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There was one extra Madonna in the Vatican recently.
One week after turning 66, Madonna gave fans a peek at her family trip to the Catholic Church headquarters via Instagram on Friday (Aug. 23). While in Rome, she snapped glamorous photos showing off a chic floral dress, hat and gloves, posing in front of the ancient Vatican City architecture and admiring some of the gorgeous marble statues and religious paintings immortalized on the walls inside the holy buildings.
“Arrivederci Roma!!!” she captioned the post. “a perfect ending to a Glorious Birthday Celebration with friends and family! … Ciao Italia!!!!”
The “Material Girl” singer also included a snap of her 11-year-old twins Estere and Stella wearing matching polka-dot dresses on the outing, as well as a photo in which she stands next to her rumored boyfriend, Akeem Morris. In the latter, Madge cools herself off with a delicate fan while the soccer player sports a white scarf as a veil over his head.
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The post comes nearly four months after Madonna wrapped up her Celebration Tour in early May, closing out a career-spanning showcase that kicked off later than expected due to the superstar being hospitalized in June 2023 for a bacterial infection. On the Fourth of July this year, the Queen of Pop reflected on her recovery in a heartfelt Instagram post, writing, ”A year ago today, I had just come home from the hospital after surviving a life threatening illness, I could barely stand in my backyard holding one sparkler.”
“I made a miraculous recovery and had an amazing year,” she added at the time. “Thank you God. Life is beautiful!”
Later that month, Madonna and her twin daughters walked the red carpet at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere in celebration of the icon’s 1989 hit “Like a Prayer” being used in the superhero film. In an interview with SiriusXM shortly before the premiere, the film’s star Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy opened up about the process of getting the song cleared for the project, which apparently involved a personal visit to Madge’s house.
“It was a big deal to ask for it and certainly a bigger deal to use it,” Levy recalled. “We went over and met with her and and sort of showed her how it was being used, and where, and why.”
“She gave a great note,” Reynolds added. “She watched it, and I’m not kidding, [she said], ‘You need to do this.’ And damn it, if she wasn’t like spot on.”
Ye and Ty Dolla $ign took over South Korea’s Goyang Stadium for a Vultures 2 listening party on Friday (Aug. 23), and West gave the thousands of Korean fans in attendance a special treat with a solo set spanning his entire discography.
Yeezy even picked up the mic and rapped along to his greatest-hits medley, which boasted more than 70 tracks in total and featured everything from “Stronger” to “Runaway” and “Famous.”
At various points, Ye was prefacing his anthems with some shout-outs, and his on-and-off enemy Drake was on the receiving end of one ahead of Graduation‘s “I Wonder.”
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“This one for Drake. This one for Ian Connor,” Ye said. Connor is a fashion designer who has faced a myriad of sexual assault allegations.
Some thought West was trolling Drake — since they don’t appear to be on good terms, but Drizzy is actually a huge fan of the poignant 2007 track. The 6 God posted lyrics quoting “I Wonder” alongside a photo with Ye following their 2021 Larry Hoover Benefit Concert at the L.A. Coliseum.
Jay-Z and some of his Roc-A-Fella associates were on the receiving end of a shout-out while West took it back to the 2000s for “Diamonds From Sierra Leone.”
“This for Hov right here,” he saluted his Watch the Throne partner with the Late Registration instrumental playing. “This for Dame. Everybody put your diamonds in the sky one time. This for [Kareem Burke] Biggs. This for [Kyambo Joshua] Hip-Hop, this for Gee Roberson, this for Lenny S, this for Beanie Sigel, this for Memphis Bleek.”
West wasn’t going to leave without taking a few shots at his former partner Adidas. He had the 40,000 in the audience join him in a “F— Adidas” chant before moving into his rebellious “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” banger. The Graduation track reached No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Ay hold on, hold on. Korea, y’all gotta help me with this. Say f— Adidas,” he said before repeating as the crowd’s chants got louder. “Don’t play with me!”
