Music

Taylor Swift’s Cat Olivia Benson Is Reportedly Worth $97 Million

Unless you’re part of a microscopic global percentage of ultra-wealthy people, Taylor Swift‘s cat has a lot more money than you — and it’s not even close. In a recent report by All About Cats, the 33-year-old pop star’s fan-favorite feline Olivia Benson ranked as the world’s third richest pet, with a whopping estimated net worth of $97 million.

The ranking was created based on Instagram analytics, with many of the top-earning furry friends having climbed the ranks of wealth through fame on social media. For A-list animals such as Olivia, however, involvement in outside projects was taken into account.

“Olivia has found success outside of the world of Instagram influencing,” the listing read. “The Scottish fold earned her fortune starring alongside her owner in several music videos, has crafted her own merchandise line, and has had cameos in many big-budget ads.”

Indeed, Olivia — named, of course, after Mariska Hargitay’s popular Law & Order: Special Victims Unit character — has starred alongside Swift in commercials for DirectTV, Diet Coke and AT&T, and in the music videos for “Me!” and “Blank Space.” Those who attended the “All Too Well” singer’s 1989 World Tour in 2015 may also remember that the kitty appeared alongside her big sister Meredith, Swift’s first cat, in an intermission video that played during the concert.

Meredith, however, did not make it onto All About Cats’ richest pets ranking, nor did Benjamin, Swift’s third and most recently acquired cat, who also made a cameo in the “Me!” music video.

Olivia’s net worth was topped only by a German shepherd named Gunther VI, worth an estimated $500 million, and an Instagram-famous cat named Nala, who is worth a reported $100 million. She did outrank Oprah’s five dogs, the late Karl Lagerfeld’s cat Choupette and the late Betty White’s pup Pontiac.

See a photo of Taylor Swift’s top-earning kitty, Olivia Benson, below:

J-Hope’s ‘New Year’s Rockin‘ Eve’ Mashup of ‘Chicken Noodle Soup’ & ‘Butter’ Is Here: Watch

For the BTS ARMY members who didn’t get a chance to watch J-Hope‘s performance on New Year’s Rockin’ Eve — or just want to see it again — you’re in luck. BTS’ YouTube page shared a video of the rapper’s performance — which took place leading up to midnight on New Year’s Eve — on Wednesday (Jan. 4) for fans to enjoy.

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J-Hope appeared on stage live from New York City’s Time Square to perform a trio of hit songs from his solo discography, as well as BTS’. The rapper eased into the performance with “= (Equal Sign),” which served as a touching and hopeful wish for the year ahead. “Hate’ll paralyze your mind/ Gotta see the other side/ It costs ya nothin’ to be kind/ Not so different you and I,” he sang, later joined by a series of backup dancers for a transition into the next song.

Next up was a high-energy showcase of “Chicken Noodle Soup,” his 2019 collaboration with Becky G. Though the Spanish singer was absent for the performance, Hope entertained the crowd with the help of backup dancers and enthusiastic delivery of the lyrics, as well as the track’s signature dance moves.

Shortly after, things became festive. J-Hope and the dancers launched into choreography for a holiday-themed remix of BTS’ “Butter” with hints of jingle bells. The other BTS members were not present, but their backing vocals filled up the space before closing out the track with its signature “Hotter? Sweeter! Cooler? Butter!” and a “Happy New Year” wish for the audience.

Watch J-Hope’s performance for New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in the video above.

Zach Bryan Scores His First Hot Country Songs No. 1 With ‘Something in the Orange’

Zach Bryan notches his first No. 1 on Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart (dated Jan. 7) with “Something in the Orange.” In its 36th week on the survey, the song ascends from No. 2 with 15 million official streams (up 2%) and 4,000 downloads sold (up 11%) Dec. 23-29, according to Luminate.

“Orange” debuted on the survey dated May 7, 2022, at No. 11 and reached the top 10 in June. Being promoted to country radio by Warner Music Nashville, the song marks Bryan’s first entry on the Country Airplay chart, where it ranks at No. 31 in its 26th frame with 2.4 million in reach.

Meanwhile, Bryan’s new live album, All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster (Live From Red Rocks), arrives on Top Country Albums at No. 14. Released Dec. 25, it earned 12,000 equivalent album units through Dec. 29. The 24-song set, which includes “Orange,” was recorded at Bryan’s concert Nov. 3 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo.

“Seems there is a massive issue with fair ticket prices to live shows lately,” Bryan shared on social media. “I have met kids at my shows who have paid upwards of four-hundred bucks to be there and I’m done with it. I’ve decided to play a limited number of headline shows next year to which I’ve done all I can to make prices as cheap as possible and to prove to people tickets don’t have to cost $450 to see a good and honest show.”

“Orange” original parent album American Heartbreak debuted at No. 1 on Top Country Albums last May with 71,000 units – the biggest week tallied by a country LP in 2022. On the Jan. 7-dated list, it ranks at No. 5 (30,000 units).

Notably, Bryan wrote “Orange” solo. It’s the first Hot Country Songs No. 1 penned by a single writer since Taylor Swift’s “Love Story (Taylor’s Version),” which debuted atop the chart dated Feb. 27, 2021. Before that, Blanco Brown’s self-written “The Git Up” reigned for 12 weeks beginning in July 2019.

On Hot Country Songs, “Orange” dethrones Morgan Wallen’s “You Proof,” which dominated for 19 nonconsecutive weeks starting with its debut last May. Concurrently, “You Proof” leads Country Airplay for a record-extending 10th week.

Taylor Swift Becomes First Act to Rule Artist 100 Chart in 8 Distinct Years

Taylor Swift extends her record run atop the Billboard Artist 100 chart, as she tallies a 59th total week at No. 1 (on the latest Jan. 7-dated list).

Swift holds as the top musical act in the U.S. thanks to the continued success of her album Midnights. The set ranks at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, with 106,000 equivalent album units earned Dec. 23-29, according to Luminate. Of its 10 weeks on the chart, five have been at No. 1.

In total, Swift places eight albums on the latest Billboard 200, the most among all acts: Midnights, Lover (No. 44), Folklore (No. 48), Red (Taylor’s Version) (No. 54), Evermore (No. 55), 1989 (No. 85), Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (No. 121) and Reputation (No. 147).

Swift also charts two songs from Midnights on the Billboard Hot 100: former six-week No. 1 “Anti-Hero,” at No. 8, and “Lavender Haze,” at No. 64 (after it debuted at its No. 2 high upon the set’s chart entrance).

Notably, Swift has now ruled Artist 100 charts dated in eight separate years: 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, becoming the first artist to achieve the feat since the survey began in 2014.

Rounding out the top five of the latest Artist 100, SZA holds at No. 2 as her new album SOS spends a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200; Morgan Wallen keeps at No. 3; Harry Styles pushes 8-4; and The Weeknd rises 7-5.

The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

Kelly Osbourne Welcomes First Child With Slipknot’s Sid Wilson

A new heir has been born into heavy metal royalty. In a Tuesday (Jan. 3) episode of The Talk, Sharon Osbourne excitedly announced that Kelly Osbourne, her daughter with Ozzy Osbourne, has welcomed her first child, a baby boy, with Slipknot‘s Sid Wilson.

Though Kelly hasn’t yet posted anything about her new son, Sharon confirmed on Britain’s The Talk that she and Ozzy are now grandparents to five children. The 70-year-old Extreme author also revealed that the baby is named Sidney — seemingly after his father — and said that Kelly is doing “so great, so great” as a new mom.

“I’m so proud of her,” Sharon said, noting that Kelly doesn’t want to release photos of Sidney publicly at the moment.

Kelly first announced that she and Wilson were expecting in a May Instagram post, sharing ultrasound photos and captioning the post, “I know that I have been very quiet these past few months so I thought I would share with you all as to why… I am over the moon to announce that I am going to be a Mumma.”

“To say that I am happy does not quite cut it,” she added at the time. “I am ecstatic!”

The 32-year-old “Papa Don’t Preach” singer first met Wilson in 1999, when Slipknot toured with Ozzfest, the traveling hard-rock music festival founded by her parents. It wasn’t until last February, though, that she and Wilson went Instagram official, with Kelly professing on Valentine’s Day that she was “so deeply in love” with the heavy metal DJ.

“After 23 years of friendship I can’t believe where we have ended up!” she wrote at the time, calling Wilson her “best friend” and “soulmate.”

Sharon, meanwhile, also opened up on Tuesday’s The Talk episode about her December health scare, which involved her being rushed to the hospital in Santa Paula, Calif., following a mysterious medical emergency. Nearly three weeks later, Sharon still doesn’t have many answers as to what happened, as she revealed that all she knows is that she passed out while filming a project and remained unconscious for 20 minutes.

“I wish I could [explain], but I can’t,” she said, saying that her doctors had run “every test” on her and still couldn’t determine the cause of the incident. “It was the weirdest thing.”

Watch Sharon talk about her and husband Ozzy’s new grandchild below:

Ñengo Flow Lands His Highest Charting Hit Ever on Hot Latin Songs With Bad Bunny Collab ‘Gato de Noche’

Puerto Rican Ñengo Flow claims his highest charting title on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart thanks to “Gato de Noche,” his second team-up with Bad Bunny. The song, released three days before Christmas, debuts at No. 2 on the Jan. 7-dated list.

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“Gato de Noche” arrives in the runner-up slot on the multi-metric ranking thanks to its lofty streaming contribution during the Dec. 23-29 tracking week. The song, which dropped Dec. 22 via Rimas Entertainment, generated 11.4 million official U.S. streams in its first week, according to Luminate. That yields to a No. 2 debut on Latin Streaming Songs.

Sales also contribute to its high start: “Gato” sold 1,000 downloads in the same period. The sum is an 187% increase from the prior week’s totals (which only had one day of sales, Dec. 22), with a 12-3 surge on Latin Digital Song Sales.

Back on Hot Latin Songs (which blends airplay, streams and digital sales), “Gato de Noche” sends “Me Porto Bonito,” another one of Bad Bunny’s tunes, with Chencho Corleone, to No. 3 after its 12-week run at No. 2. (The track previously logged 20 weeks in charge.)

As mentioned, rapper Ñengo Flow outdoes his personal best with “Gato.” His prior highest bow was with “Safaera,” also with Benito, alongside duo Jowell & Randy; the song peaked at No. 4 in April 2020.

Further, “Gato” becomes Bad Bunny’s highest Hot Latin Songs debut through a collaborative effort since “Volví,” with Aventura, also launched at No. 2 in August 2021. Plus, “Gato” earns the highest start on the chart since Bad Bunny’s “Titi Me Preguntó” arrived at No. 2 in May 2022. The latter continues at the helm in its 13th consecutive week.

Elsewhere, Ñengo concurrently scores his best entry on the overall Billboard Hot 100 as “Gato” bows at No. 62.

Ice Spice, Rosa Linn & More Among Shazam’s 2023 Breakthrough Predictions

Shazam unveiled its annual predictions playlist on Wednesday (Jan. 4), compiling a 50-track selection of artists who have the potential to have a breakthrough year.

Based on the music discovery app’s predictive data and algorithms and in collaboration with Apple Music’s global editorial team, this year’s selection of artists show early indicators of future growth, including consistent momentum in Shazam activity, as well as discovery trends in more than one country.

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Ice Spice, Rosa Linn, Charlieonnafriday, Young Miko and Benson Boone top Shazam’s artists with global breakthrough potential. “It’s very cool to me that people from all around the world can discover my music through [Shazam],” Rosa Linn told Apple Music per a press release. “They can hear the song, like it, and instantly find out that it’s me who is singing it. I gain fans and listeners and it directly impacts streaming.”

“Shazam has always been so useful for me whenever I needed to find the title of a song playing,” Ice Spice added. “I’m happy that it exists!”

Additionally, for the first time, Shazam is spotlighting artists who are gaining popularity regionally. Nigeria’s Carterefe, France’s Adé, Japan’s natori, Colombia’s KEITYN and Spain’s Munic HB have all made the list due to their budding stardom. “I believe Shazam is an important gateway for my music to be discovered, especially in this busy lifestyle we live in,” natori, whose “Overdose” was the most-Shazamed debut single within J-Pop over the last year, told Apple Music.

Listen to the Shazam Predictions 2023 playlist exclusively on Apple Music worldwide at apple.co/shazampredictions23 

BLACKPINK’s ‘Ddu-Du Ddu-Du’ Music Video Hits 2 Billion Views on YouTube

Hit you with that ddu-du ddu-du du! BLACKPINK has reached yet another milestone as the music video for their smash single “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” blasted past two billion views on YouTube.

The bombastic visual is the girl group’s first to accomplish the viewership feat, followed closely by the music videos for “Kill This Love” (1.7 billion), “Boombayah” (1.5 billion) and “How You Like That (1.1 billion.) Meanwhile, Jennie, Rosé, Lisa and Jisoo’s videos for their latest singles — Born Pink’s “Pink Venom” and “Shut Down” — have garnered hundreds of millions of views in just the few short months since they premiered on the platform.

Originally released in June 2018 in tandem with the K-pop quartet’s debut EP Square Up, “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” expertly combines bubblegum pop and a trap beat, and the idols’ finger gun-waving choreography on the fierce chorus instantly turned the accompanying video into a viral sensation. It ultimately became the the group’s very first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 55 and also earning them their fourth No. 1 atop the World Digital Song Sales chart.

BLACKPINK’s latest high-water mark comes just months after the release of their sophomore studio album, Born Pink, the kickoff of their a long-awaited world tour, making their U.S. awards show debut by performing “Pink Venom” at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, taking home the worldwide fans’ choice award at the 2022 MAMA Awards and earning the honor of becoming TIME‘s 2022 Entertainer of the Year.

Throughout the tail end of 2022, BLACKPINK also looked back on their successful year with their “Born Pink Memories” YouTube series.

Rewatch BLACKPINK’s “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” video above.

BTS‘ Jimin Teaming Up With Big Bang’s Taeyang on ‘Vibe’ Single

Two K-pop legends are teaming up for a new single due out next week. The Black Label announced that Big Bang‘s Taeyang will release his collab with BTSJimin, “Vibe,” on Jan. 13. The news was revealed in a tweet from Taeyang on Tuesday (Jan. 3), which featured a snap of the two on what appeared to be the video set for the song, in which they are seen posing in a cavernous room lit by a ring of yellow light.

“Vibe” marks Taeyang’s first new solo music since his third solo album, 2017’s White Night. But more importantly, the song will be Jimin’s first official solo release since BTS announced that they were going on hiatus to allow the septet’s singers to focus on their solo ventures. Jimin will be the final member of BTS to release a solo project since the band announced that they were taking a break last year.

At press time no additional information was available on the single, which comes on the heels of solo projects from RM, whose official solo debut album, Indigo, dropped last month and Jung Kook, who has already racked up more than 100 million Spotify streams for his single “Dreamers,” which also appeared on the official soundtrack to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Jimin, 27, has previously released the solo singles “Lie,” “Filter,” “Promise,” “With You,” his festive “Christmas Love” and more. Last year, the singer dropped some moody shots from his behind-the-scenes “photo-folio” Me, Myself, and Jimin ‘ID: Chaos, featuring 8 images of him portraying his different musical personas.

Check out the “Vibe” tease below.

Tom DeLonge Says Upcoming Blink-182 Reunion Album Is ‘The Best’ One They’ve Ever Made

Tom DeLonge gave Blink-182 fans an early Christmas gift last month when he revealed that the first album from the reunited band is coming “in a few months.” Then, on Christmas Eve, DeLonge pulled the curtain back a bit more and promised fans that the best is yet to come.

“This is the best album we’ve ever made. Buckle up,” wrote co-vocalist/guitarist DeLonge in an Instagram post that featured an image of the cartoon rabbit from one of the band’s 1999 tour posters. “I’m personally tripping and so proud of what we have created TOGETHER. As one unified force of fun, eternal youth, and most of all- close friends.”

DeLonge — who rejoined the band in 2022 after leaving for a second time in 2014 — tagged bandmates drummer Travis Barker and singer/bassist Mark Hoppus in the post about the eagerly awaited follow-up to the trio’s 2019 album Nine, their second, and final, studio effort featuring fill-in third member Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio).

While a release date and title for the new album have not yet been announced, the collection’s first single, “Edging,” has been on a tear at alternative radio, logging two months atop the alt radio tally. Last month DeLonge also promised that “the next single that’s coming is [fire emoji].”

As part of the slow leak of information, last month Hoppus described the follow-up to the trio’s last studio album together, 2011’s Neighborhoods, with a fire emoji, followed by a metal salute emoji. Plus, Hoppus posted what appeared to be some very on-brand lyrics from what appeared to be another new song.

“I like to eat cheese/ In my U-Haul/ And drink so much beer/ I never poop at all/ I put my dog down/ And pulled my grandma’s plug/ I was getting kinda used to be someone you loved,” read the lyrics. The latter appeared to reveal that the lyrics may have been a gag (or not), as the last line was cribbed from Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved.” That inclusion inspired the English pop singer to respond, “This is the best day of my life.”

Barker also weighed in in December, posting a killer, triple-time drum solo from the studio with the caption, “Anthem Pt. 3.” The first “Anthem” appeared on the group’s 1999 breakthrough Enema of the State album, with the sequel showing up on their follow-up fourth full-length, 2001’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket.

The reunited trio’s massive world tour is slated to kick off on March 11 in Tijuana, Mexico at the Imperial GNP festival and keep the band on the road in South America and Mexico through April 2 before shifting to North America on May 4 with a show at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota; those dates will run through a July 16 gig in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena and then move on to Europe in September and Australia/New Zealand in early 2024.

See DeLonge’s post below.