Music

17 Oct 2022

Here’s Why Swifties Think Taylor Swift’s Second ‘Midnights’ Single & Music Video Is ‘Vigilante S–t’

There are just four days left to go until Taylor Swift‘s Midnights arrives, and Swifties are burning the midnight oil trying to decipher every last possible clue dropped by the famously cryptic pop star. And now that Tay has revealed “Anti-Hero” to be the lead single off her fast-approaching tenth studio album, they’re certain they’ve uncovered a pattern proving which track will be next in line.

The news about “Anti-Hero” came Monday morning (Oct. 17 at the stroke of 12 a.m., of course), when Swift posted an animated video to her socials revealing what her Midnights release week schedule will entail. At 8 a.m. on Friday (Oct. 21), four hours after the album is set to drop, the singer-songwriter has plans marked on her calendar to unveil a music video for “Anti-Hero” — which she previously said is one of her favorite songs she’s ever written — pretty much confirming that the track is Midnights‘ lead single.

The new video didn’t include details about the second single beyond revealing that a second music video will go live Oct. 25, but in the eyes of Swifties, it didn’t have to. Remembering that Swift had done something a little odd when she first shared the title of “Anti-Hero” in an Oct. 2 TikTok, fans realized that she’d repeated the anomaly in just one of her other TikToks: the title announcement for Midnights track eight, “Vigilante Shit.”

What exactly was so peculiar about those two specific videos? In all of her Midnights Mayhem With Me posts — a series on her TikTok in which she randomly revealed the names of the 13 songs on Midnights — Swift whispered the titles into a red, corded telephone. But in the videos for “Anti-Hero” and “Vigilante Shit,” she held the phone upside down.

This has led many fans to believe that the upside-down phone wasn’t a repeated accident, but a hint planted by Swift to indicate which Midnights songs will get the single treatment, which often includes a corresponding music video. “SO THE UPSIDE DOWN PHONE THINGS ARE SINGLES SO VIGILANTE SHIT IS THE SECOND SINGLE,” tweeted one excited Swiftie detective in all caps.

“If anti hero is getting a music video it probably means vigilante shit is getting one too WHAT,” theorized another.

See what else Swifties are saying about the possibility of “Vigilante Shit” being the second single/music video off Taylor Swift’s Midnights below:

17 Oct 2022

Steve Lacy’s ‘Bad Habit’ Tops Hot 100 for Third Week, Doja Cat’s ‘Vegas’ Hits Top 10

Steve Lacy‘s “Bad Habit” notches a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, two weeks after it ascended to the summit.

Meanwhile, Morgan Wallen achieves his first top five Hot 100 hit as “You Proof” rises from No. 7 to No. 5 and Doja Cat reaches the top 10 with “Vegas” (11-10). The latter samples Big Mama Thornton’s 1953 classic “Hound Dog,” which Elvis Presley famously covered in 1956, marking the latest chart success for the iconic song.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Oct. 22, 2022) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 18). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

“Bad Habit,” released on L-M/RCA Records, tallied 42.3 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 4%), 20.1 million streams (down 2%) and 2,000 downloads sold (down 27%) in the Oct. 7-13 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The single, which Lacy solely produced and co-wrote, holds at No. 2 after five nonconsecutive weeks atop the Streaming Songs chart; keeps at its No. 7 high on Radio Songs; and falls to No. 43 from its No. 32 best on Digital Song Sales.

Lacy’s first Hot 100 No. 1, from his album Gemini Rights, which debuted as his first Billboard 200 top 10, at its No. 7 high, in July, concurrently tops the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for an eighth week each and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts for a seventh frame each. It became the first song to rule all five rankings (dating to October 2012, when Billboard‘s main genre-based song charts adopted the Hot 100’s methodology).

Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” repeats at its No. 2 Hot 100 high, with 23.2 million streams (down 2%), 15.2 million in airplay audience (up 55%) and 12,000 sold (up 10%). It leads both Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales for a third week and is the first hit to top both charts in its first three weeks on each list since Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” doubled up in its first three weeks on each survey (Jan. 23, 30 and Feb. 6, 2021; it went on to spend its first four frames atop Streaming Songs).

Harry Styles “As It Was” is steady at No. 3 on the Hot 100, after 15 weeks at No. 1 – the fourth-longest reign in the chart’s history. Still, the song, which debuted at No. 1 on the April 16-dated list, extends its record for the most weeks, 28, tallied in the top three, encompassing its entire run on the chart so far.

The track also rebounds for a ninth week at No. 1 on Radio Songs (60 million in audience, up 2%). It has led the list over a span of 23 weeks (since its first week atop the chart, dated May 21), the second-longest stretch of a song reigning, after The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” which led for 26 weeks over 28 weeks in 2020.

Post Malone’s “I Like You (A Happier Song),” featuring Doja Cat, holds at No. 4 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 3.

Morgan Wallen’s “You Proof” rises 7-5 for a new Hot 100 high, becoming the country star’s first top five hit, among four top 10s. Notably, it’s the second top five hit this decade that has reached the region by appearing on, among individual-format airplay charts, only Country Airplay (as opposed to crossing over to pop and/or adult surveys); Luke Combs’ “Forever After All” launched at its No. 2 Hot 100 peak in November 2020. Both tracks gained prominence thanks to strong streaming and country radio airplay, as “You Proof” drew 13.7 million streams in the latest tracking week, as it ranks at No. 8 on Streaming Songs, and tops the Country Airplay chart for a second frame. (“Forever” hit No. 2 on Streaming Songs and No. 1 for six weeks on Country Airplay.)

On Radio Songs, “You Proof” lifts 11-10 (34.6 million, up 2%), similarly becoming just the third title to reach the top 10 by appearing on Country Airplay but on no other individual genre chart (since Radio Songs became an all-format summary in December 1998). It joins Combs’ “Forever After All,” which reached No. 10 on Radio Songs in June 2021, and Cole Swindell’s “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” which hit No. 9 on Radio Songs earlier in October (and topped Country Airplay for four frames starting in September).

“You Proof” concurrently commands the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart for a ninth week.

OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried” keeps at its No. 6 Hot 100 best; Nicky Youre and dazy’s “Sunroof” drops 5-7, after hitting No. 4; Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” holds at No. 8, after it premiered atop the Aug. 27 chart, as it tops the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs chart for a ninth week; and Combs’ “The Kind of Love We Make” is stationary at No. 9 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 8.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Doja Cat climbs 11-10 with “Vegas.” The song, from the hit Elvis movie soundtrack, reaches the Radio Songs top five (6-5; 48.5 million, up 4%) and also drew 8 million streams and sold 2,000 in the tracking week.

Doja Cat adds her sixth Hot 100 top 10. Prior to “Vegas” and “I Like You,” she tallied “Say So,” featuring Nicki Minaj (No. 1, one week, May 2020); “Kiss Me More,” featuring SZA (No. 3, July 2021); “Need to Know” (No. 8, November 2021); and “Woman” (No. 7, this May). She boasts the most top 10s among women this decade, surpassing Taylor Swift’s five since the start of 2020 (although with Swift appearing primed to reignite that race thanks to her LP Midnights, due this Friday).

“Vegas” samples Big Mama Thornton’s “Hound Dog,” a Billboard R&B chart No. 1 for the blues legend (who passed away in 1984) nearly 70 years ago. Written by Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Elvis Presley’s version crowned multiple Billboard charts in 1956. (The Hot 100 began Aug. 4, 1958.)

Presley’s imprint is, thus, extended in the Hot 100’s top 10. Notably, “Hound Dog” was originally released with B-side and fellow classic “Don’t Be Cruel,” also a No. 1 on multiple Billboard surveys in 1956, and Cheap Trick’s faithful cover of the latter hit No. 4 on the Hot 100 in October 1988. Earlier in 1988, Pet Shop Boys likewise sent their interpretation of “Always on My Mind” to No. 4 (that May), after Presley’s ballad version hit No. 16 on Hot Country Songs in 1973. In July 1993, UB40’s take on “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” which Presley took to No. 2 on the Hot 100 in 1962, began a seven-week reign.

The late Presley himself appeared on the Hot 100 as recently as January 2021, when his holiday perennial “Blue Christmas,” originally from 1957, hit a No. 33 high, after becoming his highest-charting entry since 1981.

“Vegas” (a noteworthy hit in Tupelo, Miss.) additionally becomes Doja Cat’s sixth No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart. It replaces “I Like You” atop the tally, making her the first artist to dethrone themselves at the summit since Ariana Grande’s “34+35” directly followed her “Positions” to the top in February 2021.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Oct. 22), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 18).

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.

17 Oct 2022

The First Post-Pandemic Edition of ADE, The World’s Largest Electronic Industry Conference, Launches This Week in Amsterdam: ‘Everybody’s Coming Back’

Much of the electronic music industry is currently in or en route to Amsterdam, with the city’s longstanding ADE conference launching tomorrow (October 18.)

Happening in the Dutch capital since 1996, the five-day Amsterdam Dance Event is the world’s largest dance music industry conference, and the one that many in the scene call not only the most fun, but the one where the most business gets done.

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2022 marks ADE’s first full-fledged iteration since 2019, with the pandemic forcing ADE fully online in 2020 and only partially live in 2021. This year, say ADE organizers Meindert Kennis and Jan-Willem, the event is not just back, but also bigger than ever, with 10,000 industry professionals expected for the expansive conference and 600,000 fans in town to take in the hundreds of consumer facing shows and arts and culture programming happening through this Saturday, October 22.

In an effort to make the conference more useful for more people, for the first time this year it’s divided into Pro and Lab conferences, with Pro programming catered towards established industry members and Lab focused on those just getting their foot in the (club) door.

“Lab is a conference for people making the first steps in the industry, to help them educate themselves and to help them with the first steps to become a pro within a few years,” says Kennis. “Having this healthy ecosystem is one of the main ideas we wanted to implement before the pandemic that survived during our off years.”

Meanwhile, the dizzying number of music events happening in venues throughout the city are hosted by global brands including AMF, Secret Project, DGTL, Spinnin, We Still Believe, Defected and many (many) more, all working under the ADE umbrella. (Local officials do not permit any event to happen during the week unless it has ADE approval.) Altogether, the new music, business initiatives, party brands and other campaigns launching this week will help set the sound for the year to come in electronic music.

“There’s going to be something people talk about afterwards like, ‘I know the first moment I heard that and that broke through was at at ADE,’” says Kennis.

Here, Kennis and Willem discuss getting the massive event back in action this week.

Beyond the changes to how you’ve structured the conference, what are the biggest things happening at ADE this year?

Kennis: I think the biggest thing is that we’re back, and we’re back in full effect. The good thing is not just that we’re hearing everyone is coming back, but we see it in the ticket sales. That’s very exciting, especially after a few years of relative silence — that the industry is back and that they’re coming [to Amsterdam] in full effect. We’re thrilled about that.

Willem: All the small and big industry partners are coming back too. That’s a really comfortable feeling, knowing the momentum is still there.

As you’ve been organizing this thing, have you found that some issues are more crucial this year?

Willem: We decided to focus on three main themes, and all the topics we are discussing are under these themes. It’s the business side of electronic music, meaning the whole value chain of electronic music. That’s still the most important part of the Pro conference. The other one is the future, all innovations and AI and metaverse related topics. The third is the world surrounding music, meaning all topics around sustainability, mental health and social impact. So basically, every panel and program within our conference is related to one of these three themes.

There are so few electronic industry conferences right now, and yours is such a big event. Does anything compare to ADE in terms of size and influence?

Willem: We are a foundation to improve electronic music in the Netherlands. We started ADE as a part of BUMA/STEMRA, the copyright organization in Holland. The reason why I’m stating this is: You don’t make a lot of money organizing these kinds of events with so many stakeholders and so many things to take care of. We don’t have this huge gate around our festival — everybody can be part of it. Which also means there’s a lot of a lot of work to align with everybody, to make sure everything is being organized correctly. Revenue goes directly to the producers of every event. So we don’t make any money out of that. I think that’s a reason why there’s not a lot of competition.

Kennis: Also, it has grown to be this way over 26 years. And as a nonprofit, we allow everyone to let ADE be what they want it to be, within quite a broad bandwidth. I think that makes it really special.

Are you finding that, industry wise, people from parts of the world are coming that didn’t before? I’m thinking of places like the MENA region. Are you seeing different areas show up that didn’t as much in years prior?

Kennis: That’s a good question. I believe that, for instance, countries like China aren’t able to come this year. They are technically, but apparently it’s a hassle. So it’s more that we’re expecting different parts of the world to not be able to come this year, given COVID scares or just a lot of paperwork being required. But we have to look into that afterwards to see the differences, because it’s really interesting.

Are there any COVID protocols still in place in the city or country?

Willem: No… I’ve been asking for quite a few months at local and national government levels, and they’re all like, “We don’t have anything, so don’t worry.” I was like, “I am worried, because we’ve got about 600,000 people coming in, and I don’t want to cancel.” But we’re now just before [the event] and there’s still no measures in place, so I think we’re going to be okay.

I remember that last year, you had to make some changes when new protocols were put in place at the last minute. 350 club shows went from being at night to happening during the daytime.

Willem: Last year, a month before ADE started, all events were shut down. The only way to really make them work is that they had to close at midnight.

Kennis: It was actually amazing.

Willem: We came out of a lockdown, then we had ADE, and then there was another lockdown. So everybody was just going mental [during ADE.] All the artists and venues swapped the entire schedule so everything happened during the day. That gave a feeling of togetherness, where everybody just worked together to make it happen, and that gave it a really special energy.

These five days were literally the only moment in Holland where people could go out and be together, touch each other in a club and express themselves, and we had so many good moments. We started on Saturday morning, we drove to a party. We came in at 11:00 in the morning, and had a croissant and some juice. All these fans and all these kids were pumped up and dancing, hugging each other. We were like, “F–k yeah, this is cool for 11:00 in the morning.”

Amsterdam Dance Event

Amsterdam Dance Event

Courtesy of ADE

I know you work closely with the city of Amsterdam to make this thing happen. Besides the absence oof protocols, have any shifts occurred at the government level following the pandemic?

Kennis: It’s good to notice that before COVID happened, part of the struggle was that nightlife and night culture wasn’t seen as culture by government stakeholders.

But now, since COVID, they realize, “Okay, this is more than just partying at night. It’s part of your expression, it’s part of your individual development, and it’s a really important part of your life, especially when you’re young and finding your identity.” Hopefully that will help us get more funding in the future to invest more in the development and educational programs.

That’s not a small thing, to actually affect the mindset around this often misunderstood culture on a government level.

Kennis: Unfortunately it took it took a pandemic to to make people realize it, but we do see change for the better.

17 Oct 2022

Mariah Carey Teases Fellow Christmas Fans That ‘It’s Almost Time’ From Her Tub

The Queen of Christmas has spoken! Over the weekend, Mariah Carey shared with the Lambs that although we’re getting closer to the holiday, she’s not quite ready to break out the Christmas song everyone’s waiting to hear.

“It’s almost time…,” the superstar teased in a Sunday (Oct. 16) tweet showing off her festive red robe strewn on the steps leading to her luxurious jacuzzi-style bathtub. (In true Mariah fashion, a giant display of red and white roses spelling out her initials was also part of her bathroom decor.)

However, before fans could get to excited about hearing the twinkling opening notes of “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Carey hit the brakes in a pair of follow-up tweets. “But…,” she cautioned before definitively declaring, “Not yet.”

In the video shared with her final tweet, Mimi playfully kept her boundaries about the start of the holiday season iron-clad as Dem Babies pressed her to start celebrating early. “We want to listen to ‘All I Want…’” 11-year-old Moroccan insisted from off-screen before his twin sister Monroe added, “Well, can we at least decorate the tree?” Of course, Carey’s answer to each inquiry from her kids was a playful and bubbly “Not yet!” from inside her tub.

Part of the reason the icon may not be ready to kick off all things Christmas — including a potential fourth consecutive year of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” hitting No. 1 on the Hot 100 — is because she’s been busy celebrating landmarks for two of her other favorite albums. In September, she marked the 25th anniversary of 1997’s Butterfly with a series of special surprises for the Lambily, and weeks later penned a tribute to 1995’s Daydream as her “most bittersweet album” on the 27th anniversary of its release.

Check out Mariah’s latest holiday tease below.

17 Oct 2022

Harry Styles Shakes Off ‘Unfortunate’ Concert Moment When an Object Hits Him Where It Hurts: Watch

Watermelon sugar, ow. At his Friday night (Oct. 14) concert in Chicago, Harry Styles had to take a brief pause after getting hit square in the crotch by something thrown at him by a fan in the audience.

The moments leading up to the incident were innocent enough: The 28-year-old pop star was simply chatting onstage at the United Center about the “unseasonably cold” temperatures in the Windy City when, suddenly, a small but mighty item sailed out from the crowd and smacked straight into Styles’ nether region. It’s difficult to discern from a fan video what the unidentified flying object was — but whatever it may have been, it clearly packed a mean punch.

Upon impact, the “As It Was” singer stopped in the middle of his sentence, let out a small groan and doubled over. “Oh … that’s unfortunate,” he said into the microphone, tenderly holding his groin.

After a pause, the Grammy winner shakes out his right leg, then his left, before getting back to work. “OK, shake it off,” he says before diving back into his show.

Styles is currently touring in support of his May-released third studio album Harry’s House, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 and spawned the singer’s second No. 1 single with “As It Was.” On Saturday (Oct. 15), he completed the final show of his six-night mini-residency in Chicago, preceded by a historic 15-night residency at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in late August/early September and a six-night stay at Austin’s Moody Center.

See the moment Harry Styles recovered from being hit in the crotch by a fan-thrown object below:

17 Oct 2022

A Timeline of Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber’s Relationship

Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber are a powerhouse couple in the entertainment industry who’ve been married since 2018. But like everyone else, the duo have had ups and downs in their relationship, from the “are they or aren’t they” speculation, to rumors of the two seeing each other while he was dating Selena Gomez, to doubling the joy with two weddings, and more.

Their love story started simply and beautifully, with a backstage meeting at NBC’s TODAY show in 2009, thanks to an innocent introduction Hailey’s dad, actor Stephen Baldwin, made between his then 14-year-old daughter and the young pop star. Then just two years later, the two were photographed together on the red carpet at the premiere of his Never Say Never documentary.

A few years after that, the pop star’s social media posts led to fan speculation that the two were perhaps more than just friends, which both parties quickly denied. “I’m super single and this is my good friend u would know otherwise,” Bieber insisted on social media.

Though they refuted rumors of a romance, it wasn’t long before they were sharing holidays and vacations together. Come December 2015, it seemed there was no more denying it. Bieber shared a photo on Instagram of himself sharing a steamy kiss with the model.

He confirmed in a July 2018 Instagram post that the couple were engaged. “So committed to spending my life getting to know every single part of you loving you patiently and kindly,” he wrote to the Rhode founder in his post.

Since getting married later that year, the two have endured baby talk and criticisms of their relationships, helped each other through terrifying health issues, and more.

Read on for a complete timeline of Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber’s relationship.

17 Oct 2022

Rauw Alejandro, Sebastian Yatra & More Set to Perform at 2022 Latin Grammys

Rauw Alejandro, Chiquis, Jesse & Joy, and Sebastián Yatra are set to perform at the Latin Grammy Awards, the Latin Recording Academy announced Monday (Oct. 17). The first group of confirmed artists also includes the 2022 Person of the Year, Marco Antonio Solís.

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All are nominated for the 23rd annual Latin Grammy Awards, which will be held on Nov. 17 at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Alejandro, who was a 2020 best new artist nominee and won his first golden gramophone last year, has eight nominations this year that include recording of the year and song of the year for “Te Felicito” with Shakira, and “Agua” with Daddy Yankee and Nile Rodgers, respectively. Yatra, previously nominated for a Grammy and nine Latin Grammys, is a four-time nominee this year, including album of the year for Dharma and song of the year for “Tacones Rojos.” Jesse & Joy, winners of the Grammy and six Latin Grammys, are nominated this time for best pop vocal album for Clichés; and Latin Grammy winner Chiquis is nominated for best banda music album for Abeja Reina.

Marco Antonio Solís, meanwhile, has been honored with five Latin Grammys and nominated for six Grammys, and this year is recognized as Person of the Year 2022 by the Latin Recording Academy.

The 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards will air live on Univision on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

The Latin Grammy Premiere, a non-televised ceremony in which the winners in most categories are announced, will take place before the broadcast. Additional details about this ceremony will be announced soon.

17 Oct 2022

ARMY Reacts to BTS’ Mandatory Military Service Announcement: ‘Pray for Bangtan’s Safety’

A decision has been made: The members of BTS will be fulfilling their duty and performing mandatory military service in South Korea, a move that will leave the K-pop group unable to perform with all seven members until 2025, BigHit Music announced on Monday (Oct. 17). After the big announcement, distraught BTS ARMY members shared their dismay and and wished the group — which consists of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — well before they officially enlist.

“Let’s pray for Bangtan’s safety when they enlist,” a concerned fan wrote. “Pray they will be treated fairly and with respect. Hope they will be able to get by, & even if they don’t publicly communicate, I hope they can call their loved ones. I also hope they’ll be together once there! I mean even if they don’t see us or be able to communicate with us, as long as they have each other, we will be relieved.”

Another fan echoed the sentiment, and encouraged those who practice a faith to consider extending their prayers to BTS. “Religious Army please get together and pray for BTS’ safety for when they leave to fulfill their military duties and will be away from the public eye for a long time, pray for their safety and security at all times, that everything will go smoothly for them all throughout,” the fan wrote.

Elsewhere online, BTS fans expressed disbelief in the military service announcement, with one writing, “pretending that this whole bts coming back till 2025 from serving in the military is a fever dream and they will be back in a week.”

Unfortunately for ARMY, BTS’ military service is now a sure thing. According to BigHit’s statement, “Jin will initiate the process as soon as his schedule for his solo release is concluded at the end of October. He will then follow the enlistment procedure of the Korean government. Other members of the group plan to carry out their military service based on their own individual plans.” The statement also added that the group will reconvene around 2025, after each members’ respective drafts are over.

In the meantime, Jin is next up for solo endeavors, and announced plans for a new track to arrive sometime soon. At the group’s Yet to Come concert in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 15, Jin told fans in attendance he “got the opportunity to work with someone I like, so a single will come out soon.” The new material will make Jin the second BTS member to debut a solo project after J-Hope.

See ARMY’s reaction to BTS’ military service below.

17 Oct 2022

Jason Aldean Fans Boo Maren Morris’ Name After He Mentions Her in Concert

The Aldean family conflict with Maren Morris reached a new peak at Jason Aldean‘s concert Friday night (Oct. 14). While teasing the identity of his show’s surprise guest — who turned out to be Morgan Wallen — the “You Make It Easy” singer name-dropped Morris and paused as his Bridgestone Arena crowd in Nashville loudly booed.

“I thought, man, who could I call?” Aldean told his audience in fan-captured video, drawing out the suspense of his surprise guest. “I got some friends in town. I could call Luke Bryan. I could call Kane Brown. See if Kenny Chesney’s here and not at the beach.”

Then, he simply said the name of “The Middle” singer, before trailing off as his audience audibly jeered.

This follows an August social media disagreement between Morris and Aldean’s wife, Brittany Aldean. After Brittany made a transphobic joke on Instagram (“I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life,” she’d captioned a makeup video). She followed it up with an Instagram Stories statement in which she doubled down on her stance. “Advocating for the genital mutilation of children under the disguise of love and calling it ‘gender affirming care’ is one of the worst evils,” she posted. “I will always support my children and do what I can to protect their innocence.”

In a response to Cassadee Pope, who had tweeted her opposition to Brittany’s comments, Morris agreed with the singer and former Voice contestant. “It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human?” replied the “Make You Say” singer. “Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie.”

In September, Morris opened up about why she feels so strongly about speaking out when it comes to social justice issues, even when her fellow country artists and fans of the genre oftentimes disagree with her — and do things like, say, boo the mention of her name at a concert.

“I try to rise above — not even bad behavior, but just expected behavior that has become normalized that is bad,” she told Apple Music Country’s Proud Radio with Hunter Kelly. “[My husband’s] like, ‘I hate that you always feel like you have to be the hall monitor of modern country music’s behaviors in and around race and homophobia, transphobia.’”

“I don’t need to feel like I have to always be that person that speaks up,” she continued. “I think I come across a lot louder than I actually am because everyone else is so quiet.”

Watch a fan video of Morris’ name getting booed at a Jason Aldean concert below:

17 Oct 2022

Taylor Swift Is Going Big for Her ‘Midnights’ Lyric Reveals: Here’s the First One

Go big or go home! Taylor Swift‘s highly anticipated 10th studio album is just days away, and the pop superstar has more reveals planned leading up to the set’s release. Swifties got a taste of Midnights at — surprise — midnight Monday morning (Oct. 17) when a line of lyrics appeared in a very prominent spot: a giant billboard in New York City’s Times Square.

At twelve on the dot, a dark and cloudy scene took over the massive billboard. At the top, it read “Taylor Swift Midnights.” Below that was the first set of lyrics: “I should not be left to my own devices.”

“When the clock struck Midnight in NYC, lyrics from #TSMidnighTS made their first appearance,” Spotify’s Instagram account captioned a video of the reveal. “Where to next?”

The lyric reveal is in partnership with Spotify. According to the music streaming platform, more lyrics are coming this week, with a different set to be unveiled on billboards in various cities around the world.

The lyric snippet display wasn’t the only thing Swift shared with fans at midnight Monday. She also revealed the rollout plan for the 13-set album. Coming Thursday during the third quarter of the NFL game on Prime Video will be the album’s teaser trailer. Three hours after the album’s release on Oct. 21 will be what the star teases will be a “special very chaotic surprise,” followed by the music video for “Anti-Hero” at 8 a.m. ET. A second music video — the track has not yet been revealed — will come days later on Oct. 25.

See the first lyric reveal below: