Music News

06 Nov 2024

Flavor Flav Praises Selena Gomez for ‘Being So Open’ About Her Mental Health

Flavor Flav has no problem uplifting those around him. He’s basically been on a tour giving fellow celebrities he adores their flowers, and now it’s Selena Gomez’s turn.

Flav took to X on Monday (Nov. 4), where he applauded Gomez’s strength and how candid she’s been with her mental health publicly. “I don’t know her personally,,, but Selena Gomez is one of the STRONGEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL people inside and out,” he gushed. “I applaud her for being so open about her health and mental health. And I applaud her even more for clapping back at haterz,,, but she shouldn’t have to.”

The 32-year-old actress has been open about her mental health and lives with lupus, along with being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Gomez’s My Mind and Me documentary gave fans an even deeper look into her health battles, and she also launched the Rare Impact Fund to provide mental health services for the youth in 2020.

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People caught up with Gomez in November, and she disclosed some of her best practices when it comes to her mental health. “Try not to isolate,” she said. “I think it’s important to have moments alone. But when you isolate, sometimes those feelings can just stay bottled up.”

She implored people to “find one person to trust and tell your heart to … You can actually trust them with that information. It really does help to share.”

Being the self-proclaimed “King Swiftie,” Flavor Flav was also ecstatic to find out Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift were cool. “Me finding out Taylor and Selena are best friends,” he added on X with a GIF of the pair hanging out together.

06 Nov 2024

Sabrina Carpenter Registered and Engaged the Most Voters in 2024 Election Through HeadCount

Sabrina Carpenter said “Please Please Please” and voters definitely listened. According to HeadCount.org, the singer got more voters engaged in Tuesday’s (Nov. 5) election than any other artist the organization works with. HeadCount said that Carpenter, 25, helped inspire 35,814 voter registrations and got another 263,087 voters to take other actions outside of registering (including checking their registration status and polling location).

“Through our partnerships with over 100 top music artists — like Sabrina Carpenter, Green Day, Ariana Grande, and so many others — HeadCount had a record-breaking year, registering over 450,000 new voters and engaging over 3 million more people to make sure they vote,” said  the non-profit’s executive director, Lucille Wenegieme, in a statement. “Our model works because musicians and celebrities have a cultural cache and an intimate connection with their fans, especially among young people, whose identity as a fan of a particular artist can be even stronger than other aspects of their identity, including affiliation with a political party or candidate. We are so grateful to our artist partners and their teams for inspiring their fans to take control of their future.”

HeadCount said that it had a presence at more than 3,700 events this year as part of its “Good to Vote” campaign, where they registered nearly half a million new voters, with almost half of them between the ages of 18-24. Carpenter’s impressive numbers on her Short n’ Sweet tour including activating voters through giveaways, in-person activations and video boards and mailers. The partnership also included a sweepstakes offering fans the chance to see the tour by checking their registration status, with winners slated to be flown out to the singer’s Nov. 9 San Francisco show.

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In addition, on their globe-hopping stadium Saviors tour, pop-punk legends Green Day broke HeadCount’s all-time record for the most voters engaged on a single tour, registering more than 7,900 new voters and engaging over 61,000 voters through in-person activations on the outing; those figures nearly double the previous record set by Ariana Grande on her 2019 Sweetener world tour.

HeadCount — which works with hundreds of other touring artists including 5 Seconds of Summer, Brandi Carlile, Alicia Keys, Chappell Roan, Ariana Grande, Fall Out Boy, Billie Eilish, DRake, HAIM, Gracie Abrams, Harry Styles and others — has registered more than 1.5 million voters since 2004. This year, the group said it engaged over three million music fans to take action, another all-time record for the organization, with more than 80% of all voters it registered representing Gen Z or millennials.

06 Nov 2024

V of BTS to Release ‘Era-Bridging’ Remix of ‘White Christmas’ With Bing Crosby

More than 80 years after its release, Bing Crosby‘s beloved holiday hit “White Christmas” is getting a Bangtan boost from V of BTS.

As announced Wednesday (Nov. 6), the 28-year-old K-pop star will join the late legend on a remix of his 1942 smash arriving Dec. 6. Released in partnership with the Bing Crosby Estate, Primary Wave Music and Geffen Records, the project is described as an “era-bridging” collaboration and comes 47 years after Crosby’s last cross-generational duet: 1977’s “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” with David Bowie.

“I’m so grateful to have had the chance to be featured in a song with my all-time favorite jazz artist, Bing Crosby,” V said of the track in a statement. “I grew up listening to his song ‘It’s Been a Long, Long Time’ countless times a day, and I feel incredibly fortunate and honored to have sung along on ‘White Christmas’ with the voice of someone I consider an idol.”

“Being a huge fan of his, I sang with the utmost sincerity and admiration for him,” continued the South Korean superstar, who previously covered “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” of which Crosby’s take peaked at No. 30 on the Holiday Streaming Songs, No. 8 on the Holiday Airplay and No. 14 on the Holiday Digital Song Sales charts. “I hope many people enjoy it as much as I enjoyed singing it. Lastly, I wish a lovely holiday season to everyone listening to the song.”

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Originally recorded for the 1942 film Holiday Inn and later heavily featured in the 1954 film White Christmas, Crosby’s enduring hit is widely renowned as the bestselling single of all time. It was released a full 16 years before the inception of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958, but premiered on the chart in December that same year and later reached a peak at No. 12 in 1962.

Crosby died in 1977. His daughter Mary Crosby said in a statement about her father’s new posthumous collaboration, “As a family, we are thrilled to have V and Dad singing together on this ultimate Christmas song. Their voices blend beautifully, capturing the holiday spirit in the best possible way.”

The legendary performer’s son Harry added, “We are happy that V will help share the joy of this timeless Christmas song.”

The holiday team-up will arrive about nine months after the release of V’s solo single “FRI(END)S,” which reached No. 65 on the Hot 100. Last December, he teamed up with Umi for a duet titled “Wherever U R.”

V is currently in the midst of his mandatory enlistment period in the South Korean military, as are four of his BTS bandmates: SUGA, RM, Jimin and Jung Kook. Earlier this year, Jin and J-Hope separately finished their service obligations, and full-band activities are expected to resume in 2025.

See the cover art for Bing Crosby and V’s “White Christmas” below.

06 Nov 2024

Pamela Anderson Loved Beyoncé’s ‘Barb Wire’ Halloween Costume: ‘Don’t Call Me Bey’

Queens recognize queens. Pamela Anderson had nothing but love for Beyoncé‘s Halloween tribute to her Barb Wire character. On Tuesday (Nov. 5), Bey dropped the first music video from her Cowboy Carter era with “Bodyguard,” in which the singer channeled a trio of Anderson’s most iconic looks for what she dubbed “Beylloween” in an Instagram post featuring a series of homages to the actress/author.

Anderson reposted a screen shot from the visual on her Instagram Stories, adding a heart emoji and the comment “Don’t call me bey… [kissy face emoji].” In the video, Beyoncé modeled Anderson’s legendarily skin-baring red Baywatch one-piece swimsuit, as well as her plunging neckline black corset dress from Pam’s kitschy 1996 sci-fi/action film Barb Wire. Dropping on election day, the video also featured a scene in which Bey pointed a toy gun at the lens, popping out a “Vote!” message flag to encourage fans to head to the polls in what turned out to be a losing effort by her preferred candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.

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A third look also mimicked Anderson’s 1999 MTV VMAs look, which featured a furry pink hat and bedazzled leggings, though instead of the video awards event, Bey renamed it the No Visual Awards — a seeming nod to the long music video drought that stretches back to 2020’s Black Is King musical film. Anderson also posted a clip from the “Bodyguard” video in her Story.

The Raphael Saadiq-produced “Bodyguard” from Beyoncé’s country-leaning 2024 Cowboy Carter album peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Last January, Anderson — who has kept a low profile over the past few years — talked to Howard Stern about her brief marriage to MAGA singer Kid Rock, saying that the four-month 2006 union was a “tremendous f–king mistake” while promoting her Love, Pamela memoir.

06 Nov 2024

Selena Gomez Responds to Body-Shaming Comments With Reveal of Intestinal Disorder: ‘This Makes Me Sick’

After some fans commented on Selena Gomez‘s posture at a recent red carpet event promoting her upcoming Netflix film Emilia Perez, the singer/actress/entrepreneur reportedly responded by revealing a medical condition that she is struggling with.

According to ELLE, after Gomez walked the carpet at the American French Film Festival premiere of the film in Los Angeles last week, comments on TikTok questioned whether that the singer was trying to hide her body with the poses she struck in photos from the premiere in which she wore a black, long-sleeved Carolina Herrera dress with her hands positioned across her stomach.

After reading the comments, Gomez reportedly responded to the comments on the TikTok — which has since been deleted — explaining her body language. “This makes me sick,” Gomez wrote in the comments of the speculation. “I have SEBO [SIBO] in my small intestine. It flares up. I don’t care that I don’t look like a stick figure. I don’t have that body. End of story. No I am NOT a victim. I’m just human.”

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According to the Mayo Clinic, SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) is a result of an “abnormal increase in the overall bacterial population in the small intestine — particularly types of bacteria not commonly found in that part of the digestive tract,” also sometimes referred to as “blind loop syndrome.” The condition occurs when a patient’s intestines struggle to absorb fats, carbohydrates and proteins efficiently, which can damage the body, cause weak bones (osteoporosis) and an excess of bacteria in the digestive tract, which can lead to diarrhea, weight loss and malnutrition.

In the past, Gomez has been open about her other health struggles, which include the autoimmune disease lupus; in 2017 she received a kidney transplant and underwent several rounds of chemotherapy.

Gomez co-stars with Zoë Saldaña in the Spanish-language musical Emilia Perez, which will premiere on Netflix on Nov. 13.

06 Nov 2024

Oasis Announce Five 2025 South American Stadium Shows

Oasis continue to expand their anticipated 2025 reunion tour. The Gallagher brothers announced the latest dates on their long-awaited get together on Tuesday (Nov. 5), adding five South American stadium shows for next fall. Singer Liam and guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher will touch down in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Nov. 15 for the first of two shows at Estadio River Plate, before moving on to Santiago, Chile on Nov. 19 for a gig at Estadio Nacional.

The run is currently slated to wrap up with Nov. 22-23 stops at Estádio MorumBIS in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The show represent the band’s first performances in South America in 16 years.

The addition of those gigs to the Oasis Live ’25 tour expands the initial roll-out of shows in the UK/Ireland, as well as stadium shows in North America and Australia next year. The famously battling siblings have not released a new album since 2008’s Dig Out Your Soul, but in September Liam replied to a fan’s question about whether there will be fresh music, responding “Yep it’s already finished,” without offering any additional details. Then, over the weekend, when a fan asked what Liam thinks of the new songs his older brother has written for the band, he replied, “Blown away.”

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At press time Oasis had not officially confirmed that a new album is coming or revealed a release date for what would be their eighth studio album. Fans can register for a ticket pre-sale for the South American dates on the Oasis website, with tickets slated to go on sale on Nov. 13.

So far, all the dates on the tour have sold out, with the rebooted group — whose other members have not yet been revealed — slated to kick off the outing on July 4 with two shows at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, U.K., followed by 15 more U.K./Ireland stadium concerts before moving on to North America on August 24 for two stop at Rogers Stadium in Toronto.

The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft will open for the U.K./Ireland shows and Cage the Elephant will be the special guest for the North American leg.

Check out the announcement for the 2025 South American Oasis dates below.

06 Nov 2024

Girls Aloud To Release of First New Music in 12 Years With Sarah Harding-Led ‘I’ll Stand By You’

Earlier this year, British girl group Girls Aloud reunited for a run of shows in the U.K. and Ireland, their first since 2013. It was their first as a quartet following the death of member Sarah Harding, who passed away in 2021 aged 39, following complications from breast cancer.

The group have now shared news of the upcoming release of “I’ll Stand By You (Sarah’s Version),” which will raise money for the BBC charity event Children In Need. The song will be released on Nov. 15 during the TV airing of the event.

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“I’ll Stand By You” was first recorded by the group in 2004 for Children In Need and the ballad topped the U.K. Singles Charts for two weeks upon release. The new version features solely Harding’s vocals, and was inspired by the version performed at those reunion concerts in the summer. The group last released original music in 2012 via the greatest hits compilation Ten.

The song was originally a single for The Pretenders, written by singer Chrissie Hynde, Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, and hit No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release in 1994. According to a press release, Hynde said of the new version: “How wonderful to hear ‘I’ll Stand By You’ with the lovely vocals of Sarah Harding leading the way for BBC Children in Need.”

After premiering on BBC Radio 2 this morning (Nov. 6), bandmate Nadine Coyle said the new version was a tribute to “our wonderful Sarah.” Later this year a filmed version of the group’s reunion will be shown on television. A one-hour special, The Girls Aloud Show: Live at The O2, will air on ITV 1 and the full show will appear on streaming service ITV X. An air date has yet to be confirmed.

Children In Need raises money for disadvantaged children across the U.K. and Ireland and takes place on a yearly basis. Previous charity singles for the event have been recorded by S Club 7, Will Young, Jess Glynne and McFly.

06 Nov 2024

Cardi B and More React as Donald Trump Declares Win

Donald Trump has declared victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential election, after the Associated Press and other major news outlets called the presidential race in his favor.

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Addressing his supporters from his campaign’s watch party in Florida, Trump said, “Every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future.” He added he was going to make people “very happy” and “very proud” of their vote.

“We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly,” Trump said. “We’re going to fix our borders. We’re going to fix everything about our country.”

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At the time of his speech, Trump had 267 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House and is leading in several key races, including Michigan and Wisconsin. The count continues.

Meanwhile, the Harris campaign announced that the Vice President would not immediately deliver a speech and supporters were seen leaving her election night watch party.

While some celebrated, many in Hollywood and the music industry were stunned — including Bette Midler, who quoted journalist and essayist H.L. Mencken in one of the night’s most scathing responses.

“When a candidate for public office faces the voters he does not face men of sense; he faces a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is the fact that they are quite incapable of weighing ideas, or even of comprehending any save the most elemental…The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people.”

The quote continues, “On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

Cardi B kept it short but direct as Trump’s lead grew throughout the evening: “We need a Hail Mary,” she tweeted, clearly shaken by the turn of events after endorsing Kamala Harris. On Instagram, she went a step further, posting to her Story, “I hate y’all bad.”

Marc Rebillet posted on X, “F— DONALD TRUMP.”

According to AP News, Trump would be the first former president to return to power since Grover Cleveland regained the White House in the 1892 election. He also stands to be the first person convicted of a felony to be elected president and, at 78.

06 Nov 2024

Michael Jackson Biopic Pushed Back to Late 2025

Lionsgate have announced that Michael, its Michael Jackson biopic from director Antoine Fuqua, is now slated to hit theaters in wide release on Oct. 3, 2025.

The feature is moving back by six months from its previously planned release on April 18, 2025.

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Starring in the title role is Jaafar Jackson, who is the nephew of the late pop superstar, while Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Miles Teller and Colman Domingo round out the cast. Fuqua helms from a script by John Logan for the project that counts Graham King, John Branca and John McClain as producers.

