Pop

A year ago, fans weren’t certain when they’d ever get a new album from Ariana Grande. Now, the world has had Eternal Sunshine for exactly four months, an anniversary the pop star commemorated by sharing studio footage from the project’s recording process on Instagram Sunday (July 7). In the clips, Grande records and edits vocals […]

Warning: the following story contains discussions of eating disorders.
Kesha has a simple message for anyone out there who has something to say about her physique: go ahead and hate, it only makes her stronger. The singer who has been candid about her struggles with body image and recovery from an eating disorder appeared to respond to some unkind comments about her body on Sunday (July 7) in a pointed Instagram post.

“i didn’t think in 2024 people still body shamed but. i am so proud of my body. she’s been through a lot. she’s torn her acl on stage and finished the show. she’s held my f–king broken heart together,” Kesha, 37, wrote in the post that also featured an image of the singer laying on the beach in a black string bikini as well as modeling it while standing on a balcony while wearing a black baseball hat and white robe.

“to those who think you’re shaming me, you’re actually making me feel very powerful. so, to you, i hope you one day feel whole enough to not tear other women down. in the mean time, hate me harder bi–ch:),” she added, along with a muscle flex emoji.

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Back in 2017, Kesha posted about her struggle with eating disorders, writing, “I had an eating disorder that threatened my life, and was very afraid to confront it. I got sicker and the whole world kept telling me how much better I looked. That’s why I realized I wanted to be a part of the solution.” In addition, at the 2016 Billboard Women in Music event, Kesha discussed her past struggles with self-image. “I’ve decided to stay confident in my ever-changing, totally imperfect body,” she said at the time.

Around the same time, Kesha opened up in an essay in Teen Vogue, writing, “When I think about the kind of bullying I dealt with as a child and teen, it seems almost quaint compared with what goes on today. The amount of body-shaming and baseless slut-shaming online makes me sick. I know from personal experience how comments can mess up somebody’s self-confidence and sense of self-worth. I have felt so unlovable after reading cruel words written by strangers who don’t know a thing about me.”

She added, “It became a vicious cycle: When I compared myself to others, I would read more mean comments, which only fed my anxiety and depression. Seeing paparazzi photos of myself and the accompanying catty commentary fueled my eating disorder. The sick irony was that when I was at some of the lowest points in my life, I kept hearing how much better I looked. I knew I was destroying my body with my eating disorder, but the message I was getting was that I was doing great.”

More recently, the singer who just released her new single, “Joyride,” last week, told Self in 2023 that she after checking into an inpatient program to treat bulimia in 2014 she started working with therapists on a new routine to help manager her anxiety around eating.

According to organizers of NEDAwareness Week, some 30 million Americans will struggle at some point in their lives with an eating disorder, such as bulimia, binge-eating disorder and anorexia. For more information visit nedawareness.org.

See Kesha’s post below.

Back when she released the Spanish-language reggaeton Rauw Alejandro collaboration “Cambia El Paso” in 2021, Jennifer Lopez was coming out of a difficult time in her life. The song co-written by the two singers dropped just after Lopez split with longtime fiancé former MLB star Alex Rodriguez, and in a chat with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe at the time Lopez said the track was about moving on, pointing out that the title translates into: “change the step.”
“I’m super happy. I know people are always wondering. How are you? What’s going on? Are you OK? This is it. I’ve never been better,” she told Lowe. “And I want my people who care about me, because I care about them so much, to know that I’ve really gotten to a place in my life where I’m great on my own. And I think once you get to that place, then amazing things happen to you that you never imagine in your life happening again. And so that is where I’m at. And I love all the love that’s coming my way right now and all of the, the good wishes. And I just want everybody to know that it’s the best time. It’s the best time of my life.”

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The conversation came at a time when Lopez was spotted spending time with her former fiancé, actor Ben Affleck; after two decades apart, the two tied the knot in July 2022.

Now, the couple are reportedly going through a rough patch amid rumors of marital strife, though neither artist nor their reps have offered any public statements to date about the status of their marriage

Which is why fans were wondering about the timing of Lopez’s repost of a snippet of the “Cambia” video on Sunday. The singer titled the throwback “Happy Anniversary ‘Cambia El Paso,’” in celebration of the original July 5, 2021 release date. The brief clip features Lopez dancing and posing on the beach and city streets, rolling around in the sand in a silver bikini top and short jean shorts.

While the video only has Lopez, 54, singing the title in Spanish and lyrics about how “all she wanna do is dance, dance, dance dance,” other lines from the song have long been construed as having a not-so-subtle double-meaning. “Her life is better now without him/ He knows that his hips do not fail him/ You don’t need anyone to be well/ She doesn’t fail, she doesn’t fail,” Lopez sings on the track in Spanish in lyrics not included in the Instagram post. The homage initially featured a number of supportive comments from fans earlier in the day, but by noon on Monday (July 8) it appeared as if all comments had been removed.

Back on June 27, Lopez similarly paid tribute to another milestone in marking the 10th anniversary of her eighth studio album, A.K.A.

People noted that Sunday’s post came after Lopez appeared to spend the Fourth of July weekend in New York away from Affleck, 51, who was reportedly in Los Angeles. The last time Lopez appeared to feature Affleck in an Instagram post was on March 2 when she was promoting her documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told. The two were also spotted last month, reportedly arriving separately to celebrate the graduation ceremony for the actor’s 12-year-old son, Samuel.

In the Lowe interview from 2021, Lopez further explained that “Cambia” was about “change and it is about taking a step … when things don’t feel right… To me that represents joy, happiness, life… it just represents happiness to me, because I love dancing so much because it’s kind of my first love, it represents joy, happiness, a freedom… All she wants to do is be happy. All she wants to do is live.”

Check out Lopez’s post and watch the “Cambia El Paso” video below.

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Kesha is loving all the new music female artists are releasing this year, but especially Sabrina Carpenter‘s.
In a TikTok posted Sunday (July 7), the “Tik Tok” singer cited the 24-year-old rising star as an example of why she’s pumped to be part of the music industry as of late. “the ladies are holding it down with new music this summer,” she wrote over a clip of her vibing to Carpenter’s Billboard Hot 100-topping “Please Please Please,” modeling a spangly gold top.

“proud to be a woman in music,” Kesha added in her caption.

Indeed, this summer has already proven to be dominated by women musicians. Along with “Espresso,” Carpenter occupied two of the top five spots in the Hot 100 chart dated July 6, while six female artists charted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 the same week for the first time this decade, thanks to projects from Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Ariana Grande and Charli XCX.

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Plus, Kesha recently entered the ring with her new single “Joyride,” which dropped on the Fourth of July in honor of the 37-year-old superstar’s newfound independence. The track marks her first release since fulfilling her contract with Kemosabe Records and settling her nearly decade-long defamation lawsuit with the label’s founder, Dr. Luke; in 2014, she alleged that he had drugged and raped her after a 2005 party. In announcing their settlement, the producer denied Kesha’s claims, saying in a joint press release, “I never drugged or assaulted her and would never do that to anyone. For the sake of my family, I have vigorously fought to clear my name for nearly 10 years.”

“Good news: I’m a free motherf–king woman,” Kesha said at New York City’s Planet Pride in June, where she debuted “Joyride” for her audience days ahead of its release. “And do you know what I want to do? I kinda wanna play my first song in almost 20 f–king years … as a free motherf–king woman.”

Kesha isn’t the only star who’s lauded Carpenter for her wildly successful summer recently. Last week, Taylor Swift commented on one of the “Feather” singer’s posts — in which Carpenter celebrated selling out her first-ever arena tour — and wrote, “SUMMER OF SABRINA AND MAY IT CONTINUE FOREVER 😇.”

See Kesha’s post praising Sabrina Carpenter below.