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In her upcoming memoir, Rebel Wilson reflects on her public image over the years — as well as how it’s negatively affected her experiences with other stars, such as Adele.
According to an excerpt of Rebel Rising published Wednesday (April 3) by The Independent, the actress claims that the “Easy on Me” vocalist “hates” her. “Some actresses would get offended if I called them plus-size in this book, so I have to be careful with what I say,” Wilson wrote, according to The Independent. “This is why, I think, Adele hates me.”
“There was a moment when she was bigger, and some people would confuse us for one another,” the Bridesmaids star continued in the passage. “I am assuming, because to be fair I’ve never asked her.”
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Wilson claims that Adele would “always quickly” turn away from her at events. “As if my fatness might rub off on her if I were near her for more than thirty seconds … she didn’t like being compared to ‘Fat Amy,’” added Wilson, referencing her self-deprecating Pitch Perfect character.
Billboard has reached out to Adele’s reps for comment.
The 16-time Grammy winner has previously opened up about her body transformation, which found her appearing noticeably slimmer when, after taking a between-albums break, Adele reemerged into the public eye before releasing 30 in 2021. Around that time, she revealed that she’d lost about 100 pounds over the course of two years, telling British Vogue, “the most brutal conversations were being had by other women about my body.”
“People are shocked because I didn’t share my ‘journey,’” she continued in the 2021 interview. “They’re used to people documenting everything on Instagram, and most people in my position would get a big deal with a diet brand. I couldn’t give a flying f–k. I did it for myself and not anyone else. So why would I ever share it? I don’t find it fascinating. It’s my body.”
Similarly, Wilson started her own weight loss journey around 2020 after years of playing what she describes as “fat, funny girl” characters in her book. In a recent interview with People, the author detailed her body transformation — something she also delves into in Rebel Rising, which hits shelves Thursday (April 4) — sharing that she shed 80 pounds by adopting healthier habits.
“It’s literally about working at a healthier way to deal with your emotions, and there is no magic solution,” she told the publication. “Maybe me telling my story might encourage [others] to do the same and make healthy change in their lives.”
Adele has rescheduled a run of dates of her popular Weekends With Adele Las Vegas residency that were originally slated to take place in March. In a post on X on Tuesday, the singer announced that the postponed dates at the Colosseum in Caesars Palace will now take place on the final weekend of October, […]
As Jay-Z pointed out at the Grammys in February, Beyoncé has been nominated for album of the year four times but has never won — despite the fact that she’s the awards show’s winningest artist of all time, taking home 32 trophies from 88 nominations. On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen below), Katie […]
When Lizzo posted a frank statement to Instagram last week declaring “I QUIT,” many fans assumed that the “Truth Hurts” singer meant that she was stepping away from the public eye for good. That’s why, when just two days later she started posting promo photos for her shapewear brand Yitty, some people were a little confused.
But in a new video posted Tuesday (April 2), Lizzo cleared things up for good. “I just need to clarify — when I say I quit, I mean, I quit giving any negative energy attention,” she said, facing the camera in an aquamarine bodysuit. “What I’m not gonna quit is the joy of my life, which is making music, which is connecting with people.”
“I know I’m not alone,” she continued. “In no way, shape or form am I the only person who is experiencing that negative voice that seems to be louder than the positive … I’m going to keep moving forward, I’m going to keep being me.”
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The video comes about four days after the singer shared a message to Instagram signed, in all-caps, “I QUIT.” “I’m getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the Internet,” read the note, posted March 29. “All I want is to make music and make people happy and help the world be a little better than how I found it. But I’m starting to feel like the world doesn’t want me in it.”
“I’m constantly up against lies being told about me for clout & views…,” she continued at the time. “Being the butt of the joke every single time because of how I look… my character being picked apart by people who don’t know me and disrespecting my name. I didn’t sign up for this sh–.”
Though the Grammy winner never specified which instances of “being dragged” she was referring to, it’s true that she’s been the subject of much scrutiny in recent months. In August last year, three of her former tour dancers filed a harassment lawsuit against her, alleging sexual misconduct and hostile work conditions.
Lizzo has been adamant that the accusations are false, deeming them “sensationalized stories” in a statement shortly after news of the suit went public. Following her “I QUIT” message last week, the plaintiff’s attorney Ron Zambrano issued the following statement: “It’s a joke that Lizzo would say she is being bullied by the internet when she should instead be taking an honest look at herself … Her latest post is just another outburst seeking attention and trying to deflect from her own failings as she continues to blame everyone else for the predicament she is in.”
However, the musician’s own lawyer followed up with a response shared with Billboard, “With nearly half his case dismissed, 18 independent witnesses siding with Lizzo and no settlement on the way to get him his tasty contingency fee, Ron has started making wild personal attacks that have absolutely nothing to do with the clients who he is supposedly representing.”
No matter what happens, it looks like Lizzo is determined to stay focused on the positive going forward. “I just want to say thank you,” she added in her new video, getting choked up. “The love that I’ve received, it means more than you know.”
See Lizzo’s post below.
Taylor Swift has yet another milestone to add to her endless list of accomplishments — she’s now officially a billionaire. The superstar was included on Forbes World’s Billionaires List published this week, and Swift amassed an estimated $1.1 billion fortune this year, according to the publication. The revenue is based on earnings from her record-breaking […]
It’s been a exciting few months for Chelsea Cutler, as the 27-year-old singer-songwriter dropped her third studio album, Stellaria, in October and embarked on a tour to support the fan-favorite project. Since then, her track “Your Bones” has blown up on TikTok, and to celebrate all her recent achievements, she sat down with Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly for a wide-ranging interview.
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As for whether or not she knew that her song “Your Bones” would be an online representation of love, Cutler said that she did and didn’t at the same time. “I probably expected — just given the nature of my relationship, I’m obviously in a relationship with a woman, so I think a lot of my fanbase is probably part of the LBGTQ community. I definitely expected that, but I think what’s really cool is we were seeing the song be used on social media for everything, like dogs, babies, relationship, self-love, everything. That was more surprising than anything,” she shared, adding that Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown used the song to soundtrack a montage with one of her foster dogs.
For Stellaria, Cutler knew that she wanted a Western aesthetic to go along with the project. “I knew I wanted the content to be kind of Yellowstone inspired, so we ended up going out there and that word ‘stellaria’ kept coming up,” she recalled. “There was a Stellaria Lane and a Stellaria Creek. Me being a Latin nerd, I saw that and I was like, ‘That’s a fascinating word.’ I fell in love with it, it means ‘starlight,’ and it just felt like such a great representation for the world that I wanted to make.”
Cutler is also no stranger to being open about her mental health, and she says that her vulnerability goes hand-in-hand with her creativity. “I feel so selfish, because writing music and being honest in my music is so for me and it’s such an awesome byproduct that the vulnerability translates into a greater narrative around being open with my mental health,” she said. “I think it’s cool that when I sit down to make music, it’s just an outlet for all of these big feelings that I’m having and I feel no shame around sharing that at all. It led to so many amazing conversations surrounding mental health.”
Watch Billboard‘s full interview with Chelsea Cutler above.
With a couple hundred songs across 10 albums — plus one more on the way — Taylor Swift definitely has enough music to have her own radio channel. And pretty soon, she will.
SiriusXM announced Tuesday (April 2) that it plans to launch “Channel 13 (Taylor’s Version)” this month, allowing listeners to hear selections from the pop star’s 17-year discography 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Nothing is off limits, too, with the broadcaster promising to play both original and “Taylor’s Version” editions of her older hits as well as From the Vault songs, live recordings, bonus tracks and more.
Plus, Swifties will come on-air to share their own “personal and meaningful experiences with Taylor and her music,” according to a release.
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The channel will go live on April 7 and remain available through March 6. On the 13th day of its run — April 19 — Swift will drop her highly anticipated 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. To tune in, fans need only download the SiriusXM app and select Channel 13.
“The versatility of Taylor’s music and the phenomenal impact she’s had in her career across so many musical genres will be on full display,” said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM president and chief content officer. “We’re all experiencing a legend at work and are so thrilled to work with Taylor to present a one-of-a-kind channel that connects her fans with her extraordinary body of work.”
The news comes in the midst of a break in the 14-time Grammy winner’s ongoing global Eras Tour, which will pick back up in May with a four-night stint in Paris. In the meantime, Swift is gearing up to release Tortured Poets, which features collaborations with Post Malone and Florence + the Machine as well as four bonus tracks spread out across different extended versions of the album.
On Monday (April 1), the “Anti-Hero” singer won artist of the year at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards, which she accepted via a pre-recorded speech. “It’s completely up to you to choose how you spend your time, what concerts you want to go to, what music you want to make the soundtrack to your life,” she said in the video, which played during the ceremony.
She added, “To anyone who has included me in those choices, I’m so, so, so thankful for that.”
Taylor Swift took home the artist of the year, pop artist of the year and favorite tour style at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday night (April 1), and while the 34-year-old superstar was not at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre in person, she gave a heartfelt virtual acceptance speech. Explore Explore See latest videos, […]
Justin Timberlake’s Everything I Thought It Was era is fully upon us, and the superstar celebrated his freshly released sixth studio album by opening the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre on Monday night (April 1). Starting off sitting on a metal barrel alongside one of his band members, JT delivered a […]
Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered. These tracks from artists including Leigh-Anne, BABYMONSTER, Frank Turner and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your […]