The Chicago-bred rapper seemed to be more inspired to pick up the mic and rap along to his catalog rather than the traditional Vultures listening experiences which see Ye and Ty Dolla $ign play the recorded versions of tracks over the venue’s speaker.
The Vultures duo was set to remain in Asia and perform in Taiwan over the weekend, but the performance has been canceled for reasons that remain unknown. Yeezy Chief of Staff Eric Cui claimed it was “out of their control.” Vultures 2 arrived Aug. 3 and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, with 107,000 album units sold in the first week.
Watch the entire concert below.
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With the help of surprise guest Ed Sheeran, Niall Horan threw his fans back to the early 2010s at his concert in Dublin on Friday (Aug. 23). In clips captured by ecstatic concertgoers at Royal Hospital Kilmainham, the two musicians strum acoustic guitars while harmonizing on One Direction’s “Little Things” — which the “Shape of […]
Sabrina Carpenter dropped her sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet, on Friday (Aug. 23), and fans already have theories about some of the songs — including a love triangle between herself, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello.
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It all started when Carpenter and Mendes were spotted spending time together in February 2023, a year after the “In My Blood” singer split from Cabello in November 2021. Just two months later, Cabello and Mendes were spotted rekindling their romance at Coachella.
Following the release of Short n’ Sweet, fans noticed that some of the lyrics on the album seemingly refer to the situation. “Your car drove itself from L.A. to her thighs/ Palm Springs looks nice, but who’s by your side?/ Damn it, she looks kinda like the girl you outgrew/ Least that’s what you said,” she sings on “Coincidence.”
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A number of other songs also follow a story in which the guy she is interested in goes back to his ex-girlfriend. “We never talk about how you/ Found God at your ex’s house, always/ Made sure that the phone was face-down/ Seems like overnight, I’m just the b—- you hate now,” she sings in “Sharpest Tool.”
Then, came the music video for “Taste,” in which Carpenter follows the same theme when she sings, “I heard you’re back together and if that’s true/ You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you.” The corresponding, Death Becomes Her-inspired visual stars Jenna Ortega, who fans think was casted to represent Cabello in the clip, as they are both 5′ 2″ Latina brunettes. The video finds the duo finding ways to kill each other, before ultimately coming together to take down the man they both dated.
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Of course, none of this is confirmed and remain just theories, but we’ve compiled some fan thoughts on social media, which you can check out below.
new sabrina carpenter album is absolutely fantastic, but it’s so funny to think about how it’s literally about the love triangle between her, shawn mendes, and camila cabello 😭 pic.twitter.com/leceCpYlu7— melina ♡ (@orngeshwspdwy) August 23, 2024
Anyone else think that majority of the songs on Sabrina Carpenter’s new album are about her and Shawn’s alleged fling? Seems like to her it was more serious than we all realized, but that he brushed it off as soon as Camila came back 👀 #trending #sabrinacarpenter #shawnmendes— Mike Capalungan (@mike_capalungan) August 23, 2024
this scene from Sabrina Carpenter’s Taste music video looks like Shawn Mendes in the Wonder album cover and you cannot convince me otherwise. pic.twitter.com/9LUUpiCvYK— ✨ (@aadhicupchaai) August 23, 2024
Coldplay‘s 2021 album may be called Music of the Spheres, but Chris Martin has no intention of playing music in the Sphere anytime soon. In a new interview with Audacy Check In that aired Friday (Aug. 23), the pop-rock frontman revealed that he made a personal vow not to play the Las Vegas venue until […]
John Rich has thoughts about a potential Taylor Swift endorsement of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. The Big & Rich musician took to X on Friday (Aug. 22) to write, sarcastically, “I can’t wait for Taylor Swift to tell me how to vote.” I can’t wait for Taylor Swift to tell me how to vote. […]
Reigning ACM and CMA entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson just released her new album Whirlwind, a 14-song collection of new music, and is in the midst of her headlining Country‘s Cool Again Tour.
Beyond the spotlight, stage and studio, she also has a steadfast supporter in her corner — her boyfriend Devlin “Duck” Hodges, a former NFL athlete-turned-real estate agent. The couple have been dating since 2021, but they made their red carpet debut at the ACM Awards last year.
So it’s notable that a few love songs peek through on her new album, including “4x4xU,” “Counting Chickens” and “Hang Tight Honey.” However, in a recent interview with Billboard, four-time No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hitmaker Wilson says not to expect many over-the-top ballads to proliferate her projects.
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“I don’t think I’ll ever be that love songwriter that’s super mushy gushy at all,” Wilson says. “It’s going to always probably be a love song that’s like, ‘I love you, but I can still do my thing.’”
She does say that Hodges has had an impact on her music, noting that he listens to every song she writes. Though he’s not a musician, he offers a valuable perspective.
“Everything I ever write, he hears because he truly is my best friend and he’s got a great ear,” she says. “He can’t sing a lick — he tries to — and he’s got great taste. I know if I send him a demo or work tape, and he keeps going back and listening to it over and over, there must be something about this. He’s not in the business, he don’t have anything to do with this, and it’s nice to be able to see what other people’s opinions are because that’s the listener right there.”
Wilson says Hodges has been a steadfast supporter as her career has skyrocketed. “Thankfully, I have found a man that is so happy that he’s with a lady that can do her own thing. He’s just my cheerleader,” she explains. “He makes it real easy and it’s fun to be able to share this part of my life that I’ve kept my cards close to my chest, I guess you could say, for a while. My daddy always said, ‘If you tell all your business, you ain’t got any.’”
In her discussion with Billboard, Wilson also opened up about crafting her new album, working with Miranda Lambert, the importance of mentorship, and more.
To kick things off, Sabrina Carpenter dropped her highly anticipated sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet. The project features previously released singles “Espresso” and her Billboard Hot 100 chart topper “Please Please Please.” Along with the album release, Carpenter also dropped the thriller-inspired music video for “Taste,” starring Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega. Explore Explore See latest videos, […]
Growing up in Commerce, Texas, an hour east of Dallas, Don Louis spent much of his childhood putting in long hours on his family’s 12-acre farm.
“I was blessed to have that discipline,” he tells Billboard. “I grew up feeding the pigs, picking the eggs and stuff. I always had that work ethic because my step-pop made me… I was the oldest brother and even if had to split the work with my brothers, it was always, ‘Go back and check your brother’s work.’ That fell on me.”
Still, he recalls his mother listening to music around the house, and how he spent time singing to himself when he was going about his farmwork. “Growing up, I heard Garth Brooks, Keith Whitley, Darius Rucker and Toby Keith. Toby and Garth had those soulful little runs,” he says.
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His new album, Liquor Talkin’, out today (Aug. 23) on Empire/Money Myers Entertainment, offers a deft blend of twangy country constructs, alluring dance grooves and glimmers of simmering R&B. Connecting them all is Louis’s velvet-meets-sandpaper voice.
Louis says he didn’t expect to name the album Liquor Talkin’, but realized it’s an apt title.
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“After I listened to the whole album, that’s how every one of these songs was — it felt like a different emotion or feeling when you’re maybe three shots deep,” he says. Those potential, varied, alcohol-fueled emotional paths of pain, joy, and open-heartedness are steeped in threads of country, soul, dance music, and more. Throughout all, his perspectives are soaked in the grooves.
The title track distills a hip-shaking shimmy, as does “Foot Loose,” while “Mine in My Mind” leans into a more traditional, dancehall groove. “I’m Gone” is a musing on how he wants his life looked upon when he’s gone — with celebration, not mourning: “That song is like, ‘Y’all have a good time, a celebration, and pour one out for me. Smoke a left-handed cigarette and enjoy that time we had together because you can’t buy more time.”
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“Long Time Comin’” chronicles making his way as a country artist, while he calls “Stick to Whiskey” “my pain song.”
Pain, in its iterations of heartbreak and disappointment, is a feeling Louis is well-acquainted with. He worked at a sawmill, pulling 13-hour shifts six days a week, before pursuing college football. Louis had dreams of playing in the NFL, and played football at Ouachita Baptist University and at Southern Arkansas University. However, those dreams were derailed after he was sidelined by a knee injury.
“I thought football was going to be my exit for the generational curse breaker of blue-collar work,” he recalls. “I remember thinking, ‘I know I’m not just supposed to be flipping logs my whole life.’ Not that I wasn’t good at it, and not that I didn’t bring love into what I was doing, but there was something inside me that felt I was supposed to shine in doing my own thing.”
With a sports career out of the picture, he threw himself full force into another love: music. In his free time, Louis would freestyle with friends, but it wasn’t until a girl downplayed his talent that he felt driven to prove people wrong.
“This one girl was in my truck and she played a certain rapper and the lyricism wasn’t hitting me well. I said, ‘He’s poppin’, he’s huge right now, but to me, it’s not good. I think I could do this just as well.’ And she said, ‘Nah, probably not. You can’t even sing.’ I had never sung in front of anyone.”
Coincidentally, Louis met someone with a nearby recording studio, and he recorded a version of his song “Lost Ways.” Initially, Louis’s music leaned more heavily into R&B, pop, and hip-hop, but he kept experimenting with sounds that would let his naturally twangy, burnished voice shine. Louis credits his late friend and fellow creative Chad Sellers with helping him write songs with a country construct. Still, getting label execs to take his country sound seriously had some trying moments.
“I remember we were doing the A&R vibe and I’m from the country, but they didn’t know that,” he recalls. “They only knew the music I had done previously. They were like, ‘This kid ain’t going to come in here and sing no kind of country.’ You should have seen their face when that first note came out—it was like, ‘Just let him sing how he wants to sing.’”
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He wrote songs and played for mostly empty rooms as he continued refining his skills and sound. It was after one of those shows in 2023 that his breakthrough started.
“I was at a show, struggling,” he says. “I think we played three hours for $250. Nobody was in the room, so basically it was practice.”
Later that night, he posted a video clip for the slow-burn two-stepper “Neon You,” written by Sellers, Dalton Little and Easton Hamlin. “I went back and it had 25,000 views — that’s the most attention I’d had on anything at the time,” he recalls. “I went to sleep that night and it was blowing up all night. I woke up and it was at like 75,000 views.”
In 2023, he released the Sellers-produced EP This Is for You, which included “Neon You.” The song now has more than 5 million listens on Spotify alone, as does Louis’s sultry 2020 release “Addict” (a TikTok video of “Addict” has earned over 4 million views). At present, Louis has over 400,000 monthly Spotify listeners, and over 4 million TikTok likes. He signed with Empire Nashville, and he and his label team were already building his fanbase step by step, even before the success of Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter put a spotlight on Black country artists — including his Empire Nashville labelmate, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hitmaker Shaboozey.
Even as he sees the breadth of sounds widening that connect country with various other genres, and sees a rapidly expanding fanbase, he’s mindful of all the grind and creative struggles that fans don’t see.
“Everyone sees game day. You don’t see the practice that happens in between,” he says. “People will say ‘This is great music,’ or ‘What a great show.’ They don’t see when I’m staying up til 3:00 a.m., trying to write a song that encompasses my soul, my spirit and moves people’s hips, but also a song when they listen, they go, ‘This is deep.’”
As he releases his new album, and prepares for a slate of shows in the coming weeks in Texas, Colorado and Las Vegas, Louis is keeping his eyes on the next turning point.
“I don’t think there’s ever a level of contentedness. There’s a level of success you want to get to and then you got to set a new milestone,” he says. “I’m already working on a second album, I’m already five songs deep. You have to keep feeding it and stay hungry.”
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Play Cash Cobain was originally supposed to be an EP, Cash Cobain told me when we named him April’s Rookie of the Month. “Nah, that’s for my Play Cash Cobain EP that should be coming out soon,” he said. “‘Dunk Contest‘ is going to be on there too, along with some other songs like ‘Candle’ […]