Music News

27 Jun 2024

Kinky Friedman, Texas Musician & Humorist, Dies at 79

Kinky Friedman, the country singer-songwriter known for songs like “Sold American” and his quick wit in his writings, interviews and beyond, died at his home in Texas. He was 79 years old.

His death was announced via a statement posted to X. “Kinky Friedman stepped on a rainbow at his beloved Echo Hill surrounded by family & friends,” the message read. “Kinkster endured tremendous pain & unthinkable loss in recent years but he never lost his fighting spirit and quick wit. Kinky will live on as his books are read and his songs are sung.”

Additionally, following the news of his death, Friedman’s estate posted a sweet excerpt from one of his 1993 columns about his love for animals: “They say when you die and go to heaven all the dogs and cats you’ve ever had in your life come running to meet you.”

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In the music world, Friedman’s best known album was 1973’s Sold American, which featured the title track, “High On Jesus,” “The Ballad Of Charles Whitman” and more. He also had a humor-filled campaign to run for Texas governor back in 2006. “How hard can it be?’ was the slogan of the Texas Governor Candidate. Despite the longshot, he managed to garner almost 13% of the vote.

He also ran a popular column at Texas Monthly, and released a series of successful novels, including 1986’s Greenwich Killing Time, 1987’s A Case Of Lone Star, 1988’s When the Cat’s Away and, most recently, 2008’s What Would Kinky Do? How to Unscrew a Screwed Up World.

27 Jun 2024

Gunna Confirms He’s Still Signed to Young Thug’s YSL Label: ‘No Paperwork Has Been Changed’

Ever since Gunna was released on an Alford plea deal in the YSL RICO trial, fans have wondered about his ties to the YSL label and relationship with Young Thug, who remains behind bars.

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The Atlanta rapper welcomed Spotify’s RapCaviar into his world for an episode of A Day in the Life With Gunna earlier this week, which found him clearing up whether he’s still with Young Stoner Life Records.

“I’m still signed to YSL,” he confirmed. “I’m still providing. We still pushing. No paperwork has been changed. So it’s like, whatever’s been getting and how we’ve been pushing this s–t, it’s still going.”

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After his May 2022 arrest as part of the YSL RICO case, Gunna — born Sergio Kitchens — secured his release through an Alford plea in December 2022, in which he pleaded guilty to a single charge and was sentenced to five years in prison. The rapper was credited with one year of time served and the rest of his sentence was suspended.

Things appear to be OK between Gunna and Thug these days amid the trial. Thugger’s father attended Gunna’s concert in Atlanta earlier this month, and the two embraced and posed for a photo.

In the Spotify video, Gunna showed fans what a typical day for him looks like in the ATL, where he began with breakfast at his mom’s house with family, hit the gym, met up with friends and more.

The 31-year-old is in his lover era and he wants romance and intimacy to provide the inspiration behind his next body of work.

“I might do this love album … Not all just love songs, but a pocket of songs [that are] more intimate songs,” he said. “I think that’s gonna be the next album for me.”

Perhaps Gunna could work with Bossman Dlow down the line, as Gunna revealed the “Get in With Me” rapper and his motivational anthems are what he’s listening to the most right now.

“I be going Bossman Dlow like a motherf—-r. Like he hard. I know all that n—a words, bruh,” Wunna said while giving the Florida rapper his flowers. “Like for real. That n—a get me in a pocket. I just feel good. I been on his wave.”

Gunna returned in May with his One of Wun album, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 91,000 album-equivalent units sold in the first week. The project arrived under exclusive license to Young Stoner Life Records/300 Entertainment, according to a description on Apple Music.

Watch A Day in the Life With Gunna below.

27 Jun 2024

Watch Kylie Kelce Belt Out Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’ at Jason & Travis Kelce’s Annual Charity Beer Bowl

Kylie Kelce is serving up two things: beer and Taylor Swift karaoke. At Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce‘s second annual New Heights Beer Bowl Wednesday (June 26), the former field hockey player — who is married to the retired Eagles center — cheerfully belted along to the “Anti-Hero” singer’s iconic 2008 smash, as captured in a sweet video from the charity event.

Posted to the podcast’s official X account, the video finds Kylie holding three full pitchers of beer like a pro while grooving along to Swift’s hit playing through speakers. As the song progresses, the Philadelphia native gets more and more into her performance, nailing every lyric.

“You were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles/ And my daddy said, ‘Stay away from Juliet,’” she sings in the video. “And I was crying on the staircase/ Begging you, ‘Please don’t go.’”

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The Beer Bowl is part of a two-day event in Sea Isle City, N.J., benefiting the Eagles Autism Foundation. Though Travis wasn’t in attendance, Jason held down the fort on the first day by passing out Jello shots and playing games with guests. The brothers’ mom and dad, Donna and Ed Kelce, were also there to support the cause.

The Beer Bowl comes just a few days after Jason and Kylie got to sing along to “Love Story” and 44 other songs live at Swift’s London Eras Tour shows last weekend. Fan cameras captured the couple — who share three young daughters — trading friendship bracelets and enjoying the show alongside Travis in a VIP tent.

“I’ve never cried at a f–king concert, and I was literally tearing up,” Jason later raved about the show on New Heights, revealing Swift’s “22” hat exchange with a young fan made him emotional. “It was f—ing so special.”

“That was my favorite part,” he added of the pop star’s surprise song section. “It’s just her, a guitar and 90,000 people. To be good in front of 90,000 people with just that, I think you have to be amazing … It feels like you’re in a bar just listening to somebody play on a piano.”

Watch Kylie Kelce sing T-Swift’s “Love Story” below.

27 Jun 2024

Casablanca’s ElGrandeToto: A Force to Be Reckoned With

Many may know ElGrandeToto today as a star of the North African hip-hop scene, but when the young Taha Fahssi was still dreaming of becoming a breakdancer, little did he know that music was his true calling. Toto’s relationship with music began to crystallize during his teenage years in Casablanca, and his first single, “7elmet Ado,” which he released in 2016, did not go unnoticed. Soon, new horizons began to open for Toto. With his unique musical style and bold lyrics, Toto became the voice of the young generation, masterfully capturing their lives and challenges with an unforgiving writing style that brims with powerful similes and flexible rhymes.

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When “7elmet Ado” came out, it reached thousands of listeners organically — Toto’s voice smoothly found ears without any promotion or marketing. He knew how to capture listeners while also instilling in his music the messages he wanted them to hear. After several other solo releases, Toto’s 2017 track “Pablo” proved to be a turning point in his career, amassing millions of views and reaching new local audiences.

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The track began creeping into the public sphere, and soon found its way to local radio station Hit Radio. Learning that his voice was making an imprint on the Moroccan street gave Toto a huge confidence boost, and he began taking part in local festivals such as Festival L’Boulevard and others, eventually cementing his name as one of the rap scene’s best emerging artists.

In 2018, he made several notable collaborations, including “Slay” with Manal, a fusion of pop and rap with the masterful production of Soufiane AZ and the outstanding flow and performance of Toto and Manal. In early 2020, Toto launched “Hors Serie,” a track that brought together Don Bigg, a star of Morocco’s old-school rap scene, and emerging rappers like Khtek.

Toto worked with local producers like Hades in his early days, then began collaborating with the new generation of producers such as Draganov, Nouvo and Yo Asel. His collaboration with Nouvo on VitamineDZ gave us one of the most beautiful Moroccan duets and helped consolidate the “trai” genre, a blend of trap and Rai music. Toto recorded the track during his first visit to Algeria, and as an ode to the country that helped shape his musical identity, the track samples Cheb Khaled’s hit song, “Abdel Kader.”

During this period, Toto also released his first LP, Caméléon, which he had been working on since the early days of his career in 2017. With this album, Toto further established his visual identity. The artwork shows Toto’s face painted in the colors of chameleons – a metaphor for his ability to integrate and thrive in any space or circumstance, especially as his sound was increasingly overlapping with the local culture and expanding on the regional and global scales.

Then came the biggest turning point in Toto’s career with the track “Mghayer,” which showed the evolution of his sound, whether in terms of performance through his delivery and flow, or in terms of writing. The track pays tribute to his mother, who passed away in 2020, giving Toto a space to express his grief and sing about his pain to an entire generation. The track became one of the biggest hip-hop releases in the Maghrebi region (comprising western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia) and amassed millions of views.

Between Caméléon and his latest album, 27, which he released in 2023, Toto dropped several solo tracks and collaborations, including a North African collaboration with Wegz in “Msh Khalsa,” a collaboration with CKay on a remix of his global hit song “Love Nwantiti,” and a local collaboration with Small X on “Thezz.”

In 2023, two months after dropping the single “Weld Laadoul,” Toto released his long-awaited album 27. Toto told Billboard Arabia in an interview that while Caméléon introduced people to ElGrande Toto, 27 was a much more personal album that tells the story of Taha Fahssi. To his usual poignant lyrics, Toto added a dash of the sophistication he acquired over the years, resulting in a powerful album.

The acclaimed 27 placed eight tracks on Billboard Arabia’s Hot 100, including “Blue Love,” “Dellali” ft. Hamza and “Razones” ft. Morad, which remain on the chart until the time of publishing. Toto also snatched the No. 2 position on the Billboard Arabia’s Artist 100 chart in the week of Dec. 11, 2023, remaining there for four consecutive weeks. Toto continues to chart in Billboard Arabia’s Artist 100, competing with the biggest Arab names in the world of pop, hip-hop and other genres. Following the album’s resounding success, Toto became the first rapper from the region to perform at the iconic L’Olympia in Paris, before going on a tour across Europe to promote the album.

Today, ElGrandeToto has become a hip-hop force to be reckoned with, cementing his position as one of the pillars of Maghrebi hip-hop. Thanks to his diverse releases and notable collaborations, Toto’s work resonates with a wide audience and influences the entire North African music scene. 27 served as a platform for Toto’s self-expression and artistic development, propelling him to new heights, wider audiences and bigger successes. Meanwhile, in 2023, Toto was the Middle East and North Africa’s most exported rapper, according to Spotify. Through his tours and concerts, Toto continues to share his music with an ever-growing audience and collect achievements and accolades.

ElGrandeToto

ElGrandeToto

Anonym Shot/Billboard Arabia

27 Jun 2024

Justin Timberlake Hugs John Legend at New York Concert in Video Shared by Chrissy Teigen

Justin Timberlake and John Legend had a sweet reunion at the former’s concert in New York City Wednesday night (June 26).

In a clip posted to Chrissy Teigen’s Instagram Story the night of the Madison Square Garden show, the “SexyBack” singer greets fans on the floor of the venue before spotting his friend in the crowd. After giving the Voice coach a big hug, eyes widened in excitement, Timberlake tells the audience, “John Legend in the house, y’all!”

Fan cameras also captured the cookbook author and Legend jamming out to the *NSYNC alum’s second of two MSG performances on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour. Martin Scorsese was also in the crowd, while Jessica Biel hung out with Timberlake and his crew backstage in clips posted to her superstar husband’s Stories.

JT’s pair of shows at the Garden came a little over a week after he was arrested on DWI charges in Sag Harbor, N.Y. Local police confirmed that the musician was also cited for running a stop sign and not staying in his lane.

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“[We] look forward to vigorously defending Mr. Timberlake against these allegations,” the singer’s lawyer, Ed Burke, said in a statement last week. “He will have a lot to say at the appropriate time.”

Just before his MSG shows, Timberlake posted on social media for the first time since his brush with the law, sharing a video of his new blue-and-orange merch and shouting out the New York Knicks. He previously broke his silence on the arrest at his June 21 concert in Chicago, telling the crowd, “It’s been a tough week.”

“I know I’m hard to love sometimes but you keep loving me right back,” he added at the time. “We’ve been together through ups and downs and lefts and rights … but you’re here and I’m here, and nothing can change this moment right now.”

See clips of Legend, Teigen and Scorsese at Timberlake’s concert below.

27 Jun 2024

Childish Gambino Reveals ‘Lithonia’ Single Release Date Following Alleged Date Leak

Childish Gambino wants the world to have more “fun,” which he kept in mind and provided the inspiration for his upcoming Bando Stone & the New World album, his last under the moniker.

Gambino (born Donald Glover) hopped on Instagram Live Wednesday (June 26), where he clarified plans for his “Lithonia” single and blamed streaming platform Audiomack for allegedly leaking the release date earlier than desired.

“‘Lithonia’ coming out July 2. That got leaked — kinda pissed me off to be honest,” he explained. “That’s another reason why y’all don’t get good s–t. For what? It’s not valuable enough, it’s just a single. And I know who did it. Audiomack, f—–g no soup for you. You’re not getting the album now. That’s what time I’m on.” (Billboard has reached out to Audiomack for comment.)

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Bando Stone is slated to be the soundtrack companion to a film, but there isn’t much known about a potential release date on either front there.

During his IG Live, the “This Is America” artist also implored people to have more fun in life and he seemingly alluded to the Drake-Kendrick Lamar war providing the most fun in music this year.

“I’m trying to have fun. Because I feel like there’s just people not having enough fun,” he added. “When I was a kid there was, like, big things that would unite us, and I just feel bad for y’all. I feel bad for some of y’all.”

Gambino continued: “Even this year, the most fun we had was from a fight. [It] was a song from a fight, from a rap beef, which I enjoyed every minute of. It was very fun. But still kind of negative in a certain light, I guess.”

In May, the 40-year-old multi-hyphenate delivered his Atavista (3.15.20 reimagined versions) album, which served as a revamped 11-track edition of his 3.15.20 project from March 2020.

Watch Childish Gambino’s full Instagram Live chat below.

27 Jun 2024

Tommy Richman’s ‘Million Dollar Baby’ Breaks No. 1 Record on TikTok Billboard Top 50

Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” sets a new record on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, reigning for a chart-leading seventh week as of the June 29-dated list.

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The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity June 17-23. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.

Richman’s seventh week atop the TikTok Billboard Top 50 surpasses Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine” as the longest reign since the chart began in September 2023.

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It’s fitting that “Million Dollar Baby” assumes the mantle of the lengthiest No. 1. Though the song was originally released in full on April 26, it was first teased on TikTok via a snippet that quickly went viral, with 13 million global views on the original clip to date.

While pent-up demand for the song drove its initial success on the ranking, TikTok uploads featuring “Million Dollar Baby” in the months since have been paced by a dance trend, as well as a theme where users show how dating their significant other has changed them (“Black wife effect,” “white boyfriend effect,” etc.).

“Million Dollar Baby” has peaked so far at No. 2 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100. It ranks at No. 5 on the latest survey via 53.2 million radio audience impressions, 35.8 million official U.S. streams and 5,000 downloads sold in the week ending June 20, according to Luminate.

It reigns on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 over Tinashe’s “Nasty,” which lifts 3-2 for a new peak. As previously mentioned, “Nasty,” which was released April 12, first made the chart in late May and has steadily risen thanks to a dance trend and comedy videos attached to its “I’ve been a nasty girl” lyric.

“Nasty” concurrently jumps to a new peak of No. 62 on the Hot 100 with 7.9 million streams, 2.7 million audience impressions and 1,000 downloads.

Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please,” which concurrently hits No. 1 on the Hot 100, falls to No. 3 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, followed by Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” rounding out the top five.

A pair of songs reach the chart’s top 10 for the first time, one in its third week and the other as a brand-new debut. At No. 7, Jordan Adetunji’s “Kehlani” leads the pair after leaping from No. 25. Adetunji’s ode to the R&B singer has achieved TikTok success in part due to Kehlani herself, who hopped on its virality with a May 24 upload vibing to the song with the paparazzi in the background. A dance trend featuring the tune has dominated its more recent highest performing clips from creators.

“Kehlani” is currently bubbling under the Hot 100 and appears at No. 33 on the latest Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs tally on the strength of 5.6 million streams.

Ella Langley’s “You Look Like You Love Me” is the other new top 10 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, debuting at No. 9. The song, which features Riley Green, bows despite being released in full on June 21. That’s because, like Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” before it, the song benefited from pre-release virality with clips uploaded to Langley’s TikTok account as well as live performances of the song from Langley and Green’s joint tour that’s been progressing the last few months.

Further chart action for “You Look Like You Love Me” is expected on the Billboard charts dated July 6, which will incorporate streaming, airplay and sales data from June 21-27.

See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.

27 Jun 2024

Cyndi Lauper Says She’s ‘Proud’ of Taylor Swift: ‘She Writes Some Wonderful Songs’

Cyndi Lauper loves Taylor Swift‘s true colors. In a recent interview with the BBC’s The One Show, the 71-year-old pop star had nothing but praise for the “Anti-Hero” singer, revealing exactly which of the latter’s albums made her a fan. 

“Look, I like her,” Lauper began when the topic of Swift came up. “I think she’s terrific. As an artist, she writes some wonderful songs.”  

“I first started listening during the pandemic … when she went and hibernated and did that wonderful folk record,” she continued, referring to the 14-time Grammy winner’s Billboard 200-topping Folklore. “It was wonderful. I’m proud of her.”  

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Lauper also gave a shout-out to the 34-year-old superstar’s boyfriend, making a joke about Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s large stature. “Don’t mess with her, ’cause …,” the “Time After Time” singer quipped, miming how the football player might throw a punch to defend his girlfriend from any threats. 

The ’80s icon’s comments come shortly after the May release of her new compilation album Let the Canary Sing. Shortly after the interview clip was posted, she announced a string of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour shows in Europe. 

Meanwhile, Swift is currently midway through the European leg of her global Eras Tour, most recently performing three back-to-back shows at Wembley Stadium in London. She’ll spend the rest of the summer traveling throughout the continent before returning to North America for a final lap this fall. 

And while Lauper is just one of numerous legendary stars to praise Swift over the course of her career, the “Fortnight” musician recently caught joking criticism from Dave Grohl. At a Foo Fighters concert last weekend, the Nirvana alum appeared to jest that the pop star doesn’t perform live at her own shows. “I tell you, man, you don’t want to suffer the wrath of Taylor Swift,” he cracked. “We like to call our tour the Errors Tour. We’ve had more than a few eras, and more than a few f—ing errors as well. That’s because we actually play live. What?! Just saying. You guys like raw, live rock n’ roll music, right? You came to the right f—ing place.” 

Watch Lauper praise Swift below. 

27 Jun 2024

Paris Hilton Talks Being the ‘Original Influencer,’ Razr Memories & Upcoming ‘Infinite Icon’ Album

Paris Hilton will forever be synonymous with 2000s pop culture. Long before the days of Instagram models and TikTok influencers, Hilton was a pioneering influencer — when society didn’t even have a word for it yet.

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Tuesday night (June 25) represented a full-circle moment for the “Stars Are Blind” singer. 20 years after first introducing the world to the Razr, Hilton partnered with Motorola once again to help unveil the new family of Razr phones.

A flashback to paparazzi photos from the mid-2000s would often find Paris showing off her pink Razr — typically bedazzled in Swarovski crystals — which she’d use as a fashion accessory to go with her trendy outfit.

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“When you think [of] Y2K and fashion, the Motorola Razr was an accessory, and I made it that way. I would literally have low-waist jeans and have it just clipped in there,” Hilton tells Billboard in her greenroom. “Anytime I was walking through a crowd and I’d pretend to be on the phone, I’d have my cute pink Razr — and it brings back so many nostalgic memories.”

Rocking a glittery pink and silver plaid dress with matching bedazzled gloves, Paris Hilton looked like royalty while taking the stage to close the House of Razr event in Brooklyn out with a DJ set. The partying didn’t last long for Hilton, though — who jetted to Washington, D.C. Wednesday morning (June 26), where she delivered a candid testimony in front of congress about child welfare.

The Simple Life alum revealed to Billboard that her years-in-the-making Infinite Icon album is finished, and will be released on Sept. 6, coinciding with New York Fashion Week’s kick-off.

Hilton continued the project’s rollout last week with the release of her “I’m Free” single featuring Rina Sawayama. Sia is onboard as the LP’s executive producer, and fans can expect a collaboration with Meghan Trainor as well.

Check out the rest of our conversation with the multi-hyphenate heiress, who dishes on being the original influencer, working with Meghan Trainor and Sia and her “Stars Are Blind” anthem turning 18.

How did the partnership with Motorola and the Razr come together?

Paris Hilton: I first launched their pink Razr 20 years ago, so this is a full-circle moment, being back introducing the new pink Razr. It’s iconic and I love Motorola. They always have had the best parties for 20 years. 

When I Googled back then I saw you with pink, black and other colors. Were you just running through [Razr] phones?

Yeah, lots of phones — and constantly thinking of ones for different-colored outfits. Then I would bedazzle them all. All my Razrs were covered in Swarovski crystals. I can’t wait to do that to my new one. 

What was life like for you back then using it as a fashion accessory?

I’ve always been an undercover nerd, and obsessed with technology — so even before a phone would come out, they would send it to me, because I was the original influencer. When I got the phone, everyone got the phone. It was cool to see the impact that I could make on pop culture, and showing off my love of gadgets. The phones [are] even better now. 

What other memories come back there? For me, I think Paris running around with Kim [Kardashian] and The Simple Life. 

It was just so much fun. The 2000s, there was nothing like it. The energy, vibes, fashion — it’ll never be like that again. It was about everything I wore. I invented Y2K fashion. 

What can you tell us about your new single “I’m Free?” How was working with Rina [Sawayama]?

I love Rina. She’s just so brilliant and talented. Her voice is so beautiful, and just recording this whole album with Sia this whole year — she’s an executive producer of the album. She’s the greatest songwriter of her time. One of my best friends. She took my voice to another level, which I didn’t even know I had in me. She brought out so much in me, and she made me feel so comfortable in the studio. 

“I’m Free” was the perfect song [to introduce] my new album Infinite Icon, because it’s Pride Month and “I’m Free” is all about expressing who you are and being who you want to be and living how you want to live. I think that’s something important to celebrate. 

When does the album come out?

The album is out Sept. 6. During Fashion Week. I’m gonna be recording some music videos this summer. First one will be “Bad B—h Academy,” which is sick. I have some amazing surprise features on that one as well. Just getting ready for a tour. 

Who else do you wanna get on the album? Is it done?

It’s done. One of my favorite features is with Meghan Trainor. She’s just so sweet and amazing. We met years ago during New York Fashion Week. She just came up to me, like, “I’m the third Hilton sister.” Then I immediately just loved her so much and we became best friends. 

On the new single you say, “Infinite Icon, I am the blueprint.” I feel like you are the OG celebrity influencer. If you could speak to that and how [celebrity] has transformed with everyone else following in your path.

It makes me really proud. I was an influencer before there was a name for it. Everyone was like, famous for being famous. Now, 20 years later, I was ahead of my time … as [essentially] the first person to get into reality television, the first person to get into social. And it just really makes me proud to see how many people were inspired by that. This whole generation. It’s pretty sick.

“Stars Are Blind” turned 18 earlier this month. What a time. 

“Stars Are Blind” is the anthem of my life. I’m just so proud of how timeless and iconic it is. People just love it. It’s the ultimate summer bop. I loved re-recording it with Kim Petras. She’s so talented and so amazing. The perfect person to do that [with]. It’s just amazing to see so many people love it and [are still] raging with it almost 20 years later. 

27 Jun 2024

Taylor Swift Covers a Year’s Worth of Meals With Donation to Local U.K. Food Bank on Eras Tour Route

Taylor Swift is working to leave the cities on her Eras Tour route a little better than she found them.  

As the 34-year-old pop star has taken her global trek to Europe this summer, she’s continued her trend of donating to food banks along the way. And according to one charity in Liverpool — where Swift performed three nights at Anfield Stadium earlier this month — a recent contribution from the singer will take care of crucial gaps in their fundraising efforts, providing for a full year’s worth of meals.  

“It’s the most incredible gift,” Rich Jones, chief executive of St. Andrew’s Community Network, told The Guardian in an interview published Tuesday (June 25). “Because of rising prices, rising need and falling donations, we’ve been having to subsidize our food ourselves for a long while.” 

“But it’s fair to say that Taylor Swift has essentially paid our food bill for 12 months – and that gives us the breathing space to focus on fundraising efforts going forward,” he added on behalf of St. Andrew’s, which runs 11 food banks and offers long-term support to eight community pantries. 

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Shortly after performing in Liverpool, the “Anti-Hero” singer brought her Eras showcase to Wales. According to Rachel Biggs, chief executive of Cardiff Foodbank, Swift also covered 10,800 meals with a discreet donation to the organization in honor of her single performance at Principality Stadium June 18. 

“We’re going to buy an articulated lorry full of food and other most-needed items to supplement our emergency food parcels,” Biggs told the publication. “This will provide the weight equivalent to feeding 1,200 people three meals a day, for three days … This will be 2.5 weeks of what we typically distribute.” 

Though Swift doesn’t publicize her donations, Liverpool and Cardiff are only two of the latest cities to report receiving generous donations from the 14-time Grammy winner over the course of her Eras Tour. When she was on the North American leg, food banks in Arizona, Nevada and Florida all revealed that she had sent funding their way. 

Following three nights at London’s Wembley Stadium last weekend, Swift is next slated to perform three shows in Dublin June 28-30. She’ll spend the rest of the summer traveling throughout Europe before returning to North America for a final lap this fall. 

“Wembley Stadium round one was so surreal,” she wrote in a recent Instagram post. “Looking out into crowds of 90,000 fans each night and hearing that VOLUME… Those were some of the loudest crowds I’ve ever heard … Never going to forget these shows.”