Pop
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Ariana Grande has been in the spotlight for more than half of her life. In an interview with YouTube personality Sally this week, the Wicked star got very candid about what that has felt like, specifically how it feels to constantly have strangers evaluating and judging her body. And, in a super honest moment, she had a simple message for people who do that.
“There’s a comfortability people have with commenting on that [my body] that I think is really dangerous. And I think it’s dangerous for all parties involved,” she said, as her Wicked co-star, Cynthia Erivo, held the singer’s hand and comforted her as she appeared on the verge of tears while answering a question about the struggle for women to live up to society’s exacting, often unreasonable, beauty standards
“I’ve been kind of doing this in front of the public and kind of been a specimen in a petri dish since I was 16 or 17, so I have heard it all,” Grande said. “I’ve heard every version of it… of what’s wrong with me. And then you fix it, and then it’s wrong for different reasons. But that’s everything from – even just the simplest thing – your appearance, you know?”
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Grande, 31, said it’s hard to protect yourself from that noise and it’s uncomfortable no matter where you experience such pressures. “Even if you go to Thanksgiving dinner, and someone’s granny says, ‘Oh my God, you look skinnier! What happened?’ or ‘You look heavier! What happened?’” she said. “That is something that’s uncomfortable and horrible no matter where it’s happening… and I think in today’s society there’s a comfortability that we shouldn’t have, at all, commenting on other’s looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes, or health, or how they present themselves.”
Getting animated, Grande said those kinds of judgements about what women are wearing and how their bodies and faces look are “dangerous.” She counted herself lucky to have a good support system that allows her to “know and trust that I am beautiful… but I do know what the pressure of that noise feels like… I just don’t invite it in anymore. It’s not welcome. I have work to do. I have a life to live. I have friends to love on, I have so much love and it’s not invited.”
She added that however you have to block that noise out, whether it’s deleting a toxic social app or blocking trolls online, “you keep yourself safe. Because no one has the right to say s–t!”
The latter comment drew a clap from host Sally, as well as an “amen” seconded by Erivo. “Can you tell I needed that today?” Grande said with a smile as Erivo grabbed her arm and displayed yet another example of the way the two women have openly supported and big-upped each other during the exhaustive press tour in support of the hit movie musical which has already rolled up $372.9 million in ticket sales so far.
Grande has spoken before about fans’ concerns over her appearance, including in a TikTok video last year in which she had similar thoughts about people’s concerns about her body.
“I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies — no matter what. If you think you’re saying something good or well-intentioned, whatever it is. Healthy, unhealthy, big, small, this, that, sexy, not sexy, I don’t… We just shouldn’t. We should really work towards not doing that as much,” she said at the time.
“But I also just wanted to say one, there are many different kinds of beautiful,” she added. “There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful. I know personally for me, the body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body. I was on a lot of anti-depressants, and drinking on them and eating poorly, and at the lowest point of my life when I looked the way you consider my ‘healthy.’ But that, in fact, wasn’t my healthy. I know I shouldn’t have to explain that, but I do feel like maybe having an openness and some sort of vulnerability here, something good might come from it.”
Check out Grande and Erivo’s interview with Sally below.
Sabrina Carpenter is set to headline BST Hyde Park in 2025, marking another milestone in her meteoric rise to pop stardom.
The “Espresso” singer will take center stage in London on Saturday, July 5, with special guests Clairo and beabadoobee joining her on the iconic Great Oak Stage.
Additional acts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Fans can grab tickets starting Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 10 a.m. GMT. Tickets can be purchased here. For those with an American Express card, an exclusive presale began on Dec. 6 and runs until 9 a.m. on Dec. 11.
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This announcement comes on the heels of Carpenter’s landmark year, during which she earned six Grammy nominations and garnered praise from peers like Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift. Notably, Swift recently called her “the pop princess of our dreams” after the two collaborated on an acoustic mash-up of their songs during Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) release event.
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BST Hyde Park has become synonymous with iconic performances, and Sabrina’s inclusion solidifies her status as one of pop music’s brightest stars. She joins an already stellar lineup of headliners, including Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, Jeff Lynne’s ELO, Zach Bryan, and Hugh Jackman.
