, she has worked on a number of pop hits, including several songs on Gomez and Benny Blanco’s collaborative album, I Said I Love You First, Le Sserafim’s “Crazy” and Tyla’s “Back to You.”
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Benny Blanco and Selena Gomez, “Sunset Blvd”
“It really came out of nowhere. I think Benny or [songwriter] Michael Pollack was playing the keys, and we all just started singing this hook melody,” Kiddo recalls of one of the standout songs on I Said I Love You First, which debuted at No. 1 on Top Album Sales. “I don’t remember who said ‘Sunset Blvd,’ but it just made so much sense because then Benny and Selena were like, ‘Wait, that’s where we had our first date.’ It was great to be able to help them say what they wanted to say. We wrote it in, I think, an hour. It basically wrote itself.”
Jennie, “Like Jennie”
“That was such a crazy day,” Kiddo says of working on one of the fiercer tracks from Blackpink member Jennie’s solo debut album, Ruby. “I went to Diplo’s house and he lives deep in Malibu, so it was an hour drive. I was working with [him and] Tayla Parx for the first time, so I was very nervous because I was such a fan of both of them. When we got there, we went through a couple of different tracks, but nothing made sense. Then Tayla and I were like, ‘We need something hard and just so in-your-face. This is Jennie’s song, right? So let’s make a song called “Like Jennie.” ’ Jennie freaked out. She loved it.”
Lisa, “Chill”
Kiddo worked on another Blackpink member’s solo debut album as well: Lisa’s Alter Ego. As she recalls, “I wrote [this one] with Ali Tamposi and John Byron. We actually came up with the hook before the session, and it just came so naturally.” She says that while Tamposi devised the title, they worked together on a couple of hook ideas before Kiddo had to go out of town. “Ali worked with Lisa to finish it, and it came out great. It’s one of my favorites on the album.”
This story appears in the April 19, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Lady Gaga is seeing renewed success on Australia’s charts this week, as her latest album Mayhem rockets back into the ARIA Top 10 following her much-talked-about Coachella appearance and the ongoing rollout of her Australian stadium tour.
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Mayhem climbs from No. 14 to No. 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart, boosted by the pop icon’s high-energy set at Coachella and a surge in demand tied to her recently announced Aussie tour dates. The album originally debuted at No. 1 last month, and this latest jump marks its fourth week in the chart’s upper echelon.
Earlier this month, Gaga announced her return to Australia with The Mayhem Ball, her first tour of the country in more than a decade—and her first stadium dates Down Under. After quickly selling out her initial shows in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, a second Melbourne and Sydney date was added on April 16 due to overwhelming demand. The five-date run kicks off Dec. 5 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne and wraps Dec. 13 at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
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The tour promotion, paired with Gaga’s Coachella performance and social media buzz, has sparked renewed interest in the Mayhem project. The album, led by the global No. 1 single “Die With a Smile” (with Bruno Mars), has spent multiple weeks in the Top 10 worldwide, including a 15-week reign atop the Billboard Global 200.
Gaga’s resurgence on the ARIA chart comes amid a strong week for Aussie acts: hip-hop trio Bliss n Eso debut at No. 1 with The Moon (The Light Side)—their fourth chart-topper—while Australian Idol winner Marshall Hamburger lands at No. 50 with The Idol Collection, marking the first time since 2009 that an Idol champ has entered the Top 50 upon season close.
Meanwhile, on the ARIA Singles Chart, Alex Warren notches a fourth consecutive week at No. 1 with viral hit “Ordinary,” and Gaga and Mars’ “Die With a Smile” rebounds into the Top 5, climbing from No. 9 to No. 4.
With Mayhem back in the Top 10 and her Australian stadium shows selling fast, Gaga’s momentum in the region is only continuing to build, with a final tour date added to Sydney earlier this week.
Lana Del Rey fans have received a fresh taste of her new era, with “Bluebird” arriving as the latest preview of her forthcoming record.
Dropping just a week after “Henry, Come On” gave fans their first insight of what to expect from Del Rey’s self-described “country” record, “Bluebird” has ostensibly further confirmed that her sonic shift won’t be one steeped in the standard trappings of a country record.
