Music News

10 Jul 2023

Sweetest Friendship Bracelet Moments at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour

Taylor Swift encouraged fans to “make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it” in her Midnights track, “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” and Swifties did just that.

Trading colorful, beaded friendship bracelets has officially become a fun activity for attendees of Swift’s sweeping Eras stadium tour, with fans taking to social media to show off their arms full of fun bracelets that make references to various Swift songs, album eras, inside jokes among fans and lyrics.

While how the trend started seems to be in direct reference to the lyrics of Swift’s Midnights track, the multi-Grammy winner also shared an arm full of friendship bracelets to Instagram in 2019, leading up to the release of her Lover album. Her bracelets included references to her love of cats (including her youngest feline Benjamin Button), her 2008 album Fearless, support for the LGBTQIA+ community and, of course, Lover.

The trend has become so widespread just two months into the tour, that even celebrities have been joining in on the fun. Everyone from Sabrina Carpenter, Gigi Hadid and Jennifer Lawrence to Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Aaron Dessner and even Swift herself have been spotted accepting friendship bracelets from Swifties, and have even taken to social media to show off their colorful arm candy.

In honor of the friendship bracelets that have taken over the Eras tour, we’ve compiled all of the best moments featuring the trend, including celebrity participants and some seriously creative references. See them below.

10 Jul 2023

Renee Rapp to Depart ‘Sex Lives of College Girls’

One of The Sex Lives of College Girls suitemates is leaving the nest. Renee Rapp will be leaving the Max comedy series during the upcoming third season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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However, Rapp’s departure won’t be a sudden one, as her character Leighton Murray will appear as a recurring guest star as she gears up to leave Essex College. During the second season, Leighton came out to her father and quit her sorority.

Following news that she’ll be leaving the show, the 23-year-old musician took to social media to reflect on how the show changed her life and career. “College Girls moved me out to LA and introduced me to some of my favorite people,” she wrote in a statement. “2 and a half years later — it’s given me y’all and this community.”

She continued, “A lot of queer work gets belittled — but playing Leighton has changed my life. I love who I am 10x more than I did before knowing her. I hope she gave y’all a little bit of that too. She’s such a tiny part of representation but even the tiny parts count. I wouldn’t be half the person I am without her and y’all. I love that b—- more than you know.”

It’s been an exciting few years for Rapp, who signed to Interscope Records in 2022 and has since released a debut EP, Everything to Everyone. She’s gearing up to release her first full-length LP, Snow Angel, on August 18. Rapp also played Regina George in the Broadway adaptation of Mean Girls, and she’ll reprise the role in the upcoming film version.

See Rapp’s statement on her Sex Lives of College Girls departure below.

10 Jul 2023

Demi Lovato Teases ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ Rock Version Featuring Slash

Demi Lovato is out here lookin’ like revenge, feeling like a ten on Monday (July 10), announcing that they’re unveiling a rock version of their 2017 pop hit, “Sorry Not Sorry.”

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The 30-year-old superstar teased the track — which features Guns N’ Roses lead guitarist Slash, on her Instagram Stories — and while the lyrics are the same, “Sorry Not Sorry” got a edgy twist thanks to the guitar legend’s riffs and Lovato’s unbridled vocals.

See the tease before it disappears here.

Upon its original release in 2017, “Sorry Not Sorry” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, marking her highest-charting hit. The track spent an impressive 36 total weeks on the tally.

“Sorry Not Sorry” follows a string of rock-ified versions of Lovato’s prior hits. The star dropped an amped-up, guitar-centered version of their 2013 hit “Heart Attack” back in March, and followed it up with a rock version of “Cool for the Summer” in May.

Following the “Heart Attack” release, the singer explained they wanted a new version of the song that was more representative of the rock music presented on their most recent album, Holy Fvck. “I’m so happy to be able to give a new life to ‘Heart Attack’ with a sound that reflects where I am with my music,” Lovato said in a press release.

10 Jul 2023

Here’s What Billy Joel Thinks of Fall Out Boy’s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ Update

Billy Joel’s history-filled, 1989 hit “We Didn’t Start the Fire” got a modern-day update thanks to Fall Out Boy, and now the OG is giving his thoughts.

In a new interview with BBC Radio2 this week, Joel said that he has heard the new verses. “Everybody’s been wanting to know when there’s going to be an updated version of it, because my song started in ’49 and ended in ’89 — it was a 40 year span. Everybody said, ‘Well, aren’t you going to do a part two?’ I said, ‘Nah, I’ve already done part one.’ So, Fall Our Boy, go ahead. Great, take it away.”

While Joel’s track was filled to the brim with pop-culture headlines from the middle of the 20th Century to 1989, Fall Out Boy took over from there and continued the references from 1989 to the present. Taylor Swift — who was born in 1989 — is mentioned alongside Kanye West who notoriously grabbed the microphone from her at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

Among the many other references in the updated version are Woodstock ’99, Fyre Fest, Harry Potter, Twilight, Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man, Stranger Things, Avatar, SpongeBob SquarePants, Pokemon, MySpace and many more.

Listen to Billy Joel’s thoughts on “We Didn’t Start the Fire” part two below.

10 Jul 2023

Hayley Williams Calls Taylor Swift ‘My Hero’ After ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ Breaks Spotify Record

Taylor Swift is Hayley Williams‘ hero — literally. Following the release of the pop star’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the Paramore frontwoman took to Instagram to share the most recent of her friend’s many accomplishments.

Williams reposted an article to her Instagram Stories that reported Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is officially the most streamed country album in a single day in Spotify’s history. In simple text, Williams wrote, “there goes my hero” — a reference to Foo Fighters’ 1998 hit “My Hero,” which Paramore recently performed alongside the band for the June 18 finale of this year’s Bonnaroo festival.

The streaming feat also serves as a boost for Williams, who is featured on the “From the Vault” track “Castles Crumbling” on Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). After Swift announced that Williams would be on the album, Williams took to Instagram to share her memories with the pop star and of listening to the album upon its release in 2010.

“Taylor was the first industry friend I ever made and hung out with outside of work things. When Speak Now dropped, I bought my friend’s record (as you do!) and listened to the whole thing in my first car, sitting still in the driveway. It’s my favorite Taylor Swift album for so many reasons,” the singer wrote, captioning a photo of Swift roller skating at Williams’ 21st birthday party.

Williams continued, “I wish I could go back to this moment at my 21st birthday and tell her one day she’ll legitimately own Speak Now and we’ll get to sing together on one of the songs.”

See Williams’ post about Swift below.

10 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift Extends Record for Most Hot 100 Top 10s Among Women With ‘Cruel Summer’

Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” now being promoted as her new single after it was released on her 2019 album Lover, jumps from No. 13 to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated July 15). The song becomes her 41st top 10 – extending her record for the most among women.

The track, which Swift wrote with Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent and produced with Antonoff, tallied 30.3 million in all-format radio airplay audience (up 35%), 14.9 million streams (up 11%) and 3,000 sold (essentially even week-over-week) June 30-July 6, according to Luminate.

The song was released on Swift’s 2019 album Lover and is now being promoted by Republic Records as her newest single. It has been gaining momentum in recent weeks, as Swift has been performing it on her current Eras Tour, her first in which she’s been able to spotlight songs from Lover, which was released shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each concert on the tour is divided into 10 acts, encompassing nine of her LPs; the Lover era kicks off the show, with “Cruel Summer” performed in the opening set.

Nearly four years after Lover’s release, “Cruel Summer” becomes the set’s fourth Hot 100 top 10, joining lead single “Me!,” featuring Brendon Urie (No. 2 peak); “You Need to Calm Down” (also No. 2); and the title track (No. 10), all in 2019.

“Cruel Summer” is Swift’s 41st career Hot 100 top 10, the second-most among all acts and the most among women.

Most Hot 100 Top 10s:

  • 68, Drake
  • 41, Taylor Swift
  • 38, Madonna
  • 34, The Beatles
  • 32, Rihanna
  • 30, Michael Jackson
  • 29, Elton John
  • 28, Mariah Carey
  • 28, Stevie Wonder
  • 27, Janet Jackson
  • 26, Justin Bieber
  • 25, Lil Wayne
  • 25, Elvis Presley (whose career start predated the Hot 100’s inception)

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated July 15, 2023) will update on Billboard.com Tuesday (July 11).

