Pop

13 Aug 2024

Rihanna Shows Off Baby Riot Rose’s Crawling Skills in Adorable Fenty Video

Rihanna‘s youngest son Riot Rose crawled his way onto the superstar’s Instagram feed recently.

In a video posted on Sunday (Aug. 11), the one-year-old speedily crawls across the floor, pushing a miniature Target shopping cart in an adorable cameo during one of her Fenty promo posts. Rih is known for dressing Riot and 2-year-old RZA — her first-born son with partner A$AP Rocky — in trendy outfits. In this case, the baby boy’s diaper peeks out of a chic grey sweatsuit.

The “We Found Love” singer also shared a photo of her posing next to the cart filled with travel-size versions of her Fenty Beauty products. “more minis are on the way to @ultabeauty in @target,” she captioned the post.

The adorable announcement comes about a week after Rih attended the Crop Over Festival in her home country of Barbados, stunning the crowd in a bedazzled carnival outfit complete with multi-color feathered wings. Before that, she watched Manchester City’s match against AC Milan at Yankee Stadium and met star players Christian Pulisic, Jack Grealish and Yunus Musah. While there, one young fan snubbed her by asking her to take a photo of him with the soccer pros, seemingly not recognizing the billionaire nine-time Grammy winner right in front of him.

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As some fans joked after a video of the interaction went viral, the fact that Rih hasn’t released an album in eight years could very well be the reason certain kids don’t know who she is anymore. The mogul herself previously addressed the matter in a hilarious message to GloRilla, a screenshot of which the “TGIF” rapper posted on Instagram in July: “I know dis wild hypothetical, but when the album drop?”

To date, Rihanna has been coy about a release date or vibe for her untitled ninth album, the follow-up to 2016 album Anti. In June, after fans got scared by a T-shirt she sported reading “I’m Retired,” the singer promised fans, “I’m not retired. I just like that dress. I got it as a gift and I loved it. They didn’t read the second line, I’m not retired, I’m just retired from dressing up — it’s a lot of effort.” She also noted at the time that she’s “starting over” when it comes to her music.

“But I don’t want to neglect the songs that I have, so I actually want to go back and listen to stuff with new ears, with my new perspective and then see what applies and what I’m still in love with,” she said.

Watch Riot Rose crawl like a champ below.

13 Aug 2024

Charli XCX & Billie Eilish’s ‘Guess’ Blasts to No. 1 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart

Charli XCX’s “Guess,” featuring Billie Eilish, soars to No. 1, from No. 16, on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart (dated Aug. 17).

The song surged by 758% to 20.4 million official streams and 515% to 5,000 downloads sold in the United States Aug. 2-8, according to Luminate. It also drew 182,000 in radio audience.

“Guess” gains following the Aug. 1 arrival of its remix with Eilish, which accounted for the bulk of the song’s overall consumption in the tracking week. The cut was first released by Charli XCX solo on June 10 on her Brat and It’s the Same but There’s Three More Songs So It’s Not deluxe version of her Atlantic Records album Brat, which was originally released on June 7.

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Charli notches her second No. 1 since Hot Dance/Electronic Songs began in January 2013, after Icona Pop’s “I Love It,” on which she’s featured, led for two weeks that May. Eilish reigns with her first entry on the chart.

“Guess” concurrently debuts at No. 3 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 5 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. On the U.S.-based, all-genre multimetric Billboard Hot 100, it opens at No. 12, marking Charli XCX’s highest rank (and first top 40 placement) since she arrived with three consecutive top 10s in 2013-14: “I Love It” (No. 7 peak, May 2013); Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” (No. 1 for seven weeks, beginning in June 2014); and “Boom Clap” (No. 8, October 2014).

Meanwhile, Charli’s presence on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs extends beyond “Guess,” as she boasts six songs in the top 10. Only Drake and Rihanna have each logged as many or more top 10s simultaneously, led by Drake’s eight on the July 2, 2022, chart, when his LP Honestly, Nevermind launched its 20-week run at No. 1 on Top Dance/Electronic Albums.

Brat rules Top Dance/Electronic Albums for a ninth week, having led in each week on the survey since its debut. It earned 56,000 equivalent album units, up 39%, and wins the list’s Greatest Gainer award for a third consecutive week.

Eight tracks from Brat have hit the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs top 10 to date. Here’s a recap, ranked by their peak positions:

  • No. 1 (one week to date), “Guess,” feat. Billie Eilish
  • No. 2, “360”
  • No. 3, “Girl, So Confusing,” with Lorde
  • No. 4, “Apple”
  • No. 5, “Talk Talk”
  • No. 7, “Von Dutch”
  • No. 8, “365”
  • No. 10, “Sympathy Is a Knife”

Also notably, Charli has claimed at least one of the Greatest Gainer ribbons on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs in nine of the last 10 weeks, spread among five tracks from Brat: 

  • Aug. 17: “Guess,” streaming & sales; “360,” airplay
  • Aug. 10: “Guess,” streaming & sales; “360,” airplay
  • Aug. 3: “Apple,” streaming & sales
  • July 27: “Apple,” streaming
  • July 13: “360,” airplay
  • July 6: “Girl, So Confusing,” streaming & sales
  • June 29: “Guess,” streaming
  • June 22: “360,” streaming; “Von Dutch,” sales
  • June 15: “360,” streaming & sales

As “Guess” takes the week’s top headlines among Brat songs, “360” continues its climb as the set’s promoted radio single. It bounds 35-27 in its second week on the Pop Airplay chart. Charli has tallied two No. 1s on the ranking: “Fancy” and “Boom Clap” led for three weeks each in 2014.

13 Aug 2024

Joe Jonas Says New Solo Album Is ‘Packed’ With Features: ‘I Wanted To Have Other Narratives and Other Voices’

Joe Jonas‘ next project is a solo album, but that doesn’t mean he worked on it by himself.

In a new clip from an interview with Entertainment Weekly posted Tuesday (Aug. 13), the 34-year-old musician confirmed Music For People Who Believe In Love is filled with collaborations. “We packed it with features,” Jonas said. “I was reaching out to a lot of different people because I felt like I wanted to have other narratives and other voices and a lot of duets.”

He added, “I felt like some of the songs lyrically needed somebody else’s voice. A lot of this album is speaking in third person or having a conversation with a fictional version of myself, or a fictional person in my life. Being able to have that [other] voice create that was really special.”

The Camp Rock star hasn’t released a solo album in over a decade. His 2011 effort Fastlife, which reached No. 15 on the Billboard 200, is the only other time he’s dropped an LP independent from the Jonas Brothers and his DNCE side project.

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In another recent interview, Jonas said he got approval from brothers Nick and Kevin before taking the leap. “I asked my brothers’ blessings,” he said on Jake Shane’s Therapuss. “I want to go do something on my own, and I don’t feel like it’s DNCE, and I need to go just express some stuff for myself. And they’re like, ‘Go for it.’ Nick booked a movie. Kevin was going to do another season of Claim To Fame, and so I had a window of time, and I locked myself away.”

According to Jonas, the upcoming album’s collaborators include Alexander 23, Muna’s Josette Maskin, Jason Evigan, Tommy English and Paris Carney. Lead single “Work it Out” arrived in July.

Music for People Who Believe in Love is slated for Oct. 18. Watch the interview clip below.

13 Aug 2024

BLACKPINK’s LISA ‘Super Excited and Nervous’ About First Acting Gig in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3

BLACKPINK’s LISA is used to being on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans, but when it came to her casting in the upcoming third season of the HBO drama The White Lotus, the veteran performer got those familiar butterflies in her stomach.

“Oh my God, Mike White? I think he’s a genius,” Lisa told Elle magazine about the show’s creator tapping her for her acting debut. “I think I cried. I was with my friends, my mom’s friends, and my mom as well, but I didn’t tell them that I auditioned for it. I’m super excited and nervous, because it’s my first acting project. So I was happy for a second, and then I was like, ‘Oh, wait, wait, how am I going to deliver this?’”

Luckily for LISA, while acting is not on her resumé, she does have some relevant experience. “It’s pretty new to me, but I think it’s similar to shooting music videos. I’m excited for my fans to see it,” she said. As for what the third go-round of the murder mystery dramedy has in store, LISA was, of course, mum to avoid any spoilers. “I feel like people are going to fall in love with Thailand even more,” she said diplomatically.

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Production on the as-yet-unscheduled third season was initially delayed because of the 2023 writers/actors strikes, with HBO/Max now saying that it is slated to premiere in 2025. The upcoming season of the show that chronicles the lives of the rich and famous is being filmed at luxury resorts across Thailand, which happens to be LISA’s home country.

She told the magazine that filming in Bangkok and the islands of Phuket and Koh Samui was a great chance for the K-pop icon to “be back home, to have Thai food every day” and have her mother be close to the set.

LISA is slated to release a new single on Thursday (August 15), “New Woman,” featuring Rosalía as the follow up to her previous solo single, “Rockstar.”

13 Aug 2024

Taylor Swift Pushes Up Set Times for Wembley Stadium Eras Tour Gigs; Unticketed Swifties Told To Stay Home

Swifties will be let into Wembley Stadium a bit earlier than usual for Taylor Swift‘s upcoming Eras Tour shows in London. According to the venue, early entry for Thursday’s (August 15) kick-off of the five-night stand will begin at 3:30 local time, with general admission beginning at 4 p.m. and the show starting at 4:55; both entry times have been pushed up by 15 minutes, leading to reports in the English press that Swift may take the stage earlier than her typical 7:25 start time as well.

Those time frames will also hold for the August 19 and August 20 shows, while Friday (August 16) and Saturday’s (August 17) gigs will push early entry to 3:45 and GA to 4:15, with the show slated to start at 5:10. At press time a spokesperson for Swift had not returned a request for comment on the change to the show times. Swift will be joined on the dates by Raye, Holly Humberstone, Paramore and Suki Waterhouse.

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The sold-out five-night stay that will wrap up Swift’s European Eras Tour European swing will unfold a week after officials in Vienna foiled what they said was a terror plot aimed at disrupting the singer’s global outing during what was a planned three-night run at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium on August 8-10. So far, two arrests have been made in the incident, including the as-yet-unnamed 19-year-old main suspect, who reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terror group and admitted to the plot he said would have involved the use of home made explosives and knives to attack fans outside the stadium; another teenager has also been taken into custody in the incident and a third was detained as well.

Undeterred by the plot in which the 19-year-old said he hoped to kill as many people as possible, Swifties gathered in the streets of Vienna to sing her songs and get engaged after the shows were called off. A day after the arrests, officials in London assured fans that the cancelled Vienna shows would not impact the UK gigs.

During the European tour dates viral videos have shown unticketed Swifties gathering by the tens of thousands for the traditional “Tay-gating” outside the venues, including last month in Munich were an estimated 40,000 people sat on a hillside to listen to the show. Following the Vienna threat, though, Wembley has strongly discouraged such unsanctioned gatherings.

Wembley also noted that because the venue is situated in a residential area, organizers have asked that only Swifties with tickets or those visiting the merch megastores visit to avoid disruption to local businesses and residents. “To support with the safe entry and exit of everyone within the stadium, no one is allowed to stand outside any entrance or on the Olympic Steps at the front of the stadium. Non ticket holders will be moved on,” the venue noted.

12 Aug 2024

FIFTY FIFTY New Members Announced as Departed Bandmates Sign With New Label

Lots of changes are happening for FIFTY FIFTY.

Three former members of the K-pop girl group — Saena, Aran and Sio — have reportedly signed with a new label after their fallout with the group’s agency ATTRAKT. Meanwhile, ATTRAKT has announced the addition of four new FIFTY FIFTY members.

On Monday (Aug. 12), IOK Company announced the launch of a new label, MASSIVE E&C, of which Saena, Aran and Sio are three of the first signees. “We plan to fully support these talented and passionate members to help them achieve even greater success worldwide,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement, according to Soompi. “With the team behind the success of ‘Cupid,’ we aim to create a new success story in the global market.”

Shortly after the success of FIFTY FIFTY’s single “Cupid,” which reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, Saena, Aran and Sio — along with another former FIFTY FIFTY member, Keena — alleged that ATTRAKT had breached its contract with them by “failing to provide accounting data” and neglecting the group’s mental health, according to the Korea Times. Though Keena later dropped her lawsuit and returned to the agency, ATTRAKT terminated the contracts of Saena, Aran and Sio in October, with the agency alleging they “slandered and defamed” it.

This past week, ATTRAKT has been announcing the band’s replacements, sharing a video of Keena with the four new girls on Instagram Thursday (Aug. 8) and unveiling three of their names: CHANELLE MOON, YEWON and HANA. On Sunday (Aug. 11), the company shared the name of the fourth new member — ATHENA — with a video titled “We are FIFTY FIFTY.”

Trending on Billboard

See the new FIFTY FIFTY lineup below.

12 Aug 2024

Cool New Pop Songs: Addison Rae’s ‘Diet Pepsi’ is a Sugar Rush, and Potential Turning Point

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 Nina Nesbitt, Sophie Thatcher, Lunar Vacation and more will get you energized to take on the week.

Coolest New Pop Song of the Week: Addison Rae, “Diet Pepsi”

Before artists like Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato were accepted as arena-level pop stars in the 2010s, they were largely dismissed by critics and adult listeners as Disney-kid performers, making music for the youth and not to be taken too seriously. A pop generation later, the designation previously bestowed to Disney Channel grads has been transferred to social media influencers — many of whom, from the D’Amelio sisters to Huddy to Bella Poarch, are trying to translate millions of TikTok followers into mainstream music stardom, and who are still largely brushed off by music-biz gatekeepers.

Addison Rae exists in that group, too: the 23-year-old Louisiana native is a true triple-threat as an actress, former competitive dancer and recording artist, who happens to have the fifth-most followers of any TikTok account. Last year, Rae’s debut EP AR contained some bright spots as a bubblegum project, and she popped up on the remix to Charli xcx’s “Von Dutch” in March alongside A.G. Cook, joining the Brat extended universe months before Brat Summer officially kicked off.

Now, with a newly signed Columbia Records deal, Rae has released her first solo single of 2024 — and after Rae’s past gestures at pop stardom, “Diet Pepsi” suggests that she could someday make the leap.

“Diet Pepsi” plays out like a Lana Del Rey song refracted through a radio-ready lens. Soda gets sipped and blue jeans get ripped during a backseat encounter with a dude in a gold chain, as Rae delineates between sexually charged exposition in the verses, breathless utterances in the pre-chorus and blissed-out falsetto in the hook (“When we drive in your car, I’m your baby / Losing all my innocence in the backseat,” she sings) — shifting keys on the final chorus to emphasize her yearning.

The “Diet Pepsi” music video, directed by Sean Price Williams, leans into the Lana-esque Americana haze, with rapid black-and-white clips communicating bleary lust and pinup-model iconography. Yet Rae also puts her own playful spin on that image, grinning while covering her face with the American flag and planting her lipstick on a car window.

Regardless of its future chart impact or role in preceding a proper Columbia Records album, “Diet Pepsi” is a promising step for Rae, as a beguiling pop track that establishes an aesthetic for the multi-hyphenate. The darkly shimmering sound is more mature than that of AR, but more importantly, it’s more clearly defined; Rae’s debut EP was impressive, but we’re now starting to get a better sense of who she could be as a recording artist. For Rae, “Diet Pepsi” might not be an immediate smash, but it could very well prove to be a turning point.

Here are some new pop songs worth checking out this week…

12 Aug 2024

Huey Lewis To Star in Mockumentary-Style Sitcom ‘Whatever Happened to Huey Lewis’ For Fox

If you’ve ever wondered: “why hasn’t anyone pitched a Curb Your Enthusiasm-style mockumentary sitcom about beloved 1980s pop singer Huey Lewis in which the News leader tries to figure out what life looks like after hearing loss with the help of his eccentric friends and clingy family?”

Well, your prayers are answered, because according to Deadline Fox has ordered the show Whatever Happened to Huey Lewis, in which Lewis will star and executive produce a half-hour sitcom and play a fictionalized version of himself. The single-camera comedy is a co-production of Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment, late night talker Jimmy Kimmel’s Kimmelot and Fox Entertainment Studios; Kimmel and Lewis are longtime fly-fishing friends.

The show is being written and executive produced by Kirker Butler (Only Murders in the Building) and the news comes six years after Lewis revealed significant hearing loss as a result of Ménière’s disease. This will mark the second time that Lewis’ life has inspired a spin-off production, coming on the heels of the brief two-month spring 2024 Broadway run of The Heart of Rock and Roll, a jukebox musical revolving around the band’s catalog.

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In addition to being the voice of such indelible hits as “I Want a New Drug,” “The Heart of Rock & Roll,” “Power of Love,” “Heart and Soul,” Hip to Be Square” and “If This Is It,” Lewis has also dipped into the film world, from his uncredited cameo in 1985’s Back to the Future, to appearances in Robert Altman’s 1993 Hollywood send-up Short Cuts, as well as a starring role in Duets with Gwyneth Paltrow. Lewis also played the lead role of Billy Flynn in Chicago on Broadway in 2005 and 2007.

12 Aug 2024

Marvel Releases ‘Battle Royale’ and ‘Choir’ Versions of Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’ From ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’

With Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine quickly sprinting past $1B in box office grosses on its path to unseating Joker as the highest-grossing R-rated film in history, Marvel has given the film’s fans something else to cheer about.

After extensively featuring Madonna‘s 1989 hit “Like a Prayer” in the film’s official trailer as well as prominently in the Ryan Reynolds/Hugh Jackman buddy superhero flick, the studio released two new versions of the track over the weekend. The Like a Prayer EP features the original version, as well as film composer Rob Simonsen mixing the joyous song with even more choir voices, a stirring organ line and dramatic strings.

The “Choir Version,” which features the I”ll Take You There choir, leans even further into the the spiritual side, focusing on the uplifting gospel vocalists.

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Last month, director Shawn Levy described the process of securing the rights to license the song for the film, which included a personal plea to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend. “It did involve a personal visit to Madonna, where we showed Madonna the sequence where ‘Like a Prayer’ would be used,” Levy said.

“Also, let’s preface it with the fact that they don’t license — that Madonna doesn’t just license the song, particularly that song,” Reynolds chimed in. “It was a big deal to ask for it and certainly a bigger deal to use it. We went over and met with her and and sort of showed her how it was being used, and where, and why.”

And, Madonna being Madonna, star Reynolds said the singer had some thoughts on how they should use the song in the film. “She gave a great note,” Reynolds said. “She watched it, and I’m not kidding, [she said], ‘You need to do this.’ And damn it, if she wasn’t like spot on. We literally went into a new recording session within 48 hours to do this note. It made the sequence better.”

The synch in the summer’s biggest movie helped “Like a Prayer” make its debut on the global charts last week when the song came in at No. 181 on the Global 200 and No. 189 on Global Exlu. U.S.; the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks back in 1989.

Listen to the Deadpool & Wolverine Like a Prayer EP below.

12 Aug 2024

Adele Loved Olympic Breakdancing Sensation Raygun Even More Than You Did: ‘It Has Made Me Very, Very Happy’

Sometimes celebrities really are just like us. Take, for example, the unmitigated joy Adele took over the weekend in watching the debut of the Summer Olympic’s latest sport: breaking. The anticipation for the first-ever breakdancing competition was feverish leading up to Friday’s debut of the women’s qualifying rounds.

And the athletes did not disappoint, with b-girls from around the globe proving that the American-born sport that judges scored on the dancer’s skills at elements such as toprocking, power moves, footwork and freezes was indeed worthy of inclusion. While dancers such as the Netherlands’ nimble India, fleet-footed bronze medal winner 671 and mind-blowing gold medalist Ami of Japan earned love from the judges, there was one b-girl who stood out among all the athletes.

“I’m not saying anything, I think it’s the best thing that’s happened in the Olympics the entire time,” Adele said during a break at one of her massive shows in Munich on Saturday about the thing she and her friends had been talking about non-stop since the night before. “Did anyone see the breakdancing lady?” she asked her audience to the sound of loud laughing.

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Adele explained that she wasn’t aware that breaking had been added for the first time at the Paris games — a situation she deemed “f–king fantastic.” She thensurveyed her band to see if any of them had watched, with the singer proclaiming that one of her musicians was “p—ing himself laughing” while thinking about 36-year-old Australian teacher Rachael Gunn, who won hearts and launched a million memes with her unique stylings under nom-de-break Raygun.

“I can’t work out if it was a joke, but either way, it has made me very, very happy and me and my friends have been s–ting ourself laughing for 24 hours,” Adele said of the dancer who scored zero points but who grabbed lots of attention for her floppy, unorthodox moves. “I just wanted to know if you’ve seen it. If you haven’t seen it, please leave the show and Google it because it is LOLZ!!! It is so f–king funny. Anyway, it’s my favorite thing that’s happened in Olympics this whole, whole time,” Adele said.

It wasn’t the first time Adele had stopped one of the shows at her bespoke German stadium to pay attention to the Paris games. Last week, she took a break to watch the anticipated Women’s 100M sprint final, broadcasting the 11-second race on the big screen for her 75,000 fans in the midst of her 10-night residency at custom-built Adele Arena.

While some mocked Raygun’s kangaroo hop moves and PE teacher-worthy outfit, the proud dancer who took up the sport at 20 and won the Oceania Breaking Championship crown last year told reporters after her wash-out that it was no joke.

“I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves,” Gunn, who has a Ph.D. in cultural studies and studies breaking and hip-hop culture, told reporters afterwards according to NBC.  “So I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get that in a lifetime to do that on an international stage.”

Watch footage of Adele talking Raygun and check out some of the funniest Raygun memes below.