Music
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Selena Gomez has had enough of the chatter about her appearance. The 32-year-old pop star recently sounded off in the comments after coming across a video on TikTok discussing the “changes” in her face over the years, revealing that she’s not had any work done beyond injections.
“Honestly I hate this,” wrote Gomez, who’s been open about her struggles with Lupus. “I was on stripes because of [a] flare up. I have Botox. That’s it.”
“Leave me alone,” she added.
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The video’s creator, Marissa — whose bio indicates she works as a PA at a plastic surgery center in Florida — never specified what procedures she thinks Gomez has undergone, telling followers that she doesn’t know “what to attribute any of these changes to” while showing a side-by-side comparison of younger vs. slightly older Selena. “I think she’s been through so much in her life, especially medically related, so I don’t think it’s fair to speculate whether or not she’s gotten cosmetic things done,” the user added in the original clip. “At the end of the day, let’s just leave her be.”
Upon seeing Gomez’s comment, Marissa made a follow-up video apologizing for any hurt feelings her initial post caused. “Although I always try to lead with grace and mindfulness, I am sorry this upset you,” she wrote in her caption.
Once again, the Rare Beauty founder weighed in via the replies. “I love you,” Gomez wrote. “Not about you. I just get sad sometimes.”
Gomez has long been vocal about her experiences with mental health and body-shaming, especially after revealing that she’d been diagnosed with Lupus in 2015. She touched on how her weight often fluctuates due to the medication she takes for the autoimmune disorder on the Apple TV+ series Dear… last year, saying haters “couldn’t wait to find a thing to bring me down” once her body started changing.
“I would go online and post a picture of myself and I would say, ‘It doesn’t matter, I’m not accepting what you’re saying,’” she added at the time. “All the while being in the room posting that, crying my eyes out, ’cause nobody deserves to hear those things.”
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” adds a third week at No. 1 to its Billboard Hot 100 tab. The single became the singer-songwriter’s first leader on the chart three weeks earlier.
The song, on American Dogwood/EMPIRE (with country radio promotion by Magnolia Music), is from the Virginia-born artist’s album Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, which debuted at its No. 5 high on the Billboard 200 in June. It has spent two weeks at No. 1 on Americana/Folk Albums and reached No. 2 on Top Country Albums.
The track also became the first by a Black man, and second by a Black artist overall, after Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” earlier this year, to top both the Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs charts. “It’s a sign of the times – genres are merging, styles are blending and the audience’s music taste is broader than ever,” EMPIRE COO Nima Etminan recently told Billboard. “Artists don’t need to be put in boxes – whether it be by race, genre or eras. Good music is good music and the listeners largely get to dictate the charts.”
Elsewhere in the Hot 100’s top 10, Teddy Swims’ former No. 1 “Lose Control” reaches a notable mark, tying for the 10th-most weeks spent in the bracket by any song so far in the 2020s.
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 Aug. 3, 2024) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, July 30. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
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“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” continues atop the Hot 100 with 85.1 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 10%, good for top Airplay Gainer honors for a fourth week), 37.3 million official streams (down 4%) and 15,000 sold (down 7%) in the United States July 19-25.
The track rebounds 2-1 for a second week atop the Streaming Songs chart, following a frame on top three weeks earlier; keeps at its No. 2 high on Radio Songs; and likewise holds at No. 2 after nine weeks ruling Digital Song Sales.
Reflecting its wide sonic appeal, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which interpolates J-Kwon’s 2004 hip-hop classic “Tipsy,” became the first song ever to go top 10 on all four of the following Billboard radio charts, where it continues to gain: It jumps 3-1 on Country Airplay – marking its first airplay chart domination – and 5-4 on Rhythmic Airplay and keeps at its Nos. 5 and 6 bests on Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay, respectively.
“It’s important that Shaboozey has been able to show that you can do that as an independent artist,” Heather Vassar, senior vp of operations for EMPIRE in Nashville, told Billboard. “We had several offers from majors who wanted to work the record and it was really important that we were able to stay true to how we operate.”