Much like its predecessor, “Bluebird” is another soaring piece of emotional introspection from Del Rey, as she pairs softly-plucked acoustic guitars with stirring strings and her trademark reverb-laden vocals. Written alongside Luke Laird, and featuring production from Drew Erickson, it’s a dream team of country and folk at play, and provides further indication that Del Rey’s upcoming record is set to be another high point of her career.
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Currently, however, it’s unclear just when that new record will arrive – or what fans will be specifically asking for at record stores. Initially teased under the name Lasso in early 2024 and given a September release date, the 13-track record was later given a fresh moniker by way of The Right Person Will Stay and an updated release date of May 10.
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Following the release of “Henry, Come On,” Del Rey has since told fans her forthcoming 10th album is once again subject to a sense of mystery. “You know it’s not going to come on time, right?” she explained on April 11. “Should I even tell you that the name changed again? Should I tell you that now, while you’re so happy that you even have a song? Yeah, maybe I’ll wait.”
A late album is nothing new for the beloved singer, as her three most recent projects — Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, Chemtrails Over the Country Club and Blue Banisters — were all delayed for various reasons.
Del Rey is currently scheduled to perform at Stagecoach on April 25, with a series of dates slated to follow across the U.K. throughout June and July. She’ll return to the U.S. in the summer for a performance at Iowa’s Hinterland Music Festival on Aug. 3.
Listen to “Bluebird” below:
Katy Perry went to space with Lauren Sanchez, Gayle King and others on a Blue Origin spacecraft. The public and celebrities alike shared their opinions about the women being sent to space. Keep watching to find out what some Billboard staffers had to say about the trip.
What do you think of Katy Perry going to space? Let us know in the comments.
Stefanie Tanaka:
If anyone out there has $150,000, then you can go to space too.
Tetris Kelly:
All right, so Billboard squad, five ladies went to space, but everybody seems to just be mad at Katy Perry. Are we mad? What’s going on?
Jerah Milligan:
I don’t care.
Stefanie Tanaka:
I can understand why people are mad. I don’t know if I feel that strongly about it.
Tetris Kelly:
Why? What are people upset about?
Stefanie Tanaka:
I mean, a lot of people, you know, times are tough right now. It doesn’t really like look super inspiring to see, like, super rich people just going into space.
Ciara Zimring:
It’s not giving what they think it’s giving. They think it’s giving inspiring, sending a bunch of women to space, but it’s giving more sending a bunch of rich people in space, as opposed to actual female astronauts that should be sent up.
Stefanie Tanaka:
Yeah, yeah.
Ciara Zimring:
That would give more.
Stefanie Tanaka:
It’s like, it’s cool for, like, the aesthetics of it, like to see a group of women, women of color, going into space. Like, it looks good as a photo-
Jerah Milligan:
As a photo.
Stefanie Tanaka:
But it’s like, this was all funded by Jeff Bezos. They wouldn’t be going up there without him. If this is Elon Musk, people would be reacting the same way. All these billionaires are obsessed with going to space because they’re gonna leave this planet completely f—ed
Tetris Kelly:
Stefanie’s mad.
Stefanie Tanaka:
They’re going to go up there the minute this planet goes to hell because of climate change.
Tetris Kelly:
I mean, and I think the funny part to me is that you have, like, this inspirational moment, but then I feel like the whole time I watched Gayle be a part of this, she was looking scared. She didn’t even want to go. And she’s like, why am I here? How did I get on this spacecraft?
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Ed Sheeran immersed himself in Persian culture for his “Azizam” single, and there’s no better way to visually represent that culture than a Persian wedding, which takes center stage as the theme of the track’s just-released video.
In the video released Thursday (April 17) and directed by Saman Kesh, Sheeran is seen frustrated while going through writer’s block with his producer, Ilya Salmanzadeh, in the studio.
The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter is thrust into the chaos of preparing for a Persian wedding. Sheeran gets a loaded crash coarse on all things related to the extravagant ceremony as he samples different cuisine, fashion, dancing and more to get him ready for the day.
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“When we had all finished ‘Azizam’ in the studio, I asked @ilya_music what we should do for a music video, and he said ‘you gotta do it as a Persian wedding, thats the best way to showcase all of the culture in a video,’” Sheeran wrote to IG. “I contacted @saman_kesh, who I have worked with before, who is also Persian, and asked him to basically make a video which is me going on a crash course Persian wedding. He wanted to make it like other non Persians would experience a wedding for the first time, and how full on, but fun it is.”
He continued: “I found it was so similar in ways to the Irish weddings I grew up going to, but obviously so different in other ways. Much like the rhythms and instrumentation of the song, I find our two cultures have so much intertwined similarities. But underneath it all is love and pride. I loved the day shooting, I learnt so many new things, got to experience all of it with my dad, and work with amazing people.”
The celebratory clip comes to a close with Sheeran returning from the wedding feeling inspired and ready to make another hit song, which the pop star has done plenty of in the past.
“Azizam,” which translates to “my dear” or “my beloved” from Arabic to English, is set to appear on Sheeran’s upcoming Play album. “Azizam” serves as Sheeran’s first single of 2025 jetsetting into the LP.
Like his mathematical symbol album series, Play will follow a similar pattern, including other albums coming down the pipeline like Fast-Forward, Rewind and Stop.
Sheeran stopped by The Tonight Show last month, where he premiered an unreleased single titled “Old Phone,” while “Azizam” was released earlier in April to officially kick off his new era.
Look for Play to arrive later this year and watch the “Azizam” video below.
In 2024, several young pop stars experienced eye-popping career explosions over the course of just a few months — but one of them, Gracie Abrams, thinks that the combined star power of two of her peers allowed her to climb the ranks without as many people realizing.
In her Billboard cover story published Thursday (April 17), the “That’s So True” singer reflected on how she, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan all quickly rose to superstar status in 2024, with Abrams emphasizing how she thinks her own arc has differed from theirs. “When I think about both of their rises, it’s like, boom,” she told staff writer Hannah Dailey.
“I feel like I’ve almost slipped under the radar a little bit [in comparison],” she added.
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As captured in the video interview, Abrams went on to gush about her admiration for both the “Espresso” singer and “Pink Pony Club” artist. “In pop culture, the impact that both Sabrina and Chappell have had on the industry has been so exciting to watch,” she said. “Forget being an artist and somebody that puts music out as well. I think as a young person, there’s something so liberating about both their catalogs of music and the way that they’re choosing to run their businesses.
“It’s so obviously them through and through,” Abrams added. “I find that to be deeply inspiring. I’m a mega fan of both of theirs, and, yeah, just constantly kind of screaming my head off for them.”
Even so, the “Risk” artist’s ascent has been something to behold. Following the release of her Billboard 200 No. 2 sophomore album The Secret of Us in June, Abrams’ fanbase has grown exponentially, and since the fall, she’s gone from playing theater-size venues to booking arenas on her ongoing international run of Secret of Us Tour dates.
As her star has risen, Abrams also told Billboard that another leading lady in pop has helped her stay grounded: Lorde. “She’s like 800 years old inside,” she said of the “Green Light” musician. “Whenever we’re together, I feel my nervous system regulate differently.”
There’s also two other women musicians Abrams has been loving right now: Doechii, whose music she says she’s currently “quite addicted to,” and Lady Gaga. “When I think about songwriter greats, she has been top of mind recently,” Abrams told Billboard of Mother Monster.
See Abrams on the cover of Billboard — plus photos from the shoot — below.
This week, Billboard is publishing a series of lists and articles celebrating the music of 20 years ago. Our 2005 Week continues here with a conversation with veteran film star Eric Roberts about starring in three of the biggest videos of 2005 — including the clips for two of our editorial staff’s top three songs of the year.
Twenty years ago, Eric Roberts was a three-time Golden Globe-nominated actor who was starring on an ABC sitcom (Less Than Perfect) and frequently linked to his Oscar-winning little sister, fellow film star Julia Roberts. But 2005 marked a turning point in his career, when he starred in a trio of music videos that would introduce the prolific actor to a whole new generation: The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” and Mariah Carey’s two-part “It’s Like That” and “We Belong Together.”
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In all the videos, he portrayed a shady character who stood in the way of the true love stories at the heart of the storylines. For The Killers, he was the handsome, leering stranger who was keeping frontman Brandon Flowers from a burlesque dancer played by actress Izabella Miko. For Carey, he was a controlling record-exec beau (hint, hint) who was keeping Mimi from the impeccable buzzcut of Prison Break star Wentworth Miller.
He made the absolute most of his limited screen time – memorably taunting Flowers during a contentious game of checkers in the Sophie Muller-directed “Mr. Brightside” and wearing abject heartbreak across his face as Carey left him at the altar in the Brett Ratner-helmed “We Belong Together.”
The Killers “Mr. Brightside”
Courtesy Photo
In honor of 2005 Week, Billboard caught up with Roberts (with a cameo from his actress wife Eliza Roberts for some extra context) to chat about starring in the videos for our No. 1 and No. 3 picks for the staff’s 100 Best Songs of 2005 list and what he remembers about that surreal time — and about the new video he just shot with a star artist of today.
Let’s rewind back to 2005 for a minute. What do you remember about being asked to do The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” video?
Eric: Well, I turned it down at first, because I don’t do videos. I didn’t know anything about them, so I just said no — just kind of a knee-jerk response. And then all my kids called me and said, “What are you doing? You can’t do that! It’s The Killers!” So they told me to call them back and to say I’m available. So I did, and [director] Sophie Muller took me.
Smart kids. What do you remember about that set and about filming with the band?
Eric: It was kind of insane. It was kind of nutty and all over the place, and I never really knew what I was doing or what I was playing, and I just let Sophie boss me around.
Was there a script or a storyboard, or was it very much like, you get into this world and on this set and kind of react in real time?
Eric: I don’t remember ever seeing a script or ever seeing a storyboard, so I don’t know.
Eliza: Yes, there was a storyboard, and it was pretty elaborate, because remember: Sophie had to wrangle these dancers and performers, singers and artists, and an actor who’s used to linear material, scripted, and she had a vision in her head. But within that, she allowed a lot of freedom. She had a lot of respect for what was going on. It’s true that there was never really an explanation, because when people talk about the story of a song, it’s very different from talking about the story of a book or a movie.
What do you remember about filming?
Eric: It was a great big, huge set, and it was cool. It was like a bar.
Eliza: Everyone wanted to come with us. It was so funny, because going from clueless to kind of realizing, like, “Oh, this is really something, it’s like a tipping-point thing.” Eric was doing a series with Zachary Levi at the time [the four-season ABC sitcom Less Than Perfect], and when Zach heard they wanted Eric in [The Killers’ video], Zach literally followed us to set just to see. Everybody showed up. And then we realized, “Oh, I guess we’re really lucky to be here.” But there was a vibe, definitely. I mean, Sophie creates a vibe, and what you saw on the screen was even more in in person.
In 2005, you also had a pair of videos with Mariah Carey. The “It’s Like That” video, which was released first, ends with a “To Be Continued” message, leading to “We Belong Together.” Were those filmed at one time?
Eric: Yeah, those were done at the same time.
What do you remember about that set and working with Mariah?
Eric: I remember her being a queen, just an absolute queen. How she looked, how she acted, her humor — she was a cool chick.
Eliza: She had this incredible two-story trailer, and everyone really wanted to be careful. They had parasols and they didn’t want to call her to set until the moment they needed her. And she was nothing like that! She didn’t require it at all. She kept making fun of everybody for that. She’s like, “What are you doing?” And totally accessible. It was just a fun, amazing set. It was kind of like two parts or two episodes of a series, but shot right at the same time.
Eric, you had initially said no to The Killers, and then obviously that was such a huge success. Did that lead to an easy yes when Brett Ratner came calling for the Mariah videos?
Eric: Why I ended up saying yes to everything is because of her [points to Eliza].
So Eliza and the kids basically talked you into all these music videos?
Eric: Yup, and I go, “OK.”
Eliza: First of all, Brett — we love Brett, and he’s a friend. We always say yes to him. He’s brilliant. But it was the same record label [The Killers and Carey’s songs were both released by Island]. So first Eric said, “Do you really want me to do another one of your artists so soon? I think you’re mistaken. You can’t possibly want that.” And I’m like, “Nope, that’s what they want.” And of course we’re not going to let him not do Mariah Carey. Plus he’s always been secretly in love with her a little bit.
Wait, Eric – can you confirm that part of the story?
[Eric shrugs]
Eliza: I’m outing him! I mean, she’s phenomenal. And he was like, “She’s so beautiful. I think I have a little crush on her.” And he doesn’t do many crushes. And then when we hired [Eliza’s son] Keaton’s then-girlfriend, who’s a makeup artist, [to work on the video] Eric’s like, “You don’t have to have Christina keeping an eye on me with Mariah!” [Laughs]
The Killers’ and Mariah’s videos were very different, but can you compare Sophie and Brett’s directorial styles at all?
Eric: They had something in common: Their sets are kind of mad. They’re kind of insane. They’re typically explosive. They’re fun sets to be on.
Eric, you also presented at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, the year “Mr. Brightside” won for best new artist in a video. Do you remember how you were feeling that night?
Eric: Vaguely, yeah. I remember being there. God, that was a generation ago, so it’s a little tough, but I was there. I don’t really remember having a feeling, I just remember being there.
And during your speech, you slipped in a shout-out to your stepson Keaton, who’s a musician…
Eliza: They kind of forgot to give us any copy or anything, because there was a lot of distraction. So that’s when we kind of put together our own and gave a shout-out to Keaton. I got a million texts suddenly from all kinds of people, some of them being like, “Oh, that took such chutzpah! What balls Eric has!” Like, everyone’s here to promote. Let’s not pretend that’s not the case, right? That’s what this is about, right? So might as well promote someone who’s up and coming, and not just people who don’t need promotion. I mean, come on, guys.
I think they struck it from the from the broadcast later… In the live show, it aired, but then in the repeat, they cut it.
You ended up introducing R. Kelly that night, who put on a wild “Trapped in the Closet” performance. Do you remember much about the performance that followed?
Eric: All went over my head.
Did you notice any big changes to your career or to your public image after appearing in these music videos?
Eric: The only really big change was kids knew who I was, and they never knew who I was before. I’d be in movie theaters, and these eight-year-old kids would say, “Hey, it’s you!” And I’d go, “Yeah, it’s me!” And it was shocking. Everywhere I went, little kids were following me. Yeah, it was fun.
I wondered which video you would get recognized for more.
Eric: Long-term, it was The Killers. But in the immediate, it was Mariah.
You know, in Billboard’s staff list of the 100 best songs of 2005, “We Belong Together” is at No. 3 and “Mr. Brightside” is at No. 1. How does it feel to be a big part of these songs that continue to have this legacy 20 years later?
Eric: Lucky, lucky, lucky. Fun to be a part of it.
You worked with The Killers again on the “Miss Atomic Bomb” video in 2012. What was it like reuniting with them?
Eric: What was funny about that was we were not in the same state as each other. When we shot that video, we were in different places. Crazy. [Eliza] arranged it all. In fact, it’s because of my wife that “Miss Atomic Bomb” got made, because it was not supposed to. Everything was against it. It wasn’t going to work. And she said, “I have an idea.” And she made it work.
Eliza: Eric was shooting in Detroit and I get a call from somebody, a producer, and he’s like, “Hey, we’re going to be doing a prequel to ‘Mr. Brightside.’ We want to know if Eric is available.” And I was like, “Of course he’ll do that! When?” And they’re like, “Day after tomorrow.”
Eric: I was like, what?
Eliza: Then he sends me the storyboard – without Eric, it can’t be done, right? What were you gonna do if I said no? Also, [original “Brightside” star] Izabella [Miko] was dancing in it and leaving for Europe the next day, so basically it had to be that day. So I was like, “Yes, he’ll do it. He’s not in town. Let’s figure this out.” And that director was an animator, and he’s amazing. So I asked his production, “I know you’re doing some green-screen work. I’m going to ship some clothes to you. I’m going to find someone to double Eric there.” I literally looked in the Yellow Pages.
Eric: She found a green-screener. Nicest guy in the world.
Eliza: A little guy who had a green screen [in Michigan], and after the film wrapped, Eric went there. He had no idea what he was doing. He put on his own white suit that I shipped there and smoked a cigarette and did his thing. So you see [Eric’s body double] reach for Izabella, and then she takes his hand and they do a little twirl, and they cut to Eric.
I hear that you just filmed a new video with Summer Walker as well, so your music video journey continues. What can you tell us about that one?
Eric: Summer Walker was the coolest. We had a lot of fun together, and it’s going to be a really good video. It’s going to shock you.
What does it take for you to say yes to a video now?
Eric: I just have to like the song and/or like the artist, and I’m in.
Speaking of which, what music are you into right now?
Eric: Well, you know, I’m a little bit biased, but I’m also very honest: Keaton Simons is my favorite singer/songwriter. He’s also my favorite guitar player. And it’s not because he’s him and I’m me. It’s because of his brilliant talent. You should listen to him; it’ll blow your mind. He’s mind-blowing, and I live for him musically. He toured for a year with Eric Clapton and now he’s with Brett Young.
And what’s next for you?
Eric: There’s a great movie out called Hippo, and it’s got three devastating performances in it. One of them is one of my favorite actors, and that’s my wife. It’s a miraculous movie. It’s not a picnic movie, but it is good.
Ariana Grande is shedding light on how her Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead short film came together, with the pop star sharing behind-the-scenes footage on her YouTube channel Thursday (April 17).
Posted about three weeks after the project dropped — alongside the deluxe edition of Grande’s Billboard 200-topping Eternal Sunshine album — the video opens with the “Yes, And?” singer explaining the premise of her sci-fi-tinged visual. “This whole short film concept is basically about how when we’re young, sometimes we want to erase certain things, or rewrite certain things that feel painful in the moment,” she tells the camera, her neck and face made up to look like her skin was crudely stitched back together for one of the film’s Frankenstein-inspired scenes.
“But when we grow older, we would do anything to relive those moments, and we’re so grateful for them and for how they made us who we are and helped us become who we are today,” she continues.
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In the short film, Grande reprises her role as Peaches from the “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” music video, this time several decades older and visiting the Brighter Days clinic to relive her old memories. Donning special makeup to make her look elderly, the Grammy winner watches herself as a child hanging out with her family, performing for thousands of fans, walking through the wreckage of a house she used to share with a romantic partner, and eventually getting abducted by a UFO.
The behind-the-scenes clip also features Grande giving fans a tour of the house set, pointing out her favorite details alongside co-director Christian Breslauer. It also gives fans a look at how they pulled off the UFO stunt, hooking the Wicked star up to special wires that hoist her up into the air.
Elsewhere in the new video, Grande explains the meaning behind a scene in which a crazed doctor — played by her real life father, Ed Butera — brings her back to life by injecting her with musical soundwaves. “My dad played the part of this mad doctor-scientist so beautifully,” she says over footage of the father-daughter pair filming the sequence. “The same thing that has made my life complicated in certain ways is also the same thing that heals me time and time again, and that is music.”
“It’s also been the most beautiful gift of my life and has always been the thing that has helped me heal — along with therapy and learning to take care of myself and boundaries,” she continues. “But time and time again, that’s always been the thing that puts me back together, as well as my family and healing those wounds as well. This is called when you have too many ideas and too many resources, it can go any which way.”
While sitting on the bed in one of the sets with Breslauer, Grande also gushes about how meaningful Eternal Sunshine has been to her. Originally released in March 2024, the project spent two weeks in the Billboard 200 top spot — to which it returned a year later with the deluxe release — and spawned two Billboard Hot 100-topping singles with “Yes, And?” and “We Can’t Be Friends.”
“I’m so grateful,” she tells the camera. “It’s my favorite album, and you’re my favorite director. These are my favorite videos, so yeah, we’re going to overdo it.”
Watch the behind-the-scenes video above.