Pop
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In the autumn of 2023, Maren Morris watched on as her life, at least as she knew it, went up in smoke. In September, she publicly announced that she would no longer participate in the country music industry, which inspired a series of criticisms from a few of the genre’s most outspoken voices. The following month, she filed for divorce from her husband of five years, Ryan Hurd.
She puts things more succinctly today: “Everything in my life fell apart last year,” she tells Billboard as a nervous chuckle breaks through the sobering sentence.
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When faced with a series of personal crises, Morris turned to the one place she knew she could find answers — songwriting. Calling on a group of collaborators both new and old, the singer decided her only option at moving forward was to put in the work. “Even the days where I could barely peel myself out of bed, I would still go to my session,” she says. “My co-writers were like, ‘We can cancel,’ And I would say, ‘No, I can’t go home. It’s too depressing.’ I just had to push through.”
Nearly a year later, Morris is ready to let fans see how far she’s come. Intermission, the 34-year-old singer’s latest EP out now via Columbia Records, is an exercise in limitless self-expression. Each of the project’s five songs seek to answer the question Morris asked herself after the “personal implosion” took over her life: “What do I even say now?”
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As it turns out, Morris still had plenty to say. Album opener “Cut” deconstructs the wall between Morris’ public and private lives, contrasting the put-together “pro” she shows her fans with the despondent girl behind closed doors who lets her “tears fall where they want. The heartwarming “Because, Of Course” offers a vision of unconditional love, in stark opposition to the folk-chant of “I Hope I Never Fall in Love.” The EP sees Morris embracing emotions in all their complication, without exemption.
“[Songwriting] was an amazing distraction from the dumpster fire that was my life last fall. I know that a lot of these songs pulled me through it, and that this is some of my most honest work,” she says.
In seeking out her most honest point of view, Morris ended up working with a number of new collaborators on the project, including pop auteurs like Joel Little, Delacey, Evan Blair and Michael Pollack. Leaning further away from genre-specific restrictions, Morris explains that writing Intermission meant finding people from outside her stable of past songwriters.
“I was just kind of allowing myself to fall in love with people’s talent and not be like, ‘Oh my god, have I worked with them before? Do we have any mutual friends? Who would be a big name?” she says. “I was just like, ‘Hey, are they the right person for the job?’”
That sense of discovery led Morris to enlist prolific indie-pop band MUNA for their assistance on her bouncing single “Push Me Over.” With lyrics written by Morris and all three members of the trio as well as production courtesy of MUNA’s Naomi McPherson, the new single provided an opportunity for Morris to explore uncharted terrain in her musical career — a flirtatious dissection of her sexuality. “Want you in my bed, ‘cause I don’t need more friends/ The more that you come closer, I want you to push me over,” she sings on the song’s brash chorus. “Sitting on the fence feels good between my legs.”
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As she reminisces on her first songwriting session with MUNA, Morris notes the importance of writing her self-described “bi-panic” into music alongside three pioneers of the modern queer pop space.
“I remember I had been on a date with this girl, and the date went amazing, but I had so many questions for MUNA the next day. I truly felt like a student and I was with, like, the Professors of Gay,” she laughs. “They were obviously so supportive, and it made this the easiest song to write. It just puts a pep in my step and I feel like I could have only written it with them.”
“Push Me Over” arrives after the singer received a wave of support from fans back in June, when she publicly came out as bisexual via an Instagram post. Yet despite the sheer amount of public support she received, Morris admits that her coming out didn’t really feel like a “proper” coming out.
“I think it was one of those things where I thought, ‘Does this really require an Instagram post?’ It didn’t feel like, ‘Oh, this is going to be some big f–king bombshell,’” she says. “I just think that for any sort of public-facing artist that just, it does feel inclusive to let people know. Also, I get to feel like I’m really not hiding any part of myself any longer. So that makes me sleep better at night.”
As fun as “Push Me Over” was to write, Morris notes that not every song on the project came as easily. “This Is How a Woman Leaves,” the heartbreaking final song on the record, offers a stream-of-consciousness confession as Morris details the painstaking process of letting herself grieve her marriage before walking away from it.
Morris remembers blasting the demo to “This is How” from her car speakers “on the way to divorce court.” Now that it’s out, she hopes the song provides some solace to other women struggling to find their way out of a relationship. “I don’t know, I think it’s going to be one of those [songs] that like, really helps people … which is so bizarre to say as the creator of it,” she says. “I was blasting that song just to get through the day, and now it’s going to be in other peoples’ cars and homes. So I hope it helps, really.”
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The singer adds that she’s most excited to hear how fans interact with her new songs live. She says fans have already joined in on the catharsis of screaming “honestly, f–k” with her when performing “Cut.” Now, she’s curious to see which parts of her other tracks the fans get attached to live. “Sometimes I can fast forward my life to the live show and be like, ‘This is the line that will resonate with fans,’” she says. “But then other times, they’ll pick something out of a song that I had no idea would be popular, and that’s the one that pops off. You really never know until you’re there with them.”
Calling in from Idaho, where she finished her latest show on the RSVP Redux tour, Morris reports that the live show is going “really, really well,” and is even bringing in a much younger crowd than she expected. “I don’t know if it’s the music itself, or just the way that people are finding my music on TikTok, but I’ve just noticed a lot of young people in the crowd,” she says.
Perhaps the younger audience is coming because of Morris’ highly-democratic process of choosing her setlist — on this tour in particular, Morris and her band craft a different setlist every night based on fan requests sent in via Morris’ website. That meant learning “upwards of 45 songs” in rehearsals for the tour, and allowing themselves to be flexible in the moment for their concerts. But Morris says it’s been a win-win situation for everyone involved — fans feel invested in the show, and the singer gets a chance to revisit songs that she otherwise wouldn’t have thought to perform live.
“Last night, for instance, we played ‘Make Out With Me’ — which is just an interlude from Girl — because it was a request,” she says. “As we were singing it, I realized that I’d forgotten how slutty this song is! I got totally transported back to the, the person I was when I wrote this. So, it’s nice when people remember the songs that weren’t singles or huge smashes — it was just a deep cut that they truly remembered and loved.”
With the evolution of her sound, her live show, and even herself, Morris fittingly calls Intermission an “act break” in her life; a marker of what came before and what yet remains to be seen. And for her future, Morris has big goals — after spending all of her time lately writing about herself, Morris says she wants to write as anyone else.
“I started writing for a Broadway musical last year, and it was nice having a prompt to write for. Not everything has to be through my personal experience, so it felt like I almost got to be an actor,” she said of the process. “Like, ‘Okay, let me put themselves in their shoes, and like myself in their shoes, and then write what I think they would say.’ I really hope I get to do more of it.”
But as we chat, Morris explains that she’s mostly ready to be done waiting for Intermission to come out. After much speculation, fans will finally get to hear how she really feels about everything that’s been happening around her. “Typically, I’d be terrified to put out music this baldly truthful,” she says. “But because I’m not like protecting anyone else’s agenda or feelings anymore, I can just release my point of view. And that feels pretty refreshing.”

Though the cross-over in the Venn Diagram of Phish Phans and Swifties is normally pretty minimal, the unlikely streams crossed for a brief (okay, three-plus hour) moment this summer when Phish singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio‘s two grown daughters zoomed over to Europe to catch one of Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour shows.
The Phish Phigurehead dropped into SiriusXM’s Phish Radio on Thursday morning (August 1) to tell the story of how his two adult daughters, Isabella and Eliza, saved up their money to see Swift in Dublin and ended up having a flashback to one of their dad’s most iconic eras. As any Swiftie will know, seeing the Eras Tour in Europe is often cheaper than catching it stateside, which is why the two women hopped over the pond, according to their dad.
“That’s why they went. It was the only place you could get a ticket,” Anastasio said. “My 27-year-old daughter wanted to get a Taylor ticket for my 29-year-old daughter, so she went online and put in for the lottery for every show on Earth, as did another friend of hers. And they both only could only get tickets in Dublin — her and one of her best friends — independent of each other.” So, the sisters met each other in Dublin at the show where Swift famously got briefly stuck on a platform mid-show.
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“I said, ‘is that a coincidence? That my daughters watched me on a platform, their dad, and Taylor?,” he wondered. Anastasio was referring, of course, to a show in Dublin on June 29 during which a stage malfunction during “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” in which the elevated section Swift was standing on failed to lower when it was supposed to, leaving her momentarily stranded in air. Swift, a consummate professional, shook it off and kept rolling.
Anastasio was also thinking about the New Year’s Eve show in 2019 when each member of Phish performed from a color-coded, elevated platform above the stage to make room for their color-coordinated dancers. As his bandmates were lowered back to the main stage, Anastasio’s platform got stuck, so he just kept jamming from the air before drummer Jon Fishman’s platform was raised back up so the crew could rescue the frontman.
In a video from November 2020, Anastasio recalled that one of the chains holding up the platform broke and instead of being harnessed into his rig, he just had a rope that restricted his movement, so he couldn’t get too near the end of the platform. “Then I thought, ‘oh my God, if this tilts I’m going to be hanging by my belt!’
Nessa Barrett is riding for Love Island USA‘s Rob Rausch in her sultry new music video for her latest single, “Passenger Princess.” In the Aerin Moreno-directed clip, the social media star-turned-artist is seen rocking a pink wig, a leather bralette and mini skirt as she sings in the passenger seat of a convertible, with Rausch […]
Charli’s Angels, there’s no need to “Guess” anymore — Billie Eilish is officially joining Charli XCX‘s latest remix. On Thursday (Aug. 1), Charli took to Instagram to announce that Eilish would be making a special guest appearance on the remixed version of her song “Guess.” In the video clip, Charli calls up the “Lunch” singer […]
Britney Spears’ life and story is reportedly getting the biopic treatment, with Universal Pictures landing the rights to the pop princess’ best-selling memoir The Woman in Me, per Variety. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The publication added that Wicked director Jon M. Chu and Marc Platt […]
“Unholy” or not, Sam Smith is looking absolutely divine in a newly revealed portrait. On Wednesday (July 31), London’s National Gallery unveiled the latest edition to their collection: a stunning portrait of the “Stay With Me” singer created by Pierre Commoy and Gilles Blanchard (better known by their dual moniker, Pierre et Gilles). The new […]

Trigger warning: the following story contains descriptions of violence against children.
British authorities have charged an unnamed 17-year-old with murder in the mass stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed danced class in Southport, England on Monday that left three young girls dead and eight other children and two adults injured.
According to BBC News, the teenager — who cannot be named because of his age — was slated to make an initial appearance in Liverpool City Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (August 1) after also being charged with 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article. Authorities named the three young girls killed in the incident: Bebe King, 6; Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7; and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9 and announced that seven of those injured in the attack are still believed to be in critical condition.
Swift, in the midst of a European run of shows on her Eras Tour, reacted in shock to the attack, posting a note on her Instagram Story on Tuesday morning in which she said, “The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock… The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
Police have said that the 17-year-old suspect from Cardiff was arrested at the community center hosting the dance class and that a knife was seized following the attack in the seaside town in Northwest England near Liverpool. Witnesses described a terrifying scene in which bloodied children ran in terror from the center where the Swift-themed dance and yoga event for children 6-11 was taking place with the promise of “a morning of Taylor Swift-themed yoga, dance and bracelet making.”
According to BBC, when officers arrived on the scene Monday morning they found multiple people, many of them children, suffering from serious injuries following the “ferocious” attack. Police said a person armed with a knife walked into the building and attacked those inside, with two adults suffering critical injuries while bravely trying to protect the children from the alleged assailant.
On Tuesday, far-right protesters fueled by angry and false internet rumors threw bottles and stones at police, wounding 20 officers outside a Northwest England mosque near the spot where the three girls were killed. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned what he called “thuggery” and said the angry crowd hijacked what had been a peaceful vigil attended by hundreds in the center of Southport to mourn the dead and seriously wounded.
The violent crowd authorities believe had ties to the far-right group English Defence League, torched a police van and several cars following rumors about the identity of the teenage suspect. The rampage came after an emotional crowd gathered earlier in the evening in Southport outside The Atkinson theater and museum in to hold a minute of silence for the victims.
Mass casualty shootings and killings with firearms are exceptionally rare in Britain following a mass shooting at a primary school in Scotland in 1996 that killed 16 students and a teacher. Following that event, Parliament banned private ownership of most handguns and semi-automatic weapons and since then there have been no school shootings in the U.K., though attacks with blades remain a serious issue.
At press time Swift fans had set up a Swifties for Southport fundraiser for the families of victims that had raised more than $433,000 so far.

Halsey couldn’t believe her luck when the process of sampling Britney Spears‘ “Lucky” turned out to be an easy one, to the point where the “Closer” singer couldn’t help but worry that another shoe was about to drop.
While discussing their new single — which arrived last week, featuring a heavy interpolation of the Princess of Pop‘s 2000 hit — in a Thursday morning (Aug. 1) interview with the U.K.’s Capital Breakfast, Halsey recalled feeling “really nervous” about borrowing such an iconic tune from Spears’ catalog, even though the icon had given her blessing from the start, as previously revealed. “I remember thinking when we were doing it, ‘How has this not been done before? Has this been done before?’” she says in a clip from the interview. “Is there a reason this hasn’t been done before?
“Am I about to bark up a tree of disappointment where I fall in love with this song and there’s a reason it hasn’t been sampled in a really big way yet?” the About-Face Beauty founder continued. “So I was really nervous, and ultimately, when I got the blessing from Britney and Max Martin — who was involved in the original version of the song — having them onboard, I was like, every single day of the process I was waiting for someone to be like, ‘Just kidding, you don’t get to do it anymore.’”
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While the release of Halsey’s “Lucky” went off without a hitch, its Gia Coppola-directed music video was a slightly different story. After the video went live, a statement went up on Spears’ X profile claiming she felt “harassed, violated and bullied” by the visual’s portrayal of her as “a superficial pop star with no heart or concern at all.” The message also noted that Spears was planning to pursue legal action against the “Without Me” artist.
That same day, the “Toxic” singer deleted the post and tweeted, “Fake news !!! That was not me on my phone !!! I love Halsey and that’s why I deleted it !!!,” to which Halsey replied, “and I love Britney!!!! I always have and always will … you were the first person who ever made me realize what it means to feel inspired. And you continue to inspire me everyday.”
Halsey didn’t address the incident in the Capital Breakfast clip, but she does double down on her love for Spears. “It was so full-circle,” Halsey gushed. “There’s a 6-year-old girl inside my soul who used to dress up and do performances for my grandparents in the living room to Britney Spears songs. Obviously, the song is such a beautiful memory and it’s such an honor to reimagine it in this way, especially because it’s an already perfect record.”
Watch the clip below, and you can listen to Capital Breakfast With Jordan North, Chris and Sian weekdays from 6-10 a.m. across the U.K. and on Global Player.

In the midst of the ongoing dispute between ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin and her company’s owners at HYBE, NewJeans member Danielle has written a note of support to Min expressing her support and love for the boss she referred to as a “mother and warrior.”
According to a translation of the note posted on Instagram from Korea’s JoongAng Daily, Danielle wrote: “My beloved CEO, it’s Dani. It’s been two years already. Our CEO who really did the most, thank you so, so much. So much has happened during the short and long two years that it almost feels like we went through everything we should have in seven years. Maybe it was a sacrifice for the future.”
The letter thanked Min for “always being dedicated to the work,” while offering some kind words about the “hardships” Min has endured, travails that were not specified in the note. Back in May, a Seoul court barred HYBE from firing Min from her role as CEO of the ADOR subsidiary after an internal audit by HYBE and subsequent police report against the exec. Min was sued by BELIFT Lab in May for defamation and obstruction of business over her comments that BELIFT’s girl group ILLIT had plagiarized NewJeans.
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On July 9, Min reportedly visited the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul for questioning after HYBE reported her to authorities citing breach of trust. Then, on July 15, the HYBE Labels subsidiary Source Music — home of K-pop girl group LE SSERAFIM — sued Min for $361,000, accusing her of defamation and disruption of business in connection with comments Min made at two emotional press conferences held in April, claiming that her statements at the events damaged Le SSERAFIM. In response, Min has accused five HYBE executives of defamation and leaking private messages to the press.
In her letter to Min, Danielle continued, “You know that we’re always on your side, right? You’re my family. Whatever you choose, I want to be together with you. I want to stay by your side, even if I’m not much help. I always pray for you, support you and love you.”
NewJeans have continued to support their executive producer during the turbulent past few months, with member Minji thanking the ADOR CEO for her contributions to the group during an appearance on South Korean chart show Music Bank. “Once again, we would like to thank our CEO, whom we love and adore a lot. We love you, CEO!” Minji said at the time.
See the note from Danielle posted on Min’s Instagram below.

Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour juggernaut has found cities around the world twist themselves into pretzels to welcome the singer’s stadium-packing juggernaut. But when Swifties start filing into PGE Narodowy stadium on Thursday (August 1) for the singer’s show in Warsaw they might mistake the alarming sound of air raid sirens for some kind of bizarre […]