Pop

31 Aug 2023

BTS’ RM Addresses Criticism Over Sharing Frank Ocean’s ‘Bad Religion’: ‘I’m Not Apologizing’

RM is standing firm. During a Weverse live chat with ARMY on Wednesday (Aug. 30), the BTS rapper addressed criticism he recently faced after sharing Frank Ocean’s “Bad Religion” to his Instagram Stories.

“OK, guys. I know what you’re talking about. You just keep telling me that I insulted a religion. But I didn’t,” he insisted, exasperated, as he began to address the topic. “There was not any intention or purpose to insult a religion. I respect every beliefs and religions. That’s all I could say.”

“I know what’s going on on my Instagram. I can see. But I never … there was no such any purpose or like at least 1% of my heart to insult a religion, OK?” he continued, shaking his head in frustration. “Guys, it’s a song, OK? I’m not apologizing. I’m just saying. I have my own soul. I’m 30 years old. I can express my true thoughts. Please! The word is the word, it is what it is. Please believe my words from myself. Not just guessing, pretending and assuming, OK?”

The K-pop star went on to say that he knows that even in telling his truth, there will be some people who doubt him and believe he’s lying. “But I just can’t lie! I just can’t lie to you!” he pressed on. “I’m just being honest.”

RM added that he felt like he had to say something because otherwise, “people will just keep chatting me about that,” and he “just can’t stand it right now.”

“I just can’t bear it, I can’t deal with it. I just have to say it. If it’s me, just believe my own words,” he pleaded before changing the subject.

Ocean’s song, off his July 2012 album Channel Orange, about unrequited love kicks off with the artist singing about asking a taxi driver to lend him an ear as he pours his heart out. In the chorus, Ocean croons, “He said ‘Allahu akbar’/ I told him, ‘Don’t curse me.” “Allahu akbar” in Arabic means “God is the greatest,” with some listeners interpreting the response to be an insult.

After RM shared the song to his Instagram Stories earlier this month, some people on Twitter criticized him for sharing the tune, calling it an “Islamophobic song” and demanding that he apologize to Muslims.

Fans in the Weverse chat defended the BTS member’s choice to share the emotional song. “I’m Muslim myself … Don’t listen to what they say. Those who say these things are uncultured and superstitious,” commented one. Added another: “Totally blown out of proportion! No need to apologize. Press on!”

31 Aug 2023

The Weeknd Reacts to Taylor Swift Becoming the Only Other Artist With 100 Million Spotify Listeners

The Weeknd is welcoming Taylor Swift to a club that was once so exclusive, he was the only member. Following news that the “Anti-Hero” pop star had become the only other artist to ever reach 100 million listeners on Spotify, the Idol creator took to Instagram to post a sweet message of congratulations, featuring a throwback photo of the pair performing together on Swift’s 1989 Tour.

Resharing a news post about Swift’s feat onto his own Story, The Weeknd simply left a congratulatory fingers-crossed emoji to show how tight he and his fellow record-breaker are. The news post also included an adorable photo from 2015 of the 33-year-old singer wrapping him in a tight hug onstage at the 1989 World Tour, where she’d brought him out as a surprise guest to perform his hit “Can’t Feel My Face.”

Swift hit 100 million monthly Spotify fans earlier this week. The occasion crowned her as the first female artist to ever do so, and just the second artist in general after The Weeknd, whose real name Abel Tesfaye.

Tesfaye first crossed into the previously unexplored 100 millions territory in February, becoming the first artist in Spotify history to hit the milestone. At the time, Swift had 80.3 million monthly listeners, while Miley Cyrus had 82.5 million and Drake 68.6 million.

At the time of publication, Tesfaye has 109.6 million monthly listeners on the platform, according to his Spotify page.

The “Blinding Lights” musician is currently touring. In September, he’ll bring his After Hours Til Dawn Tour to Mexico City’s Foro Sol, following hot on Swift’s Eras Tour trail; over the weekend, she wrapped up a four-night run at the venue with opener Sabrina Carpenter.

“After years of wanting to play in Mexico City, just got to play 4 of the most unforgettable shows for the most beautiful and generous fans,” Swift reflected afterward on Instagram, sharing photos of herself performing. “Feeling so grateful for the memories we’re making together on this tour … TE AMO.”

31 Aug 2023

‘Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour’ Concert Film Coming to AMC Theaters in U.S., Canada & Mexico: Watch the Trailer

The Eras Tour era might be over in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean you have to put your friendship bracelets up on the shelf. AMC Theatres announced on Thursday morning (Aug. 31) that it has teamed up with the singer to present Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour concert film, which will debut on thousands of screens beginning Oct. 13.

According to a release, every U.S. AMC Theatre location will run the movie 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.

Swift posted a trailer for the film as well, 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! Tickets are on sale now at http://taylor.lnk.to/TSTheErasTourFilm…. Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing encouraged. 1, 2, 3 LGB!!!! (iykyk).”

The movie will also screen in IMAX and Dolby Cinema at AMC, as well as in other premium large formats for the standard up-charge fees, which varies by format and theatre. In anticipation of an expected rush of interest — perhaps learning from the chaos unleashed by Ticketmaster’s botched presale roll-out for the U.S. Eras Tour dates — AMC said it has upgraded its website and ticketing engines to “handle more than five times the largest influx of ticket-buying traffic” the company has experienced before.

The 80-second trailer features a quick-cut of Swift’s many sparkling on-stage costumes from the tour cued to “Cruel Summer,” providing glimpses of the most iconic sets from the three-hour-plus performances.

That said, AMC warned that guests who want to be first to buy their tickets for the film may experience some delays or longer-than-usual ticket purchasing waiting-room times and “possible outages.” In addition to hosting the film, AMC is also acting as the theatrical distributor of The Eras Tour movie, securing locations with several other movie operators in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, including deals with Cinemark (U.S.), Cineplex (Canada) and Cinepolis (Mexico).

AMC said that because of the unique nature of the event, no free movie passes will be accepted for the screenings, and AMC Stubs A-List cannot use their memberships to reserve tickets; AMC will also temporarily scale back its website ticketing availability for most of their other movie titles in anticipation of the rush of interest. In addition, to discourage speculation on secondary-ticketing sites no refunds will be offered on ticket purchases.

See the trailer below.

31 Aug 2023

Troye Sivan Triples the ‘Rush’ With Remix Featuring PinkPantheress, Stray Kids’ Hyunjin

The “Rush” is real. After dropping hints about a remix of his sultry summer single earlier this week in a series of TikTok teases, Troy Sivan dropped a revamp of “Rush” on Thursday morning (Aug. 31) featuring buzzy British singer PinkPantheress and Stray Kids member Hyunjin.

The first taste of Sivan’s upcoming album, Something to Give Each Other (Oct. 13) gets a new second verse from Panthress, which replaces the original one in which Sivan dropped steamy lines about hot fun in the summertime.

In the new PinkPantheress verse, the British singer matches that energy with a mix of sensual singing and rapping on the lines, “I know you’re somebody interested in dancin’/ I just told my lover, ‘Baby, tell me’/ ‘Did you really care I two-stepped with another?’/ But you’re still my sunshine, take this with me/ And I finished it so I know I’m sure/ Haven’t done this since September/ Right around then you were at my door.”

When the “you got my heartbeat racin’” pre-chorus comes around again Hyunjin’s voice is subtly mixed in, as well as being added to the euphoric chorus, “I feel the rush/ Addicted to your touch/ Oh, I feel the rush/ It’s so good, it’s so good.”

Sivan and PinkPantheress started teasing the remix over the weekend in a series of TikToks, beginning with a clip in which the Australian singer danced to a recent song snippet Pantheress shared on her socials, writing, “Wow love this lady’s voice. Would love to sing w her one day.”

A short time later, PinkPantheress responded with her own TikTok that shared a screengrab of a July 14 tweet in which she said “Rush” was “toooooo tooooo good,” with what sounded like her voice on a remix of the song. Another successful manifestation,” she wrote under the original tweet, while her caption seemed to officially confirm the news: “So excited for you guys to hear the rush remix.”

At that point internet sleuths linked Hyunjin to the remix as well after Sivan shared a nearly identical clip spotlighting the K-pop star with a similar praise-filled message: Wow love this guy’s voice,” Sivan wrote. “Would love to sing w him one day.”

Listen to the “Rush” remix below.

30 Aug 2023

Trace Cyrus Says He’d Be ‘More Successful’ If He Wasn’t Part of His Famous Family

Trace Cyrus is opening up about his famous family, which includes father Billy Ray Cyrus, and sisters Miley Cyrus and Noah Cyrus.

The Metro Station musician reportedly posted a Q&A to his Instagram Stories on Monday (Aug. 28), where he revealed that he believes his career would have taken off more if it weren’t for his well-known family. “I love my family so much, but I think I’d be much more successful if I wasn’t part of a famous family. People immediately want to judge me and discredit all my hard work because of who I’m related to. But that’s so far from the truth. I got a record deal without anyone from my label even knowing who I was related to ’til after they signed me,” he said of his former pop-rock band.

Trace added that he “never put my last name online anywhere for the first years of my career until people started finding out.”

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Earlier this week, Trace took to Instagram to share a photo from his mother Tish Cyrus’ wedding to actor Dominic Purcell. In the sweet snap, he’s seen smiling with his arms around his mom and sisters Miley and Brandi. “I feel extremely blessed to be part of such an amazing family,” he captioned the post. “Congrats to my my mom on a beautiful wedding. Life is unpredictable & always full of changes. I think the most important thing to do is cherish the past, look forward to the future, & always be happy in the present moment because that’s really all we have. Yesterday is gone & tomorrow is never promised. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my mom so happy & that makes me genuinely happy. I love you @tishcyrus.”

30 Aug 2023

Ellie Goulding Assures Fans ‘Face Is Intact’ After Near-Miss With Pyro During Concert

Ellie Goulding is thanking her lucky stars after a scary near-miss incident with some on-stage pyro over the weekend. In an Instagram Story on Wednesday (Aug. 30), the singer revealed that she escaped unharmed when a fire effect went sideways during her set at the Victorious Festival in Portsmouth, England on Sunday.

As seen in a fan video of the incident, a pyrotechnic fireball that shot up from the stage appeared to graze Goulding’s face as she continued to sing “Miracle” while exclaiming, “ah, f–k!” Goulding, 36, assured fans she escaped without injury in her Story, writing, “to those asking I am ok! Pyro didn’t hit me directly in the face. Face is intact. Love you thank you.”

Though Goulding’s near-miss was scary it continued the recent trend of artist’s facing unexpected peril during shows, more typically lately from objects tossed at them by fans. Everyone from Drake to Harry Styles, Bebe Rexha, Latto, Kelsea Ballerini, Steve Lacy and P!nk have dodged random things throw at them (or on stage) over the past few months.

The 36-year-old singer has been riding high on the U.K. singles charts this summer, with “Miracle” — a trance-like collaboration with Calvin Harris. The song is the first team-up from the frequent collaborators in nearly 10 years, following up their 2014 hit “Outside”; they also released “I Need Your Love” in 2012. “Miracle” spent eight non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, matching Harris’ all-time run on the U.K. survey with his 2018 Dua Lipa track “One Kiss.”

30 Aug 2023

Miley Cyrus Details Brutal 13-Hour Day Work Schedule From ‘Hannah Montana’ Era

There’s busy, and then there’s Miley Cyrus circa 2005 busy. As part of her new confessional “Used to Be Young” series on TikTok, the now 30-year-old singer gave fans a glimpse at the insane hours she used to work when she was just a pre-teen, back when she was on the fast track to stardom via Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana.

Looking at an old schedule from one of the many on-duty Fridays she underwent as a kid, even Cyrus was shocked to see her call time for the day: “5:30 a.m.?!” she yelled, stunned.

The musician went on to list out every single thing she did on that particular Friday, starting with hair and makeup early in the morning. “7:15 I’m on the news, 7:45 I have another live interview, 8:15 another interview, 8:45 another interview,” she continued. “9:30 to 11 a.m. meeting with editors. Back to the hotel, okay, I have to do an interview but the reporters are all fifth-grade students.”

Cyrus went on to share that the rest of her day was filled with more interviews, the last of which began at 6:15 p.m. “Then the next day starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 7:30 p.m., when I fly home to probably go to Hannah,” she concluded. “That’s on a Saturday, and then Monday be back at work in the morning.”

Need a break just from reading all of that? So did Cyrus. “I’m a lot of things, but lazy ain’t one of them,” the singer quipped. “So, I do think this girl deserves a little endless summer vacation.”

Cyrus has been going through artifacts from all 30 years of her life, with a big focus on her Disney Channel days, to celebrate the arrival of her latest single, “Used to Be Young.” The track, released last week, is something of an unofficial epilogue closing out her Endless Summer Vacation era.

In another installment of her TikTok series, the “Flowers” reflected on one of the biggest coincidences she’s ever experienced: The Malibu house in which she recorded her 2007 non-Hannah debut album Meet Miley Cyrus would 15 years later become the home she shared with Liam Hemsworth, now her ex-husband. The former couple lived there together after Hemsworth purchased the property, previously owned by Cyrus’ producer Matthew Wilder.

The house no longer exists, though, as it notably burned down in the devastating California wildfires in November 2018. “That house had so much magic to it,” Cyrus said in her TikTok video, looking a little emotional. “It ended up really changing my life.”

See clips of Miley Cyrus’ “Used to Be Young” series below:

30 Aug 2023

NewJeans’ Danielle Gets Cozy in the Studio for a Cover of V’s ‘Rainy Days’: Watch

The collaboration between NewJeans and V continues, this time, with a cover of the BTS member’s recent single “Rainy Days.” On Wednesday (Aug. 30), the K-pop group uploaded a video of Danielle in the studio performing her rendition of the track and gave some insight as to how the cover came to be.

Danielle revealed how she and her fellow NewJeans members — Haerin, Hanni, Hyein and Minji — first heard the song, as well as other tracks from V’s upcoming debut solo album, Layover.

“All five of us were gathered together for a meeting with the CEO [Min Hee Jin]. We listened to every song from our albums, and then the CEO told us, ‘We’re currently preparing for V’s album. Do you want to listen to those songs too?’ So we eagerly said ‘Yes!’ and listened with lots of excitement,” the singer recalled. “After listening to ‘Rainy Days,’ the song resonated with me so much, so as soon as I heard it, it brought me back to a rainy day from my childhood where I would sit by the window and look outside.”

There is a possibility for additional covers of V’s songs from the girls in the future. Danielle added that she and the girls said, “‘All the tracks are so beautiful and covering them would be so fun,’ we said that, and the CEO told us, ‘Then let’s try it!’”

The K-pop star, wearing a cozy oversized cardigan, then launched into a peaceful rendition of the song. “Rainy days/ I’m thinkin’ ’bout you, what to say/ Wish I knew how to find the way/ Right back to you, on rainy days like/ Rainy days/ I’m thinkin’ ’bout you, what to say/ Wish I knew how to find the way/ Right back to you, on rainy days like,” she sang on the chorus.

V approved of the cover, taking to his Instagram Stories to share a link to the cover, and wrote that he was “touched by [her] message” of her cover, in addition to a happy, teary-eyed emoji.

Layover will arrive on Sept. 8. In addition to pre-release singles “Rainy Days” and “Love Me Again,” “Slow Dancing” — which also has a piano version — “Blue” and “For Us” will also appear on the set.

Watch Danielle’s cover of “Rainy Days” in the video above, and see V’s Instagram Stories below.

30 Aug 2023

Ariana Grande Surprises Fans at R.E.M. Beauty Pop-Up in NYC: ‘Today Made My Heart So Happy’

Fans went into Ariana Grande‘s R.E.M. pop-up shop in New York City thinking that they were just going to get ice cream, but walked out with an even sweeter surprise.

After spending months abroad in London filming for Jon M. Chu’s Wicked adaptations, the 30-year-old pop star made an unexpected stateside public appearance Tuesday (Aug. 29) for her beauty company’s new foundation line celebration at Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream shop in Greenwich Village. The star hid behind the store’s counter until fans entered, then popped up to say hi when they were least suspecting it.

“What can we get you?” she says casually to an unsuspecting fan, who lets out a scream, in a video posted to Grande’s TikTok.

“today made my heart so happy,” the singer-actress captioned another TikTok video of her hugging a couple of tearful fans. “i can’t wait to share more soon but for now… just this. i’ve watched 100 times. thank you for coming to our @r.e.m. beauty ice cream shoppe ! it will be open til Thursday !”

Grande also shared a clip of her waving out her car window to a sea of fans on her Instagram Story, writing, “love you please be careful omg i’m sorry i opened window [sic.] i just wanted to say hello”

The surprise meet-and-greet comes in honor of R.E.M. Beauty’s new Sweetener Foundation line, named after the “God Is a Woman” singer’s Grammy-winning 2018 album. At the Sweetener Shoppe, fans were able to have their skin tone matched to a shade of Grande’s foundation, enjoy complimentary ice cream and snag limited edition merch.

The pop-up also comes as Grande continues celebrating the 10th anniversary of her debut album, Yours Truly. In the past week, she’s shared a series of live performances of songs on the 2013 record, old footage and Q&A videos, all supporting the Aug. 25 release of her Yours Truly special anniversary edition.

Watch Ariana Grande surprise fans at her R.E.M. Beauty event below:

@arianagrande

today made my heart so happy. ♡ i can’t wait to share more soon but for now… just this. i’ve watched 100 times. thank you for coming to our @r.e.m. beauty ice cream shoppe ! it will be open til Thursday ! ?

♬ original sound – arianagrande

30 Aug 2023

ATEEZ Reflects on ‘Outlaw’ Hitting No. 1 on Top Album Sales Chart, Viral ‘Bouncy’ Challenge & More

2023 has been a packed year for the boys of ATEEZ. The K-pop group — which consists of members Hong Joong, Seong Hwa, Yun Ho, Yeo Sang, San, Min Gi, Woo Young and Jong Ho — recently went No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Album Sales chart with its Outlaw EP, hit up this year’s KCON LA for a headlining performance and are about to embark on a series of tour dates in Latin America. In between the group’s stacked schedule, the K-pop stars stopped by Billboard News to discuss their latest career highlights.

Host Tetris Kelly kicked off the interview congratulating the group for the Outlaw EP’s success (the set also peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200), and asked the members their thoughts on why it had such positive reception.

“I think this era is a whole different ATEEZ, so that why many ATINY [the group’s fan name] and many audience wanna get some new piece of our album,” Hong Joon mused. “After we got a high number on the chart, we had pressure also, but we try to enjoy these days. We try to have a good mindset to make new songs. After debut, we try to put something deeper into it, like a new genre of music.”

K-pop has become one of the most popular genres of music in the last few years, and as a result, ATEEZ’s rise comes at the right time. Min Gi reflected on this shift and noted “there’s a growing change as K-pop is becoming more widely accepted by the general public despite the language differences.”

The shift has also led to the expansion of ATINY. The group recently mobilized across the world to perform flash mobs of the group’s single “Bouncy” in public spaces, with many of the videos going viral across social media.

“I think the only people that can really capture the ATEEZ energy are our ATINY, so seeing them follow along with our dance was really fascinating,” Yun Ho said of the dance videos. “It made me want to set more cool choreographies that we can do together in the future.”

Up next for the group is the continuation of its The Fellowship: Break The Wall tour. The trek continues on Aug. 30 with a stop in Santiago, Chile, and will visit Bogota, Singapore and Manila next month.

Watch ATEEZ’s Billboard News interview above.