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Taylor Swift once again showed up to support Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday (Oct. 22), this time accompanied by (and sharing a special handshake with) Brittany Mahomes. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The Chiefs faced off against the Los Angeles Chargers at […]
P!nk doesn’t care what you think about her — but she does care that fans feel safe at her shows. The star sat down with Cecilia Vega for this weekend’s episode of 60 Minutes, and in an exclusive clip shared with Billboard ahead of the full interview, the “What About Us” singer opened up about […]
While countless fans take Halloween as an opportunity to dress up as their favorite musicians, the holiday is a chance for those same A-listers to be somebody else just for a night. That might be why so many pop stars love going all out on October 31 every year (well, that and disposable income they […]
As the release of Britney Spears‘ upcoming tell-all memoir, The Woman in Me, gets closer, more details from the long-awaited book are getting revealed.
Earlier this week, People revealed a shocking excerpt of the book in which the pop superstar had an abortion after an unexpected pregnancy with then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake. In an extended excerpt published by The Associated Press, Spears went into further detail. “I’m sure people will hate me for this, but I agreed not to have the baby. Abortion was something I never could have imagined choosing for myself, but given the circumstances, that is what we did,” she writes. “It was important that no one find out about the pregnancy or the abortion, which meant doing everything at home.”
She adds of the pain from the medication abortion was “excruciating.” “I kept crying and sobbing until it was all over,” she writes. “It took hours, and I don’t remember how it ended, but I do, twenty years later, remember the pain of it, and the fear.”
In a copy of the memoir obtained by Billboard, after describing her abortion experience, Spears added that she still has love for her ex-boyfriend, who she began dating in 1999 until their split in 2002. “After that, I was messed up for a while, especially because I still love Justin so much,” she writes. “It was insane how much I loved him, and for me, it was unfortunate.”
In the earlier excerpt published by People, Spears said that the pregnancy was a “surprise,” even thought she always “expected” to start a family with Timberlake. “But Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young,” she wrote, adding, “To this day, it’s one of the most agonizing things I have ever experienced in my life.”
The Woman in Me arrives Oct. 24.
Mariska Hargitay is a Swiftie for life. The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star — whose character, Olivia Benson, is the namesake of one of Taylor Swift‘s cats — gushed about her admiration for the “Anti-Hero” singer.
“She’s pure magic,” Hargitay told Entertainment Tonight Thursday (Oct. 19) at the WMC Women’s Media Awards in New York City. “There’s nothing she can’t do. It’s been so beautiful to reconnect to that innocence, you know? I think Taylor gives such a beautiful message to kids and unlocks these girls’ emotions.”
The actress attended multiple Eras Tour shows around the country, and walked the red carpet with her 12-year-old daughter, Amaya, at the pop star’s concert film premiere earlier this month. “I see how it affects my daughter and she cries and just opens up like a flower,” Hargitay noted of Swift’s impact. “And [I see] how meaningful it is, and I’m grateful to be part of it and watch that journey.”
“It’s been so beautiful [to see] how she gracefully walked through her journey and allowed herself to evolve and truly step into her power pose, her talent and all of her glory,” she added. “And she’s got quite a bit of it … I think she is a magicmaker.”
Hargitay has been pals with Swift since the two became friendly at an Ingrid Michaelson concert in 2014, and the “Karma” musician even cast her in the 2015 music video for “Bad Blood.” The SVU star appeared side by side with Ellen Pompeo, whose Grey’s Anatomy character, Meredith Grey, is the namesake of another of Swift’s cats. Later that year, she walked the stage with the 12-time Grammy winner at a 1989 Tour show.
Swift’s Eras Tour film was a box office success before it even premiered Oct. 11, with AMC Theaters reporting an unprecedented demand for tickets. It grossed $92.8 million in its first weekend, becoming the top music concert film of all time.
“I’ve always had fun doing this,” Swift said at the project’s world premiere in Los Angeles. “I can’t believe I get to do music as a career. That’s crazy. I’ve always had so much fun doing it. I’ve never had this much fun in my life as I have had on The Eras Tour. It is far and away just the most electric experience of my life.”
Britney Spears has opened up about her fling with Colin Farrell, and it sounds like it was a “…Baby One More Time” situation.
In a new snippet from her upcoming memoir The Woman In Me shared Friday (Oct. 20) by People and confirmed by Billboard, the 41-year-old pop star revealed that she and the now 47-year-old Irish actor had what she describes as a “two-week brawl” back in 2003. “Brawl is the only word for it — we were all over each other, grappling so passionately it was like we were in a street fight,” she wrote.
“As I had before when I’d felt too attached to a man, I tried to convince myself in every way that it was not a big deal,” she continued, noting that she met Farrell when he was working on his 2003 film S.W.A.T. “That we were just having fun, that in this case I was vulnerable because I wasn’t over Justin yet.”
The “Justin” she refers to is, of course, Justin Timberlake, her high-profile boyfriend from 1999 to 2002. Spears’ reflection about Farrell comes on the heels of another major piece of news lifted from her fast-approaching book, which arrives Oct. 24: While she and the *NSYNC band member were together, the “Toxic” singer claims she got pregnant, but had an abortion.
“It was a surprise, but for me it wasn’t a tragedy. I loved Justin so much,” she wrote, according to an excerpt first published by People. “I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I anticipated.”
“If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it,” the Grammy winner added of her abortion. “And yet Justin was so sure that he didn’t want to be a father … To this day, it’s one of the most agonizing things I have ever experienced in my life.”
Spears went on to marry Kevin Federline in 2004, later welcoming sons Sean and Jayden. The couple split in 2006.
In 2022, the artist married her longtime boyfriend Sam Asghari; he filed for divorce in August.
Adele is extending her Las Vegas residency one final time. The 16-time Grammy winner announced on Friday (Oct. 20) that she’ll be performing her Weekends With Adele show into mid 2024 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. “Let’s go one last time before I turn into a showgirl forever!” the singer-songwriter tweeted on Friday. The […]
Dolly Parton is just a month away from releasing her highly anticipated first rock album, fittingly titled Rockstar, on Nov. 17, and fans are particularly excited to hear her collaboration with goddaughter and fellow superstar Miley Cyrus.
The duo are teaming up for a fresh rendition of Cyrus’ 2013 Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Wrecking Ball,” and in a clip shared exclusively with Billboard on Friday (Oct. 20), the country icon revealed why she wanted to include the track on her album.
“To involve Miley in my rock ‘n’ roll album, I thought, well, I have to do ‘Wrecking Ball,’ because I love Miley and I love the song,” Parton shares in the video. “So I said, ‘Will you come and do this for me?’ And she said, ‘Of course,’ but it actually came from the fact that we had done the song on NBC for her New Year’s show that she does every year from Miami.”
Parton continued: “We got such a response from how we did ‘Wrecking Ball,’ and combined my song ‘I Will Always Love You’ with that one. Since everybody loved it, and we loved it, I thought, why don’t I just do that combination and have her sing on my rock album? So I love my Miley and I love that song and I’m very proud of it. My version, and hers, and ours.”
Following its release on Aug. 25, 2013, “Wrecking Ball” became Cyrus’ first No. 1 single on the Hot 100 and spent three weeks atop the chart.
Beyond “Wrecking Ball,” Parton’s Rockstar album will feature a number of superstar collaborations with the likes of Sting, Stevie Nicks, Peter Frampton, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Chris Stapleton, Lizzo, Elton John, P!nk, Brandi Carlile, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and more. Check out the full track list here.
Watch Parton talk the inspiration behind putting “Wrecking Ball” on Rockstar below.
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, I guess this is Blink-182 growing up, Charli XCX and Sam Smith have a night on the town and The Rolling Stones triumphantly return to the studio. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Blink-182, One More Time…
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“Aging gracefully” was never the logical outcome for Blink-182, a trio of pop-punk geniuses who built their live shows around scatological humor and turned their album titles into dirty jokes. Yet harrowing life experiences, particularly Mark Hoppus’ 2021 battle with cancer, has provided Blink-182 with a newfound sense of appreciation, and One More Time…, the first album with their classic lineup since 2011, carries a feeling of gravitas that acknowledges how much Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker care about each other in middle age. That doesn’t make One More Time… a dour affair, though: from early single “Edging” to pummeling opener “Anthem Part 3” to the radio-ready “Dance With Me,” Blink-182 have figured out a way to fire off more chewy melodies in between the heartfelt moments.
Charli XCX & Sam Smith, “In The City”
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“The song is about finding the people you truly love and connect with through wild nights out and partying in magical places,” Charli XCX says in a press release of her charming new one-off with Sam Smith, “In The City.” A decade after getting the party started with songs like “Take My Hand” and the Icona Pop smash “I Love It,” Charli offers a more reflective night out (“I never thought I would find it / But I found what I was lookin’ for,” she sings), while Smith’s soulful vocals and the blinking synths bolster the song, giving “In The City” the feeling of starry-eyed connection at the heart of the collaboration.
The Kid LAROI, Jung Kook & Central Cee, “Too Much”
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Jung Kook and The Kid LAROI both know their ways around a durable pop hit, while songs like “Sprinter” and “Let Go” have established British rapper Central Cee as a chart heavyweight overseas; with their powers combined, the three have cooked up a downcast, undeniably catchy collaboration that sounds primed to become ubiquitous as the weather turns colder. “Too Much” showcases another rock-solid Jung Kook hook following “Seven” and “3D,” as well as a hardened middle verse from Central Cee, but LAROI sounds reinvigorated on the track, hoisting up rhymes and melodies with an ease that recalls his Justin Bieber-assisted smash “Stay.”
The Rolling Stones, Hackney Diamonds
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What should a new Rolling Stones album sound like in 2023? The legends’ first full-length of new material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang was years in the making, and arrives without an ounce of anything left to prove — and that lack of expectation works in its favor, as Mick, Keith and Ronnie have cooked up a rollicking check-in that should translate nicely to the stadium stage. A mix of iconic guests (Paul McCartney, Elton John and Lady Gaga all swing by) and meat-and-potatoes rock grooves (“Mess It Up” and “Whole Wide World” are a pair of mid-album highlights) help situate Hackney Diamonds as a best-case scenario for a band in their hallowed position.
21 Savage feat. d4vd, “Call Me Revenge”
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The fact that “Call Me Revenge,” the new team-up between 21 Savage and d4vd, was launched in conjunction with the upcoming release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III helps explain the lyrical slant — after all, it’s easier to unpack d4vd crooning “I’m here to collect to all your sins, I’m goin’ in!” within the context of a first-person shooter game. Still, “Call Me Revenge” allows both artists to have fun while striking their most menacing poses, especially 21 Savage, who sounds downright jubilant while firing off clipped boasts and endless ad-libs.
Editor’s Pick: Jane Remover, Census Designated
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You won’t hear another album like Census Designated, the sophomore effort by Jane Remover, this year, or most years: the singer-producer, who reconfigured her sound (as well as came out as a trans woman) following 2021 debut Frailty, has mastered a singular blend of shoegaze, noise rock, pop melodies and indie balladry across these 10 tracks, while also prodding at her personal evolution and identity. Parts of Census Designated work best during a late-night headphones listen, while others beg to be blasted from car speakers; conceptually, the album begins at sundown and ends at dawn, but Jane Remover’s latest will affect you in any setting.
Taylor Swift‘s bodyguard landed safely in Israel on Thursday (Oct. 19) after taking leave from his job guarding the pop star to return home to help fight in Israel’s war against terror group Hamas. “Hey @taylorswift, we promise you’ll never find another like him [blue heart emoji],” read a social post from the State of Israel.
“Taylor Swift’s #ErasTour body guard returned home to fight for his country. We love your Eran [Israeli flag, heart emoji].”
Swift’s security guard is expected to join the reserves of the Israel Defense Forces, the national military of the State of Israel in order to fight for the nation following the horrific Oct. 7 surprise terror attack by Hamas that resulted in the killing of more than 1,400 Israelis and the kidnapping of more than 200 men, women, children and elderly citizens.
Prior to his return, the guard (whose name is being withheld for his safety) told Israeli journalist Eran Swisa, “I got a pretty great life back in the U.S. I got an amazing dream job that I love, great friends that I call family and a very comfortable home. I didn’t HAVE to come here… But I could not stand on the sidelines while families are being slaughtered and burned alive in their homes!!! Just for being Jewish or for being Israelis.”
The guard — who went viral earlier this summer when Swifties praised him for his fierce crowd-scanning skills — added, “I’m not only standing here with Israel and actually standing here. I’m standing here with humanity,” according to the statement released shared by Swisa. “Don’t be on the wrong side of history!! Don’t stand on the sidelines and say nothing… Stand with Israel, stand with HUMANITY!!!!!”
After his quick trip to Israel on Wednesday to meet with the nation’s leaders as a show of U.S. support in advance of what is expected to be a major Israeli land incursion into Gaza to root out Hamas, President Biden took to prime time on Thursday night to plead with Americans to stand behind the nation (as well as Ukraine) and make a case for providing military and economic aid to both nations to shore up global, and national, security.
“History has taught us that when terrorists don’t pay a price for their terror, when dictators don’t pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction,” Biden said from behind the Resolute Desk in a rare nighttime address. “They keep going. And the cost and the threats to America and the world keep rising.” The administration has asked for $74 billion in aid for Israel and Ukraine to pay for weapons and military equipment; the aid is in question amidst the ongoing leadership crisis in the House of Representatives, where Republicans have repeatedly failed to nominate a Speaker in the wake of the ouster of Kevin McCarthy earlier this month.
Since the Hamas attack two weeks ago Israel has been pounding Gaza with airstrikes, resulting in more than 4,000 deaths, 13,000 injured and the displacement of more than 1 million Palestinian civilians. Israel has called up more than 360,000 reservists to join what is expected to be a long, difficult battle against militant group Hamas, which has reportedly been telling Palestinians attempting to flee south in advance of the Israeli land campaign to stay put, further jeopardizing their safety in the face of what is expected to be a devastating show of force from Israel.
Check out the State of Israel’s post below.