Lionsgate has also set its comedy Good Fortune for wide theatrical release on Oct. 17, 2025. Writer-director Aziz Ansari stars in the film alongside Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh and Keanu Reeves. Ansari, Anthony Katagas and Alan Yang serve as producers.

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Good Fortune centers on a well-intentioned but slightly clueless angel (Reeves), who intervenes in the lives of a frustrated gig worker (Ansari) and a successful venture capitalist (Rogen).

During a San Diego Comic-Con panel in July, Fuqua spoke about his progress on Michael, explaining that he was in the process of editing the film at the time.

“Why I wanted to make it is, Michael,” the filmmaker said. “Michael was a big part of my life growing up, big influence on my career, an incredible artist — but he was a human being, and we’re exploring that. I’m very excited about it.”

Footage from Michael was shared at CinemaCon in April, where King revealed that the movie will include 30 songs and have a lengthy run time, in order to do justice to Jackson’s story.

Jackson’s impact on the Billboard charts is unparalleled. He achieved 13 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles as a solo artist, with 30 of his songs reaching the top 10. His album Thriller set numerous records, spending 37 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart from 1983 to 1984 and became the first album to produce seven Hot 100 top 10 singles.

Jackson is also the only artist to have top 10 hits on the Hot 100 across five consecutive decades (1970s–2010s). In 1983, he made history by simultaneously topping Billboard’s Pop and R&B Album and Singles charts for six consecutive weeks.

Following his death in 2009, Jackson achieved another unprecedented feat when three of his albums claimed the top three positions on Billboard’s Top Pop Catalog Albums and Top Comprehensive Albums charts simultaneously.

06 Nov 2024

Pharrell Williams Recalls Getting Fired from McDonald’s Three Times

Pharrell Williams may be a music mogul today, but his first job at McDonald’s wasn’t exactly a resounding success.

Reflecting on his early days, the 51-year-old—now a Grammy-winning artist and fashion entrepreneur worth an estimated $250 million—recalled how his love for McNuggets landed him in trouble during his fast-food stint.

“McDonald’s was my first and only job,” he told BBC Radio 2. “I got fired three times. I was eating the chicken nuggets.”

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Pharrell admitted that his McDonald’s career was short-lived. “The first two times it was just because I was lazy,” he explained. “The third was like, ‘What are you doing? You’re just sitting there eating nuggets?’”

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While his time in fast food ended quickly, Pharrell would go on to achieve monumental success on the Billboard charts, kicking off his musical career in music production duo The Neptunes with Chad Hugo in 1992. In 1999, Pharrell, along with Hugo and drummer Shay Haley, formed the band N.E.R.D and released their debut album, In Search Of… in 2002.

As one of the defining artists of the 2000s, Pharrell has topped the Billboard Hot 100 four times, including a remarkable run with his single “Happy,” which held the No. 1 spot for 10 consecutive weeks in 2014.

Despite his early struggles at McDonald’s, “Happy” demonstrated Pharrell’s knack for creating a hit, leading Billboard’s Digital Songs Sales chart with 402,000 downloads in one week. It also marked his first No. 1 as a lead artist—a milestone that took 12 years and one week from his debut entry, setting a record for the longest wait for a Hot 100 No. 1 as a lead artist.

Pharrell’s talent for creating hits extends beyond his solo work. In 2013, he made Billboard history by holding the No. 1 and No. 2 spots simultaneously with “Blurred Lines” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” making him only the 12th artist ever to achieve this feat.

His work on these chart-toppers solidified his reputation, earning him the title of Billboard’s “Producer of the Decade” in 2010. His illustrious career has earned him 1,544 weeks across 68 different Billboard charts.

Beyond music, Pharrell’s influence has reached fashion with his Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream labels, and in 2023, he was appointed as the men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton.