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Sabrina Carpenter has been one busy woman. Just one week after dropping her sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet, the 25-year-old pop star released a surprise bonus track — and Barry Keoghan was first in line to download. Sharing an outtake from her Short n’ Sweet cover shoot, Carpenter announced the new song on Instagram […]
There’s a moment in Adam Sandler’s new comedy special, Love You, when the comedian picks up an acoustic guitar and very intently and fluently plays “Malagueña,” the classical guitar instrumental by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, before he launches into “Mutterin’,” a comedic song about murmuring negative asides under his breath.
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In Sandler’s first Netflix special in six years, he finds humor in most things — whether it be a low-brow, scatological sketch about a wish-granting genie, or a clever riff on non-sensical word pronunciations as he toggles between spoken bits and songs. But one thing Sandler takes very seriously is his musicianship.
“When I was a kid, my dad had an acoustic guitar, and he would play ‘Malagueña.’ That song means a lot to me,” Sandler tells Billboard. One day, Sandler — who was already taking guitar lessons while growing up in Manchester, New Hampshire — came upon a Stratocaster in a store window. “I was in bands all through junior high and high school and I said, ‘Oh my God, I would do anything for that guitar.’ My dad said, ‘I’m not just going to get it for you, but if you learn “Malagueña” note for note, I’ll get that guitar for you.’ I practiced it for a year until my father was impressed enough he got it for me when I was 12. I think of that every time I pick up a guitar.”
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And he picks up the guitar a lot in Love You, which was directed by Josh Safdie, whom Sandler worked with to great acclaim on the 2019 drama Uncut Gems. Instead of the usual comedy special where the comedian walks out onto a brightly lit stage to applause, Love You opens with a decidedly more frantic, in-your-face tone. Sandler pulls up to the venue dealing with a shattered windshield, he’s then barraged by autograph seekers, he can’t find a clean hoodie to wear, his coffee order is wrong, and he’s running late. Once he gets on stage in the darkly lit small club — a deliberately disheveled Nocturne Theater in Glendale, California — things aren’t much better: there are technical glitches with the screens, and a stray dog even wanders onto the stage.
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When Safdie came to him with his slightly skewed vision for the special, Sandler says, “It definitely took me a little while to go ‘yes.’ I just thought we were going to shoot the show because I had been doing the show for a while and I had that down, so I was excited to do that, but Josh kept saying, ‘Let’s try to do something different.’” The special is a scaled-down version of the arena show Sandler took on the road last fall, which grossed $28.5 million in 27 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore.
Though Sandler knew some of the curveballs that were going to come his way at the Nocturne, Safdie’s plan kept Sandler on his toes, and gives the special a jagged edge. “That made it more exciting the days we were shooting,” Sandler says. “I definitely never knew when something was going to come at me and throw the rhythm off, and I had to try to react and keep the show going as smoothly as we could. It made it more of an electric vibe.”
As if there wasn’t enough disruption, an unplanned kerfuffle breaks out between some audience members. “It was kind of early on in the show, and then all of a sudden you felt some hostility in the crowd,” says Sandler, who quickly diffused the situation. “When you’re on the road, it’s going to happen. Things get out of control in the audience and you got to react to it and try to calm things down.”
Just as his 2018 special, 100% Fresh, ended with a sentimental, sweet musical tribute to the late Chris Farley, his friend and former Saturday Night Live castmate, Love You similarly concludes with “Here Comes the Comedy,” a warm salute to the healing power of comedy, as footage of the dozens of comedians who have influenced and delighted Sandler since his youth appear on the finally operational monitors. In the six-minute number, written by Sandler and his longtime musical partner Dan Bulla, Sandler plays the Stratocaster his father gave him when he was 12.
Sandler apologizes that he has to cut the interview short because he’s in the middle of pre-production on Happy Gilmore 2, his sequel to his 1996 comedy classic. The movie will start shooting in New Jersey next year and Sandler’s already teased that the new version will include a number of cameos, just as the original did, including Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who sported a Happy Gilmore cap at this April’s Coachella. “He’s gonna come by. He’s a very nice guy,” Sandler said on The Tonight Show on Aug. 20. “You guys would love him in real life. What a big, handsome guy. Funny and cool as hell. He’s a stud and he’s so funny.”
There’s no word on whether Kelce’s girlfriend, superstar Taylor Swift, will also make a cameo, but Sandler is an unabashed Swiftie. He and his family attended a Los Angeles show on the Eras tour in August 2023, as well as the Los Angeles premiere of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film. When asked his favorite Swift song, Sandler struggles to pick just one, but it’s clear he has plenty riffling through his head from years of being the ultimate girl dad.
“Everything [my two daughters] throw on I love, but one of the first ones they threw on when they were young was ‘The Best Day,’” he says of Swift’s sentimental track about her mom from 2008’s Fearless. “We connected with that when the kids were young. Every album, we listen the first day it comes out. There’s not a song they don’t know every word to.”
Like Swift, Sandler is no stranger to the Billboard charts. Between tunes like “The Chanukah Song,” The Wedding Singer’s “Grow Old with You” and “The Thanksgiving Song,” as well as his Grammy-nominated comedy albums, Sandler’s landed on 10 different charts, including topping the Comedy Albums chart in 2019 with his 100% Fresh album. It’s something he’s kept an eye on since his early days.
“When I was young and my albums came out, I worked with Brooks Arthur,” he says, referencing the renowned late music producer whom he collaborated with for nearly 30 years. “He used to talk to me about his charts and I’d ask him, ‘How are we doing on Billboard?’ I always wanted to know.”
It would not be an understatement to say that Emma Roberts has been training to play Britney Spears for more than half her life. In an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, 33-year-old Space Cadet star was asked about recent headlines in which Spears’ longtime assistant, Felicia Culotta, pitched Roberts as the perfect actress to portray the […]
LE SSERAFIM is back! The group dropped a vibrant new music video for their single “CRAZY,” and as expected, it features some great outfits and even better dance moves. The song is featured on the group’s freshly released mini-album of the same name, Crazy. The project contains five tracks: the title track, “Chasing Lightning,” “Pierrot,” […]
Chappell Roan is just as much of a Sabrina Carpenter fan as everyone else! On a recent livestream, the “Red Wine Supernova” singer shared her favorite songs off of Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet album, including “Taste” and “Juno.” ”I love her,” Roan said of Carpenter. “I just love her whole — her whole project is […]
If you’re a certified Swiftie, don’t lose hope on finding tickets to the remaining dates of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. In June, TikTok launched the #TSTheErasTour, an interactive in-app artist experience, during which fans were encouraged to complete album-themed tasks. Fans who completed all 11 tasks received a celebratory profile frame. However, now it appears that […]
Sabrina Carpenter went head-to-head with Jenna Ortega in the gory music video for “Taste,” and now the pop star is giving a behind-the-scenes look at the visual in a video released on Thursday (Aug. 29). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “In the Sabrina cinematic universe, women […]
Ending his lengthiest break between album releases, MIYAVI is ready to make a powerful return to the global music scene with a new project that the Japanese rock guitarist says “represents a three-year journey of sonic exploration.”
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Billboard can exclusively confirm MIYAVI’s long-awaited Lost in Love album is slated for release this October via Rise Records. Nicknamed the “Samurai Guitarist” for his distinctive slap-guitar style, MIYAVI’s latest project comes after establishing himself as a trailblazer in the industry with more than two decades under his belt, earning multiple hits on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and making his debut on the U.S.-based Alternative Digital Song Sales chart in 2021 with his PVRIS collaboration “Snakes.”
“This album represents a three-year journey of sonic exploration where I allowed the creative process to lead the way,” MIYAVI tells Billboard in a statement. “I intentionally took my time with this record, stepping outside my artistic comfort zone to push my boundaries and craft my best work. It’s been a vulnerable place to be after so many years in the music industry, but I knew it was necessary.”
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With new collaborators such as funk legend George Clinton and enlisting longtime musical partners including Lenny Skolnik, MIYAVI says Lost in Love symbolizes his international viewpoint as an ever-evolving artist.
“I was fortunate to collaborate with a diverse group of artists whose influences have woven their way into the album with MIYAVI’s signature guitar serving as the unifying thread,” the Osaka-born musician adds. “My life has always been split between Japan and the U.S., and that duality is deeply reflected in this album. Some tracks hit hard, while others are just pure fun, giving the record a split personality. Lost in Love is the culmination of a lifetime of experiences, encapsulating all the facets of who I am as MIYAVI.”
The 42-year-old shares such experiences on the LP’s first song, “Broken Fantasy,” which delves into MIYAVI’s near identity crisis after relocating his family from Tokyo to Los Angeles after he found critical and commercial success starring in Unbroken, the Oscar-nominated Angelina Jolie-directed film released in 2014. The George Clinton collaboration “I’m So Amazing” displays his ability to blend different eras and genres into his signature sound for a universal message of how to maintain one’s confidence. The album closes with “One More Time,” a heartfelt tribute to his wife, Melody, highlighting their challenges and love while supporting his family through a demanding career.
Elsewhere, tracks such as “We Stay Up All Night” and “Real Monster” continue MIYAVI’s exploration of identity and connection as displayed on his earlier records, while “Mirror Mirror” offers a raw introspection into the rock star’s inner struggles with lyrics such as “All my life I’m fighting for you” capturing his internal monologue.
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Fans got a taste of Lost in Love via February’s double single release of “Broken Fantasy” and “Tragedy of Us,” as well as the stomping, ominous rock-pop anthem “Eat Eat Eat,” released last month. In addition to his forthcoming album, MIYAVI recently joined Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming action comedy The Wrecking Crew alongside Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa.
MIYAVI’s Lost in Love album drops Oct. 9. Peep the full tracklist below:
“Intro”
“Broken Fantasy”
“Tragedy of Us”
“Eat Eat Eat”
“We Stay Up All Night”
“Real Monsters”
“Mirror Mirror”
“I’m So Amazing” (feat. George Clinton)
“You Already Know”
“Put Your Hands on Me”
“If You Know How to Dance”
“One More Time”
Camila Cabello took part in Capital FM’s “Finish the Lyric “game recently, where she was tasked to test her musical knowledge by completing the lyrics to songs presented to her. Amid songs by Taylor Swift, Tyla, Tate McRae and more, Cabello sang along to the viral second verse of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”
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While she got some of the lines confused, fans began buzzing at the timing of Capital FM’s release of the clip. Sabrina Carpenter dropped her sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet, last week, which led to a slew of unconfirmed theories that some of the songs are about a potential love triangle between herself, Cabello and Shawn Mendes.
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.
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Songs on Carpenter’s album, including “Coincidence,” “Sharpest Tool” and “Taste” all seem to follow a storyline about a love interest rekindling his romance with his ex-girlfriend. The corresponding “Taste” visual stars Jenna Ortega, who fans think was casted to represent Cabello in the clip.
Cabello also seemingly added fuel to the flame, by recently sharing a TikTok singing along to her own track, “June Gloom,” which features the lyrics: “She’s cool, I heard/ Won’t act surprised, I saw the pictures/ […] If she’s so amazing, why are you on this side of town? / If you like her so much, what are you here trying to find out?”
Again, the theories are just rumors, but check out Cabello’s “Finish the Lyric” round below.
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With the first quarter of the 21st century coming to a close, Billboard is spending the next few months counting down our staff picks for the 25 greatest pop stars of the last 25 years. We’ve already named our Honorable Mentions and our No. 25, No. 24 and No. 23 stars, and now we remember the century in One Direction — who helped to redefine pop music, pop stardom and pop fandom in their brief-but-dominant 2010s run, while also minting five future solo hitmakers (including one absolute superstar).
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Piles of headshots were accumulating on a table in front of The X Factor judges Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh. Tasked with deciding which contestants would make it to the next round of the competition, the panel analyzed each photo – and as they sorted through the contestants, an idea started to form. “You can’t get rid of little stars, you know?” Scherzinger said. “So you put them all together.” And in a twist of fate, five journeys that were in peril merged paths to become One Direction.
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As the boys spent more time together, their roles became clearer: Liam Payne, with his standout audition, would be the leader; Louis Tomlinson’s charm would make him the lovable prankster; Niall Horan, the humble boy from Ireland would be the down-to-earth sweetheart; Zayn Malik, reserved with undeniably striking looks, would be the mysterious one; and Harry Styles, with his curly locks, dimples and wide smile, would be the heartthrob. Together, they were 1D, and they would take over the world.
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One Direction’s ascent to global stardom proved that the boy band archetype could still thrive in the 21st century, albeit in a new and distinctly modern way. In just five years, 1D released five albums that brought up-tempo British pop-rock to the States and laid the foundation for today’s international pop groups. A new online community, “stan Twitter,” rallied around the group, and their superfans, called “Directioners,” helped their idols achieve astronomical mainstream success, changing fan-to-fan communication and fan-to-artist relationships forever.
Back in 2011, One Direction won the hearts of The X Factor’s U.K. audience with a mix of pop covers ranging from Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” to Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” – and even though they didn’t win the competition, they won something bigger: an already-devout fan following, and a contract with Simon Cowell’s Syco Records. Cowell moved swiftly to capitalize on One Direction’s momentum, pairing the group with established hitmakers to churn out their debut single “What Makes You Beautiful.” Savan Kotecha, whose writing credits already included songs for Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Usher, penned the track, and perfected it with the help of fellow writer Carl Falk, who would go on to write for Ariana Grande, Jason Derulo and Madonna.
“What Makes You Beautiful” was a work of bubblegum pop perfection that popped the top 40 bubble. When the track was released in the U.K. and Ireland in September of 2011, pop was dominated by EDM, turbo-pop and Young Money-style hip-hop – but managed to break through the noise and rise to the top of the charts. The single was so commercially successful that it drummed up interest overseas – by the time One Direction’s debut album Up All Night was released in the U.K. and Ireland in November of 2011, #Bring1DtoUS was trending regularly on Twitter, with fans organizing their own marketing efforts to catch the group’s attention, including flash mobs and DIY music videos combining clips from fans from all over the country.
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As soon as One Direction touched down on American soil, the quintet was breaking records and taking names. “What Makes You Beautiful” was digitally released on Valentine’s Day of 2012, debuting at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and marking the biggest debut for a British act in over a decade. It peaked at No. 4 less than two months later, when Up All Night was released in the U.S. to a No. 1 bow on the Billboard 200, cementing 1D as the first U.K. group to score that achievement with a debut album. When One Direction made their first stateside TV appearance on the Today Show to promote the release of Up All Night, 15,000 fans showed up, comparable to audiences pulled by Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.
Straddling the line of being child-friendly, brand-safe public figures and being young men in their late teens and early twenties was critical to One Direction’s success, as the lads were ubiquitous in what seemed like every way possible. The group was booked to open for Big Time Rush, a Nickelodeon-bred boy band that was taking off in the states, on their already sold-out tour – but their presence was so overwhelming that they overshadowed their headliner, and the Up All Night Tour sold out in venues across the U.S. soon after.
One Direction had a je ne sais quois that set them apart from other boy bands. Unlike most of their predecessors, the five members didn’t follow choreography or dress alike, but they still possessed the same level of charisma – just in different packages. Their distinct personalities shined in interviews, video diaries and Twitter Q&As, and even more so when they interacted with one another. Watching five young men come together like brothers to live out their dreams was inspiring, and their camaraderie warmed the hearts of millions. The fans treasured the group’s relationships so deeply that they declared allegiance to every possible combination of inter-band dynamics, including “Narry,” “LiLo,” and “Ziam.”
One Direction
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Directioners wanted more – and they got what they wished for. A Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime commercial with NFL star Drew Brees aired, guest appearances on iCarly and SNL premiered on the same day in April, and the quintet took the stage at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics. You couldn’t walk into a drugstore without encountering a One Direction toothbrush or turn on the radio without hearing “What Makes You Beautiful” – it was Beatlemania for the 2010s, powered by fans who were online 24/7, 365 days a year and watching their every move – literally, sometimes going as far as hacking security cameras in elevators and airports just to catch a glimpse of their favorite band.
The release of One Direction’s sophomore album Take Me Home ushered in a new era: The set also debuted atop the Billboard 200, making One Direction the first group to best the Billboard 200 with their first two albums since American girl group Danity Kane, and the group became the first boy band in U.S. chart history to land two No. 1 albums in a calendar year. But the accolades were not as significant to the group as how the release helped them evolve their image. Each member had writing credits on this album, showing that they were involved artists who had control of the development of their music; and bolder, more blatantly suggestive lyrics on songs like “Live While We’re Young” and fan favorite “Rock Me” reminded their audience that despite their Radio Disney-friendly appeal, the members were all adults by then, ranging from 18 to 20 years old. While critics were not convinced that One Direction could shake its bubblegum pop sound, fans loved it, and the Take Me Home Tour was the band’s biggest yet, wrapped with an accompanying concert film.
With so much commercial success, nonstop touring and more, fans and critics alike began to wonder: how long can this all be sustained? Repeating the cycle of Take Me Home, One Direction released their third album Midnight Memories in November of 2013, earning their third consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and highest debut on the Hot 100 (No. 2) with accompanying lead single “Best Song Ever.” The group was making what critics would finally admit was “great rock music” – but fans and outsiders alike could sense that they were tired; this was, after all, their third No. 1 album in just over a year and a half since their U.S. debut. Still, One Direction pushed forward with the Where We Are tour, playing stadiums two years into their careers – and packing them with 3.4 million fans, while also flipping said tour into a concert film. Everything 1D touched turned to gold.
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At the tail end of the tour, One Direction announced their fourth LP, Four. Their aptly named fourth studio album rollout began with “Steal My Girl,” drawing praise and comparisons to Journey. This old-school rock and alt-folk inspiration was present throughout the record, and it made 1D’s music feel more elevated than prior releases. It felt like the group had collectively matured and improved, and the set notched the group’s fourth consecutive debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in November of 2014, making them the first group in history to bow atop the chart with each of its first four albums. Its most critically acclaimed album was celebrated by fans – but what those fans didn’t know was that the LP would also mark the beginning of the end.
Commercial success kept 1D booked and busy, but it couldn’t make up for the toll it had taken on the group’s wellbeing. Shortly after the start of the On The Road Again tour, Malik left for home in hopes of dealing with the stress; less than a week later, on March 25, his departure from the group was announced via Facebook. “I am leaving,” Malik shared, “because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight.” At that moment, millions of girls around the world had their hearts broken: not only did Malik’s imminent departure become permanent, but the future of the band officially came into question. The official One Direction account followed Malik’s statement, assuring fans that the remaining four members would continue on and release their fifth studio album, but the plans felt more daunting than reassuring.
The seismic shift caused by Malik’s departure crumbled the foundation that One Direction stood upon, and their final album, Made in the A.M., would ultimately be their swan song. Its lead single “Drag Me Down” was released in July, with an uncharacteristic lack of pre-promotion – and in August, a hiatus was announced for 2016. Made in the A.M. was released in November, and while it was not as commercially successful as their past work, it didn’t matter: It was what the fans needed so that they could say a proper goodbye. “Love You Goodbye,” “History” and the album’s final track “A.M.” memorialized five years of international superstardom and closed the door on a One Direction era for the last time.
Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Niall Horan
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for iHeartRadio; Anthony Pham via Getty Images; Dave J Hogan/Getty Images
Freed from the obligations of being in a band, the members of One Direction explored solo ventures. They each released successful top 40 singles: Malik debuted first with “Pillowtalk,” soaring to the top of the Hot 100 in January of 2016 — higher even than 1D ever got as a quintet. Horan followed suit, releasing “This Town” in September with a No. 20 debut, and Tomlinson closed out the year by dropping “Just Hold On,” a collaboration with Steve Aoki, in December, which landed at No. 52. The remaining two members, Styles and Payne, made their solo debuts the year after: Styles’ first single “Sign of the Times” peaked at No. 4 in April of 2017, and Payne’s “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo dropped in May. Payne’s No. 10 debut with “Strip” hammered the final nail into the 1D coffin – and now that each member had their solo debut, the public would decide who would be the most successful outside of the group.
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By December 2019, four of the five former bandmates had released their debut album – all except Tomlinson, who would release his debut Walls in January 2020 – and Malik, Styles and Horan each notched No. 1 Billboard 200 debuts, showing similar promise across the group post-break up. But as Styles’ sophomore album Fine Line began to roll out, with singles like “Adore You” and “Watermelon Sugar” achieving increasingly higher levels of pop success, it was clear that his sustained stardom would be difficult for the other members to match. By the time Harry’s House was released in 2022, Styles was respected by Directioners, new fans and critics alike – so much, in fact, that Harry’s House won Album of the Year at the Grammys the following year. Still, despite Styles’ well-earned superstardom, he always pays tribute to his past, continuing to perform the song that started it all: “What Makes You Beautiful.”
One Direction’s legacy survives in both obvious and unexpected ways. The British pop invasion that the group led in the early 2010s amplified related acts like Ed Sheeran, The Wanted and Little Mix for all the world to hear, and helped bring rock-based pop music back to the mainstream – starting with 5 Seconds of Summer, the Australian band whose hitmaking career skyrocketed after opening for 1D on the Where We Are Tour. The quintet’s greatest contribution, though, was how it changed the blueprint for pop superstardom. While there is no exact formula for fame and success, the Directioners created and normalized a more intense version of “stan” culture than ever before: one that shows devotion through chronic online-ness and community building all day, every day, which has shaped entire industries like K-pop. And even though One Direction only lasted for five years as a group, the impact of its discography — ranging from enduring smashes to beloved deep cuts — continues to shape a generation of pop connoisseurs, and hold a particularly special place in the hearts of Millennials and Gen Z’ers everywhere.
Read more about the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century here and check back on Tuesday when our No. 21 artist is revealed!