Music News

26 Jun 2023

Halle Bailey & Bella Ramsey Named PETA’s Most Beautiful Vegan Celebrities of 2023

The wins just keep on coming for Halle Bailey. Still riding high on the box-office success of her starring turn as Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, PETA recently crowned her — alongside The Last of Us actor Bella Ramsey — one of the organization’s most beautiful vegan celebrities of 2023.

“Bella Ramsey and Halle Bailey remind everyone to save who you can save by keeping animals off your plate, both on land and under the sea,” said Lisa Lange, PETA’s senior vice president, in a statement. “PETA’s Most Beautiful Vegans of 2023 are superstars shining their light on a bright vegan future for Hollywood.” Past winners of the annual title include Lenny Kravitz, Anitta, Jared Leto and Ava DuVernay.

Bailey has remained steadfast in her commitment to veganism throughout her press tour for The Little Mermaid. When asked at the Met Gala if she’d eat either of her aquatic pals Sebastian or Flounder, the Grammy-nominated singer responded with shock, “I would not eat either of them! They’re my friends!”

Even before The Little Mermaid, Bailey has been open about being vegan. She’s posted herself enjoying vegan ice cream and getting excited over vegan brownies gifted to her by The Color Purple co-star Phylicia Pearl Mpasi. In a 2017 interview alongside her older sister Chlöe, Bailey revealed, “Being vegan started from our mother. One day she was like, ‘I’m gonna try to be vegetarian for a week. You can join me if you’d like.’ We started the week with her and just never went back.”

As a part of Chloe x Halle, Halle Bailey has earned one entry so far on the Billboard Hot 100: 2020’s “Do It” (No. 63). Both of the duo’s full-length albums have reached the Billboard 200. The Kids Are Alright, their debut LP, peaked at No. 139 in 2018, and Ungodly Hour hit No. 16 in 2020.

See PETA’s announcement of the honor below:

26 Jun 2023

Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus & Julien Baker Wear Drag at Nashville Boygenius Show: ‘F–k Bill Lee’

In protest of the recent influx in anti-LGBTQ bills passed in Tennessee, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker dressed in flamboyant drag queen-inspired looks at their Boygenius concert in Nashville Sunday (June 25) — where they also led the crowd in a “F–k Bill Lee” chant aimed at the state’s polarizing governor.

As the indie rock supergroup kicked off the show — which happened to be held during the city’s Pride Month celebrations — ecstatic screams could be heard throughout the Great Lawn in Centennial Park upon the crowd’s realization that “The Boys” had drastically departed from their usual suit and tie stage uniforms. With each of them wearing colorful, over-the-top makeup, Bridgers took the stage in a spider-webbed leotard and teased-to-the-heavens hair, Dacus in a bejeweled Gogo dress with a red leather harness and Baker in a purple Elvis-esque suit.

Even the band’s crew looked dashing in gender-bending clothing, with both a cameraman and a male stagehand sporting sundresses.

Later, Baker — whose home state is Tennessee — paused the show to take aim at Gov. Lee, who earlier this year signed controversial laws banning minors from receiving gender-affirming care and preventing drag queens from performing in certain public spaces. “Today I’m so grateful for my life, not because I get to stand onstage with my best friends … but because I’m content with the person that I am,” she said. “I have a lot of anger for the people that have made me feel small, and feel erased.”

“And I’ve found it’s a really powerful and humiliating tool to make those people f–k off,” the musician continued. “I would like you to scream so loud that Gov. Lee can hear you.”

“Can we say ‘F–k Bill Lee’ on three?” Bridgers then proposed, before leading a countdown that ended with thousands of voices screaming “F–k Bill Lee!”

Boygenius was formed in 2018 by the three soloists, each of whom identifies as queer. Days before releasing their debut album as a group, The Record, in March, Bridgers, Dacus and Baker spoke out against Tennessee’s discriminatory legislation in an interview with Them.

“The government being actually actively trying to kill the coolest people is something I think about every day,” Bridgers told the publication at the time. “It’s so overwhelming how different the world would be if the AIDS epidemic had never happened. It’s so overwhelming to me, to my exact world, everything that I value. And –”

“All the lost potential,” Dacus added.

“If all of the David Wojnarowiczes and Leslie Feinbergs of the world did all of that suffering for me not to live in a world where I can be so f–king gay on a big stage and have a whole bunch of other gay people here for me and it’d be joy, then it was in vain,” Baker agreed in the interview. “The joy is the living amends that you do for your community as a performer.”

See photos and videos of Boygenius in drag below:

26 Jun 2023

Watch Beyoncé & Solange Sing Along to Keyshia Cole’s ‘Love’ in Birthday Post

When you’re a critically acclaimed artist and your sister is one of the world’s biggest pop stars, what songs do you let loose and belt your heart out to? For Solange and Beyoncé, the answer is “Love” by Keyshia Cole.

On Sunday (June 25), Solange posted a series of videos on Instagram in celebration of her birthday. The compilation post included clips of Solange rapping along to Joseline Hernandez’s “Vegas,” hosting impromptu twerk sessions with close friend and music video director Melina Matsoukas and riding on a Jet Ski with her big sister Beyoncé.

In the middle of the post is an adorable clip of Solange and Beyoncé singing along to Cole’s hit song. As the camera pans around the friend group, Solange can be seen belting her heart out while Beyoncé passionately snaps and puts her whole body into the singalong. “Love” peaked at No. 19 in 2006 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“@cancersznisforever !!!” Solange captioned the post in part. “S/o all the black women who lift me up and bring me joy every day !”

Though Bey did not share a dedicated Instagram message on her sister’s birthday, the superstar — who is currently on a world tour in support of her latest album, Renaissance — did post a photo from her June 24 show in Frankfurt, Germany, to her website in celebration. The snap shows a fan at Deutsche Bank Park holding a pink homemade poster featuring images of Solange that read “HAPPY BDAY SOLANGE.”

Watch the clip of the “Love” singalong and check out Solange’s entire birthday post below:

26 Jun 2023

Patti LaBelle Forgets Lyrics During Tina Turner Tribute at 2023 BET Awards: ‘I’m Trying, Y’All’

She’s better than all the rest — even if she forgets a lyric now and then. Patti LaBelle paid tribute to the late, great Tina Turner during the live Sunday (June 25) BET Awards held at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, but in the midst of her performance, a few of the lyrics escaped her as she performed Turner’s hit “The Best.”

The two-time Grammy winner started off strong and confident, grooving to the music as her vocals soared. But as she finished the second half of the first verse, she started humming before telling the audience during the live telecast, “I’m trying, y’all.” Then like a pro, she launched into the chorus like nothing was wrong.

A little later in the performance, LaBelle ad-libbed a few lyrics and shared what the issue was. “I get … whatever. I can’t see the words I don’t know!” she sang before yelling again, “I’m trying, y’all!”

Though she may have flubbed the lyrics a few times, the singer continued with her performance before ending with ““God bless you, Tina Turner, BET, hip-hop!”

According to one attendee who shared video from the moment of where the audience member was seated, LaBelle might not have been able to see the teleprompter because the section in front of it was standing, blocking the singer’s view.

BET confirmed that this was the case in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “It was an extraordinary privilege to celebrate the life and legacy of Ms. Tina Turner at BET Awards 2023. Having the incomparable Ms. Patti LaBelle on our stage honoring one of her contemporaries was an equal privilege,” a spokesperson told the publication. “Due to the crowd’s enthusiasm, the teleprompter was obstructed, obscuring Ms. LaBelle’s view of the lyrics. Nonetheless, we couldn’t be more grateful to Ms. LaBelle for lending her incredible talent to this moment.”

Rock n’ roll trailblazer Tina Turner died at age 83 in May. Her hit “The Best” peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1989, and remained on the all-genre tally for 14 weeks.

Watch moments from LaBelle’s BET performance below:

26 Jun 2023

ATEEZ Lands First No. 1 on Top Album Sales Chart With ‘The World EP.2: Outlaw’

ATEEZ lands its first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated July 1) as the Korean pop group’s latest release, The World EP.2: Outlaw, opens atop the tally. The six-song set launches with 101,000 copies sold — the act’s best sales week yet. In total, it’s the fourth top 10-charting set for the eight-member ensemble.

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Also in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart, Queens of the Stone Age’s In Times New Roman… debuts at No. 2, while three older albums all surge into the top 10 following their premiere on vinyl: J. Cole’s Born Sinner, Gracie Abrams’ Good Riddance and Lil Peep’s Crybaby.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. The new July 1, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on June 27.  For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of The World EP.2: Outlaw’s 101,000 copies sold in its first week, physical sales comprise a little over 98,000 (all on CD) and digital album sales comprise the remaining sales.

Like many K-pop releases, the CD edition of The World EP.2: Outlaw was issued in collectible CD packages (21 total, including exclusive editions for Barnes & Noble, Target and Walmart, as well as some signed editions), each containing a standard set of branded merchandise items and randomized branded elements (action cards, partner cards, photo cards). Of the album’s sales, 97.5% were on the CD format, with the remainder generated by digital download album purchases. The set was not released on any other retail format (cassette, vinyl, etc.).

The World EP.2: Outlaw is the 10th album to sell at least 100,000 copies in a single week in 2023. Of those 10, seven of them are K-pop titles, with sales largely driven by collectible CD variants.

Queens of the Stone Age start at No. 2 on Top Album Sales with its latest set, In Times New Roman…, bowing with 36,000 copies sold. It’s the fifth top 10-charting effort for the group. Vinyl sales drove the majority of the album’s starting sum, with nearly 21,000 sold on the format (the band’s best week ever on vinyl, bolstered by its availability across seven variants). In Times New Roman… also debuts at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart — its third leader on that tally.

Stray Kids’ former leader 5-STAR: The 3rd Album falls 2-3 on Top Album Sales with 27,000 (down 41%), ENHYPEN’s Dark Blood rises 5-4 with 13,000 (down 34%) and Taylor Swift’s Midnights climbs 7-5 with 11,000 (down 34%).

J. Cole’s chart-topping Born Sinner, released in 2013, returns to the chart for the first time since 2014, as its vinyl release prompts its re-entry at No. 6 with 11,000 sold (up 39,761%) — nearly all from vinyl sales. For its 10th anniversary, the album was pressed on three vinyl variants, including a Target-exclusive edition. On Vinyl Albums, the set debuts at No. 2.

Gracie Abrams’ Good Riddance, which was released in February, jumps back onto Top Album Sales at No. 7 — a new peak — with 10,000 sold (up 3,322%, its best sales week yet; almost entirely from vinyl sales). It was available across five vinyl variants and starts at No. 3 on the Vinyl Albums chart.

Lil Peep’s Crybaby, released in 2016, hits Top Album Sales for the first time as its vinyl release prompts its debut at No. 8 with 8,000 sold (up 631%), with 7,000 of that sum on vinyl. It’s the third top 10-charting set for the late Lil Peep, who died in 2017, and all of his chart entries have been posthumous. Crybaby bows at No. 5 on the Vinyl Albums chart.

Rounding out the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart is SEVENTEEN’s SEVENTEEN 10th Mini Album: FML (climbing 11-9 with 8,000; down 4%) and Swift’s Folklore (13-10 with nearly 8,000; up 6%).

25 Jun 2023

Christina Aguilera Declares ‘You Are Not a Crime’ During Greatest Hits NYC Pride Island Set

Overlooking the Upper New York bay on a humid evening Sunday (June 25), throngs of sweating concert-goers decked out in a sea of rainbow colors cheered one name: “CHRIS-TI-NA! CHRIS-TI-NA!”

They didn’t have to cheer long before pop superstar Christina Aguilera appeared on the stage at Brooklyn Army Terminal for her headlining set at NYC Pride Island 2023. Striking a formidable pose center stage — dressed in a rainbow rhinestoned jumpsuit and bedazzled wrap around shades with her hair styled in three massive pigtails — Xtina welcomed her adoring crowd. “What the f–k is up, New York Pride?!” she bellowed into her microphone.

What ensued for her cheering fans was a non-stop tour-de-force of the pop phenomenon’s greatest hits. Kicking things off with high-energy renditions of fan-favorites like “Your Body,” “Dirrty” and “Cant Hold Us Down,” the star pranced around the stage with her backup dancers, making sure to stop and give fans a tasty vocal riff every now and then.

Of course, the star made sure to throw it back to some of her oldest hits for her day one fans in the crowd, delivering renditions of “Genie in a Bottle” and “What A Girl Wants” early in her set. “It has been such a long and beautiful journey in my career, and I feel like I’ve come full circle today at this point,” she told the crowd, beaming. “Thank you guys so much for giving me everything a girl could have asked for … I want to give everything back to you at this point — you deserve all of it and more.”

Part of what made the show so intoxicating to watch was the lack of fanfare when it came to the staging — backed up simply by three jumbotrons and set of metal stairs center stage, Xtina and her once-in-a-generation voice remained the focal point of an otherwise sparse stage.

That is, until, she made a concerted effort to shift that focus. In one of the more touching moments of the evening, Aguilera brought out Ian Axel of A Great Big World to help her deliver a tender rendition of their 2013 duet “Say Something.” Speaking to the crowd beforehand, the pop superstar made it clear exactly what she hoped they would take away from their emotive performance.

“There’s times where we’re looking for answers and looking for hope. There’s a lot of bleak things out there right now. We are here tonight and we stand in unison to be free to be ourselves,” she declared, eliciting roaring cheers from the crowd. “Sometimes we have to remember to stay hopeful and wish others well even in the darkest times. So let’s put well wishes into the world. Here’s hoping for a beautiful future.”

Axel was not the only special guest to join Aguilera for the evening’s events — during a raucous rendition of “Lady Marmalade,” the singer brought out pop-rock sensation and American Idol alum Adam Lambert to perform P!nk’s verse. Dressed in a swanky green leopard-print top and sporting bright purple hair, Lambert offered his own flavor on the iconic Moulin Rouge track, much to the audience’s delight.

But Aguilera wasn’t simply in attendance to give a great show — she came prepared to spread a few important messages. In the lead up to a heart-wrenching rendition of her iconic single “Beautiful,” the backdrop of the stage bore a message directly from the singer, calling out social media’s negative impact on the body image for children today.

The set’s most potent moment, though, came in its penultimate number. As news clips covering the outbreak of anti-LGBTQ legislation in the United States flashed around the backdrop of the stage, Xtina’s voice got angry. “One thing about us; we never quit. We never stop raising our voices,” she declared, before launching into a fiery rendition of “Fighter.” As she growled the empowering lyrics, messages flashed across the stage, declaring that “we are fighters,” and that ultimately, “you are not a crime.”

That theme of self-love permeated Aguilera’s set on Sunday night — as she delivered moment after moment of vocal acrobatics to thrill her audience, she also made sure that they felt just as heard as she did. As her song “Let There Be Love” played and a barrage of fireworks exploded overhead, Xtina offered one final message to her throngs of adoring fans; “Always love yourself, and love one another!”

Check out the full setlist from Christina Aguilera’s 2023 Pride Island performance below:

  1. “Your Body”
  2. “Dirrty”
  3. “Cant Hold Us Down”
  4. “Vanity”
  5. “Genie in a Bottle”
  6. “What A Girl Wants”
  7. “Ain’t No Other Man”
  8. “Say Something” feat. Ian Axel
  9. “Show Me How You Burlesque”
  10. “Lady Marmalade” feat. Adam Lambert
  11. “Beautiful”
  12. “Fighter”
  13. “Let There Be Love”

25 Jun 2023

Migos’ Offset & Quavo Reunite at 2023 BET Awards for First Performance Since Takeoff’s Death

Offset and Quavo reunited at Sunday night’s (June 25) 2023 BET Awards to perform a Migos classic and pay tribute to their late bandmate Takeoff.

The unannounced performance came about an hour into Sunday’s show, when a floor-to-ceiling rocket appeared on the big screens and the two remaining members of Migos walked into a spotlight surrounded by smoke and lasers. Takeoff’s verse from “Hotel Lobby” — a 2022 song from Quavo and Takeoff’s 2022 spin-off project Unc & Phew — played as the duo danced.

“Do it for Take!” they shouted, pointing at the screen, which morphed from the fiery rocket to a photo of the late rapper, who was fatally shot at age 23 in November last year.

The duo then performed Migos’ lone Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit: the 2017 three-week leader “Bad and Boujee,” a 2018 Grammy nominee for best rap performance. The surprise set marks the first performance for Offset and Quavo together since Takeoff’s death. Also, Offset didn’t perform with Migos during their festival dates last year, so he and Quavo haven’t hit the stage together in at least a year.

Offset’s wife, Cardi B, showed her appreciation for the cultural moment on Twitter, writing, “I can’t take it right now,” along with crying emojis. “Proud of the boys.”

Watch highlights from the performance below and see Cardi’s reaction:

25 Jun 2023

Glastonbury Crowd Assists Lewis Capaldi as He Struggles to Finish ‘Someone You Loved’

Lewis Capaldi returned to the stage for Glastonbury after taking a break to “rest and recover” over the past few weeks, and his return was aided by his fans.

As he closed his festival set with chart-topper “Someone You Loved” this weekend, he appeared to be affected by involuntary movements and could not fully perform the song on his own. No worries, though: The audience stepped in where he left off.

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Capaldi has been candid about diagnosis of Tourette’s syndrome, which is a neurological disorder involving sudden repetitive movements or unwanted tics. In April, he revealed it might eventually force him to quit music altogether.

“My tic is getting quite bad on stage now,” Capaldi said in an interview with The Times that month. “I’m trying to get on top of that. If I can’t, I’m f—ed. It’s easier when I play guitar, but I hate playing guitar. I know, I’m a walking contradiction.”

“It’s only making music that does this to me,” he told the publication. “Otherwise I can be fine for months at a time. So it’s a weird situation. Right now, the trade-off is worth it.”

“But if it gets to a point where I’m doing irreparable damage to myself, I’ll quit,” Capaldi added at the time. “I hate hyperbole, but it is a very real possibility that I will have to pack music in.”

In early June, Capaldi canceled gigs in Glasgow, Dublin, London and Norway in a message that he said “hurts me a lot to have to type.”

He wrote, “The last few months have been full on both mentally and physically, I haven’t been home properly since Christmas and at the moment I’m struggling to get to grips with it all. I need to take a moment to rest and recover, to be at my best and ready for Glastonbury and all of the other incredible shows coming up so that I’m able to continue doing what I love for a long time to come.”

“Someone You Loved” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart in 2019. Capaldi recently released his sophomore studio album, Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent.

See the emotional Glastonbury moment below.

25 Jun 2023

Here Are the 2023 BET Awards Winners (Updating Live)

The 2023 BET Awards have arrived!

Drake and GloRilla enter the night as this year’s leading nominees — with seven and six nods each, respectively — but who will be the night’s big winner?

Stick with Billboard all Sunday night for our updating list of winners, below.

Album of the Year
Anyways, Life’s Great, GloRilla
Breezy, Chris Brown
God Did, DJ Khaled
Her Loss, Drake & 21 Savage
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar
Renaissance, Beyoncé
SOS, SZA

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
Ari Lennox
Beyoncé
Coco Jones
H.E.R.
Lizzo
SZA
Tems

Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
Blxst
Brent Faiyaz
Burna Boy
Chris Brown
Drake
The Weeknd
Usher

Best Group
City Girls
Drake & 21 Savage
Dvsn
FLO
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin
Quavo & Takeoff
Wanmor

Best Collaboration
“Big Energy (Remix),” Latto & Mariah Carey feat. DJ Khaled
“Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2,” Pinkpantheress & Ice Spice
“Call Me Every Day,” Chris Brown feat. Wizkid
“Can’t Stop Won’t Stop,” King Combs feat. Kodak Black
“Creepin’,” Metro Boomin, The Weeknd & 21 Savage
“F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” Hitkidd & GloRilla
“Tomorrow 2,” GloRilla & Cardi B
“Wait For U,” Future feat. Drake & Tems

Best Female Hip Hop Artist   
Cardi B
Coi Leray
GloRilla
Ice Spice
WINNER: Latto
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj

Best Male Hip Hop Artist
21 Savage
Drake
Future
J. Cole
Jack Harlow
Kendrick Lamar
Lil Baby

Video of the Year
“We (Warm Embrace),” Chris Brown
“2 Million Up,” Peezy, Jeezy & Real Boston Richey feat. Rob49
“About Damn Time,” Lizzo
“Bad Habit,” Steve Lacy
“First Class,” Harlow
“Kill Bill,” SZA
“Tomorrow 2,” GloRilla & Cardi B

Video Director of the Year
A$AP Rocky for AWGE
Benny Boom
Burna Boy
Cole Bennett
Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar
Director X
WINNER: Teyana “Spike Tey” Taylor

Best New Artist
Ambré
WINNER: Coco Jones
Doechii
FLO
GloRilla
Ice Spice
Lola Brooke

Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
“Bless Me,” Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin
“Finished (Live),” Tamela Mann
“I’ve Got Joy,” CeCe Winans
“Kingdom,” Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin feat. Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore
“New,” Tye Tribbett
“One Moment From Glory,” Yolanda Adams
“The Better Benediction (Pt.2),” PJ Morton feat. Lisa Knowles-Smith, Le’andria Johnson, Keke Wyatt, Kierra Sheard & Tasha Cobbs Leonard

Viewer’s Choice Award
“About Damn Time,” Lizzo
“Break My Soul,” Beyoncé
“First Class,” Jack Harlow
“Jimmy Cooks,” Drake feat 21 Savage
“Kill Bill,” SZA
“Last Last,” Burna Boy
“Super Freaky Girl,” Nicki Minaj
“Wait For U,” Future feat. Drake & Tems

Best International Act
Aya Nakamura (France)
Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
Burna Boy (Nigeria)
Central Cee (UK)
Ella Mai (UK)
Ko (South Africa)
L7nnon (Brazil)
Stormzy (UK)
Tiakola (France)
Uncle Waffles (Swaziland)

Viewer’s Choice: Best New International Act
Asake (Nigeria)
Camidoh (Ghana)
Flo (UK)
Libianca (Cameroon)
Maureen (France)
MC Ryan SP (Brazil)
Pabi Cooper (South Africa)
Raye (UK)
Werenoi (France)

BET Her
“About Damn Time,” Lizzo
“Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2,” Pinkpantheress & Ice Spice
“Break My Soul,” Beyoncé
“Her,” Megan Thee Stallion
“Lift Me Up,” Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From And Inspired By – Rihanna & Ludwig Göransson
“Players,” Coi Leray
“Special,” Lizzo

Best Movie
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Creed 3
Emancipation
Nope
The Woman King
Till
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Best Actor
Amin Joseph
Brian Tyree Henry
Damson Idris
Daniel Kaluuya
Demetrius ‘Lil Meech’ Flenory Jr.
Donald Glover
Michael B. Jordan

Best Actress
Angela Bassett
Coco Jones
Janelle James
Janelle Monáe
Keke Palmer
Viola Davis
Zendaya

Youngstars Award
Akira Akbar
Alaya High
Demi Singleton
Genesis Denise
Marsai Martin
Thaddeus J. Mixson   
Young Dylan   

Sportswoman of the Year Award
Alexis Morris
Allyson Felix   
Angel Reese
Candace Parker
Naomi Osaka  
Serena Williams
Sha’carri Richardson

Sportsman of the Year Award
Aaron Judge   
Bubba Wallace
Gervonta Davis
Jalen Hurts
Lebron James
Patrick Mahomes
Stephen Curry

25 Jun 2023

Girl in Red & Taylor Swift Pose for Sweet Snapshot: ‘This Iconic Tour Is a Life Highlight’

Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Minneapolis are four cities that should always be memorable for Girl in Red, as it was there that the Norwegian singer graced Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour stage as an opening act.

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Girl in Red (aka Marie Ulven) had her last tour date on the U.S. leg of Swift’s trek Saturday night (June 24). The pair met up backstage to pose for a photo together: Swift, ready to take the stage in her sparkly Lover bodysuit, put her arm around Ulven, who looked somewhat starstruck.

“not the 30 seconds after show pic,” Girl in Red captioned their snapshot on Instagram.

“i adore taylor’s music and being a part of this iconic tour is a life highlight,” she wrote. “thank you so much.”

During her first weekend opening for Swift, at Chicago’s Soldier Field, she shared a video from Swift’s set and promised in her caption that “i could and i WILL watch this video on repeat until i die.”

In the clip, the pop star is heard gushing over Girl in Red in a shout-out during her own set: “I actually have a really important thing happening tonight, which is it is the first show of the tour that Girl in Red opened up,” Swift told the crowd on June 2. “I absolutely love her … I know every single word to every single song on her album. She’s one of my favorite artists.”

See their cute photo together on Instagram.