Pop

18 Mar 2024

Dua Lipa Tells Trixie Mattel About the Time She Got Rejected From Her School Choir

Dua Lipa and Trixie Mattel are both excellent music artists — but visual art isn’t quite their thing.

The duo teamed up for a collaboration on the RuPaul’s Drag Race alum’s YouTube channel on Monday (March 18), where they challenged each other to paint the album art for Lipa’s upcoming album, Radical Optimism. “I can’t draw. I can do my eyeliner because I mastered it on my own face,” the pop star admitted. “I don’t really like doing things I’m not good at, and this is something I’m not good at.”

However, Mattel and Lipa were soon painting, doing their best at recreating the beachy album cover that features the 28-year-old singer floating in an ocean facing a shark fin. At one point in their wide-ranging conversation, Mattel asked Lipa if it’s true that she had once gotten rejected from her school choir. “I was in primary school and the teacher was like, ‘Alright, who wants to sing and try out for the choir?’ So I decided to stand up for the whole school and he started playing on the piano, and it was in this crazy high note and nothing came out just air and the whole schools started laughing. And he was like, you know what? Better luck next time. That was it. Later on, I was part of the choir but I was in the lower range,” Lipa recalled.

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She then added that she “went to singing lessons in a theater school every Saturday in London and it was the teacher there that helped me build up my confidence.”

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Elsewhere in the interview, Lipa explained the inspiration behind her Radical Optimism album title. “It was actually a term that was introduced to me through a friend of mine,” she said. I was doing an interview with him and he was like, I heard this term radical optimism, and I think that’s something you really need. It stuck with me. He put that term in my psyche and everything in my life started connecting to that about remaining calm in the chaos and being OK when things don’t go the way you intended them to.”

When the time came to reveal their paintings to each other, both Mattel and Lipa were unsatisfied with their work. “Check out Radical Optimism, people, you’re gonna need it,” Mattel joked.

The 11-track project — Lipa’s first proper LP since 2020’s Future Nostalgia — arrives May 3. Watch the full interview below.

18 Mar 2024

Megan Thee Stallion Strikes a Pose to Ariana Grande’s ‘The Boy Is Mine’: Watch

Megan Thee Stallion has officially claimed Ariana Grande‘s “The Boy Is Mine” as a hot girl anthem.

In a TikTok posted Sunday, the “Cobra” rapper shows off her form-fitting, olive green dress from a number of different angles and parts of her house while vibing to the pop star’s ’90s-inspired new track. As Meg tosses her long hair over one shoulder and stares down the camera, Grande’s voice can be heard singing, “The boy is mine/ Watch me take my time/ I can’t believe my mind/ The boy is divine.”

The “Positions” singer — who was joined by Meg on the “34+35” remix in 2021, alongside Doja Cat — both reposted the video on TikTok and shared it to Instagram Stories.

Ms. Stallion is just the latest star to voice her support for “The Boy Is Mine,” which is quickly becoming a favorite among listeners. The track appears on Grande’s March 8 LP Eternal Sunshine and, at press time, ranks No. 3 on Billboard‘s fan-voted poll for best song on the album (after the Billboard Hot 100-topping “We Can’t Be Friends” and “Supernatural”).

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Christina Aguilera and Olivia Rodrigo have also shared videos using “The Boy Is Mine” in the past few days, both of which Grande shared to her Instagram Story. “love you,” she wrote in response to Xtina, alongside four teary-eyed emojis.

Eternal Sunshine recently debuted atop the Billboard 200, with “We Can’t Be Friends” entering at No. 1 on the Hot 100. They become Grande’s sixth album and ninth single to do so.

Megan has also scored a No. 1 song this year, with “Hiss” becoming her third track to top the Hot 100 in February. Last week, she announced plans to embark on her Hot Girl Summer Tour, kicking off in May.

Watch Meg’s TikTok below.

18 Mar 2024

Ariana Grande Reacts to Having the No. 1 Song & Album: ‘Impossible to Put Into Words’

The sun is definitely shining down on Ariana Grande, who this week has both the No. 1 song and album in the United States with “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” debuting atop the Billboard Hot 100 and Eternal Sunshine starting atop the Billboard 200.

In a heartfelt Instagram post Monday (March 18), the 30-year-old pop star shared the warmth with her fans while expressing gratitude for the simultaneous feats. “i know i have been posting so much (i feel self conscious about that / also would like to keep going / thanking / celebrating !),” the singer began, captioning a compilation video of moments from Eternal Sunshine‘s release week. “but i just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Featuring footage from her “We Can’t Be Friends” music video shoot as well as a shot of her performing on Saturday Night Live earlier this month, Grande’s clip notes that the single debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 — something that was announced just a few hours prior to her post. It also mentions Eternal Sunshine‘s position on the Billboard 200, where the album now reigns in the top spot in its first week on the chart.

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“We Can’t Be Friends” is also the No. 1 song in the world this week, premiering at the top of the Billboard Global 200.

“it’s impossible to put into words what i’ve been feeling this week,” the vocalist continued. “this album is most special to me for many reasons and just holds so much. sharing it has re-opened a lot of little and big feelings alike and it has been an emotional week in many ways !… but your overwhelmingly loving response to it all has made me feel such joyful, human connection and comfort.”

“just wanted to say i love and appreciate you all more than one can say and thank you again,” she added. “it is, as it always has been, my greatest honor to grow with you … let us promise to keep going !”

With “We Can’t Be Friends,” Grande earns her seventh No. 1 debut — surpassing Taylor Swift for the most among women — and her ninth Hot 100-topping single total. Eternal Sunshine also marks her sixth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, opening with 227,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending March 14, according to Luminate.

The Grammy winner isn’t the only person in her family making chart history this week: Her grandmother, who’s credited as Nonna on Eternal Sunshine‘s “Ordinary Things,” just became the oldest living person to chart on the Hot 100 at 98 years old, with the album closer debuting at No. 55 on the ranking.

See Grande’s post below.

18 Mar 2024

Ben Platt Announces Broadway Residency to Support New Album ‘Honeymind’

Between Renée Rapp (Mean Girls), Halle Bailey (The Color Purple) and Ariana Grande (Wicked), the lines between Broadway, film and pop music aren’t really lines at all — and Ben Platt is ready to ride that wave with his forthcoming new album, Honeymind.

Announced via his official Instagram page last Tuesday (March 12), Honeymind marks the third studio effort from Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner. Both of his prior LPs — 2019’s Sing to Me Instead (No. 18) and 2021’s Reverie (No. 84) — reached the top half of the Billboard 200.

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“I’ve been working on this record for the last two years alongside my executive producer Dave Cobb and some brilliant co-writers and musicians across Nashville, Savannah, Los Angeles and New York,” he wrote in the Instagram announcement. “I began writing it during a period of major personal growth and transition. I wrote about all the ways that I’ve started to shed other people’s notions and perceptions of who I am, and really settle into myself from the root, earnestness and all. I wrote about growing out of the naiveté and aimlessness of childhood without resigning to the jaded and wonder-less feeling of adulthood… Most importantly, I wrote about finding real love… and all of the work we have to do as individuals to find security in who we are so that we’re ready for that real love when it comes along.”

That same day, Platt debuted “Andrew,” the set’s self-reflective lead single, while a plot-driven music video followed a few days later (March 15). The emotional video was crafted under the direction of Sam Wrench, known for his directorial work on Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour film and Billie Eilish‘s Live at the O2 concert film.

In support of his record, Platt will also launch an 18-show concert residency at Broadway’s newly renovated Palace Theatre. Michael Arden — the Tony-winning director with whom Platt previously collaborated on the 2023 Tony-winning revival of Parade — will direct the residency, which will last from May 28 through June 15. During his stay at The Palace, Platt will perform selections from all three of his studio albums, as well as a few surprises and fan favorites.

“It is far beyond my wildest imagination to play a residency of my own music in a house as storied as the Palace,” gushed the Dear Evan Hansen star in a press release. “I feel blessed to be part of the theater community, and to have the opportunity to perform as myself and from my own perspective on a Broadway stage is one of the greatest honors of my life. I can’t wait to introduce my new record on the beautifully revived stage. My hope is to bridge my musical theater roots that I hold so dear with the world of classic Americana songwriting that I’ve fallen so deeply in love with.”

Watch the “Andrew” music video above and click here to purchase tickets for Ben Platt’s upcoming Palace residency.

18 Mar 2024

Kenya Grace’s Haunting ‘It’s Not Fair’ and 5 More Cool New Pop Songs This Week

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 Lizzy McAlpine, jxdn, Lava La Rue and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists — or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist.

Coolest Pop Song of the Week: Kenya Grace, “It’s Not Fair”



Kenya Grace stumbled into a crackerjack formula with her breakthrough hit “Strangers” last fall, harnessing a thriving U.K. dance scene, dabbling in drum’n’bass and steeping its TikTok-friendly pop hook in the ethereal dejection natural to the South African-born British polymath’s gentle, forgiving voice. “Strangers” made chart history after going viral — when it reached No. 1 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, the single became the first track solely written, produced and sung by a woman to reach the top of the chart. Yet Grace hasn’t rested on her laurels while her breakout song continued in the chart’s top 10 for months, as she’s released single after single ahead of a new project, The After Taste, due out this Friday (Mar. 22).

“It’s Not Fair,” released one week ahead of that project, is the strongest of those new tracks. Like she does on “Strangers,” Grace operates over shuffling beats and ruminates on romantic mistrials (this time focusing on a breakup that even her mom and friends take as hard as she does), but the drum-n-bass influence lilts at the spots it effervesced on “Strangers,” as woodblock percussion and syncopated strings accentuate the sadness in Grace’s voice. The soft contours still define Grace’s vocal approach, but on “It’s Not Fair,” her storytelling rises above the whisper: “So tell me, truly, do you think about me? Are you happy with some other girl?” she asks on the bridge, the instrumentation dropping away so that her confrontation can fully resonate.

At nine tracks long, The After Taste gives “Strangers” a project to call home while also expanding Grace’s pop repertoire: “Someone Else” snaps onto a propulsive beat while spinning a tale of club betrayal, while “Hey, Hi, How Are You” spins forward with the dizziness of a late night call. Grace’s hit single may highlight the project, but a track like “It’s Not Fair” shows that she knows how to iterate on its sound in compelling new ways.

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

18 Mar 2024

TWICE 5th World Tour ‘Ready to Be’ Once More: See Exclusive Photos

TWICE made its grand return to the United States for just one night only in Las Vegas Saturday (March 16), marking the K-pop group’s final American show on TWICE’s Ready to Be Tour.

Comprised of members Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu, the girl group stepped out in front of thousands of passionate fans at Allegiant Stadium for one last victory lap in the States, more than seven months after their global trek’s official North American leg wrapped in July. Later this summer, they’ll perform a string of shows in Japan to close out more than a full year of touring.

Wowing the crowd with intricate group choreography and matching costumes, the girls performed songs from their own discography as well as covers of Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” and Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings.” Waving light-up glow sticks, fans passionately — and loudly — sang along, from the pit to the upper rafters of the venue.

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“What a stunning night in Las Vegas!” TWICE wrote on Instagram after the show, sharing a photo from the stage. “Words can’t fully express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every ONCE who came to the show.”

“We are fully blown by your unbelievable energy that was through the roof!” added the band. “You’re truly the everlasting spark that light up our passion and the sole reason that we keep going.”

TWICE recently scored its first-ever No. 1 entry on the Billboard 200 with With YOU-th, which debuted in the top spot earlier this month. The six-track EP features the songs “I Got You,” “One Spark,” “Rush,” “New New,” “Bloom” and “You Get Me.”

Check out exclusive photos from TWICE 5th World Tour ‘Ready to Be’ Once More below.

TWICE

TWICE

JYP Entertainment

TWICE

TWICE

JYP Entertainment

TWICE

TWICE

JYP Entertainment

18 Mar 2024

Watch Ariana Grande & Evan Peters Crack Up While Filming Intimate Scenes for ‘We Can’t Be Friends’

Ariana Grande and Evan Peters are proving they have undeniable chemistry both onscreen and off. Ten days after the music video for “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” dropped alongside her new album Eternal Sunshine on March 8, the singer has shared behind-the-scenes footage of her shoot with the American Horror Story alum, during which they kept things giggly in between intimate, emotional takes.

At one point in the footage, posted to YouTube Monday (March 18), Grande couldn’t stop cracking up as Peters distracted her from lip-syncing along to her latest single. Sitting on opposite sides of a birthday cake lit up with candles, the actor loudly said, “This is my cake! I made this for you,” making the Grammy winner lose her focus.

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“I can’t sing at the same time!” she said, laughing and putting a hand on Peters’ arm.

In another scene, Grande and the Dahmer star held hands in bed. As her memories get erased à la Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which served as the music video’s inspiration, Peters’ half of the mattress was forcibly ripped away.

When the cameras weren’t rolling, Peters, shirtless, high-fived a smiling Grande underneath the sheets.

Grande’s seventh studio album recently debuted atop the Billboard 200, marking her sixth No. 1 on the chart. The project was preceded by just one single, the Billboard Hot 100-topping “Yes, And?”.

In a previously shared snippet of the compilation, Grande explained that the “We Can’t Be Friends” music video is her “own short version” of Michel Gondry’s 2004 romantic sci-fi film. “Both of the characters end up discontinuing the cycle of their toxic pattern,” she added, standing on set of the visual’s snow angel scene. “It’s kind of about erasing the pain and only wanting the best for someone, even if it means not each other. It’s not like one person’s wrong, or the enemy.”

Watch the full behind-the-scenes footage of Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends” music video above.

18 Mar 2024

Olivia Rodrigo Dances Along to ‘The Boy Is Mine’ in New Video (And Ariana Grande Approves)

In the days since Ariana Grande‘s new album Eternal Sunshine dropped on March 8, one song on the 13-track set has quickly become a favorite amongst fans — Olivia Rodrigo included.

In a video shared to TikTok Sunday (March 17), the 21-year-old pop star dances along to Grande’s “The Boy Is Mine,” seemingly backstage at the Guts World Tour. As she twirls around and shows off her purple cowboy hat, a smiling Rodrigo sings along to the R.E.M. Beauty founder’s sensual lyrics: “The boy is mine/ I can’t wait to try him/ Let’s get intertwined/ The stars, they aligned.”

Shortly afterward, Grande took notice of the clip and shared it on her Instagram Story, adding a cute gif of a dancing cat holding a flower.

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The “Positions” singer has also reposted videos of her “34+35” remix collaborator Megan Thee Stallion and Christina Aguilera using the ’90s-infused track in recent days. “love you,” she wrote in response to Xtina, alongside four teary-eyed emojis.

Led by singles “Yes, And?” and “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),” Eternal Sunshine recently debuted atop the Billboard 200, marking Grande’s sixth No. 1 entry on the chart. In an interview leading up to the album’s release, the 30-year-old vocalist told Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe that she thinks of “The Boy Is Mine” as a “bad girl anthem,” explaining that “there is a large group of my fans that really, they do love a bad girl anthem.”

Rodrigo’s latest album Guts dropped in September and also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. In February, she kicked off her global Guts World Tour, which will find her making stops across North America and Europe for the next five months before she closes out with four shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

Watch Rodrigo’s TikTok below.

18 Mar 2024

Athena Jett Moves Forward on ‘American Idol’ Thanks to Her Secret Weapon Little Sister

Sometimes all you need is that little extra push from someone who knows how special you are. On Monday night’s (March 17) audition episode of American Idol, 20-year-old Las Vegas native Athena Jett came in with confidence and a voice that should have at least gotten her a look from judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

But, just in case, she also had her adorable 12-year-old sister (and bestie) Angelina in tow to help boost her chances with good energy and a special homemade gift for Perry’s four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Daisy Dove. Angelina proudly handed over a crocheted pink and white purse covered in a daisy pattern, naturally, with Perry loving the sweet gesture and hugging Angelina, saying Daisy definitely “loves a purse.”

In the lead-up package, Athena talked about how close the sisters are and how Angelina is her “biggest fan… she’s such a bright ball of energy and she believes in me so much.”

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Perry then invited Angelina to stand by the piano as Athena sang a somewhat shaky version of Sophia James’ jazzy 2021 ballad, “Somebody New.” Angelina was brought to tears, as was Bryan, with Perry praising the singer’s “great voice,” but saying that Athena’s nerves appeared to get the best of her. “People are out there fighting tooth and nail and so I am worried about putting you in the ring,” Perry said.

Then, unexpectedly, Angelina sheepishly raised her hand — as she and Athena shared whispered “I Love You”‘s to each other across the room — and asked if she could suggest a different song for her sibling to sing. “I don’t want to be barging in or anything, but I remember for piano recital my sister sang ‘Never Enough’ from The Greatest Showman. I really think that that was a really good song that she sang,” Angelina said.

Perry repeatedly encouraged Athena to raise her voice and sing it out loud as the singer hit a series of high notes during her second go and Perry jumped to her feet, sweeping Angelina up in a giant spinning hug. “Good job, you’re gonna come to Hollywood too,” Perry said as she shook Angelina’s hand.

“I couldn’t do this without her,” Athena said to the weeping panel, as Perry said that she went from a “hard no” to a “what the hell was that? That was phenomenal. You have to use that. That is your sword!” Bryan praised a crying Angelina for being so brave and stepping up to advocate for her sister, after which the weepy Angelina handed over the golden ticket to her overwhelmed big sis.

Watch Athena Jett’s audition below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=dOCqtTSICA8&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

18 Mar 2024

Eddie Vedder Says Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Reminded Him of ‘Punk Rock Crowds’

Don’t let the setlist of back-to-back pop hits, sparkly costumes or confetti cannons fool you — Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour is totally punk rock, as certified by Eddie Vedder in a recent piece.

The Pearl Jam frontman marveled at the magic of the pop star’s global trek, which he attended in July with one of his daughters, in a Mojo piece published Friday (March 15). “The craziest thing was it reminded me of punk rock crowds, of being aligned with all of the misfits in our town, back in the day,” he told the publication. “It was galvanizing and powerful.”

Vedder, who shares daughters Olivia and Harper with Jill Vedder, was spotted with his family at one of Swift’s concerts in Seattle last summer. The rock star’s wrists were filled with friendship bracelets from nearby fans, and he appeared to wear a shirt that said, “It’s me, hi, I’m the father it’s me.”

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“The run-up to it, making friendship bracelets with her and the generosity of these young girls and boys…,” he added. “Trading these bracelets with different messages on them – lyrics, song titles, just acts of good will on these little bracelets. They had found their tribe; they were all agreeing on something.”

The “Society” singer’s comments came just two days shy of the one-year anniversary of the Eras Tour‘s opening night in Glendale, Ariz. on March 17, 2023. Since then, Swift has taken her show all across North America, as well as through parts of Asia and Australia.

The “Anti-Hero” singer closed out a string of performances in Singapore earlier this month. She’ll now take a two-month pause from touring as she prepares to release her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19.

“Just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who traveled and put so much effort into being at our shows,” Swift wrote in an Instagram post March 10. “What an unforgettable way to end this leg of the tour!!”

She added, “In the meantime I’ve got an album to release…”