Pop

Travis Kelce Says He’s ‘Gotta Ask’ Taylor Swift About Her 2012 ‘Punk’d’ Episode With Justin Bieber

Taylor Swift‘s Punk’d episode was over a decade ago, but fans are still laughing — even Travis Kelce.

On the Wednesday (April 24) episode of his and brother Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end spoke about the pop star’s 2012 appearance on Ashton Kutcher’s prank show with guest comedian Andrew Santino. The Ricky Stanicky star was one of the writers and actors who helped pull off an elaborate joke on Swift, which found the “Anti-Hero” singer’s former friend Justin Bieber tricking her into setting off fake fireworks that appeared to destroy a private wedding ceremony in Malibu.

Travis couldn’t stop laughing as Santino recalled the sequence of events that left Swift in tears before she realized Bieber had been pranking her the whole time. “So good,” the three-time Super Bowl champion said. “I gotta ask Taylor about that one.”

Santino, who played the fake groom in the Punk’d scenario, explained to the Kelces how he’d yelled at Swift for “ruining” his wedding as the then 22-year-old star tried to assure the fake bride that the incident hadn’t been a “sign” to call their nuptials off. “I’d set the boat on fire, and there was a wedding party on the boat … and we blamed her for ruining our wedding,” he explained. “[Bieber] was like, ‘I have these fireworks from Japan … Let’s set them off.’ And Taylor, obviously, to her credit, who’s always on point, was like, ‘I don’t know if I wanna do that.’”

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On the new episode, Travis also spoke about his post-Chiefs game ritual. “I thoroughly enjoy going up to the suite after football games and seeing all the friends and family,” he gushed. “Being so grateful for getting to where you are in this world and being able to share that excitement and success with the people that you grew up with, man, and the people that you’re with now, man, it’s just the absolute best.”

During the 2023-24 season, Swift was a mainstay in the Kelce family suite at Arrowhead Stadium. She was also at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium to help Travis celebrate after his third Super Bowl win in February, joining the team on the field and kissing the Ohio native.

The scenario sounds a lot like the one described by Swift in her new song “The Alchemy,” which appears on her April 19-released album The Tortured Poets Department. With lyrics such as “When I touch down, call the amateurs and cut ’em from the team” and “Where’s the trophy? He just comes running over to me,” Swifties are convinced the 14-time Grammy winner penned the triumphant track about Travis.

Watch the new episode of New Heights above, and check out Swift’s 2012 Punk’d episode below.



Katy Perry Teases Upcoming Single, Which She Predicts Will Be One of Her ‘Biggest Songs’ Ever

As she winds down her American Idol run Katy Perry is gearing up for her next pop era. And to hear tell it, the best is yet to come. Earlier this week while doing Idol promo, Perry snuck in a tantalizing tease about her upcoming single, which, low key, she think is among her greatest work to date.

Perry said the unnamed track — whose release date has not yet been revealed — is “one of my biggest songs that has yet to come out.” The track was co-written by 28-year-old Canadian-Congolese singer Lu Kala, best known stateside for her feature on Latto’s 2023 song “Lottery.”

“But it’s coming out,” Perry, 39, says excitedly, counseling Kala, “don’t say anything!” as she covers her mouth in mock horror.

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Kala, of course, could hardly contain her excitement, sharing a roll of pics with Perry from her visit on Tuesday (April 23) with the caption, “To know me is to know that I’ve been a Katy fan FOREVER!! You can’t spell Pop without @katyperry and as a Pop gurlll, this means the WORLD TO ME!!!!?? brb, still crying.” The pics include Kala standing arm-in-arm with Perry, as well as a slide with the caption featuring Perry’s tease.

“I was not expecting any of this, wow? Thank you @katyperry for letting me be the tiniest part of what you have coming. I can’t wait for the world to hear it??,” Kala captioned the video post. Kala, who was named a Vevo #DSCVR Artist to Watch for 2024 just released her aching new ballad “Nothing But Love.”

On the same night, Perry further pulled back the curtain on the long-awaited follow-up to her 2020 album Smile, telling Access Hollywood that her as-yet-untitled LP is one of her happiest to date. “I just have yet to make a record from a place of feeling really happy and whole and full of love,” she said. “Sometimes artists are like, ‘Oh, that’s boring, you want to make music from kind of like a tougher place,’ but actually it’s very bright and joyful, like pure joy and fun and playful and celebratory and a party.”

Check out Kala’s post below.

Spice Girls ‘Stop’ Us In Our Tracks With Posh Birthday Reunion — But Will There Be More?

