State Champ Radio Pop
Page: 502
On Wednesday night (Aug. 9 – 8/9, get it?), Taylor Swift ended the final show of this U.S. leg of her Eras world tour by making fans’ wildest dreams come true: 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was officially on its way. The fourth album in the superstar’s six-part re-recording project would be her landmark 2014 album, which […]
Olivia Rodrigo is cooking up something sweet ahead of the premiere of her new single “Bad Idea Right?,” which drops Friday (Aug. 11) at midnight along with a music video.
In a mysterious flyer shared with fans via Rodrigo’s official text message newsletter, the 20-year-old pop star teases something happening at “Olivia’s place,” citing a fake address — 823 BLUE BLVD, SOMEWHERE IN THE SUBURBS, CA” — and a phone number. If you call the digits (which happens to be the same number as her Heartbreak Hotline), a garbled voice answers: “Olivia Isabel Rodrigo, where are you? I’m stuck in line for the bathroom and it’s taking forever, so just text me.”
The poster was also shared in an Instagram Story by Universal Music, the parent company of Geffen, Rodrigo’s label. Her official fan account also shared it on Twitter, writing, “premiere party tonight. olivia’s place (liv’s youtube channel). 8p pt. see u there.”
Another clue that the poster is in regards to a virtual music video premiere gathering: The bottom left of the flyer reads “directed by Petra Collins,” Rodrigo’s go-to music video mastermind. Collins headed the Grammy winner’s most recent video, “Vampire,” as well as the visuals for the singles “Good 4 U” and “Brutal.”
“Bad Idea Right?” is expected to arrive at midnight ET on Friday (Aug. 11), meaning that the virtual gathering at 8 p.m. PT will start one hour before the song drops. Following her chart-topping single “Vampire,” it’ll mark the second song to be released off Guts, her September-slated sophomore album.
“the song is pretty different from vampire & shows another side of GUTS that’s a little more fun & playful,” Rodrigo wrote about “Bad Idea Right?” shortly after announcing it as the next single. “cannot wait to share it with you alllllll. love to ya always!”
The “Drivers License” singer previously teased the “Bad Idea Right?” music video on TikTok, sharing a silly dance clip with her friends: fellow pop singer-songwriter Tate McRae, former Bizaardvark costar Madison Hsu and actress Iris Apatow. “bad idea right? video out on fridayyyyy,” she captioned the video, adding, “featuring my favorite girlz.”
See the TikTok below:
Raise your glass! A Pink fan named Angela Mercer is now the proud mother of a new baby boy, whom she named in honor of the “So What” singer after going into an early labor at the star’s Fenway Park concert in Boston.
Mercer and her family had traveled from Albany, N.Y., to see the July 31 show — meaning, she was a long way from her hometown hospital when she started experiencing labor pains shortly after arriving at the venue. “At only 31 weeks pregnant, Angela hadn’t been expecting her son’s arrival quite yet, but she started having contractions,” reads a press release from Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital about the birth. “She called her doctor, who advised her to get to a hospital.”
“With all the traffic surrounding Fenway for the concert, Angela had trouble finding a ride to the hospital,” it continued. “She and her family decided the fastest way to get to Brigham and Women’s was to walk — and so, decked out in their concert outfits, they made the trek to our hospital where Angela later delivered her son in the Brigham’s NICU.”
The hospital also revealed that the baby boy — or, “Pink’s newest, youngest, fan” — was named Aycen Hart. Pink shares her last name with husband Carey Hart, as well as both of their children: Willow Sage Hart and Jameson Moon Hart.
Little Aycen has since been transported from Boston to a NICU in Albany, where he’s been able to receive preemie care much closer to home. “My husband Ace and I are so incredibly grateful to the exceptional team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital!” Mercer said in a statement. “The medical, case management, and social work staff guided us confidently with their knowledge and expertise, all while being personable, empathetic, and engaging. We are sincerely appreciative.”
The miracle birth isn’t the first time something bizarre has gone down at a Pink concert in recent months, though. She was handed a full-sized wheel of Brie cheese while performing, recently, and someone gave Pink their mother’s ashes while she was onstage at BST Hyde Park.
See photos of little Aycen Hart here.
Can you hear it? The sounds of seagulls squawking, Polaroid cameras clicking, New York City traffic buzzing? Your ears don’t deceive you: Taylor Swift‘s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is officially on its way, and Swifties are absolutely overjoyed.
Swift dropped the bombshell news Wednesday night (Aug. 9) toward the end of her sixth and final show in Los Angeles, where everyone from the pop star’s former best friend Karlie Kloss to All Too Well short film star Sadie Sink were in attendance. “Here we are on the last night of the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour in the eighth month of the year on the ninth day [of the month],” she teased the crowd leading up to the big announcement.
“There’s something that I’ve been planning for a really, really, really, ridiculously embarrassingly long time,” she continued. “And I think instead of just telling you about it, I think I just should sort of show you something.”
At that moment, the 1989 (Taylor’s Version) cover art flashed across the big screens, confirming that Swift’s fourth re-recorded project would be dropping Oct. 27, exactly nine years after it first came out in 2014. Afterward, she confirmed the news on social media. “To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE re-record I’ve ever done because the 5 From The Vault tracks are so insane,” she wrote. “I can’t believe they were ever left behind. But not for long!”
The announcement comes only a month after Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) became Swift’s highest selling re-record in its first week, surpassing both Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version). Many Swifties were shocked by the quick turnaround with 1989, even as Swift teased the project throughout Wednesday night’s show by wearing new, all-blue outfits on stage. Some detective-like fans, however, had already pieced together Easter egg clues proving that the announcement was coming Wednesday night, long before Swift even took the stage.
Whether or not they saw the news coming, though, the overall consensus is pure excitement. “no one will understand what this album means to me and to release on oct 27 of all days,” one Swiftie tweeted. “my heart is so full. welcome home.”
“It’s a great day for annoying people (me),” joked another.
See some of the best Swiftie reactions to the 1989 (Taylor’s Version) news below:
Just woke up with a hang over from Taylor Swift announcing 1989 (Taylor’s Version)— Steven Sullivan (@Stevensully99) August 10, 2023
i’m sorry but this is her best album cover. the hair, the color of the lips, the hair, the seagulls, taylor truly being happy, it just is THAT cover. pic.twitter.com/11VLl9zTNK— veronica¹⁹⁸⁹ (@soitfuckingoes) August 10, 2023
It’s no secret that Beyoncé‘s latest album, Renaissance, is a celebration of the Black queer culture that created house music as we know it today. A year after its release, transgender actress and activist Laverne Cox is ready to offer the megastar even more praise after a recent statement at one of her shows. In […]
Billie Eilish’s Barbie soundtrack contribution “What Was I Made For?” rises to No. 1 for the first time on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart dated Aug. 12. “What Was I Made For?” reigns in its fourth week on the survey. It concurrently leads Hot Alternative Songs for a third week in a row. […]
Selena Gomez and her little sister Gracie were spotted in the audience at Taylor Swift‘s recent concert in L.A., marking the sibling duo’s second time attending an Eras Tour show this summer.
In a video shared by Gomez on Instagram, she and her 10-year-old mini-me cuddle up close while swaying to the beat of “Lover,” one of the first songs Swift performs every night in her three-hour stage show. As Gracie tightly hugs her big sis, the “Lose You to Love Me” pop star sings along with Swift to the lyrics.
Gomez also shared a group photo with friends, taken from their seats on the floor of SoFi Stadium, as well as a post showing off her overflowing collection of friendship bracelets and thanking fans for trading them with her. “Another one..,” she captioned an additional snap of her Eras Tour outfit: a black Eras Tour hoodie, likely purchased at the last Swift concert she and Gracie attended.
The Only Murders in the Building actress first brought Gracie to the Eras Tour in April, with the two arriving to a show in Arlington, Texas in Swift-themed outfits. Gomez wore a Folklore cardigan, while Gracie sported a replica of the purple dress Swift wore on her Speak Now tour back in 2011.
That night, Gracie also got to have a special moment mid-show with her big sister’s best friend. Swift crouched down to gift Gracie with the black costume hat she was wearing while performing “22,” a favor Gracie returned by handing the “Anti-Hero” singer a handmade friendship bracelet.
“Thank you bestie for having me and my sissy transport into your mystical, euphoric and special world,” Gomez wrote on Instagram after the Texas concert. “Proud to know you! love you forever and always.”
Gomez is far from the only star to have turned up to one of Swift’s six straight shows at SoFi Stadium, with everyone from Brie Larson to Mindy Kaling, Lupita Nyong’o, Ashley Tisdale, Kesha, Alicia Keys and more celebs having all been spotted in attendance over the past few days. The first U.S. leg of the Eras Tour will officially conclude Wednesday (Aug. 9) following Swift’s final show at SoFi, after which she’ll take the bestselling trek global.
After stints in Latin America, Asia, Australia and Europe, Swift will return for a second leg in the States — so, who knows? Maybe Selena and Gracie will be spotted in the audience again soon.
Taylor Swift was definitely wonderstruck, blushing all the way home after her Tuesday (Aug. 8) concert. The pop star was left in awe in the middle of her fifth consecutive Eras Tour show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., when, following her performance of “Champagne Problems,” the crowd rewarded her with a nearly eight-minute standing ovation.
“What do I say to you after that?” Swift said in response to the applause, as captured in videos from the night. “That was so deeply abnormal and beautiful. I don’t know what to do or say.”
“I think it’s safe to say that I, like all people, will experience a certain amount of emotional downward spirals throughout the course of the rest of my life and in those moments, you can rest assured I’m gonna think about what you just did,” she continued, getting slightly emotional. “And I’m gonna feel better. So thank you. That was insane. It was crazy.”
The show marked Swift’s second-to-last night at SoFi Stadium, where she’s scheduled for a total of six nights, concluding the first U.S. leg of the Eras Tour. Starting Aug. 24, she’ll take the trek global with a slew of international dates in Latin America, Asia, Australia and Europe before returning to the states in 2024 for a second North American leg.
“I’m going to spend several decades trying to figure out words for how that just made me feel,” Swift added after the night five standing “O.” “I’m trying to get it together. I’ve completely lost control over my brain, and that’s your fault. I’m just gonna float through the rest of the show, so thanks for that.”
The first five nights at SoFi have been jam-packed with great moments, from the magical “Exile” singalong to the emotional mid-show hug Swift shared with Bianka Bryant, daughter of the late Kobe Bryant. Fans have been treated to some quality surprise songs over the course of the miniature residency — “I Can See You,” “Maroon,” “Our Song,” “You Are in Love,” “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” “Dress,” “I Know Places” and “King of My Heart” — and stars such as Lupita Nyong’o, Mindy Kaling, Brie Larson, Kesha, Gayle King and many, many more were in attendance.
Watch Taylor Swift react to her eight-minute standing ovation below:
Two months after Daisy Jones & the Six actress Riley Keough was named the sole trustee of her late mother Lisa Marie Presley‘s estate, the star has opened up about the chaos that engulfed her world in the wake of her mother’s passing.
In a new Vanity Fair cover story, Elvis’ only grandchild addresses the swirl of headlines and drama that followed after Lisa Marie’s death on Jan. 12 at age 54 after a hospitalization following cardiac arrest.
“When my mom passed, there was a lot of chaos in every aspect of our lives. Everything felt like the carpet had been ripped out and the floor had melted from under us,” Keough said of the passing of Elvis’ only child; an autopsy determined that a complication Presley experienced following weight loss surgery several years ago that caused a small bowel obstruction was her cause of death.
“Everyone was in a bit of a panic to understand how we move forward, and it just took a minute to understand the details of the situation, because it’s complicated,” Keogh continued. “We are a family, but there’s also a huge business side of our family. So I think that there was clarity that needed to be had.”
Asked to confirm that that clarity has been achieved, Keough said, “clarity has been had.”
The settlement earlier this summer reportedly involved a $1 million payment to Priscilla and the reimbursement of $400,000 in legal fees.
Asked if things between Keough and her grandmother are totally smoothed out, the actress was a bit more guarded, but positive about the possibilities. “Things with Grandma will be happy. They’ve never not been happy,” she said, hesitating before describing the scene after her mother’s passing.
“There was a bit of upheaval, but now everything’s going to be how it was. She’s a beautiful woman, and she was a huge part of creating my grandfather’s legacy and Graceland,” she said of Priscilla. “It’s very important to her. He was the love of her life. Anything that would suggest otherwise in the press makes me sad because, at the end of the day, all she wants is to love and protect Graceland and the Presley family and the legacy. That’s her whole life. So it’s a big responsibility she has tried to take on. None of that stuff has really ever been a part of our relationship prior. She’s just been my grandma.”
As for the conflicting reports about whether Priscilla will be allowed to be buried at Graceland — where Elvis and his parents are interred — Keough said she doesn’t know why that’s even up for debate. “I don’t understand what the drama in the news was about. Yeah. If she wants to be, of course,” she said. “Sharing Graceland with the world was her idea from the start. I always had positive and beautiful memories and association with Graceland. Now, a lot of my family’s buried there, so it’s a place of great sadness at this point in my life.”
The interview also revealed the name of the child Keough welcoming privately via surrogate in August 2022, Tupelo Storm Smith-Petersen, whose first name is a nod to Elvis’ Mississippi birthplace. “It’s funny because we picked her name before the Elvis movie,” Keough says of the Oscar-winning Baz Luhrmann biopic starring Austin Butler as The King.
“I was like, ‘This is great because it’s not really a well-known word or name in relation to my family — it’s not like Memphis or something… Then when the Elvis movie came out, it was like, Tupelo this and Tupelo that. I was like, ‘Oh, no.’ But it’s fine.” The child’s middle name is a nod to her late brother, Benjamin Storm Keough, who died by suicide in July 2020 when he was 27; her brother is also buried at Graceland.
Add Kylie Minogue to the list of people sending good vibes to Madonna amid the singer’s ongoing recovery from a “serious bacterial infection” that sent her to the ICU in June. In an interview with E! News, Minogue said she hopes that Madonna has a “speedy recovery” from the health scare, adding that she knows […]
