Pop

19 Jul 2023

BTS’ J-Hope to Release ‘Hope on the Street’ Documentary & OST Album in 2024

BTS‘ J-Hope might still be completing his military service requirement, but the rapper has big plans for the months following his release. Hope appeared on the Wednesday (July 18) episode of fellow BTS member Suga‘s SUCHWITA drinking show, during which he revealed details regarding a brand new documentary and accompanying OST album, as well as the motivations behind releasing a one year anniversary version of his debut solo album, Jack in the Box.

J-Hope’s March single “On the Street” with J. Cole served as a preview of what’s to come, he told Suga.

“There’ll be new content about my life called Hope on the Street. It’ll be about my dancing and my story,” he explained in between bites of food and drink. “The dancing scene is actually much bigger than you think. It just hasn’t risen up to the surface. But if you really dig into it, there are so many talented people and it’s a huge market. So, as I experienced that personally, although I didn’t go to a lot of cities, I traveled around the world and filmed with a lot of amazing dancers. That documentary will be out in 2024. It’s literally like it’s name, Hope on the Street. It’s just J-Hope dancing on the street.”

But that’s not all. J-Hope added, “There’s even gonna be an OST album for Hope on the Street. It’s just a special album consisting of six songs.”

While ARMY will have to wait for J-Hope’s new material, they have the one year anniversary re-release of his album Jack in the Box to look forward to. Arriving in August, the newly expanded HOPE Edition of the album includes “Lollapalooza Versions” of his songs “Equal Sign,” “Stop” and “Future,” as well as the instrumentals for “Arson” and “More.” On the new SUCHWITA episode, however, Hope revealed the album was originally supposed to be a mixtape.

“In the beginning, I started out with a mixtape concept. I thought I’d release a Weverse album or an LP just to commemorate the occasion,” he explained. “There was a bigger need for a physical album, a full album than I expected. The fans wanted it so much, and you and Jimin would also be releasing solo albums, so the fact that I didn’t have a physical album [for Jack in the Box] did bother me a little and I also felt really sorry about that to the fans, so I thought I should make one [for ARMY and the album’s first anniversary].”

Jack in the Box (HOPE Edition) will be released on Aug. 18. Watch J-Hope’s SUCHWITA episode in full in the video above.

19 Jul 2023

Ice Spice Opens Up About ‘Karma’ Collaboration & Friendship With Taylor Swift: ‘We Text All the Time’

Ice Spice has shared her side of the story to how she came to be the featured artist on Taylor Swift‘s “Karma” remix, a collaboration which resulted in Ice getting her first ever Billboard Hot 100 No. 2, the chance to perform three times for a sold out crowd at MetLife Stadium and a long-lasting friendship with one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.

“I was home and my manager called me, and was like, ‘Oh, Taylor wants you on a record.’ And I’m like, ‘Taylor?’” the 23-year-old rapper recalled to Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1’s “Up Next” series. “I was having a really bad day also, I would like to say that. I was having a terrible day. I was crying all morning because I was just so mad at something. And then he called me with that news. And then I cried more, because it was good news.”

“My life is a rollercoaster,” she added. “How I started the day crying and I’m ending it crying, but for different reasons.”

Ice also took Lowe through the process of recording her parts on “Karma,” which she called “amazing.” “We went to the studio and [Taylor] is so humble and so nice,” she said. “I kid you not. I pulled up to the studio and she outside waiting for me. So she’s great. She’s so funny. We text all the time. She is f–king hilarious. I’m not going to lie. She’s the funniest person ever.”

At the first of three Eras Tour shows in East Rutherford back in May, Swift herself shared that she had been a major fan of Ice’s even before learning that the young star was interested in collaborating. “What she didn’t know at the time is that when I was training for the tour, I was listening to pretty much exclusively just her music every single day,” the “Anti-Hero” singer revealed before debuting the “Karma” music video at the show. “So we immediately went into the studio and I just not only fell in love with her, but just decided she’s the entire future.”

Later that night, Ice surprised the audience by taking the stage for the show’s finale, rapping her “Karma” verse before exiting the stage with Swift’s arm around her shoulders.

“The roar that you hear in a Taylor Swift show is unmatched,” Ice recalled to Lowe. “But her show was amazing, and I’m just so grateful. Like 200,000 people, I think we performed for.”

The Bronx native also touched on her relationships with mentors like Nicki Minaj, with whom she’s turned in two collaborations (“Princess Diana” and a remix of Aqua’s “Barbie World” for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie), and Drake. “I feel like I am absorbing advice from [Nicki] and learning from her and stuff,” she shared. And she’ll tell me, ‘Learn from my mistake, do this or don’t do that,’ or whatever. And I just really pay attention to what she’s saying. Because if there’s anyone I’m going to listen to it’s the queen.”

“We talk all the time and we’re always just laughing about some things that go on,” she added of Drizzy. “And I’ll ask him, ‘What should I do with this? Or how’d you go about this? Or did you ever experience that?’ It’s like coach vibes.”

Listen to Ice Spice’s Apple Music 1 interview above.

19 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift Breaks Her Own Record on Streaming Songs Chart

Taylor Swift nets 22 songs on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart dated July 22, breaking her own record in the process.

With 22 appearances, Swift sets a new mark for the most songs on the survey at once by a woman since its 2013 inception, surpassing the 20 she achieved on the Nov. 5, 2022, ranking upon the release of her album Midnights.

This time, it’s her LP Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) that makes up the bulk of the songs, with 20 of the 22 from the new release. Leading the way is “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault),” which bows at No. 2 with 24.7 million official U.S. streams in the week ending July 13, according to Luminate.

The other two Swift tunes on Streaming Songs are Lover’s “Cruel Summer” (No. 10, 15.4 million streams) and Midnights’ “Anti-Hero” (No. 44, 10 million streams).

In all, Swift occupies six of the chart’s top 10. The next largest after “I Can See You,” “Mine (Taylor’s Version),” appears at No. 6 with 16.2 million streams. (Swift is one of two acts to hold down the entire top 10, having done so on the aforementioned Nov. 5, 2022, list. Drake has accomplished the feat twice: Nov. 19, 2022, and Sept. 18, 2021.)

Those five new top 10s (as “Cruel Summer” had previously reached the top 10) breaks Swift out of a tie with Lil Baby for the second-most top 10s in the chart’s history, now boasting 39. Drake leads all acts with 85 top 10s.

Most Top 10s, Streaming Songs

  • 85, Drake
  • 39, Taylor Swift
  • 34, Lil Baby
  • 29, The Weeknd
  • 26, 21 Savage
  • 25, Future
  • 24, Kanye West
  • 23, J. Cole
  • 23, Justin Bieber
  • 23, Post Malone

Only three times has an artist netted more than 22 songs on Streaming Songs at once. Morgan Wallen holds the all-time record, set earlier this year, with 30 (March 18), followed by Drake (28; July 14, 2018) and Bad Bunny (23; May 21, 2022).

Concurrently, as previously reported, “I Can See You” leads the crop of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) songs on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100, bowing at No. 5. And on the Billboard 200, the album starts at No. 1 with 716,000 equivalent album units earned.

19 Jul 2023

Watch Harry Styles Join the Circus & Dress In Bird Cosplay for ‘Daylight’ Music Video

The sun is shining on Harry Styles fans. At high noon ET Wednesday (July 19), the Grammy winner dropped the music video for his latest Harry’s House single, “Daylight.”

In the Tanu Muino-directed video, Styles walks through circus grounds, interacting with acrobats, stilt-walkers and clowns in between demonstrations of his impressive weight-lifting, horseback-riding and tightrope-walking skills. At one point, he takes the form of a magnificent yellow bird, flying through the sky in a feathered leotard after being shot out of a giant cannon.

If this news is causing a bit of déjà vu, don’t be alarmed: Styles did in fact already make a music video for “Daylight,” although the most recent take is probably a bigger budget project than the first. Last year, the pop star teamed up with James Corden to make a “Daylight” video in three hours with just $300, using a random apartment of unsuspecting fans as the set.

“I can’t stress this enough: This was all James’ idea,” the Dunkirk actor joked behind the scenes of the May 2022 Corden-directed project. “I was in a Christopher Nolan movie. Should we just scrap it? Is it too late to just do a ‘Carpool Karaoke?’”

The new and improved version of “Daylight” follows music videos for “As It Was,” “Late Night Talking,” “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” and, most recently, “Satellite.” All five of the tracks hail from Styles’ third studio album, Harry’s House, which arrived in May 2022 and debuted atop the Billboard 200.

Styles is currently on the cusp of finishing his Love on Tour trek following a near two-year run starting in September 2021. He has just one show left on the schedule: Saturday (July 22) in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Watch the “Daylight” music video above.

19 Jul 2023

Lizzo Rocks Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ at Karaoke After Special Tour Concert

As Lizzo nears the end of her globe-trotting Special Tour, the “About Damn Time” singer is offering glimpses of how she unwinds after a night of entertaining an arena packed with thousands of screaming fans.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday (July 16), Lizzo posted a lighthearted photoset with the caption, “What does Lizzo do after her shows…” The answer? More singing, of course! In the second slide of the carousel, the “Truth Hurts” singer shared a clip of her singing Radiohead’s “Creep” at a karaoke bar. Packed with her trademark soulful belts and emotive vocal inflections, Lizzo’s rendition of the beloved track drew affirmations and applause from the room of onlookers. “Creep” is Radiohead’s highest charting entry on the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 34).

This isn’t the first time that Lizzo has expressed her love for Radiohead. In a Vanity Fair interview in October, Lizzo revealed that while in school, she kept her love for Radiohead’s OK Computer hidden because all of her friends were “listening to what was on the radio” and she “didn’t want to be made fun of.”

The Special Tour is in support of Special, Lizzo’s 2022 LP that spawned hits including “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)” and the Grammy-winning “About Damn Time,” which peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Special opened at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 69,000 units, becoming Lizzo’s highest charting and fastest selling album to date.

By the end of its run, the Special Tour will have visited North America, Europe, Asia and Australia across 80 shows. Support acts for the tour included “Put It On Da Floor Again” rapper Latto and “Material Girl” rapper Saucy Santana.

19 Jul 2023

Harry Styles Brings Wet Leg Onstage to Sing ‘Wet Dream’: Watch

Harry Styles just made countless dreams come true — wet ones included. At his Tuesday (July 18) concert in Lisbon, Portugal, the star invited tourmate Wet Leg to join him onstage for a surprise performance of their 2021 single “Wet Dream.”

Wearing a spangly vest and pants combo, the 29-year-old pop star first introduced the indie rock duo, comprised of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, to the crowd. “It has been the most wonderful, wonderful tour watching them play every night — they’re one of my favorite bands,” Styles gushed.

He and Teasdale then took center stage, both of them playing guitar and trading off on lead vocals. During each call and response of the song’s chorus, Styles followed Teasdale’s lead, echoing her lyrics back to her.

Afterward, Wet Leg posted footage from the performance on Instagram, writing that it was a “wet dream come true.” Styles also shared a blurry photo with the pair on his account, marked “Love On Tour. Lisbon. July, 2023.”

It’s not the first time Styles has payed homage to either Wet Leg or “Wet Dream.” Last year, the Grammy winner covered the track for BBC Radio’s Live Lounge, after which Teasdale and Chambers shared their excitement by retweeting a clip of the performance and adding a smiling, melting emoji.

Styles is just one show away from completing his blockbuster Love on Tour, which has been running since September 2021. Wet Leg has served as opener for the trek throughout 2023, and will be at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Saturday (July 22) for the “As It Was” singer’s finale show.

Watch Harry Styles perform with Wet Leg below:

19 Jul 2023

Beyoncé Helps Fans Pick Wedding Song During Renaissance World Tour Show in Nashville

From surprise Blue Ivy performances to heartwarming gender reveals, Beyoncé’s blockbuster Renaissance World Tour has been an especially joyous trek for fans of one of music’s most towering icons. And at her Nashville show on July 15, the tour’s second U.S. stop, Beyoncé helped one lucky couple pick their wedding song.

During her set, the “America Has a Problem” singer spotted a sign in the crowd that read “Pick our wedding song” with the options “XO” and “1+1,” two soaring love ballads from her acclaimed discography. In the midst of a pitch-perfect rendition of “Crazy In Love,” her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single as a soloist, Beyoncé chose “1+1,” drawing frenzied screams from the stunned couple and surrounding fans. “1+1,” a staple in Beyoncé’s live shows, appears on 4, her aptly titled fourth solo studio album. “XO” served as a single from Queen Bey’s eponymous fifth solo studio album.

The Renaissance World Tour arrived in North America on July 8 after a two-month stint in Europe. The show’s European leg was so successful, that the first nine shows were enough to help Beyoncé top the Billboard’s May Boxscore Report, becoming the first woman to top the tally in nearly four years. The European leg of the Renaissance World Tour grossed a whopping $154 million with more than one million tickets sold, the biggest leg of any Beyoncé tour yet.

Beyoncé’s latest bombastic spectacle is in support of Renaissance, her Billboard 200-topping seventh solo studio album. The album opened with 332,000 units sold and spawned two top 10 Hot 100 singles: “Break My Soul” (No. 1) and “Cuff It” (No. 6). The dance record also won four Grammy awards, positioning Beyoncé as the most awarded act in the show’s 65-year history.

Check out the lucky couple’s clips of the once-in-a-lifetime exchange below:

19 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift Passes 100 Career Hits on Hot Country Songs Chart, Nears Dolly Parton’s Record Among Women

Taylor Swift soars past 100 career hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, thanks to 22 new entries – the entirety of her new album, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). She’s just the second woman to achieve the milestone and now boasts 108 career entries on the ranking – just two away from Dolly Parton’s 110, the most among women.

As previously reported, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) launches at No. 1 on both the all-genre Billboard 200 and Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (dated July 22). Released July 7, the set is the third of Swift’s planned six re-recorded albums.

Swift notched the first of her 108 Hot Country Songs entries on the chart dated July 1, 2006, when “Tim McGraw” debuted at the list’s No. 60 anchor spot. It became her first of 36 career top 10s, with eight having hit No. 1, from “Our Song” in 2007 through “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” in 2021. (She adds seven top 10s on the latest tally.)

Parton scored her first of 110 Hot Country Songs hits when “Dumb Blonde” debuted at No. 64 on the Jan. 21, 1967, chart, on its way to a No. 24 peak that March. She has earned 55 top 10s, including 25 No. 1s from “Joshua” in 1971 through her featured turn on Brad Paisley’s “When I Get Where I’m Going” in 2006.

Notably, Swift has swelled her count of Hot Country Songs hits this decade via multiple charted cuts each from her Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version) and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) releases. As streaming has surged, it has become common for high-profile artists to land numerous songs on charts, in a variety of genres, the week that their respective parent albums debut. In prior decades, artists and labels generally charted one promoted single, for several weeks, at a time.

Among all acts, the late George Jones has totaled the most Hot Country Songs entries – 159 – dating to when the chart became an all-encompassing genre survey in October 1958.

Meanwhile, both Swift and Parton appear in position to add to their sums of Hot Country Songs placements. Swift has yet to re-record her debut LP, the country-focused Taylor Swift, and Parton is prepping her 30-track Rockstar album, due Nov. 17.

If Swift claims top honors for the most Hot Country Songs hits among women, Parton would seemingly pass the torch gracefully to her successor. “Taylor, she’s a great writer,” Parton praised in early 2022. “She’s always had good taste in how she’s presented herself and with her songs. And she’s very creative and very, very, very smart in the marketing of her life. She knows who she is and what she wants. And I’m the same way. I’m going to fight if it goes against what I feel is not right for me.”

19 Jul 2023

BTS’ V Named Cartier Global Brand Ambassador, Face of Panthère Campaign

BTS‘ V is the new face of French luxury jeweler Cartier’s new Panthère de Cartier campaign. In a statement, Cartier International senior vp & chief marketing officer Arnaud Carrez praised the K-pop superstar’s skills and style, saying, “V is a dancer, musician & art lover who has a solid personality & sense of making choices driven by his own creativity, and with only his own style & elegance.”

WWD reported that V (born Kim Taehyung) will be the company’s newest global brand ambassador, with the singer debuting as the face of its Panthère line in a photo featuring the singer wearing some of the line’s feline fashions. As part of the roll-out, the magazine described a new photo of V in which he wore a red suit jacket along with a “sculptural diamond ring, tête-à-tête panther bracelet, the Révélation d’une Panthère watch and a Panthère de Cartier necklace made of white gold, diamonds, onyx and emeralds.”

“When it came to embodying the magnetism and aura of the panther, our choice naturally fell on V. He has the look and strength of character,” said Carrez. “A personality whose choices are guided by creativity as a dancer, musician or art lover, with this style and this elegance that belong only to him.”

In a statement, the company added that V has the “same creative spirit and magnetic gaze as the panther.. These links of character make this artist, considered one of the most talented of his generation, an ideal Cartier ambassador to wear Panthère de Cartier jewelry creations.” Another K-pop star, BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, joined Cartier as a brand ambassador in May 2022.

In the midst of BTS’ pause to allow its members to focus on solo projects — as well as to give them time to complete compulsory South Korean military service — V has also signed on as the global ambassador for fashion brand Celine. Earlier this year, bandmate Jimin was named as an ambassador for fellow luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co.

Check out an image of V in the Cartier campaign below.

19 Jul 2023

Post Malone Stops Traffic in Times Square to Deliver Surprise Performance at Newly-Built TSX Stage

If you were hanging around Times Square Tuesday afternoon (July 18) as a tourist, or passerby, chances are you didn’t have Post Malone performing in the middle of New York City on your 2023 bingo card. That’s what happened when the Grammy-nominated superstar became the first artist to ever perform at the TSX stage, nestled in the bustling streets of Midtown. 

Times Square anxiously buzzed with anticipation as pedestrians swarmed the perimeter amid a high police presence and a mysterious countdown ticker plastered onto the side of a building. Some fans walked by unbothered, thinking it was just another hectic day in the city, while others were intrigued by what would happen next.

At roughly 5:30 p.m., Posty sauntered onto the TSX stage, which sat behind an 18,000-square-foot billboard. Walking through the LED doors, Malone, with his guitar in tow, beamed radiantly at the crowd below his feet before launching into his first song, his new single, “Overdrive.” Serenading the public, the sounds of his guitar crackled through the speaker, halting traffic and causing people to stop and see his rock-laden efforts. 

“I’m so happy the rain cleared up so we can hang out, ladies and gentlemen,” Malone told the thousands of New York residents crowded around the stage. “I just wanted to say to everybody who came to hang out I’m so grateful and so very honored to be kicking this off. This is the coolest venue in the f–king universe. I’m super nervous and super happy you guys came out.”

The gracious Malone kept the party going as he segued into his Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single “Circles.” Donning a sleeveless white tee and black jeans, Malone had fans swooning over the love-drunk anthem as it rang through the city for blocks. Though Malone sang his chart-topping hit with unwavering conviction, he copped to his anxiety about being the first performer to grace the newly-built TSX Stage. 

“I’m the first guy to do this, and I was super terrified because I know everyone has a busy day and a busy schedule,” admitted Malone with his newly-released signature 32-ounce Raising Cane’s cup in hand. “I have a new album coming out later this month and I’m super excited to play you something off the new record that hasn’t been released yet. Hopefully, I don’t f–k it up.” 

As promised, Malone guided fans through his unreleased record “Enough Is Enough,” which will reside on his forthcoming album Austin, set to drop July 28. Abandoning his guitar, Malone clutched his mic and entered storytelling mode, singing: “Long nights in the city scene/ They said I, won’t pick fights that I won’t ever win/ I got a, bad b—h that would bring her friends/ But when I’m with you, it feels like I’m living again.” Malone’s pop-rock sensibilities shined as his drunken tales enticed the crowd, who yearned for more.

Malone didn’t shy away from the classics during his 18-minute set, as he also dialed up hits such as “Sunflower” and “Congratulations.” The ground shook as fans joyously got into it, partying with the self-proclaimed “Rockstar.” After each of his songs, Malone paused and formed a hand-shaped heart to show his admiration for the zealous fans.

“I love you, New York City,” said Malone before sending his final heart. “Thank you so much for hanging out with me tonight. I hope y’all have a great day. Stay safe, keep spreading love, keep being your beautiful selves, and keep kicking ass, ladies and gentlemen.”

Last month, Malone revealed the track list for his upcoming 17-track Austin album, which is due out on July 28.