“Stop” what you’re doing right now: All five of the Spice Girls were back together Saturday night to celebrate Posh Spice’s birthday, and they even gave us a mini-performance.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking all about how the legendary girl group — Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell-Turner, Emma Bunton, Melanie “Mel C” Chisholm and Melanie “Mel B” Brown — came back together for Posh Spice’s 50th birthday party in London. David Beckham even shot a short video of the quintet singing and dancing to “Stop,” a 1998 top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

But could there be more from the “girl power” ambassadors? Listen to our full podcast discussion below.

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Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on Hozier getting his first No. 1 on the Hot 100 as “Too Sweet” rises to the top of the list and how Sabrina Carpenter visits the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time as “Espresso” brews up a No. 7 debut. Plus, Future and Metro Boomin’s We Still Don’t Trust You bows at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while Linkin Park’s first greatest-hits album Papercuts starts in the top 10. We also talk about just how big Taylor Swift’s new album The Tortured Poets Department is shaping up to be, as we await its expected debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 next week.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

Katy Perry Shows Off All Her Roles While Lip Syncing to Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Espresso’

Katy Perry is working late… with all her roles!

The superstar took to Instagram to share a sweet video lip syncing along to Sabrina Carpenter’s summery new single, “Espresso,” while she changes from a casual outfit on the set of American Idol into a stunning purple leather dress ready for the taping. “I’m a singerrrr (and a mother, and a judge, and a…),” she captioned the post in reference to the track’s viral lyrics: “I’m working late ’cause I’m a singer / Oh, he looks so cute wrapped ’round my finger.”

Carpenter released “Espresso” right before she took the stage at Coachella earlier this month. The track launched to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart dated April 27, 2024.

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“Weirdly enough, ended up writing this song in France, and I think that that probably had a little bit of inspiration to how the song ended up feeling,” the pop star told Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe of the track. “It just had that excitement and that energy of almost kind of traveling the world. We wrote it in France and I remember it being a very, very quick process. I mean, from start to finish I think that’s why you can kind of feel how fun it is. And I think for me, there was something really exciting about the fact that there was so much personality throughout the entire song, because those are the ones that are really, really fun to sing live with a crowd. Those are the ones that people, I think when they don’t know my music or who I am or anything, they can just tune in to a single song and kind of leave with a better idea of my sense of humor.”

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Hayley Williams Is ‘So Ready’ to Tour With Taylor Swift

Hayley Williams is loving this new Taylor Swift era.

The Paramore frontwoman took to her Instagram Stories following the release of her longtime pal Swift’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, to name the project as one of her favorites in honor of Record Store Day. “Had me from the storytelling alone, my friend,” Williams wrote alongside the cover art. “Every one of us knows this kind of grief! It’s so impressive to me how specific and colorful Taylor’s words get without ever losing the universal thread. I’m so ready to be tour-mates.” 

Paramore is set to serve as Swift’s opening act on the sprawling Eras Tour when it resumes on May 9 in Paris, France. The band will remain on the tour throughout its international dates.

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Swift announced the news in July 2023 in the form of a post featuring a picture of the two old friends with their arms draped over each other’s shoulders. “Really can’t contain my excitement because… we’re adding 14 new shows to The Eras Tour,” she wrote. “And I get to travel the world doing shows with @paramore!! Hayley and I have been friends since we were teens in Nashville and now we get to frolic around the UK/Europe next summer??? I’m screaming???”

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Most recently, Swift and Williams teamed up for “Castles Crumbling” off of 2023’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).

Post Malone Takes Part in Taylor Swift’s ‘Fortnight’ Challenge With Tour Montage

Post Malone has entered the #FortnightChallenge!

The superstar took to YouTube Shorts to share a montage of himself on tour, meeting fans, playing onstage, having fun after the show and everything in between — all soundtracked by his contribution to Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, “Fortnight.”

Earlier in the day, Swift launched the #FortnightChallenge with her own video, in which she gave fans a glimpse into her recording process with a montage of footage featuring the singer in the studio, posing for promotional photos and overall enjoying the album-making process.

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The duo released their music video for “Fortnight” on Friday (April 19), and the clip features Post’s tattoos on Taylor’s face as she appears to wipe her face clean, only to reveal a face full of ink instead. In a series of flashback scenes, both of the musicians are fresh-faced, as Swift runs into the arms of a tattoo-free Malone.

Swift took to her social media accounts after the video’s release to marvel at the finished product and the collaborators who helped her achieve it.

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“When I was writing the Fortnight music video, I wanted to show you the worlds I saw in my head that served as the backdrop for making this music,” she wrote. “Pretty much everything in it is a metaphor or a reference to one corner of the album or another. For me, this video turned out to be the perfect visual representation of this record and the stories I tell in it. Post Malone blew me away on set as our tortured tragic hero and I’m so grateful to him for everything he put into this collaboration. I’m still laughing from getting to work with the coolest guys on earth, Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles (tortured poets, meet your colleagues from down the hall, the dead poets). I still can’t believe I get to work with the unfathomably brilliant Rodrigo Prieto on cinematography and my team of dream collaborators: Ethan Tobman (production design), Chancler Haynes (editor), Anthony Dimino (1st AD), Jil Hardin (producer) and Dom Thomas (executive producer). Parliament aced the VFX as always. Joseph Cassell, Lorrie Turk and Jemma Muradian made these tortured looks come to life. The entire crew made this a dream to shoot. Thank you to everyone involved and everyone who has watched it!!”

‘The Tortured Poets Department’: All the Records Taylor Swift’s New Album Has Broken (So Far)

The 31-track LP sold 1.4 million copies in its first day.

Taylor Swift was gunning for a truly epic release week long before The Tortured Poets Department actually dropped, with the pop star surprising fans by unleashing 31 new songs — as opposed to the previously confirmed 16 main and four bonus tracks — in the span of two hours April 19.

She’d been crafting the sprawling, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner-produced project for about two years before it finally arrived, with the singer telling fans at a February Eras Tour show that she’d been working on it since the moment she submitted the Billboard 200-topping Midnights to her label some time in 2022. The unavoidable news cycle about her breakups from longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn and The 1975’s Matty Healy, as well as her blossoming romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, only added fuel to the fire of hype leading up to Tortured Poets, which Swift further stoked by saying at another Eras concert, “I’ve never had an album where I needed songwriting more.”

Come April 19, and her inimitable lyricism, discourse-provoking songwriting and apparent allusions to the aforementioned relationships proved to be more than enough to make millions of listeners tune in, the 14-time Grammy winner smashing records left and right in the process. Before Tortured Poets even hit the Billboard charts, it was doing unprecedented numbers in streaming, sales and vinyl — not to mention selling 1.4 million copies in its first day on the market, according to Luminate — giving Swift’s peers a run for their money in more ways than one.

Keep reading to see all of the major records The Tortured Poets Department has broken — so far — below.

Taylor Swift Shares Behind-the-Scenes Montage Recording ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

Taylor Swift spent quite a few fortnights creating her freshly released 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department, and the superstar gave fans a glimpse into her recording process with a brand new YouTube Short released on Tuesday (April 23).

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Soundtracked by the album’s lead single and Post Malone collaboration, “Fortnight,” the Short shows a montage of footage featuring Swift in the studio, posing for promotional photos and overall enjoying the album-making process.

On Friday (April 19), what was originally slated to be a standard 16-track album turned into a 31-song anthology when Swift surprised fans just hours after release with an additional second half of the project. “It’s a 2am surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here’s the second installment of TTPD: The Anthology. 15 extra songs. And now the story isn’t mine anymore… it’s all yours.”

Following its release, The Tortured Poets Department sold 1.4 million copies in traditional album sales on its first day, according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate. That marks Swift’s biggest sales week ever for any album in the U.S. (Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data powers Billboard’s charts. All numbers in this story are for the U.S. only.)

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In less than 12 hours after its release, The Tortured Poets Department become Spotify’s most streamed album in a single day in 2024 so far. The 31-track double album snagged the honor from the previous record-holder, Beyoncé’s Billboard 200-topping Cowboy Carter, which ultimately earned 300.41 million on-demand official streams in its first full week of release. The pop superstar’s latest release also became the first album in the streaming service’s history to have more than 300 million streams in a single day.

Billie Eilish to Headline Virtual Fortnite Festival Season 3: Watch the Spooky Trailer

Couldn’t score tickets to the last Billie Eilish tour? Fortnite is bringing fans the next best thing. The game’s third season of its Rock Band-esque Festival experience went live Tuesday (April 23), featuring the 22-year-old pop star as its featured artist.  

To celebrate the launch, Fortnite shared a trailer featuring Eilish. In the clip, her avatar — dressed in a patterned shirt and pants combo with matching sneakers, her roots dyed bright green as they were in 2019 — falls through a portal in the sky and crashes into Earth, leaving a fiery explosion in her wake.  

With callbacks to the tiara of spiders and paranormal levitations in her “You Should See Me in a Crown” and “Bury a Friend” music videos, the trailer eventually finds the singer making her way to the digital stage, jumping and spinning around while performing her track “All the Good Girls Go to Hell.” ]

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“you should see her in a crown,” reads the video’s caption, referencing Eilish’s hit When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? track. “@billieeilish has arrived as our featured artist for Fortnite Festival Season 3, live now!” 

Players will be able to unlock new Eilish-themed outfits in the game, instruments and Jam Tracks, which will be available to players until June 13. Eilish’s participation in Fortnite Festivals follows those of Lady Gaga (season two) and The Weeknd (season one). 

Midway through her tenure in the game, the two-time Oscar winner will release her third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, on May 17. Last week, Eilish shared the project’s tracklist, featuring the titles “Skinny,” “Lunch,” “L’Amour De Ma Vie,” “Blue,” “Wildflower” and more. 

“Every time you put anything out, it feels like your nudes leaked a little bit,” she told Zane Lowe of the record in a recent Apple Music 1 interview. “We kind of made the album that if somebody had said, ‘I want you to make an album and no one is going to hear it. You don’t have to worry about anyone’s ears or opinions or anything at all. It’s in your contract to make an album but no one can hear it.’ We pretty much made that album. We made that album without much thought of other people.” 

Watch Eilish’s Fortnite Festival season three trailer below. 

Idina Menzel Opens Up About the ‘Versatility’ of Her Career That Inspired Her Take Me or Leave Me Tour

Idina Menzel is heading back out on the road.

The superstar announced her Take Me or Leave Me Tour exclusively via Billboard on Tuesday (April 23), marking her first tour in nearly eight years. “I was really missing the connection with my fans,” she tells Billboard of the decision to tour again. “I have my new musical Redwood at La Jolla Playhouse that I’m passionate about, and it’s been occupying me. I thought, if that goes through another iteration, I wanted to make sure I got my time with my fans from a personal perspective as opposed to through a character.”

The North American run kicks off July 19 in Seattle, Wash., before stretching throughout the summer, hitting venues in Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas and more before wrapping up on August 18 in Greensboro, NC. The tour title, of course, is inspired by the beloved song, “Take Me or Leave Me” from the musical Rent, in which Menzel made her Tony-nominated Broadway debut as Maureen Johnson in 1996.

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“Maureen was always uninhibited and extremely comfortable in who she was, maybe to the fault [laughs],” Menzel says. “I’ve always loved that song and I miss that character, but I would say I’m naming the tour this from a different perspective. Obviously, many, many years later, it’s about who I am in this point in my life. I haven’t seen my fans in a long time, and I want to show them how I’ve changed, and how I haven’t. I want to show them my experiences and hopefully, they’ll love me no matter what.”

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The beloved actress’ tour will feature a career-spanning setlist of hits, which she’s currently putting together and stays “up all night thinking about,” and she promises an “eclectic” mix of hits from her own albums and jazz standards as well as musicals she’s performed in like Wicked, Rent and, of course, Frozen. “I often wrestle with the fact that I often assume that people will be bored if I sing the same songs over and over, like ‘Let It Go’ or ‘Defying Gravity,’” she shares. “I’m always trying to rewrite things, discover or cover new songs, reinterpret them and then I always get this feedback of ‘No, we want to hear these songs!’ I’m trying to strike a balance between performing songs the way I think my audience would want to hear them and feeling like, as an artist, that I’m growing and singing the songs in a way that their lyrics resonate with me. I juggle it and then I sit with my band and we play with it and assess it and sort of see what kind of floats to the top.”

She concludes in theme with the tour’s “Take Me or Leave Me” title, “I’ve always said back in the day that versatility was my curse. Now, I embrace my versatility. It makes me who I am.”

Artist presale tickets for Menzel’s tour as well as VIP packages will be available starting on Wednesday (April 24) at 10 a.m. local time. General on-sale for tickets begins Friday (April 26) at 10 a.m. local time. See the full list of dates below, and check out the venues and ticket information here.

July 19 – Seattle, Washington
July 21 – Oakland, California
July 23 – Los Angeles, California
July 25 – Mesa, Arizona
July 26 – Highland, California
July 27 – Las Vegas, Nevada
July 30 – Austin, Texas
July 31 – Dallas, Texas
August 2 – Atlanta, Georgia
August 3 – Charleston, South Carolina
August 4 – Orlando, Florida
August 6 – Auburn, Alabama
August 7 – Greenville, South Carolina
August 9 – Chicago, Illinois
August 10 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
August 11 – Detroit, Michigan
August 13 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
August 15 – New York, New York
August 16 – Hershey, Pennsylvania
August 17 – Washington, DC
August 18 – Greensboro, North Carolina