Carpenter’s appearance at BST Hyde Park will be part of a busy year for the singer-songwriter. She is also set to headline Primavera Sound alongside Charli XCX and Chappell Roan and will embark on the U.K. and European leg of her tour, featuring Rachel Chinouriri as a special guest.
The tour begins at Dublin’s 3Arena on March 3 and includes stops in Birmingham, London, and Manchester. Adding to the excitement, Carpenter recently announced her upcoming Netflix holiday special, A Nonsense Christmas, premiering Dec. 6. The special boasts a star-studded guest list, including Chappell Roan, Tyla, Quinta Brunson, and Cara Delevingne.
Sabrina Carpenter has been rewriting chart history in 2024. She became the first solo artist, and only the second act after The Beatles, to achieve two simultaneous top-three hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her singles “Please Please Please” debuted at No. 2, and “Espresso” peaked at No. 3. Additionally, she became the first woman in Billboard Hot 100 history to have three songs (“Espresso,” “Please Please Please,” and “Taste”) in the Top 10 for five consecutive weeks, surpassing Cardi B’s previous record of four weeks.
Carpenter also achieved a Billboard 200 milestone with her sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet, debuting at No. 1. The album sold 362,000 equivalent album units in its first week, marking her first album to top the chart.
It’s been nearly three years since Jane “Nightbirde” Marczewski, a fan-favorite contestant on season 16 of America’s Got Talent, died of cancer at age 31. However, her legacy lives on through her family, who have been releasing her powerful songs posthumously.
Her latest single, “Still Got Dreams,” arrived first thing Friday (Dec. 6) and features the Mzansi Youth Choir of South Africa, who got the Golden Buzzer on season 18 of AGT by paying tribute to Nightbirde with a cover of “It’s Okay” during their emotional 2023 audition.
The Geoff Duncan-produced track, which also serves as the title track from Nightbirde’s upcoming posthumous album, was written at a particularly devastating and difficult time of her life, as she dealt with a divorce and a cancer re-diagnosis with a very slight chance of survival. She was determined to fight in the compelling, hopeful lyrics, singing in the chorus: “I still’ve got some magic in me/ I can’t see it but I still believe/ The music stopped but I can still sing/ Pretty beat up but I still got dreams.”
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The Mzansi Youth Choir adds to the heartwarming, inspiring nature of the track by singing in isiZulu, “We ngoma ngiyakholwa Kuwe usisibonelo,” which translates to, “I believe music is a wonderful gift.”
“One of the ways Jane inspired the world was through her bravery in facing insurmountable odds,” the late star’s older brother, Mitch Marczewski Jr., shares with Billboard. “The message of ‘Still Got Dreams’ reinforces the fact that even though people may be beat up by their circumstances, they can still pursue their dreams. If there’s ever a time to remind people to pursue their dreams, it’s now.”
All proceeds from Nightbirde’s music, art, books, merchandise and licensing benefit the Nightbirde Foundation, which aims to uplift and support women battling breast cancer. “In addition to spreading hope, we distributed tens of thousands of dollars in grants to help women with breast cancer get the treatments they need to live fulfilling lives,” Mitch says. “The Nightbirde Foundation has been able to inspire women to dream.”
As for what he wants people to remember about his sister, Mitch says Nightbirde’s “faith in Jesus was the ultimate hope that enabled her to be the woman she was,” adding, “We are still amazed at her ability to hold joy and grief simultaneously, even when she was pretty beat up. We miss her dearly and wish she was here to continue to show the world her wit, wisdom, grit and faith.”
Listen to Nightbirde’s “Still Got Dreams,” featuring the Mzansi Youth Choir, below.
Fans have known ROSÉ of BLACKPINK for years. But now, they finally get to meet Rosie. The 27-year-old pop star’s debut solo album rosie arrived Friday (Dec. 6), bringing with it 12 new tracks written during a break from full-band obligations with JISOO, JENNIE and LISA. The dozen of songs include hit single “APT.” with […]
The holiday season is in full swing, and BTS’ V is getting into the festive spirit by teaming up with the late Bing Crosby to release a duet version of “White Christmas” on Friday (Dec. 6). Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In the new rendition of the […]
With the release of Spotify Wrapped on Wednesday (Dec. 4), music fans promptly took to social media to share their listening habits throughout the year, including their favorite songs, albums and artists. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Miley Cyrus joined the bandwagon on Thursday (Dec. 5), taking […]
Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. This week: A number of up-and-coming rappers featured on the late year’s biggest rap release get bumps for their own catalogs, an old emo song becomes a seasonal-sadness singalong and much more.
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L.A. Rappers’ Catalogs Rise Following Major Looks on Kendrick Lamar’s ‘GNX’
Kendrick Lamar’s GNX has already collected impressive wins on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100, but the Compton MC’s surprise album is also helping boost the catalog of its featured L.A. rappers.
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“TV Off” blasted in at No. 2 on the Hot 100 (dated Dec. 7), making it the highest-ranking GNX collaboration. Baldwin Park emcee Lefty Gunplay is the guest on that track (“S–t get crazy, scary, spooky, hilarious!), and his own new project, Most Valuable Gangbanger (Nov. 22), ironically coincided with the GNX drop. Thanks to his own new release and the explosive immediate interest in “TV Off,” Lefty’s catalog has spiked 84% in official on-demand U.S. streams the week of GNX’s release (Nov. 22-28) versus the week prior (Nov. 15-21), according to Luminate. In the week following the release of Most Valuable Gangbanger and GNX, Lefty Gunplay’s catalog earned just over 468,000 streams.
The Dody6-assisted “Hey Now” (No. 5), is the other GNX Hot 100 top five hit to feature an L.A. rapper. His appearance on GNX follows a joint project with T.0wee called Make Vernon Great Again from earlier this year. In the week following GNX’s release, streaming activity for Dody’s catalog jumped over 110%, collecting over 336,000 official on-demand U.S. streams. AzChike, who guested on ScHoolboy Q’s Blue Lips back in March, lent his talents to “Peekaboo,” which debuted at No. 13 on the Hot 100. In the week following GNX’s release, AzChike’s catalog pulled in over 916,000 official on-demand U.S. streams, marking a 15% lift in streaming activity.
The GNX title track entered the Hot 100 at No. 24 and features Hitta J3, YoungThreat & Peysoh. Notably, Hitta J3 and Kendrick joined forces back in 2014 alongside YG and Problem (now known as JasonMartin) for the “Do Yo Gudda” remix. Following GNX’s release (Nov. 22-28), Hitta J3’s catalog earned just under 30,000 official on-demand U.S. streams – a whopping 149% increase from the 11,700 streams it collected the week prior. – KYLE DENIS
Mom Jeans Squeezes in a Sentimental Pre-Holidays Viral Hit
Everyone gets a little emotional around Thanksgiving time, right? There’s a lot of family, a lot of old memories, a lot of homesickness for those who can’t get away from their usual lives, maybe a reunion or two for those who can… Maybe that partly explains the timing of Midwest emo band Mom Jeans seeing its acoustic ballad “Scott Pilgrim vs. My GPA,” from 2016’s Best Buds, unexpectedly become one of the hottest songs on TikTok, for a section with the brutal lyrics, “Don’t go back to our old place/ It’s probably locked up anyway/ I bet it still looks the same as when I ran away that day.”
The sound has of course been used by any number of users for emotional lip synch moments over the past few weeks – but it’s also been adapted as a go-to soundtrack for popular nostalgic and/or tear-jerking edits of football and wrestling stars. Consequently, the song debuts at No. 46 on this week’s TikTok Top 50, and has been exploding on streaming services, with the song racking up 2.3 official on-demand U.S. streams for the tracking week ending Nov. 28, according to Luminate – a whopping 1,282% gain from the 165,000 streams it posted three weeks earlier. If TikTok users haven’t worked out their baggage by the holidays, look out – we could see “Scott Pilgrim” elbowing its way in there with all the Bing Crosby and Perry Como. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER
Twerking Trend Helps E.K.E. Earn Viral Hit
Ever the reliable needle-mover, a twerk-centric dance trend has helped an Akon-nodding track explode at streaming this month.
On Nov. 8, TikTok creator @mora2767 posted a dance sequence – featuring lots of twerking and trademark Cali moves – to the tune of E.K.E.’s “Ghetto,” which incorporated elements from the intro of Akon’s 2005 song of the same name. In the week following that video’s initial upload – it has since garnered over 2.4 million views – E.K.E.’s “Ghetto” earned 137,000 official on-demand U.S. streams. That figure leapt but an astounding 711% to over 1.11 million streams the following week since the trend took off on TikTok. The next week, streams increased a further 43% to over streams during Nov. 22-28. Over the past two weeks, streams for “Ghetto” have risen over 1,065%.
The official TikTok sound for “Ghetto” now boasts over 157,000 posts, including one from E.K.E. himself. Back in September, about a month after the song was released (Aug. 2), E.K.E. posted a TikTok attempting to jumpstart his own dance trend for “Ghetto.” While his trend wasn’t the one to take off, his head was always in the right place.
Already off to a No. 14 start on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, expect “Ghetto” to continue rising in the weeks to come. – KD
NLE Choppa’s Latest Horny Hit Finds Its Way to the Hot 100
It’s been a pretty crazy year for NLE Choppa, who has reworked his now-signature hit “Slut Me Out” into multiple sequel incarnations, scored a breakout hit alongside New York crew 41 with the blaring “Or What,” and released one of the wildest short films you’ll see outside of the festival circuit in 2024 with NLE Choppa: The Wash. Now, he’s back with a new single that might be on its way to being his most viral non-collab hit of 2024: the characteristically horny “Gang Baby.”
The new hit, which features the repeat chorus lyric “Let me f–k somethin’” and shows NLE Choppa surrounded by a circle of twerking behinds in the video, has been absolutely exploding on streaming lately, thanks to a dance challenge and other edits that have helped the song become a major TikTok hit, many of which used a slightly sped-up version of the song. After growing 267% in official on-demand U.S. streams over the past five weeks – to 5.7 million official streams for the week ending Nov. 28 – it has now also punctured the Hot 100, reaching No. 98. Clearly, we all observe cuffing season in our own ways. – AU
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Oliver Anthony, who earned a two-week Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper with his song “Rich Men North of Richmond” in August 2023 and became a viral sensation, didn’t hold back in offering his thoughts on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album.
In a video he posted on YouTube on Wednesday (Dec. 4), Anthony spends much of it discussing his experiences with the music industry, including mentioning an unnamed management company that he had begun working with following the success of “Rich Men North of Richmond.”
“In their own words, it was like, ‘We gotta figure out how to make you cool,’” Anthony said, noting that one of the ideas an unnamed music industry member pitched to him involved having the singer-songwriter praise Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album — an idea Anthony rejected.
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“One of the guys I worked with, he wanted me to make some stupid f–king post about Beyoncé’s country album, about how it was good, even though it was complete trash. It makes me just want to throw up,” Oliver said. He also disparaged Beyoncé’s reimagining of Dolly Parton’s classic “Jolene,” saying, “Even half trying to listen to the beginning of, like, her version of ‘Jolene,’ it’s just total cringe.”
Anthony added, “It represents how degenerative our society has become, that a song like a Beyoncé version of ‘Jolene’ can come out and anybody actually listen to it and think it’s not just complete trash. So I was supposed to make a post, basically trying to associate myself with Beyoncé in hopes of us doing some kind of song together, but you know, how many people do that? How many artists do you follow on social media that have never even looked at their social media, and you’re just reading words and posts and things that were written by somebody that you’ve never even met, that aren’t the artist, that don’t even necessarily work directly for the artist … It’s so much theatrics and illusion and characterizations that are built in this whole thing to like keep people hanging on for more.”
Billboard has reached out to Beyoncé’s rep for comment.
Elsewhere during his video, he noted that his approach of keeping his concert ticket prices affordable for fans has been monetarily successful, despite industry members who told him he would not be able to make a profit. “It’s ridiculous how greedy these people are. We did this whole tour for this year, we had a $25 ticket option at every show that I did that was mine, and everybody was like, ‘You can’t do that. You won’t make any money.’ I got so sick of listening to everybody who told me how stupid I was for trying to do it,” he said. “I mean, we made great money this year. I made enough money in one year of touring to never have to work again. So, you don’t have to charge $200 for a ticket. It’s just crazy how it is.”
In October, Anthony stated in a separate YouTube video that he was intent on walking away from aspects of the music business to focus on traveling ministry work, though he clarified that he would still be playing shows and making music. In that video, he stated how his involvement with the music business since the launch of “Rich Men North of Richmond” had “opened my eyes to how much control and how much visibility there is on the top down.”
He also said that upcoming music would come as part of his The Rural Revival Project, an organization that he noted would “be set up legally as a ministry,” while helping to revitalize farming and other rural communities. He noted as well his intent to set up his touring in a way that would allow him to visit towns “that haven’t had music in them in a long time. It stimulates their economy, showcases their culture, it uses local vendors and local musicians.” Added Anthony, “You’re not having to drive out to Pittsburgh to a concrete amphitheater to see a show. It’s done out on a farm or on a main street that desperately needs the economic impact.”
On Easter Sunday, Oliver Anthony released the project Hymnal of a Troubled Man’s Mind, which featured a mix of songs and recitations of Bible verses. The set reached No. 13 on Billboard‘s Heatseekers chart.
In April, Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter debuted at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200, marking her eighth No. 1 on that chart. Cowboy Carter also launched at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums, Americana/Folk Albums and Top Album Sales charts. Meanwhile, the album’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Cowboy Carter featured collaborations with Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, while spotlighting country music trailblazer Linda Martell and highlighting the talents of Shaboozey, Willie Jones, Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, Brittney Spencer.
Beyoncé was also just named Billboard‘s Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century, and is up for several Grammys at next year’s ceremony, including album of the year and best country album.
See Oliver Anthony’s full video below:
Ariana Grande and The Weeknd couldn’t love each other harder.
The “Blinding Lights” singer sang the praises of his longtime friend and collaborator in a recent post on Instagram Stories, sharing a poster for Wicked — in which the R.E.M. Beauty founder stars opposite Cynthia Erivo — and writing, “this was fantastic.”
“congrats @arianagrande so proud,” The Weeknd added.
Shortly afterward, Grande reposted the The Idol star’s words on her own Story. “thank you, my friend,” she wrote, adding a bubble emoji to emulate Glinda’s famous method of travel in Wicked.
The “Yes, And?” vocalist and The Weeknd have been working together for years, starting with “Love Me Harder” in 2014. Six years later, the Canadian musician jumped on Ari’s Positions track “Off the Table,” while she helped propel his “Save Your Tears” to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 by joining him on a remix.
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In 2023, while Grande was still filming Wicked, she again gave one of The Weeknd’s tracks a lift by adding her magic to “Die for You,” which then shot up to the top of the Hot 100. “Wrote and recorded a verse for my friend after a 14 hour day on set,” she wrote of the project at the time. “This certain exception had to be made….”
The Weeknd is just one of many fans who are loving Wicked. Following its Nov. 22 premiere in theaters worldwide, its soundtrack album opened at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 — the highest ever debut for a big-screen adaptation of a stage musical on the chart — and the film has brought in over $260 million in North America so far, making it the highest grossing movie ever at the domestic box office based on a Broadway musical.
Grande’s performance in the film is also being widely lauded, and the star will soon receive the the Rising Star Award at the Palm Springs International Film Awards. “In Wicked, Ariana Grande’s portrayal of Glinda elevates her to new heights with a powerful acting performance that beautifully combines her outstanding musical talent, brilliant characterization and impeccable comedic timing,” chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi said in a recent statement. “Ariana is an iconic global performer, who has seamlessly transitioned to film in her first major starring role, proving herself to be a multifaceted and undeniable talent.”
Billboard‘s Joe Lynch felt similarly. “Grande is a revelation,” he wrote in his review. “This performance signals the arrival of a formidable cinematic talent with a lot more to show us.”
Our 100 favorite songs from a year where pop was really back in full effect.
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