Pop

31 Aug 2023

Miley Cyrus Says Viral Photo With Taylor Swift & Demi Lovato Made It Clear She’s Bisexual

Miley Cyrus is strolling down memory lane in her ongoing TikTok series based on her new single, “Used to Be Young,” and in part 19, she reflects on a throwback photo in which she’s seen walking alongside her Hannah Montana costar Emily Osment, Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato.

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While the other three girls look party-ready in dresses and heels, Cyrus is seen in sweatpants, and oversized cardigan and slipper-like boots. “This picture has become a meme, where it says, ‘Be the Miley of your friend group,’” she says, looking at the photo. “If you guys didn’t know I was bisexual from this damn picture, I don’t know what’s wrong with you.”

The 30-year-old superstar added that the girls were headed to the Cheesecake Factory after the Grammy Awards. “These are some classy ladies,” she teased.

Earlier in the day, Cyrus looked through a video of herself dancing the “Hoedown Throwdown” from 2009’s Hannah Montana: The Movie. “This was the original kind of like a TikTok dance,” she explained. She then called out the choreographer Jamal Sims for his hat, before joking, “Honestly, my zipper jeans aren’t doing anything for me either.”

See the two new parts of Cyrus’ “Used to Be Young” series below.

31 Aug 2023

Everything We Know So Far About Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ Concert Film

Missed the Eras Tour when it came through your city? Don’t worry, you still have a chance to catch it — but this time, on the big screen.

Taylor Swift announced on Aug. 31 that she’d be bringing her massively popular global trek to AMC theaters all across North America, following the conclusion of its first U.S. leg earlier this month. Sharing an 80-second trailer jam-packed with shots from Swift’s career-spanning stage show, the 33-year-old pop star took to social media to announce the exciting news.

“The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far,” she wrote. “I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon ? Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing encouraged.”

Just like with the Eras Tour tickets, anticipation for the concert film is so high, Swifties brought down the ticketing app — in this case, the AMC app instead of Ticketmaster — with Swifties tweeting about wait times, and some noting that they couldn’t even get the app to load. Ahead of the concert announcement, the company had even upgraded its website so that it could handle more than five times thelargest ticketing traffic it previously experienced.

“AMC is … aware that no ticketing system in history seems to have been able to accommodate the soaring demand from Taylor Swift fans when tickets are first placed on sale,” the company had said in a statement announcing the concert film, which also warned fans of possible delays and outages of its website.

Keep reading to see everything Billboard knows so far about the Eras Tour concert film, below:

31 Aug 2023

Miley Cyrus Reflects on ‘Really Brilliant Choices’ of Topless 2008 ‘Vanity Fair’ Cover

In the spirit of her new single “Used to Be Young,” Miley Cyrus is strolling down memory lane and reflecting on some of the most pivotal and controversial moments of her nearly two-decade career. For Part 15 of her Used to Be Young TikTok series, Cyrus tackled her controversial 2008 Vanity Fair photo shoot.

Fifteen years ago, Cyrus posed for the cover of Vanity Fair. The shoot was helmed by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, and featured a then-15-year-old Cyrus exposing her bare back to the camera as she wrapped her body in what appeared to be a sheet. At the time, Cryus was still starring as the titular character on Disney’s blockbuster television series Hannah Montana. The Vanity Fair shoot was intended to help further differentiate Cyrus from the character that quickly consumed her.

Upon release, Miley disregarded the potential controversy of the image saying at the time, “I mean I had a big blanket on. And I thought, ‘This looks pretty and really natural.’ I think it’s really artsy.” Nonetheless, controversy inevitably ensued, forcing Cyrus, Leibovitz and Disney to release statements apologizing for the photographs. In the years that followed, the controversy continued to obfuscate the real story and intent behind the images, “which is always much more meaningful,” according to Cyrus in her new TikTok post.

She recalls, “My little sister Noah was sitting on Annie’s lap and actually pushing the button of the camera, taking the pictures. My family was on set, and this was the first time I ever wore red lipstick because Pati Dubroff, who did my makeup, thought that that would be another element that would divide me from Hannah Montana.”

What the star calls “really brilliant choices” made in an effort to separate Miley Cyrus from Hannah Montana, the public perceived as the inappropriate hypersexualization of America’s most beloved and recognizable child star.

Cyrus’ initial apology, which she retracted via Twitter (now known as X) a decade later, read, “I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ‘artistic’ and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed.” For its statement, Disney went for an offensive approach, writing, “Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines.”

As for Leibovitz, she defended her work. “I’m sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted,” she said. “Miley and I looked at fashion photographs together, and we discussed the picture in that context before we shot it. The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful.”

Check out Part 15 of Miley Cyrus’ Used to Be Young TikTok series:

31 Aug 2023

Doja Cat Changes ‘Scarlet’ Art After Striking Similarities to Chaver’s Album Cover

Just two days after Doja Cat unveiled the cover art for her upcoming album, Scarlet, the star has updated the illustration.

“Updated cover,” the singer wrote on Instagram on Thursday (Aug. 31) alongside the new art, which features a hand-drawn, spider-like creature with pearls as a head and abdomen against a white background. See the post here.

The original art featured a fittingly scarlet-colored spider, but Doja seemed to have deleted the post and changed the cover after fans noticed that German hardcore band Chaver also used the same spider on the artwork for their upcoming album cover.

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According to Stereogum, both Doja’s original album art and Chaver’s LP cover were designed by the same person, Portland-based artist Dusty Ray. An even stranger coincidence is that both albums will be dropping on the same day, September 22.

Fans have already heard two songs from Doja Cat’s album: lead single “Attention,” which was released in June and has so far peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as “Paint the Town Red,” which reached the Hot 100 top five this week. “Red” also moved 5-1 to top this week’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. She’s set to release another single, “Demons” on Friday (Sept. 1).

31 Aug 2023

Here’s Why Fans Think a Destiny’s Child Reunion Is the Next Act In Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Trilogy

When Beyoncé revealed the first details surrounding Renaissance in June 2022, fan theories and speculations regarding Queen Bey’s future releases ran rampant. At the time, Beyoncé’s website and Instagram bio read “act i | Renaissance,” and an accompanying British Vogue spread and cover story teased “a thrilling abundance” of new music.

As the record-breaking Renaissance World Tour finishes out the last of its 10 remaining announced shows, fans are wondering what’s next from the superstar, who recently became the most-awarded artist in Grammy history thanks to her four Renaissance wins.

Coincidentally, shortly after Beyoncé shared a special birthday request that fans wear silver and chrome for the “last month” of the Renaissance World Tour, the official Destiny’s Child website underwent a major transformation. Currently, the site displays the message “25 years — new website coming soon” emblazoned across a clip from the girl group’s memorable reunion at Beyoncé’s 2013 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Naturally, the message prompted to fans to wonder if Beyoncé could be subtly teasing a transition to “act ii,” potentially some kind of Destiny’s Child reunion project or tour.

“Everybody, wake up! Wake up!” warned TikTok user @themykaylacw. “A new website coming? Is this album? Is this a tour? Beyoncé, I just recovered from Renaissance!” User @dejaclift noted that Beyoncé’s opening message at each Renaissance Tour show, in which she expresses her gratitude to be able to perform for 25 years and counting, coincides with the starting date for Destiny’s Child’s group career and not Beyoncé’s solo career.

Another TikTok user, @officialnailmedown, claims that, as per her own research, the Destiny’s Child domain is owned by Music World Entertainment, which was owned by Matthew Knowles, Beyoncé’s father and Destiny’s Child’s manager, who then sold it to APX Group. She theorizes that some kind of Destiny’s Child reunion could be a part of the “three-act project” Beyoncé mused about in a note she shared with fans around the time of Renaissance’s release. What’s more? The 25-year anniversary is also known as the silver anniversary — the same color Bey just requested her fans wear to her shows.

While Destiny’s Child — the lineup of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams — has reunited on multiple occasions, including the 2015 Stellar Awards and Beyoncé’s historic 2018 Coachella headlining set, the group has not released a studio album since 2004’s chart-topping Destiny Fulfilled. Destiny’s Child has earned 10 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including the No. 1 singles “Say My Name” (three weeks), “Bills, Bills, Bills” (one week), “Bootylicious” (two weeks), and “Independent Women, Part I” (11 weeks). On the Billboard 200, they have scored four top 10 projects, including 2001’s Survivor and 2005’s #1’s compilation.

See what the Beyhive and Destiny’s Child stans are theorizing about a potential DC3 reunion:

31 Aug 2023

How Taylor Swift Filmed Her ‘Eras Tour’ Movie in the Midst of the Hollywood Strike

If you missed out on Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour during the record-shattering 52-date U.S. swing, the good news is that you can play catch-up next month when the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour concert film opens in every AMC Theatre in the U.S., Mexico and Canada on Oct. 13.

Swift excitedly announced the 2 hr. 45 minute film on her socials on Thursday morning (Aug. 31), posting an 80-second trailer and writing, “The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon. Starting Oct 13th you’ll be able to experience the concert film in theaters in North America!”

The immediate question, though, aside from “how many times are you going to see it?” was: How was Swift able to film and promote the documentary in the midst of the ongoing Hollywood strike by actors and writers? The production-crippling strike began when the Writers Guild of America walked out on May 2 — followed by members of SAG-AFTRA joining in on July 13 — shutting down production on nearly all movies, TV and streaming projects in the U.S.

However, SAG-AFTRA has struck an interim agreement to cover individual non-AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) productions that meet the same standards the unions are seeking in their negotiations with the studios. A source close to the Swift film confirmed to Billboard on Thursday that the Eras doc had obtained clearance under that agreement before shooting the movie. Billboard also confirmed that the Swift film is included under an assumed name on the list of approved interim agreement projects.

The list of terms on the interim agreement covers everything from scheduled breaks to payment for fittings, meal and wardrobe allowances for principal actors and background actors, per diems, rest periods and more.

The Eras Tour film was shot over the first three nights of Swift’s six-night stand at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium from Aug. 3-9.

Selena Gomez appeared to take down a photo tagging her Hulu series Only Murders in the Building earlier this week after some followers accused her of breaking the SAG-AFTRA rules concerning promotion during the strike. The union rules prohibit members from promoting new or finished works being released during the strike in interviews, on their socials or on red carpets. Because the Swift film is covered under the interim agreement, Billboard has confirmed that the singer’s post promoting it does not run afoul of any strike rules and there are no restrictions on her promotion of the project.

In an example of the impact of the strike on another musician who also has a foot in Hollywood, when Troye Sivan recently spoke with Billboard, he was excited to plug his new single, “Rush,” but was unable to discuss his work on the recently canceled HBO drama The Idol, which had wrapped its run weeks earlier. “I am in total support of the strike and am holding strong with everyone in waiting it out and making sure that everyone gets treated fairly,” Sivan said, adding that he also couldn’t talk about his upcoming starring role in the coming-of-age drama Three Months.

Swifties already likely know everything they need to about getting tickets to the movie, but just in case: every U.S. AMC Theatre location will run the Eras film at least four times per day on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sundays, with tickets for priced at $19.89 plus tax for adults and $13.13 for children and seniors plus tax (except for AMC’s branded premium large-format screens.) The film will be available in AMC theaters in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with tickets on sale now here and here.

In light of the chaotic roll-out of Eras Tour presale tickets from Ticketmaster,  AMC said it had upgraded its website and ticketing engines to “handle more than five times the largest influx of ticket-buying traffic” the company has experienced before.

Watch the Eras Tour concert film trailer below.

31 Aug 2023

Miley Cyrus Reveals Why ‘See You Again’ Never Got a Music Video

Miley Cyrus‘ fans have always had her back. In another installment of the star’s “Used to Be Young” TikTok series, she recalled how her surprise first hit “See You Again” never got a music video because her label didn’t think it would do well on the charts — something her listeners proved very, very wrong.

The former Hannah Montana star began by explaining how she wrote “See You Again” with the intention of distinguishing herself from the Disney Channel alter ego she became famous for. “I have my own name in the song, I say ‘my best friend Lesley’ in the song, and so this was really the beginning of me storytelling for my fans,” she explained. “I wrote that song in a way that would feel really personal to Miley so there would be no confusion between me and the character.”

The track was released in 2007 as a single from Cyrus’ debut album Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, which doubled as a Hannah Montana season two soundtrack album and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The song made its Billboard Hot 100 debut in December of that year, eventually reaching a striking peak of No. 10 in May 2008.

And yet, “See You Again,” released along with the dual album under Hollywood Records, never got a music video treatment. Why? “My record label at the time didn’t think the song was a hit, so there was never a music video made for it,” Cyrus explained in her TikTok.

“My record label told me that this song wasn’t gonna be a hit, and my fans decided otherwise,” she added. “It’s always been us.”

For the record, the “Flowers” singer is still a fan of “See You Again.” While listening to a snippet in her TikTok, she danced along and cheered, “Work, work, work.” “Hannah’s for kids, Miley’s for grown a– men in heels,” she joked.

Cyrus has been going through dozens of pieces of old footage and mementos from her career’s early years in a revealing TikTok series she put together in celebration of her new single “Used to Be Young.” In previous installments, she’s spoken about the insanely busy work schedule she followed as a pre-teen rising Disney star, how she really felt about Sinead O’Connor’s “Wrecking Ball” criticism and more.

Watch Miley reflect on “See You Again” below:

31 Aug 2023

Diddy All-Star Features for New Album Include Mary J. Blige, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber & More

The race to Diddy’s sixth studio effort, The Love Album: Off the Grid, is in high gear, as the perennial hitmaker finally unveils the features for his elusive offering.

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Set to drop Sept. 15, the starry lineup includes notable names such as The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Mary J. Blige, Jazmine Sullivan, H.E.R, Summer Walker, Babyface, John Legend, Teyana Taylor and more. On Wednesday (Aug. 30), Diddy noted on Instagram that he in fact has the final feature of The Weeknd’s career, after the singer announced earlier this month that he was done with collaborations.

“IT’S OFFICIAL @THEWEEKND’S LAST COLLAB OF HIS CAREER WILL BE ON….THE LOVE ALBUM :
OFF THE GRID!, exclaimed Puff on Instagram.

“Music is my first love, and music has given me a second chance at life, so stepping back into the studio to make this album has been a soulful experience that brought me closer to myself and my purpose,” Diddy said in a press release. “This album wasn’t created to feed an algorithm or be relevant with the trends of the times — it was created to touch souls and freely express my story with the best artists, writers and producers shaping the future of R&B.”

Diddy previously released a bevy of singles to kickstart the album, including his Adult R&B chart-topping single “Gotta Move On” with Bryson Tiller, his PARTYNEXTDOOR-assisted track “Sex In the Porsche” and his summer club-starter “Act Bad.” 

Along with announcing the features for The Love Album, Puff also dropped the tracklist, which sits at a whopping 23 songs. This project marks his first official release under his new label, Love Records, and his first solo album since 2006’s Press Play. Since then, he dropped his 2010 collaborative project Last Train to Paris with Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper as Dirty Money and his 2015 mixtape MMM (Money Making Mitch). 

Check out the tracklist below.

Track list 

  1. Brought My Love        Diddy ft The Dream and  Herb Alpert
  2. What’s Love                Diddy, Nova Wav
  3. Deliver Me                   Diddy, Dirty Money, Busta Rhymes, Dawn Richard and Kalenna
  4. Stay A While                Diddy Nija
  5. Homecoming              Diddy, Jozzy
  6. Pick Up                        Diddy Jacquees ft Fabolous
  7. Tough Love                 Diddy ft Swae Lee
  8. Stay Long                    Diddy ft Summer Walker
  9. Belongs to You            Diddy Jozzy
  10. Another One Of Me    Diddy ft The Weeknd, French Montana, 21 Savage
  11. INTERMISSION              
  12. Moments                     Diddy ft Justin Bieber
  13. Need Somebody         Diddy ft Jasmine Sullivan 
  14. Mind Ya Business         Diddy ft, Ty Dolla $ign, Kelani
  15. Nasty interlude                        Jozzy
  16. Reachin                       Diddy ft Ty Dolla $ign Coco Jones
  17. Stay part 1                   Diddy Kalan FrFr K-Ci
  18. I Like                            Diddy ft Mary J Blige
  19. Closer to God             Diddy ft Teyana Taylor
  20. BooHoo                       Diddy ft Jeremih
  21. Interlude                      Burna Boy Interlude
  22. Kim Porter                   Diddy Babyface ft John Legend  
  23. Space                          Diddy ft H.E.R.

diddy

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31 Aug 2023

The Weeknd’s Final Collaboration Will Be on Diddy’s New Album: ‘It’s Official’

On Aug. 9, during the Warsaw stop on his After Hours Til Dawn Tour, The Weeknd said, “I just wanna say that this is gonna be the last feature I ever do, ever in my career,” before launching into a still-unreleased song titled “Another One of Me.” At the time, he revealed neither the other artist(s) on the song nor its release date, but Diddy took it upon himself to share those details on Wednesday (Aug. 30).

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“It’s official, @theweeknd ’s last collab of his career will be on… The Love Album: Off The Grid!” Diddy wrote on his social media pages. “Welcome to the Love Era.” The “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” rapper also confirmed the song’s title and posted an 18-second teaser clip of the track, which The Weeknd shared to his own Instagram Story. In the red, monochromatic teaser trailer, Diddy seduces the camera and makes heart signs with his hands as the new collaboration plays in the background. “Another One of Me” and Off the Grid are slated for a Sept. 15 release.

“Another One of Me” marks Diddy and The Weeknd’s second collaboration of 2023. Both artists appeared on the official remix of Metro Boomin’s “Creepin’” (with 21 Savage). This year, The Weeknd has released a string of collaborations, including The Idol tracks “Double Fantasy” (with Future) and “Popular” (with Madonna and Playboi Carti), as well as “Die For You” (with Ariana Grande), which became both artists’ seventh Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper. Out of The Weeknd’s seven Hot 100 No. 1 hits, three are collaborations: “Die For You,” “Save Your Tears” (with Grande) and “Starboy” (with Daft Punk). After his Warsaw show, The Weeknd wrote on his socials, “The final feature… unless Daft Punk ever get back together.”

Check out Diddy’s announcement below:

31 Aug 2023

Selena Gomez Reveals How She Broke Her Arm: ‘I Wish I Had a Really Cool Story Like I Saved Someone’s Life’

Selena Gomez revealed over the weekend that she recently had to have surgery to repair a broken arm. At the time, the “Single Soon” singer didn’t provide any additional information about how she’d busted her wing, but in an interview with with the Ellen K Morning Show on LA’s KOST 103.5 FM on Wednesday (Aug. 30) the singer confessed that the story is, well, kind of lame.

“So I wish I had like a really cool story that I saved someone’s life or something,” Gomez said, rolling her eyes. “But I was in a long dress… it was a summer dress… and I was walking from my car to my house and I tripped.” The host kindly added that as a mother, “if you were my daughter I would say thank God you didn’t break your teeth.”

To which Selena replied, “Yes, that’s what he doctor said!,” lifting her right arm to show off the black cast she received after the surgery. “I guess there is a silver lining, but this is not fun… not fun,” she said with a wide-eyed smile while waving her plaster souvenir in the air.

The interview came as Gomez awaits word on where “Single Soon” will land in its first week on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and fans are holding on for news on the singer’s anticipated third studio album. To date no information has been announced on a release date or title of the new collection from the Only Murders in the Building star, who teased the album last week while hyping “Soon” by writing, “Since I’m not quite done with SG3, I wanted to put out a fun little song I wrote a while back that’s perfect for the end of summer.”

Watch the explanation below.