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Take it from Dax Shepard: Dancing to Sabrina Carpenter‘s music with your kids is super fun. The PG-13 conversations that her songs might inspire afterward? Not so much.
On the latest episode of his Armchair Expert podcast, the actor — who shares 13-year-old Lincoln and 10-year-old Delta with wife Kristen Bell — started out by saying that despite being “so late to the party,” he’s now “an enormous Sabrina Carpenter fan.”
“It started with ‘Bed Chem,’” he shared, referencing one of the steamier tracks on the Girl Meets World alum’s Billboard 200-topping album Short n’ Sweet. “I was driving with Delta to school today, and we listen to it every morning … If a song, it hits, you can’t resist dancing with your shoulders. We were really getting our shoulders active this morning, it was a blast.
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“It’s really fun now that I love her favorite artist,” he added. “It’s fun for her. ‘Cause now I’m on the Sabrina train.”
That said, Shepard isn’t quite as big a fan of one of the other tracks on Carpenter’s LP: “Juno,” the aphrodisiacal chorus of which is inspired by the 2007 film of the same name about a high schooler, played by Elliot Page, who gets pregnant. “I don’t wanna tell [Delta] it wasn’t my favorite, ’cause it’s her favorite — but I’m not gonna lie to her,” he said before explaining the awkward parenting moment the racy song’s lyrics inspired.
“She goes, ‘But do you know what Juno is?’ and I go, ‘No…,’” Shepard recalled. “And she’s like, ‘Well, it’s a movie,’ and I go, ‘The movie Juno? Yes, I know.’ She goes, ‘Yeah … It’s a story about a girl who gets pregnant.’”
“I go, ‘That’s a little nasty,’” he continued. “And she goes, ‘What’s nasty about wanting to have a baby with somebody?’ I go, ‘Well, it’s a teenager. She’s in high school.’”
“The way she phrased it was like, ‘Wait, what’s nasty about wanting to have a baby with someone you love?’” Shepard added. “And I was like, ‘Oh no, there’s nothing nasty about that, I’m just saying, ‘I wanna get pregnant in high school’ is kind of a nasty, fun lyric. It’s a positive ‘nasty,’ I’m saying.”
Full of NSFW lyrics and double entendres, “Juno” is one of the biggest fan favorites on Short n’ Sweet. That’s thanks in part to the fact that each night on Carpenter’s ongoing tour in support of the album, she strikes a different pose on stage to coincide with the suggestive lyric, “Wanna try out some freaky positions?/ Have you ever tried this one?”
At one of her recent shows in Paris, for instance, she paid tribute to the city by contorting her body into the shape of the Eiffel Tower with the help of two male backup dancers.
Listen to Shepard recount his and Delta’s conversation about Carpenter on Armchair Expert below.
Lady Gaga is over a decade and a half into her superstar career, and with this March’s Mayhem she’s proving to still be one of the most reliable performers in pop music.
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The acclaimed new set debuts atop the Billboard 200 this week (dated Mar. 23) — her seventh time topping the chart, albeit with a smaller first-week number (219,000) than her previous set of originals, 2020’s Chromatica (274,000), according to Luminate. “Die With a Smile,” Gaga’s smash duet with Bruno Mars, also holds at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, while pre-release hit “Abracadabra” returns to the chart’s top 20, and eight other songs from the set populate the chart’s lower half.
How should Gaga feel about her latest set’s entrance? And where do we rate it within her catalog? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.
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1. Mayhem debuts atop the Billboard 200 with 219,000 equivalent album units. On a scale from 1-10, how happy should Gaga be with that first-week performance?
Katie Atkinson: 9. There are no guarantees in the music industry, even with a track record like Gaga’s, so to secure the No. 1 spot with a hefty first-week number can only be seen as a win. Considering this album rollout ostensibly began with the release of “Die With a Smile” back in August, the way she’s been able to build interest over the last eight-ish months — reaching a pop culture crescendo with the interest around last month’s “Abracadabra” — is honestly a master class in pre-release buzz.
Stephen Daw: I’d say a 9 is appropriate here. A No. 1 debut is a No. 1 debut, and to do it with the biggest numbers from a female artist thus far in 2025 — and the biggest streaming week of Gaga’s career — is a pretty incredible feat for a performer who is nearly 20 years into her career. The only reason I’m not immediately going to 10 is simply because of the number itself — the album did better in its first week than 2016’s Joanne, but is still behind all of her other studio albums in first-week gains. I’m sure it would have been nice for Gaga to break the 300,000 mark for the first time since Born This Way’s release, but Mayhem‘s success is still a huge deal.
Kyle Denis: A solid 7. Coming back with an acclaimed record that opened with 200k+ after a year of flop movies and soundtracks is a win, plain and simple. Now that final number being below the opening week totals for Chromatica is a bit curious – especially considering there seems to be more passion for the music of Mayhem versus its predecessor – but still nothing to scoff at.
Jason Lipshutz: A 9. Longtime pop purveyors have lived through various reports of Lady Gaga’s commercial demise — from the 99-cent Born This Way price tag to the multimedia mixed bag of Artpop to the slow start of Joanne to the two-thumbs-down response to Joker: Folie a Deux — and they have all been greatly exaggerated. As she approaches the two-decade mark of her breakthrough, Gaga is not only still collecting hits, but can command enough attention around a new full-length that it debuts with a six-figure total, the best bow of 2025 by a woman artist. This strong opening week number should be treated as a marker of continued longevity, and be celebrated.
Andrew Unterberger: Let’s say an 8. The number isn’t overwhelming, but it’s very solid — and we should note that the superior Chromatica number came when ticket and merch bundles were still counted towards the Billboard 200, which certainly helped that debut performance. Mostly, Gaga should be thrilled that fans are as excited about the album as they are, and that in a pop era overrun by stars who bear both her direct and indirect influence, she still makes a big impact every time out.
2. “Die With a Smile” remains the best-performing song on the set, holding at No. 2 on the Hot 100 this week. The song’s placement as the album’s final track has proven controversial among fans — do you think it earns its inclusion on the set?
Katie Atkinson: I think the end of the track list is the exact right spot. In interviews, Gaga has compared Mayhem to “one night out,” so that would make “Die With a Smile” the point in the night when you exit the club, shield your eyes from the early-morning sun, and fantasize about going to the ends of the earth (or the end times, in this case) with someone you only just met. Tacking what could have been a one-off duet onto your track list could look calculated, but I think Gaga putting it in the final spot makes it feel like an artistic choice instead.
Stephen Daw: Not really, and that’s okay! “Die With a Smile” was not conceived as a Mayhem track, and it does show. While the album’s final run of songs with “The Beast” and “Blade of Grass” does help transition into the song’s romantic balladry, “Die With a Smile” stands out on this album as more of an epilogue than anything else. But, because the track doesn’t show up until the very end of the album, it ultimately isn’t the biggest deal that it’s a bit misplaced — by the time you arrive at Gaga and Bruno’s megahit, you’ve already gotten the full Mayhem experience.
Kyle Denis: Sure? It’s really a symptom of the chart world that we live in that an artist can’t just let a monster standalone single remain standalone. Nonetheless, to Gaga’s credit, she does make a valiant effort to sequence the album in a way that connects “Die With a Smile” with the rest of the tracklist, but it’s still a bit jarring hearing Bruno’s voice out of the blue when you listen to the album from front to back.
Jason Lipshutz: Of course! It’s the definition of a victory lap on Mayhem — removed tonally from the uptempo electro-pop, but a current smash that concludes the full-length on a triumphant note, and is too important to Gaga’s career trajectory to simply float on as a single without a host album. This deep into the streaming age, it’s hard to quibble with any artist tacking a big single onto the end of an album to help boost streaming totals… but in this instance, the decision feels artistically sound, and is well-earned.
Andrew Unterberger: Not particularly, but it’s forgivable.
3. Of the set’s other tracks, “Abracadabra” also peeks its head back into the top 20 (at No. 19, after previously reaching a No. 12 peak) while another eight of the album’s tracks can be found in the Hot 100’s bottom half. Do you think “Abracadabra” has cemented itself as the album’s biggest Gaga-only hit, or do you think one of the newer songs will eventually come to challenge it?
Katie Atkinson: On my first listen, “How Bad Do U Want Me” was so undeniably catchy that I would be surprised if it doesn’t eventually find its way to pop radio. A lot of the release-week headlines focused on whether Taylor Swift might have been involved in the song, thanks to fan theories online, and it makes sense that a song that recalls the radio-dominating Swift – but is undeniably Gaga at the same time – would fit right in at top 40.
Stephen Daw: If Gaga chooses not to give any of her other tracks the single treatment, then “Abracadabra” is going to be Mayhem’s big solo hit for Gaga, no question. Fans love the song, her performance of the track on Saturday Night Live is being rightfully praised, and the gothic music video continues to inspire new trends online.
But I would bet on Gaga having at least one more single up her sleeve for this album’s release — Gaga historically loves to put out a post-album single just a couple weeks after the set’s release (see Joanne’s “Million Reasons,” Chromatica’s “911,” Born This Way’s “Marry the Night,” and so on). If she were to put together a splashy music video ahead of her Coachella performance next month for fan-loved tracks like “Garden of Eden” or “Shadow of Man,” Gaga could easily have another hit on her hands — one that might even make “Abracadabra” disappear.
Kyle Denis: For the time being, “Abracadabra” is definitely the album’s biggest Gaga-only hit, but it’s not like “Disease” put up much of a fight. I know “Perfect Celebrity” and “Killah” are getting a lot of love right now – and “Garden of Eden” snagged the key F1 sync – but my money is on “Vanish Into You.” It’s got that kind of wistful-but-still-danceable feel that sent tracks like Ariana Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends” to No. 1 around this time last year.
Jason Lipshutz: I prefer other vibes on Mayhem to the maximalist pop of “Abracadabra,” from the downhill motion of “Shadow of a Man” to the slinkiness of “Killah” to the icy arena-rock of “Perfect Celebrity,” and we’ll see where this album campaign goes in the coming months. But for now, “Abracadabra” has clearly struck a chord, harkening back to Gaga eras of yore while also unfurling an enormous new hook and brash visuals. At this moment, I’d be surprised if another solo Gaga song from Mayhem overtakes it as a bigger top 20 hit on the Hot 100.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s been a pretty long time since a Gaga album produced a major post-album-release hit — the only one I can think of in the past 10 years is “Bloody Mary,” which of course came from an album released a whole decade earlier. So I’m guessing “Abracadabra” will reign pretty unchallenged, but I’m certainly rooting for “How Bad Do U Want Me” or “Perfect Celebrity.”
4. Gaga’s media approach to this album was very old-school in its zone-flooding, with the pop star embracing both newer and traditional forms of media and promotion and generally making herself unmissable in the leadup to the set. From the early response to the album, do you think that approach has proven to be a successful one — and why did or didn’t it work?
Katie Atkinson: Oh, it worked. And it maybe its my own personal fondness for Gaga, but it never felt oversaturated. I think it was the variety of appearances – from a lie-detector test, to hosting SNL, to eating hot wings – that kept the audience from getting bored of her. In short, I think she nailed it.
Stephen Daw: As someone who had the honor of interviewing Gaga for this project, I am unbiased and 100% objective in saying that this strategy worked and she should definitely keep doing it.
Big press tours like this can be risky today because fans can smell desperation — if you come across looking too much like you’re selling a product, they will push back against the appearances as advertisements. But Gaga never appeared even slightly insincere in her various interviews ahead of Mayhem; she seemed genuinely stoked for her fans to get to hear her new songs. Had another, less engaged artist attempted a similar run with their media appearances ahead of an album drop, it probably wouldn’t have worked. But because it was Gaga, making herself as available as possible to a fanbase that really wanted to hear from her, this full court press worked wonders.
Kyle Denis: I think it’s definitely proven successful. Her SNL performances really sold the full scope of Mayhem, and she leaned into fan service by teasing a “Telephone” continuation multiple times. With her biggest streaming debut ever, another Billboard 200 No. 1 and yet another 200k+ opening week, it’s hard to argue against the strategy. Retrospectively, however, I do wish Team Gaga rallied around one song to pull off a release week top 10 debut on the Hot 100; “Smile” being the only current top 10 hit from the album isn’t the best look.
Jason Lipshutz: Everyone is aware of Lady Gaga — who she is, what she stands for, where to listen to her ubiquitous smash with Bruno Mars. But what the media blitz leading up to Mayhem accomplished was making even the most casual fan aware that Gaga was back with a new album on March 7, via performances, interviews, promotional opportunities and viral sound bites. Flooding the zone gave the entire mainstream a heads-up to check out her new album when it arrived on streaming services earlier this month, and based on the No. 1 debut and equivalent albums unit total, that strategy worked very well.
Andrew Unterberger: We’ve covered this pretty extensively elsewhere, but yeah — the entire campaign was an unquestioned W for Gaga and her team.
5. After getting to live with it for about a week and a half, where are you currently rating Mayhem within the Gaga catalog?
Katie Atkinson: Whew, this is tough. I think I have it in an arm-wrestling match with Chromatica for the No. 4 spot, after The Fame Monster, The Fame and Born This Way. Right now, Mayhem has the edge, because I’m really feeling its more throwback vibes, but catch me on another day and Chromatica could jump back up.
Stephen Daw: Mayhem is Gaga’s best album in over a decade, period. I would still put it just below her earliest studio projects — The Fame, The Fame Monster and Born This Way are considered modern pop masterpieces for a reason — but above the rest of her discography.
Kyle Denis: In terms of her solo studio albums, this is comfortably in a distant third behind The Fame Monster and Born This Way for me. If we’re adding in the Tony Bennett collab albums, Cheek to Cheek might have something to say. But don’t let me get to talking about the soft spot I have for Harlequin!
Jason Lipshutz: Pretty high! I loved Chromatica as a return to the bold pop of her early days, and while I think her 2020 album had higher peaks, the more time I spend with Mayhem, the more consistent it sounds. For now, I’d probably slot behind The Fame/Fame Monster and Chromatica, and on the same plane as Gaga’s most underrated album, Artpop.
Andrew Unterberger: Just a half-notch below Chromatica for me as far as her best album since her opening trio goes — but together with its predecessor, a really great reclamation of her pop legacy and confirmation that she’s still one of the all-time greats.
JoJo Siwa has had her fair share of viral moments over the past year, but now she’s in on the joke.
The “Karma” superstar walked the red carpet at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday night (March 17), where she spotted Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly, with whom she had a controversial interview where she claimed she founded “gay pop.”
“I’m not talking to you,” she playfully told Kelly, before explaining, “You know what today is? It’s not only the iHeartRadio Music Awards, which is where I said ‘dream guest on my podcast’ but it’s also the one year anniversary of GLAAD Awards, which is where with your a— I said, ‘It’s called gay pop.’
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In her original Billboard News interview with Kelly, Siwa said that when she originally signed to Columbia Records, she told the label, “I want to start a new genre of music … it’s called ‘gay pop,’” before going on to compare the genre to the jazz-funk genre of dance. The online community quickly began criticizing Siwa for saying she wanted to “create” this “new genre,” with queer icons Tegan and Sara literally offering the 20-year-old singer some side eye on their TikTok page.
However, Siwa is moving forward, sharing that she has a “big announcement that involves a lot of people all over the world” coming on March 22. She joked that her next musical era will include “something that nobody has ever done before.”
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Her “unexpected” moves she’s planning include that she’s “going to sing,” and “maybe even write my own song for once,” referencing the backlash surrounding songwriter Brit Smith, who recorded Siwa’s track “Karma” back in 2012.
Wrapping up their interview, Kelly told Siwa that another viral moment is likely on the horizon. “We’ll see y’all on TikTok,” Siwa joked, looking into the camera. Watch the full interview below.
First released in 2019, Doechii’s “Anxiety” blasts onto the Billboard Hot 100 (dated March 22) at No. 13, thanks to its wide release at last, sparked by a 2023 reworking of the song and a new viral surge (with an assist by Will Smith and Tatyana Ali).
The song by the rapper-singer — who is set to receive the 2025 Woman of the Year award at the annual Billboard Women in Music celebration March 29 — enters with 20.6 million official U.S. streams, a 289% vault week-over-week, March 7-13, according to Luminate. Her highest charting Hot 100 hit also becomes her first top 10 on Streaming Songs (No. 5 debut), the Billboard Global 200 (No. 6) and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. (No. 7). It drew 56.9 million streams and sold 9,000 worldwide in the tracking week.
With “Anxiety” then available only on YouTube, Brooklyn rapper Sleepy Hallow co-opted its hook for the chorus of his own “A N X I E T Y.” Billed to Sleepy Hallow featuring Doechii, the 2023 release has experienced a TikTok-led surge in recent weeks, as users have soundtracked the “A N X I E T Y” chorus to a scene of Smith and Ali dancing in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the Smith-led sitcom that aired on NBC in 1990-96. “A N X I E T Y” debuted on the March 15-dated Hot 100 at No. 45 and ranks at No. 59 in its second week with 8.7 million streams. It also garnered 29.6 million streams worldwide March 7-13.
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The new attention for “A N X I E T Y” sent fans to Doechii’s solo, YouTube-only version, prompting the rapper-singer to release her original “Anxiety” wide on DSPs and digital retailers on March 4, triggering its arrival on March 22-dated charts following the first full week of its greater availability.
Notably, “Anxiety” and “A N X I E T Y” prominently sample Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” (featuring Kimbra), the smash that topped the Hot 100 for eight weeks in 2012 and went on to win two Grammy Awards, including record of the year. That hit jumped by 20% to 16.5 million global streams in the week ending March 13. It also makes the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart at No. 9 with 5.1 million U.S. streams (up 17%). Still in rotation at multiple radio formats, it additionally logged 3.9 million in airplay audience (up 16%).
Meanwhile, Doechii accomplishes the rare double of appearing on the Hot 100 with two versions of a song simultaneously. (Generally, mixes of a current release roll up into one entry for chart purposes, although in certain cases, such as an act being billed as a lead on one version and a featured artist on another, they remain separate.) In 2009, for example, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind” ruled the Hot 100 for five weeks. Amid its 30-week run, her solo ballad version — “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down” — spent a week on the chart, at No. 55, in January 2010.
Further back, in 1990, the Righteous Brothers charted concurrent versions of their classic “Unchained Melody,” originally a No. 4 hit in 1965. Its synch in the blockbuster film Ghost scared up new love for the ballad, sending the original version back to a No. 13 high. With that single available at the time only on vinyl, the duo released a new recording of it (on a different label) as a cassette single, which hit No. 19.
Lady Gaga is back with a monster week on Billboard’s charts, thanks to her new album, MAYHEM.
The set blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 219,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in its opening week (March 7-13), according to Luminate — the biggest weekly sum for an album by a woman this year.
MAYHEM earns Gaga her seventh career Billboard 200 No. 1, tying her with Janet Jackson for the fifth-most among women in the chart’s history (which dates to 1956). Taylor Swift leads with 14, followed by Barbra Streisand (11), Madonna (nine) and Beyoncé (eight).
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Meanwhile, nine songs from MAYHEM chart on the latest Billboard Hot 100, led by former five-week No. 1 “Die With a Smile,” with Bruno Mars, at No. 2. Here’s a recap (all of which are debuts except where noted):
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Rank, Title:
No. 2, “Die With a Smile,” with Bruno Mars (spent five weeks at No. 1)
No. 19, “Abracadabra” (up from No. 29; peaked at No. 13 in February)
No. 52, “Garden of Eden”
No. 61, “Vanish Into You”
No. 69, “How Bad Do U Want Me”
No. 81, “Perfect Celebrity”
No. 85, “Zombieboy”
No. 93, “Killah,” feat. Gesaffelstein
No. 95, “LoveDrug”
The seven debuts up Gaga’s career count to 46 total Hot 100 entries. She first appeared on the ranking dated Aug. 16, 2008, with “Just Dance,” featuring Colby O’Donis, her first No. 1, for three weeks beginning on Jan. 17, 2009. She boasts six No. 1s, among 18 top 10s.
MAYHEM also debuts at No. 1 on Top Dance Albums, becoming Gaga’s record-breaking eighth leader, as she surpasses Louie DeVito for the most in the chart’s 24-year history. Her 2008 debut, The Fame, has spent a record 193 weeks at No. 1.
Gaga also charts nine songs, all from the new set, on Billboard’s recently launched Hot Dance/Pop Songs chart:
No. 1, “Abracadabra” (up from No. 2; fourth total week at No. 1)
No. 3, “Garden of Eden”
No. 4, “Vanish Into You”
No. 5, “Disease”
No. 6, “Zombieboy”
No. 8, “Killah,” feat. Gesaffelstein
No. 9, “LoveDrug”
No. 12, “Shadow of a Man”
No. 13, “Don’t Call Tonight”
Hollywood can be a very lonely place. Whether you’re at the bottom trying to crawl your way up to the middle, or at the top looking down on all the places you’ve been, it’s not alway easy to find people who can relate, and embrace, who you really are.
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Snow White star Rachel Zegler knows that journey all too well, and now that she’s earning high praise for her title role in the live action remake of the classic Disney tale, the West Side Story veteran has opened up to Allure in a cover story about all the fellow A-listers who have had her back over the years.
“She reached out to me — kind of apropos of nothing — and was like, ‘If you need anything, I am here,’” Zegler, 23, said of Ariana Grande’s generosity. “She is so deeply kind. She has gone through so much in the public eye, and I have always really, really admired her courage in the face of all of that.”
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Among the other women who have stepped up to offer support according to Zegler are actor and activist Jameela Jamil, who she considers to be a “big sister” at this point. “I love that she has no regrets about being outspoken, about being strong-willed and strong-minded,” Zegler said of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law star. She also gotten props from her Shazam! Fury of the Gods costars Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, who she called “my keepers in all of this, where I feel very held by them.”
While Hollywood is always a competitive place, Zegler said she doesn’t conform to the idea that it has to pit women against each other. “All I’m ever really looking for in this business is a sister and they’re not always easy to find. We’re often told that other women have to be your competition and I don’t subscribe to that,” she said, noting that she’s all for “championing your friends” and co-workers.
“So the second that there’s any intimidation or competition, just put on ‘Girl, so confusing’ by Charli XCX and talk it out,” she counseled. “I’ve come to know that in the last couple of years, in search of female friendship in the industry, there is room for all of us no matter what anybody else will have you think.”
The story also touches on Zegler, whose family is Colombian, stepping into the role that was described in the original Brothers Grimm story in 1812 as one inhabited by a woman “white as snow,” at a time when the Trump administration is rolling back DEI initiatives and scrubbing the government’s websites of any words tied to diversity or inclusion.
“The reality is, I was given a chance because I could sing,” she told the magazine about her bona fides to play the role that has traditionally been inhabited by white actresses in the film opening on Friday (March 21). “They saw something. Something they could invest in for the future,” she said of Snow White coproducer Marc Platt and director Marc Webb’s recognition that it was her talent, not her appearance, that mattered when casting her in the role.
“Snow White has an optimistic, youthful grace. Even in her darkest moments, she finds humanity and beauty in others,” Webb said. “I think Rachel has that in her spirit. And it doesn’t hurt that during her screen test, she made us weep with her rendition of ‘Waiting on a Wish.’”
Lizzo has some things to get off her chest. In a series of posts on X Monday (March 17), the star clapped back at critics of her new music before calling out the way Black women have historically been mistreated.
Four days after the release of her latest single “Still Bad,” Lizzo began by writing, “Saying my brand of ‘poptimism’ doesn’t work in a ‘post Covid world’ is a lazy take.”
“As if I didn’t write ‘about damn time’ to be a post lockdown anthem to inspire us to get outside and together again.. and was successful at it btw,” she continued, referring to her 2022 Billboard Hot 100-topping single that won record of the year at the 2023 Grammys. “I think seeing and hearing a black woman make real music with radical joy triggers miserable people … but I follow in the footsteps of Janet [Jackson], of Funkadelic, of Earth Wind and Fire… nobody’s doing it like me for Us.”
It’s been a long time since Lizzo used X, having made the switch to Jack Dorsey’s Bluesky in November after declaring, “I hate the internet.” But on Monday, the hitmaker said of her return to Elon Musk’s platform, “Yall really got me off Bluesky … but I got time today.”
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The next day, the “Truth Hurts” rapper returned with a few closing thoughts. “The way this world treats black women is sickening,” she wrote, citing Jackson, Whitney Houston and Tina Turner as examples of Black women musicians who faced adversity in their careers. “The least protected person in America…”
“What happened to me was supposed to destroy me but it has only set me free!” Lizzo added. “Now I know none of this is real. The only thing that’s real is the love that I share with my family, my friends, nature, my fans, in Real Life.”
“Still Bad” and Lizzo’s previous single, “Love in Real Life,” mark her first proper releases since 2022’s Special album. The songs also serve as her comeback after a few of her former dancers sued her in August 2023 on allegations of sexual harassment and hostile work environment, all of which the Yitty founder has repeatedly and emphatically denied. She was also sued by her former stylist, Asha Daniels, for similar claims — which Lizzo also thoroughly refuted — but the musician was dismissed from the case in December. Her Big Grrrl Big Touring Company Inc. remains a defendant in the latter case.
Lizzo has been open about how her mental health has suffered in the aftermath, and perseverance is already a major theme in the two new songs she’s dropped this year leading up to new album Love in Real Life. She also elaborated on the subject during Tuesday (March 18) interview with SiriusXM’s The Morning Mashup, saying of her struggles with depression, “I think we like to shame ourselves for feeling bad, especially as Black women.”
“I’m like, ‘Get it together. Why can’t I just be in a good mood? Why can’t I just be happy? Why can’t I just be strong?’” she continued on the program. “And it’s just like, you have to be easy on yourself and let yourself feel what you’re feeling.”
See some of Lizzo’s messages on X below.
Saying my brand of “poptimism” doesn’t work in a “post Covid world” is a lazy take..As if I didn’t release ‘about damn time’ post pandemic..— LIZZO (@lizzo) March 17, 2025
As if I didn’t write ‘about damn time’ to be a post lockdown anthem to inspire us to get outside and together again.. and was successful at it btw 😉— LIZZO (@lizzo) March 17, 2025
I think seeing and hearing a black woman make real music with radical joy triggers miserable people… but I follow in the footsteps of Janet, of Funkadelic, of Earth Wind and Fire… nobody’s doing it like me for Us. And I stand on that.— LIZZO (@lizzo) March 17, 2025
Yall really got me off Bluesky 😂 but I got time today 🙂↕️— LIZZO (@lizzo) March 17, 2025
The way this world treats black women is sickening… blacklisted Janet and now 20yrs later yall calling her music “cute black girl bops” & giving her flowers… Dogged Whitney for her love life & called her a drug addict for laughs but now yall wanna honor her Yall laughed at…— LIZZO (@lizzo) March 18, 2025
What happened to me was supposed to destroy me but it has only set me free!Now I know none of this is real. The only thing that’s real is the love that I share with my family, my friends, nature, my fans, in Real Life ♥️— LIZZO (@lizzo) March 18, 2025
An Evening With Elton John and Brandi Carlile, a one-hour concert special featuring live performances, stories about the pair’s friendship and an intimate look at their new collaborative album, will air on CBS on Sunday, April 6 (8-9 p.m. ET/PT) and stream on Paramount+. Filming on Wednesday, March 26, at London’s iconic Palladium Theatre and […]
Feeling good can definitely lead to sounding good. That’s the lesson Selena Gomez said she learned while working in secret on her first album with fiancé Benny Blanco, I Said I Love You First.
In an joint interview with Rolling Stone, the happy couple said that while they are super psyched to plan their wedding — “I think every day she’s planned a new wedding in her head” said Blanco — for now, they are focusing on promoting and talking about the LP due out this Friday (March 21).
On her first album since 2020’s Rare, Gomez said the sessions were the “most intimate” she’s ever had in a studio, helped by the fact that she was working with her beloved and their trusted group of friends and collaborators. “We did everything from home, and we created it with people that we love,” she said, citing a re-team with songwriters Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter, who she worked with a decade ago on her Billboard Hot 100 No. 5 hit “Good For You.”
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And while the seating arrangements for their nuptials are not being worked out just yet, Blanco said the sessions were a love-filled supplement to their relationship. “I hadn’t seen her excited about music for a long time. And I remember she was like, ‘I have to pull over the car because I’m so happy,’” Blanco said. “And then I knew at that moment. I was like, ‘Well, if it’s making both of us happy, then hopefully it makes a few other people happy.’”
Gomez said she was “very frustrated and kind of confused” about where she wanted to go next musically, confiding in Blanco that she wasn’t sure what her sound is now. Luckily, 11-time Grammy nominee producer/songwriter Blanco was there, with a pad and pen, writing down whatever was on Sel’s mind as soon as she woke up, then jumping right into their home studio to make it a reality. “It was such a cathartic and therapeutic experience,” he said of the sessions they purposely kept “really close to the chest” so that they could write “exactly how we wanted it and to feel exactly now we wanted it to feel.”
After the success of her 2019 No. 1 hit “Lose You to Love Me” Gomez, 32, said she realized that storytelling was her strength and that her vocal sweet spot was in a lower register with a softer tone. Plus, given Blanco’s platinum status contact list, roping in current chart queens like Gracie Abrams (as well as Billie Eilish collaborator and older brother Finneas for two songs) was easy, and made perfect sense.
Blanco has known the “That’s So True” singer since she was 14 — she used to date one of his close friends — so when it came to inviting Abrams, 25, into their circle of trust to record “Call Me When You Break Up” he said it was not only a slam dunk, but seemingly meant to be. “One day, me and Selena were just talking about stuff, and Selena started following her, and they started commenting on each other’s things … She has so many unique characteristics about her, but she also has so many similar ones to Selena,” he said of Abrams. “When they hang out, they’re like, ‘Oh my god, we’re like, the same person.’ And they’re both little hermits that want to stay in and they’re both pretty shy, but somehow turn it on and become the biggest stars in the world.”
During the shoot for the song’s video, Blanco said the two women had what he described as “almost like telepathy” when they were talking to each other, with Gomez easily slipping into the big sister role. “And low-key, I got cool points from my little sister for having her on [the album],” Gomez added.
The ease of the sessions also helped produce one of Gomez’s cheekiest love songs to date, the lascivious “Sunset Blvd.” which is simply dripping with innuendo that Blanco said had them laughing during the sessions. “‘Can we really get away with it? Is this really something we’re gonna do?’” he remembered asking. “That’s when the best moments come out. A lot of artists won’t do stuff like that. And Selena has the perfect way of dipping her toe in the water of, like, almost too far, but not — but, like, is it? And it’s because she’s so multifaceted.”
Gomez said that toe-dipping came as a result of her being more comfortable playing around with lyrics that she used to be, crediting acts like Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Abrams and Charli XCX for giving her “a little bit more freedom to play.”
Clearly at ease in each other’s company, Gomez said the title of the album perfectly describes their relationship and “embodies his stories combined with my stories,” while also leaving some things unsaid. “They have meanings that are really just personal to both of us,” he said. “So one song could actually mean two different things.”
At this point, Blanco said he’s just “happy to be along for the ride” thanks to his “put me in, coach” attitude about his professional and personal relationship with Gomez. “I’m doing whatever it takes,” he said.
Thanks to the “massive” marquise-cut diamond ring Blanco slipped on Gomez’s finger in December, it’s only natural that questions about their wedding plans keep coming up. Blanco said they’re just taking things one day at a time for now, even as Gomez can’t stop staring at the sparkler. “I genuinely feel like this is such a special time that we get to apply it to this album and really just pour our heart into it, and completely translate what we feel and bring it to the world,” she said. “That’s my main focus right now, at least.”
John Legend is going global with the 20th anniversary celebration of his debut album Get Lifted. The 13-time Grammy Award winner’s Get Lifted 20th Anniversary World Tour — with select dates produced by Live Nation — will visit more than 40 cities across the U.K., Europe and North America when it begins on May 27 in Glasgow, U.K. Additional major stops include The O2 in London, Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, Accor Arena in Paris, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and Barclays Center in New York before the tour wraps on Dec. 9 in Oakland, Calif.
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In tandem with the tour announcement, Legend will visit The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Tuesday (March 18). Doubling as both a talk and musical guest, he will perform the Get Lifted track “Used to Love U” along with Black Thought and backed by The Roots.
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“Used to Love U” is one of several fan faves featured on Legend’s Grammy-winning breakthrough album. Released Dec. 28, 2004 (Legend’s 26th birthday) via GOOD Music, Sony Urban Music and Columbia Records, the 14-track Get Lifted was comprised of songs written or co-written by Legend, who also served as an executive producer. In addition to “Used to Love U,” the album spun off the singles “Number One,” “So High” and “Ordinary People” (his first top 40 Hot 100 hit at No. 24) while notching No. 4 and No. 1, respectively, on the U.K. Singles Chart and U.K. R&B Singles Chart.
With its engaging and seamless fusion of R&B, neo-soul, hip-hop and pop, Get Lifted gave Legend his first Billboard 200 top 10 (No. 4) and first No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It later scored eight Grammy nominations and won Legend three statuettes — best new artist, best R&B album and best male R&B vocal performance for “Ordinary People.” The single as well as the album have since attained RIAA double-Platinum status.
Also available now are two special Get Lifted (20th Anniversary) packages:the digital deluxe and deluxe 3LP vinyl editions. Highlights on both include remixed versions of eight tracks such as the aforementioned Black Thought guesting on the revamped “Used 2 Love U.” Among the editions’ other special guests are Tems, Killer Mike and Lil Wayne, and Simi. Expanding on the original album with 11 bonus tracks, Get Lifted (20th Anniversary) offers eight brand new remixes, rare B-sides and two previously unreleased studio performances recorded during the original Get Lifted sessions.
Legend will be backed by his full band on the forthcoming world tour. The setlist will include fan faves, deep cuts and fresh interpretations of seminal tracks from Get Lifted. The EGOT-winning singer-songwriter-pianist will also perform an array of his other career-defining hits.
Additional dates for the Get Lifted 20th Anniversary World Tour will be announced soon. In the meantime, presales for the U.K./Europe dates begin March 19, with general onsale starting March 21. North America presales kick off March 26, followed by general on-sale starting March 28. For additional tour details and ticket information, visit Legend’s website.
See the full list of tour dates below: