Pop

Camila Cabello knows C,XOXO wasn’t her most universally beloved album, but she’s choosing to take her cues from where it counts: namely, personal heroes Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

In a new Nylon cover story published Monday (Dec. 2), the 27-year-old “I Luv It” singer opened up about how the Eras Tour headliner and “Break My Soul” singer’s validation of her work sustained her when she felt like most people “misunderstood” her latest LP. “Oh, f–k, now I’m going to sound name-drop-y,” she told the publication. “But Beyoncé told me she loved my album, OK? That’s the gold star.”

“And I walked away fully, like, tears brimming in my eyes,” Cabello continued. “She’s somebody I’ve watched from my childhood. Her and Taylor saying nice things about the album really meant a lot to me. Anytime an artist that I respect has said something to me like, ‘Hey, I really love what you’re doing,’ it recharges my battery. A lot of the time I felt so misunderstood.”

The Cinderella star went on to say that people were “questioning [her] authenticity” throughout the C,XOXO rollout, something she thinks could be “because I’ve always been such a good girl.” “Being in the industry made me build that harder shell and harder exterior,” she added. “Like Rihanna, Beyoncé, Taylor — this kind of bravado happens in their later work. It’s building an armor. My previous albums were more clean-cut.”

Cabello’s fourth studio solo album dropped in June, debuting at No. 13 on the Billboard 200. From the beginning of its rollout, some critics tore into the vocalist’s exploration of other genres on the record — particularly C,XOXO‘s hyper-pop sensibilities, which some people wrote off as Charli XCX copycatting.

Of the comparisons to the “Von Dutch” musician, Cabello said, “People ran with this thing before the album was even out.”

“[Charli’s] one of my favorite artists, you know?” she continued. “[But] I can tell that people saying this weren’t even listening to the music. They didn’t do the reading. They didn’t do the listening.”

The “Havana” artist also gave an update on where she stands with former Fifth Harmony bandmate Normani, with whom she reunited at Paris Fashion Week in September to fans’ absolute delight. “With space, we can go back and tap into that,” Cabello said. “The past couple of times I’ve seen her, I say something and she laughs really hard. It doesn’t feel like we’re strangers. We’re getting back to the times when we [were] really close.”

See Cabello on the cover of Nylon and photos from the shoot below.

Elton John made it to the opening night of his new musical in London on Sunday night (Dec. 1), but the pop icon admitted that he could hear the show, but could not see any of it. 

According to the Associated Press, John, 77, said he struggled to watch the stage debut of The Devil Wears Prada because, as he told the audience, “I haven’t been able to come to man of the previews because, as you know, I have lost my eyesight.”

John added, “So it’s hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it and, boy, it sounded good tonight.” The singer wrote the score for the stage musical based on the beloved 2006 movie about an eager young journalist (Anne Hathaway) trying to make her mark at a fashion magazine lorded over by an imperial, demanding editor (Meryl Streep).

The London production at the Dominion Theatre stars Vanessa Williams as lacerating editor — memorably played by Streep in the film — Miranda Priestly, with music by John and lyrics by Shaina Taub and Mark Sonnenblick and a book by Kate Wetherhead. Sunday’s gala opening night was a fundraiser for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and featured an A-list crowd, including designer Donatella Versace and former Vogue editor Anna Wintour, the rumored inspiration for the Priestly character. The famously exacting fashion figurehead gave a typically tart-tongued assessment of the musical, referring to it as “entertaining.” 

John recently told Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts that he suffered an eye infection this summer that has turned into a complete loss of vision in his right eye, which has impacted his ability to work on new music.

“I unfortunately lost my eye sight in my right eye in July because I had an infection in the South of France,” said John. “It’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see. And my left eye is not the greatest.” John teased a new album last year, but now that project is up in the air as the manages his poor vision.

“There’s hope and encouragement that it will be okay,” John said. “But I’m kind of stuck in the moment, because I can do something like this, but going into the studio and recording… I don’t know. Because I can’t see a lyric, for start.” John’s most recent album was 2021’s Record Store Day reissue of a shelved late 1960s album Regimental Sgt. Zippo.

Kesha released her latest single, “Delusional,” over the long holiday weekend, gifting fans with new music the same week she delivered a music video for “Joyride.”

“Delusional” — co-written by Kesha, Zhone, and Madison Love, and produced by Zhone — is now streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music and more, and can be purchased on the iTunes Store. Preview the song below.

“I’ve been living the goddamn dream/ My time expensive and you’re just too cheap/ The way I’m single, do it so obscene/ Watch me gettin’ hotter on your cheap TV/ I’m in the heavens, I’m on 11/ You’re like a four, but who’s keepin’ score?/ Live for the heartbreak, it gets my bills paid/ Thank god you walked out that door,” Kesha sings on “Delusional,” leading up to the chorus: “Baby, you’re delusional/ Thinking you could ever find/ Something that’s as beautiful/ Someone with a love like mine.”

On Wednesday, Kesha had teased the release of “Delusional” at the end of her new “Joyride” video, perhaps launching a high-speed journey into a new chapter of her career.

“Joyride,” which premiered in July, was the first single to be released via the singer’s own Kesha Records.

Kesha’s independent label has a global distribution deal with ADA that gives her full creative control and ownership of her work. ADA is also working together with Crush Music, Kesha’s management company, to oversee marketing and promotion for the pop star’s next album, expected to arrive in 2025. In the announcement of the partnership in September, Kesha noted, “I am excited to take control of my narrative and rewrite my story in the music business.”

Kesha’s record label launch and her newly released tunes follow the settling of a defamation suit filed by Dr. Luke in 2023, which came several years after the singer filed a suit against the producer in 2014 alleging physical, sexual and emotional abuse.

See the “Delusional” single art below. The song is available to listen to now on streaming platforms.