10 Jul 2023

Jack White Calls Out ‘Disgusting’ Mark Wahlberg, Joe Rogan & Other Celebs for Cozying Up to Donald Trump at UFC Fight

Jack White has no tolerance for those who rub elbows with Donald Trump, and he’s making sure everyone knows. On Monday (July 10), White took to Instagram to release a statement condemning celebrities who cozied up to the former POTUS at UFC 290 on Saturday.

“Anybody who ‘normalizes’ or treats this disgusting fascist, racist, con man, disgusting piece of sh– Trump with any level of respect is also disgusting in my book,” wrote the “Another Way to Die” singer. “That’s you Joe Rogan, you Mel Gibson, you Mark Wahlberg, you Guy Fieri. This is a statement from me, not a discussion/debate.”

Alongside his statement, White posted a photo set of the aforementioned celebrities saluting, posing and conversing with Trump during the event.

Over the weekend, Trump stopped by UFC 290 while carrying out a weekend of campaign stops in Las Vegas and Iowa. When he touched down at T-Mobile Arena, Trump was greeted by a slew of Hollywood stars, including two-time Academy Award winner Mel Gibson, Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg and celebrity chef Guy Fieri.

This is not the first time White has called out a fellow celebrity for supporting the former president: In November, the rocker called out former Twitter CEO Elon Musk for reinstating Trump’s Twitter account.

As a soloist, Jack White has earned six top 10 entries on the Billboard 200, including the No. 1 albums Blunderbuss (2012), Lazaretto (2014) and Boarding House Reach (2018). He also boasts a pair of entries on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest of which is his Beyoncé duet “Don’t Hurt Yourself” (No. 28) in 2016. As a member of The White Stripes, he has earned an additional three top 10 albums, as well as the seminal Grammy-winning hit “Seven Nation Army.”

Check out White’s statement below:

10 Jul 2023

‘America’s Got Talent’ Winner Michael Grimm Can Speak But ‘Doesn’t Have His Singing Voice Yet,’ Wife Says in New Update

America’s Got Talent season 5 winner Michael Grimm is officially in recovery, his wife Lucie Zolcerva-Grimm shared with fans in an update posted to Instagram on Saturday.

Zolcerva-Grimm says the singer “is now in a recovery facility for physical therapy, speech therapy. His mind and body has disconnected so we are working on reconnecting that. So he’s been through a lot,” she said.

In a June 12 update to fans, Zolcerva-Grimm revealed that Grimm’s health started becoming a concern around Memorial Day weekend after he experienced body tremors and difficulty speaking. He was then rushed to the ICU and placed on a ventilator under heavy medication so as to prevent him having a stroke or flatlining.

The new update, however, is a more positive one — “I’m thrilled to say that his speaking voice is completely back. So the speech therapy portion of it has been very successful,” Zolcerva-Grimm said, adding that while her husband “doesn’t have a singing voice yet, he is not stressed over it. He feels that with proper vocal exercises and retraining he will get back on track.”

Grimm had also seen a large improvement over his mobility: “He is walking on his own and that’s a huge thing for us, getting that leg strength back, getting his coordination and his equilibrium back, those were all massive things. That’s probably his biggest win right now.”

The update came ahead of a planned four-hour benefit in Las Vegas to help pay for Grimm’s medical costs on July 9. Fans can also contribute to a PayPal for donations.

See Zolcerva-Grimm’s new update video below.

10 Jul 2023

Jelly Roll Showers His Wife With Praise in ‘A Bunnie Appreciation Post’: ‘She Saved Me’

Jelly Roll has spent years building up a music career that includes chart-topping songs such as “Son of a Sinner,” being a Billboard cover star and winning CMT Music Awards accolades, in addition to the release of his latest album Whitsitt Chapel. But his wife Bunnie XO is also an entrepreneur and person of influence in her own right, thanks to her work building up her Dumb Blonde podcast, which covers a range of topics including fashion, relationship advice, music and business.

On Friday, Jelly Roll posted a lengthy statement of praise for his wife, titling it “A Bunnie Appreciation Post!” Jelly Roll (real name: Jason DeFord) and Bunnie have been married since 2016.

“A lot is often said or made about my story, but the truth is, I’ve never been moved more by a story than the story of my wife,” Jelly Roll wrote. “To watch what this woman has overcame and her passion and determination to be something better has inspired me from the moment I met her. She saved me in one of the darkest times of my life. She has been nothing but supportive.”

He also wrote about the origins of Bunnie’s Dumb Blonde podcast. “I remember her sitting at our kitchen table and her talking to me about the vision she had to start the Dumb Blonde Podcast, and how it was her means to end working in the sex industry for good. I watched her build her own platform, her own podcast and her own team with ZERO help from me. She wanted to do it on her own, she didn’t want to be just ‘Jelly Roll’s wife,’ she wanted to build her own empire to empower women and share her story in hopes that it could motivate others to believe that they could change their lives and be happy. Watching her launch into this season of the Podcast, watching her build this beautiful community on Patreon where she posts our family vlog series ‘Meet the DeFords’ and NOW SHE IS COMING ON TOUR WITH ME AND DOING HER OWN MEET AND GREET (that I’ll be crashing as many of them as I can).”

He concluded with a personal note to Bunnie, saying, “Watching you take this thing to the moon has been nothing short of incredible to watch- so so so so happy for you baby. Let’s keep changing the world a little at a time.”

Bunnie responded to Jelly Roll’s message, writing in a comment, “I’m crying at the dinner table … You have always been my reason, my why & my strength. I love you to the moon & deepest galaxies.”

In his recent Billboard cover story, Jelly called Bunnie “a beacon of change in my life. You’re talking about a woman that came in and took a child that was soon to be born and a child that [we were] soon to have full custody of. I would have never got custody of my daughter without her. I wouldn’t have had the stability or the money.”

10 Jul 2023

Liam Payne Went to Sobriety Treatment Center for 100 Days After One Direction Backlash

Liam Payne is reflecting on one of his bigger career controversies, in which he sent One Direction fans into a spiral after he controversially claimed on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast that he was the inspiration behind Simon Cowell’s decision to create One Direction.

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A year later, the “Strip That Down” singer uploaded an eight-minute YouTube video on Saturday (July 8), in which he revealed that the backlash was one of the incidents that ultimately encouraged him to enter a sobriety treatment program for 100 days. “My own frustrations with my own career and where I kind of landed, I took shots at everybody else which is wrong. Obviously, I want to apologize for that, in the first instance, because that’s definitely not me,” he shared in the clip. “One of the biggest remarks I made was about the One Direction thing … and a lot of self-protection, I suppose, in that moment, more than anything. The rest of the boys really stuck by me when I needed them most, they kinda came to the rescue. Even Zayn, as well, which is why I did send him a little thank you online. It came across really big-headed didn’t it?”

Back in June 2022, Payne appeared on Impaulsive, in which he shared a number of thoughts on the members of One Direction he didn’t get along with, the alleged origin of the boy band and why he can’t stand beside former 1D bandmate Zayn Malik.

“I just kind of feel like I’ve got more of a grip on life and everything that was getting away from me, I just feel like I’ve got more of a handle on it,” Payne reflected back on the moment now. “I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually because I kind of became somebody who I didn’t really recognize anymore. And I’m sure you guys didn’t either. I was in bad shape up until that point and I was really happy to kind of put a stopper to life and work.”

Payne added that his decision to seek treatment also stemmed from wanting to be better for his six-year-old son, adding, “There’s no point trying to be a dad when you’ve got nothing to teach. And I don’t think up until this point I really had much to say to him other than what came from deeply loving and very deeply. Which are obviously the most important things, but I just kind of feel like I’ve got more of a grip on life now.”

Moving forward, the 29-year-old singer said he’s focusing on his sobriety as he continues to make social media content for the rest of the year. He’s also set to head out on a headlining tour later in the year.

Watch Payne’s full video below.