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” concurrently tops the multimetric Hot Country Songs chart for a seventh week.
Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, holds at No. 2 on the Hot 100 following six nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning in May. It leads Radio Songs for a fifth week (85.5 million, up 1%) – as it ascends to No. 1 on Pop Airplay – and shines atop the multimetric Songs of the Summer chart for a ninth week.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” keeps at No. 3 on the Hot 100, two weeks after it returned to the summit for a second frame on top. It tops the multimetric Hot Rap Songs chart for an 11th week and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for a ninth week.
Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” repeats at No. 4 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 2, as it banks a 13th week atop the multimetric Hot R&B Songs chart.
Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” keeps at No. 5 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 3, and her “Please Please Please” dips 6-7, after it became her first No. 1 in June. She claims a seventh week with multiple songs in the top 10, extending her mark for the most among all artists this year.
In between Carpenter’s two top 10s, Hozier’s “Too Sweet” rises 7-6 on the Hot 100, following a week at No. 1 in April. It commands the multimetric Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for a 17th week each and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs for a 16th week.
Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” which led for a week in March, is steady at No. 8 on the Hot 100, as it logs a key milestone: It ties for the 10th-most weeks tallied in the top 10 this decade.
Most Weeks in Hot 100’s Top 10 in the 2020s:
57, “Blinding Lights,” The Weeknd, 2020-21
44, “Stay,” The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, 2021-22
41, “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, 2023-24
41, “Levitating,” Dua Lipa, 2021
38, “As It Was,” Harry Styles, 2022-23
37, “Heat Waves,” Glass Animals, 2021-22
34, “Cruel Summer,” Taylor Swift, 2023-24
31, “Mood,” 24kGoldn feat. iann dior, 2020-21
29, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, 2023-24
28, “Lose Control,” Teddy Swims, 2024
28, “Kill Bill,” SZA, 2022-23
28, “Anti-Hero,” Taylor Swift, 2022-23
“Lose Control” also becomes Teddy Swims’ first No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Among other radio rankings, it previously topped Radio Songs, Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and Adult R&B Airplay.
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Benson Boone’s No. 2-peaking “Beautiful Things” is a non-mover at No. 9 and Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” returns to the tier and its best rank (11-10).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Baby, baby, baby do the Biebers seem so excited to welcoming their first child together! As Justin Bieber and wife Hailey Bieber appear to be sharing their final moments of alone time on a babymoon before the upcoming arrival of their first born, Justin posted an adorable video of the happy couple. In the brief […]
If Simone Biles and Suni Lee win gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, they’ll have Snoop Dogg to thank … kind of. The rapper spent part of the Summer Games’ first weekend cheering on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team, part of which involved a little spiritual coaching with Lee. In a video posted Monday (July […]
Swae Lee doesn’t typically dabble in the political world, but felt compelled to speak out against Kamala Harris over the weekend, and is now facing the heat. The Rae Sremmurd frontman blasted the vice president while urging his fans not to vote for the likely Democratic nominee for president.
“Do not vote for Kamala !!! Do your research on that whole camp,” Swae Lee tweeted on Saturday (July 27). His message quickly went viral and currently boasts more than 86,000 likes.
The “Sunflower” crooner complained about the alleged millions of dollars in taxes he pays that he says is being sent to other countries such as Ukraine during the country’s war with Russia.
“I pay over millions in tax dollars every year this man Sent it to A whole nother country !!!!!!!!! Those lil dollars that come off your checks they gave it away !!!!!!! Think about that s-t,” he added.
Swae Lee believes that money would be better suited in the U.S. to help out struggling citizens.
“The money we sent away every American citizen could’ve got minimal 200 grand think about that but I guess we don’t need the s–t and yall standing for Kamala,” he continued. “My black people she don’t do nothing but sign off on things against yall ….(us) voting just cuz you think she’s black is not going to end in your favor.”
The 31-year-old also reposted a 2019 debate featuring Republican Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard shredding Harris’ time as district attorney of San Francisco. “Y’all better pay attention! And there’s a lot more,” Swae wrote.
Plenty of debate broke out on both sides in Swae Lee’s replies. Higher Learning podcast host Van Lathan believes rappers have too much influence over public opinion to be miseducated on political matters.
“We need a once a year Hip Hop political convention, I’m deada–. Non partisan, in a Black city, no media,” he wrote. “Rappers have far too much cultural influence to be so consistently misinformed.”
We need a once a year Hip Hop political convention, I’m deadass. Non partisan, in a Black city, no media. Rappers have far too much cultural influence to be so consistently misinformed. https://t.co/hk2pz1pkf2— Van “#1 Voice in Wrestling Media” Lathan Jr (@VanLathan) July 27, 2024
Another pointed out some of the inaccuracies in the musician’s tweets. “Kamala Harris has fought for criminal justice reform, healthcare, and economic equality,” responded a user named Maja Porter. “Voting isn’t just about race; it’s about who can bring real change. Let’s vote for policies that benefit all Black Americans and ensure a better future for everyone.”
“Actually, the Biden and Harris administration has been in office for a little over three years, not four,” Porter continued. “During this time, they’ve made progress on several fronts, including passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve roads, bridges, and public transportation, and taking steps to address climate change by promoting clean energy and reducing carbon emissions.”
“And the number grows of d-list ‘celebrities’ who want a Trump tax cut and are willing to sell us for it,” tweeted another user in response.
Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and quickly endorsed his VP on July 21; Harris is expected to be the Democratic party’s nominee. She’s already received numerous endorsements from artists as Cardi B, Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo, Questlove, Lizzo, John Legend, Demi Lovato and more.
See Swae Lee’s tweets about not voting for Kamala Harris below.
Do not vote for Kamala !!! Do your research on that whole camp— Swae Lee Lee Swae (@SwaeLee) July 27, 2024
The money we sent away every American citizen could’ve got minimal 200 grand think about that but I guess we don’t need the shit 🤷🏽♂️ and yall standing for Kamala. My black people she don’t do nothing but sign off on things against yall ….(us) voting just cuz you think she’s black…— Swae Lee Lee Swae (@SwaeLee) July 27, 2024
I pay over millions in tax dollars every year this man Sent it to A whole nother country !!!!!!!!! Those lil dollars that come off your checks they gave it away !!!!!!! Think about that shit— Swae Lee Lee Swae (@SwaeLee) July 27, 2024
Flavor Flav‘s official Olympic hype-man duties included personally greeting Dr. Jill Biden at the U.S. women’s water polo match Saturday (July 27). In a sweet video shared by the rapper on social media, he excitedly cheers as the first lady and her family enter the premises, immediately wrapping her in a hug. Both were there […]
The flames, the double kick drums blast beats, the headless Mario Antoinettes, the opera singer on a giant boat. There was nothing about French heavy metal band Gojira‘s set during Friday’s glittering opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics that you could have predicted from the first hard rock band to ever take the stage […]
Though it definitely made for a soggy journey down the Seine, the steady rain in Paris during Friday night’s lavish opening ceremonies for the 2024 Summer Olympics did not deter Lady Gaga from stealing the show early in the four-hour spectacle. And while Gaga’s eye-popping take on Zizi Jeanmaire’s “Mon Truc en Plumes” (“My Thing With Feathers”) appeared to dodge the raindrops, that’s because it was pre-taped to avoid any potential weather-related issues according to choreographer and head of dance for the Olympics and Paralympics Maud le Pladec.
Le Pladec spoke to Variety about the intense preparations for the song-and-dance routine, explaining that Gaga filmed her performance hours before the athletes’ elaborate boat trip down Paris’ iconic river due to safety reasons. Gaga’s vocals were performed live as she made her way up and down a giant set of stairs along with dancers carrying oversized pom poms.
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Gaga’s was one of a dozen original performances created by Le Pladec and Olympics artistic director Thomas Jolly, with Le Pladec saying that the singer’s four-minute set was easily the “most artistically challenging” of the bunch. “Unfortunately, it was the only [performance] that, for safety reasons, we had to pre-record late in the afternoon, once we knew for sure that it was going to rain — we had minute-by-minute updates, we had never watched the weather forecast so closely in our lives,” Le Pladec said. “We assessed that it was going to be too dangerous for performers, even with a few drops of rain. [Gaga] wanted to do it absolutely so we preferred to pre-record it rather than cancel it.”
Le Pladec said the performance surface, including that giant set of stairs, would have been too slippery for Gaga — who was wearing high heels — to perform on. “We had to be extremely cautious,” Le Pladec said, noting that while she didn’t play live, Gaga was on site during the opening ceremonies and watched her bit on screen from her dressing room before returning to her hotel.
Not long after, Gaga wrote on X, “I am also humbled to be asked by the Olympics organizing committee to sing such a special French song—a song to honor the French people and their tremendous history of art, music, and theatre… Although I am not a French artist, I have always felt a very special connection with French people and singing French music—I wanted nothing more than to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and on such a momentous occasion remind everyone of one of the most magical cities on earth—Paris.”
Gaga noted that her team rented the pom poms from a “real French cabaret” theater’s archive, collaborated with Dior to create the custom costumes using naturally molted feathers and that she studied French choreography to put her “modern twist” on a French classic. “I rehearsed tirelessly to study a joyful French dance, brushing up on some old skills—I bet you didn’t know I used to dance at a 60’s French party on the lower east side when I was first starting out! I hope you love this performance as much as I do,” she added. “And to everyone in France, thank you so much for welcoming me to your country to sing in honor of you—it’s a gift I’ll never forget! Congratulations to all the athletes who are competing in this year’s Olympic Games! It is my supreme honor to sing for you and cheer you on!! Watching the Olympic Games always makes me cry! Your talent is unimaginable. Let the games begin!”
In keeping with her perfectionist streak, Le Pladec said that the singer was adamant about delivering a spectacle that would feel “authentic” and pay tribute to the French performance tradition. That explains her decision to do a cabaret-style act featuring singing and dancing with a mix of humor and glamour. The choreographer said Gaga — a “workhorse and a perfectionist” — was working until the final moments on her vocals and steps after training for weeks in Los Angeles with a number of dancers who flew in from Paris.
“She wanted to make a show à la Française,” Le Pladec said. “She puts so much effort and thought into everything she does and she has a very developed creative process.”
The party didn’t end after the performance, either. Over the weekend, Gaga also surprised French Little Monsters when she blasted what she said were two new songs from her as yet untitled seventh studio album from a laptop while dancing through the roof of her limo. At press time no additional information was available on those songs.
This week’s crop of new country music finds Post Malone continuing his winning collaborative ways with a new track with Luke Combs, while Wyatt Flores and The Castellows also team up for the new track “Sober Sundays.” Furthermore, Jordan Davis trades in his signature sentimental tunes for a dusting of flirtatious attitude in his new song, “I Ain’t Sayin’.”
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Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of the best country songs of the week below.
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Post Malone feat. Luke Combs, “Guy For That”
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So far, the songs Post Malone has released to preview his upcoming country debut F-1 Trillion have been uptempo heaters including the Morgan Wallen hit “I Had Some Help” and the Blake Shelton collab “Pour Me a Drink.” He continues his high-octane, stadium-sized slate of anthems with this Luke Combs collaboration, in which a heartbroken guy muses that over the years, he’s amassed a network to help with almost everything — from resoling boots to designing rifles — but there’s no high-profile connection that can do the life-transformational work of changing to help convince an ex-lover to return. Post’s and Combs’ voices pair mightily and they are both co-writers on the track (with Charlie Handsome, Ernest, Hoskins, James McNair and Louis Bell). This song seems poised to join his previous collabs in surging up the country charts.
Wyatt Flores and The Castellows, “Sober Sundays”
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Two of country music’s brightest new upstarts team up for this gorgeous, piano and mandolin-inflected track. “I’ll steady your hands/ Even when they shake,” they sing, as this song centers around offering a supportive, non-judgmental refuge as a friend navigates a journey toward sobriety. Wyatt Flores has steadily been establishing his reputation as a formidable singer-songwriter with a slate of open-hearted, relatable songs such as those on his EP Half Life, while sibling trio The Castellows, with their winsome vocal blending and roots-driven arrangements, are providing a fresh, down-home, Americana-influenced sound for a new generation. Flores wrote the song with The Castellows’ Powell, Eleanor and Lily Balkcom.
Jordan Davis, “I Ain’t Sayin’”
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With previous releases such as “Buy Dirt” and “Next Thing You Know,” Jordan Davis has established a reputation for singing earnest love songs, but on his new breezy toe-tapper, he serves up a potent reminder that he knows his way around a song with some attitude, too. This sleek, groovy summer song finds Davis singing a tale of a guy who finds a lonely young woman at a bar, and he has no trouble reminding her that while he may not be a long-term lover, the guy who left her spending her time alone sure isn’t, either. Travis Wood, Steve Moakler, Mark Holman and Emily Reid crafted the song, with production from Paul DiGiovanni.
Greylan James, “Who Broke Up With You”
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Knoxville, Tennessee native James has steadily ascended the ranks as one of Music City’s top tunecrafters, penning songs recorded by artists including Kenny Chesney, Cole Swindell, Darius Rucker, Chris Janson and more, as well as his work as a co-writer on the Jordan Davis hit “Next Thing You Know,” which also earned James his first CMA nomination for song of the year. But James also possesses a voice capable of translating his songs in his own relatable, laid-back vocal. He previously released his debut single, “Young Man,” and follows it with this uptempo track that centers around someone who meets a potential lover on the dance floor and is bewildered that anyone would break up with her. “I’d hate to be him when he comes to his senses and he figures it out,” he sings over a latticework of electric guitars and relentless percussion, proving that he can not only craft hits — he can sing them just fine, too.
Tigirlily Gold, Blonde
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This sister duo was raised in North Dakota and spent years playing all-nighters, honing their sound in Nashville’s downtown bar scene. Now, they celebrate their first full-fledged album, Blonde. Scattered across the album’s 10 polished, contemporary country tracks are sassy romantic kiss-offs (“Leroy,” “Stupid Prizes”), breakup anthems (“I Tried a Ring On”), rowdy night-on-the-town soundtracks (“Shoot Tequila”) and even an ode to both Marilyn Monroe and Dolly Parton (“Blonde”). Threading all of them together is an energetic confidence and buoyant charm, while the album is underpinned by a stout adherence to heart-on-the-sleeve, slice of life songwriting.
Ryan and Rory, “This Town”
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Nashville native Ryan Follese teamed with North Carolina native Rory John Zak to create their debut, six-song EP, on which Follese co-wrote every song, five of those with his parents and fellow hit songcrafters, Keith and Adrienne Follese. Meanwhile, Zak further elevated these song constructions with his instrumental contributions, layered with swirling production and the duo’s warm, effervescent harmonies. Among the standouts on the project is “This Town,” packed with feelings of young love and wanderlust, and a desire to flee their overly-familiar hometown to “Get way on out where the lost get found.” A promising effort from this new duo.
Jeannie Seely, “Suffertime”
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Seely had a full-circle moment in recording “Suffertime” in tribute to her late friend and fellow artist, Dottie West, at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio B; she had her first recording session at the same studio, nearly six decades ago. At 84, Seely still retains much of the “country soul” style of singing; on this harmonica-laced track, she turns in a raw, forlorn vocal rendering of someone who returns to the same old places that she frequented with a one-time lover. Backed by a slate of ace musicians, she makes this 1966 West classic sound simultaneously intimate, fresh and timeless.
Rita Ora was forced to cancel her planned appearance at the Campus Fesztivál in Hungary over the weekend due to a doctor’s order to rest. The “Praising You” singer revealed to fans on Saturday (July 27) that she would be unable to perform at the event that night due to an unspecified illness. In a […]