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10 Mar 2023

Lady Gaga’s Glamorous New Wax Figure Is Fit for the 2019 Oscars: See the Photos

Lady Gaga is as real an artist, performer and person as they come. The only thing that’s fake about her? Her latest wax figure, which was recently unveiled as the newest addition to the Madame Tussauds Hollywood collection.

Little Monsters wanting to pose with Mother Monster were able to do the next best thing beginning March 8, when Gaga’s figure was first made available for viewing at the museum. Frozen forever in the middle of blowing an air kiss, the “Rain on Me” singer’s wax model is complete with perfectly recreated freckles, tattoos, makeup and hair color.

It’s a replica of Gaga’s glamorous look worn to the Oscars in 2019, where she won best original song for A Star Is Born‘s standout track “Shallow.” She wore an elegant black gown, matching opera gloves and a white and yellow diamond Tiffany necklace worth millions of dollars to the star-studded ceremony.

“Lady Gaga represents so many positive attributes in this world, and to have another wax figure added to Madame Tussauds is incredible,” said Tom Middleton, general manager at Madame Tussauds Hollywood, in a statement. “It made the most sense to have her Hollywood figure be inspired by the night she was nominated for Best Actress and took home the award for Best Original Song for ‘Shallow.‘”

Speaking of Gaga and the Oscars, it was recently revealed that the 13-time Grammy-winner won’t be performing at this year’s ceremony on Sunday (March 12) deespite being nominated again in the best original song category for “Hold My Hand,” her contribution to the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack. In a press meeting via Zoom, the show’s executive producer Glenn Weiss explained that she’s been too busy filming a movie — presumably Joker: Folie à Deux, in which she’s starring as Harley Quinn opposite Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker — to pull together an Oscars-worthy showcase.

“We actually invited all five nominees,” Weiss said on the call. “We have great relationships with Lady Gaga and her camp. After a bunch of back and forth, it didn’t feel like she can get a performance to the caliber that we’re used to with her and that she is used to. … So, she is not going to perform on the show.”

See a close-up photo of Lady Gaga’s new wax figure below:

Lady Gaga - Madame Tussauds Hollywood — Courtesy of Madame Tussauds Hollywood

10 Mar 2023

See the First Behind-the-Scenes Look at Aespa’s VR Concert Coming to SXSW 2023: Exclusive

Since aespa‘s debut in 2020, the K-pop girl group has stood out from other global-pop stars with an innovative dedication to blending real and virtual worlds. Now, the quartet is expanding its reach by connecting with fans through a virtual-reality experience at SXSW 2023, and Billboard has your first look.

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K-pop super label SM Entertainment and virtual-reality concert platform AmazeVR have come together for the world premiere of the aespa VR Concert at KWANGYA later this month at SXSW. The showing joins a slate of extended-reality activations for the Austin, Texas, festival’s XR Experience program, including J Balvin‘s “Futurum” VR concert.

Members KARINA, WINTER, GISELLE and NINGNING will share their stories and perform “Black Mamba” and “Illusion,” both of which are included on the group’s Girls: The 2nd Mini Album, which hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Album Sales chart when it arrived in July 2022. to Aespa will take the stage in KWANGYA, the virtual world envisioned and developed by SM Entertainment that pops into song lyrics for aespa as well as other SM artists such as TVXQ!, EXO, NCT and more.

Ahead of the SXSW premiere, watch an exclusive message from the girls plus a behind-the-scenes peek at the experience below. And according to a press release, if you can’t make it to Austin, the concert will soon be released across all major VR headset platforms.

The aespa virtual-reality concert at KWANGYA at the SXSW XR Experience program runs from March 12 to 14, 2023, at the Austin Fairmont Hotel Congressional Ballroom from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

10 Mar 2023

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Endless Summer Vacation’: All 13 Tracks Ranked

Miley Cyrus’ new album, Endless Summer Vacation, is many things: a self-described love letter to the city of Los Angeles, a full day in two distinct halves (the track list is divided into “AM” and “PM” songs), a fresh start on the new label home of Columbia Records, a commercial comeback thanks to lead single “Flowers” becoming Cyrus’ first Hot 100 chart-topper in nearly a decade.

Above all, however, Endless Summer Vacation is an apotheosis. After spending the decade following her Disney Channel rise by trying on different styles of popular music, from hip-hop to country-pop to guitar-rock, Cyrus positions her latest full-length as a culmination of her experiences and strengths, with a variety of sonic approaches folded into the mix. Cyrus, one of the more gifted pop artists of her generation, knows exactly who she is, and Endless Summer Vacation reckons with both where she’s been and where she might be headed next.

“Flowers” previewed the ‘70s haze of the album’s overarching pop-rock approach, but Endless Summer Vacation also includes nods to the psychedelica of the Dead Petz era, the sturdy rock of Plastic Hearts and the trap beats of Bangerz, as Cyrus revisits relationships that didn’t work out, peaceful blips that should have lasted longer, and personal truths that have led her to this moment as a fully self-assured 30-year-old. The themes are presented confidently, and the guest list is limited; Brandi Carlile and Sia appear on “Thousand Miles” and “Muddy Feet,” respectively, but their voices are mostly used to buttress Cyrus’ own, which has always been a remarkable instrument but has developed even greater nuance. She sings with purpose throughout the album, imbuing lines that could be delivered in any standard pop track with enough personality to convince the listener that, no, only Miley could sing this.

That’s always been Cyrus’ calling card — there’s no one else in pop music quite like her. And with Endless Summer Vacation, an irreplaceable talent pulls together all of the ideas she’s previously explored into a single, grand statement.

So which songs are the early standouts? Although all of Cyrus’ new album is worth exploring, here is a preliminary ranking of every song on Endless Summer Vacation.

“Flowers (Demo)”

The value in both versions of “Flowers” — the chart-topping original, and the stripped-down demo version — appearing on the Endless Summer Vacation track list lies in how the song’s message contorts: the hit version of “Flowers” conveys pop strength through self-care, but when accompanied by only a synthesizer here, Cyrus sounds like she’s trying to convince herself that no one can love her better than she can. Even if the demo take isn’t crucial, its fragility provides a stark, fascinating contrast.
“Muddy Feet” feat. Sia

Cyrus often sounds great while unfurling her rage in the vocal booth, and the highlight of “Muddy Feet” is that unbridled anger, with her growls and hoarse declarations directed toward the person constantly dragging dirt into her tidy life before a swelling outro featuring some choice Sia melismas. With its short running time and repeated phrases, “Muddy Feet” comes across as slightly incomplete compared to the rest of the Endless Summer Vacation tracks — but boy, is this one going to rip when Cyrus performs it live.
“Handstand”

How you personally feel about Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz will likely serve as your litmus test for “Handstand,” a trippy synth fantasia that kicks off with a spoken-word psych-out that includes the line “My friend Big Twitchy rode the boat to the light,” before digging into a clipped, surprisingly catchy breakdown. Knowingly messy but captivating in its weirdness, “Handstand” could be misplaced in the heart of Endless Summer Vacation or exactly at home as the meltdown of the album’s Side A, depending on your vision of the track list; either way, points to Cyrus for never giving up her freak flag.
“Wildcard”

Consider “Wildcard” as the grown-up version of Cyrus’ “Can’t Be Tamed”: all these years after rejecting the various boxes that modern society and popular culture tried to place her in, she’s still never going to be defined — in this case, as her identity relates to domesticity (“Maybe I could stay and not break your heart / But don’t forget, baby, I’m a wildcard,” she warns). “Wildcard” functions as a late-album vocal showcase, the snares complementing Cyrus’ statements of self before ceding the floor to showy synths on the high-powered hook.
“Island”

On an album full of compelling proclamations of who Cyrus is and what she wants, “Island” offers unexpected softness: sure, there are pangs of missing a significant other, but when a stranded Cyrus sings, “No one here needs nothin’ from me, and it’s kind of nice,” the listener can hear one of the more prolific pop artists of the past decade relax a little bit. The song’s breezy tone proves beguiling — credit to producer BJ Burton, who oversees a gorgeous mix — and Cyrus sparkles as its star.
“Rose Colored Lenses”

Credit to Cyrus for perfectly capturing the feeling of sprawling out and nestling into a comfortable setting on “Rose Colored Lenses” — “Let’s stay like this forever,” she breathes, as if hypnotizing her subject — as the production recalls the guitar-rock chug of her Plastic Hearts era before landing on a saxophone solo. “Rose Colored Lenses” contains the title Endless Summer Vacation in the second verse, and it makes sense: Cyrus is capturing a warm moment in time here, and pleading for it to stay eternal.
“Thousand Miles” feat. Brandi Carlile

At first glance, “Thousand Miles” resembles a straightforward country song — the first couplet includes the phrase “beat-up old Mercedes,” natch — with Brandi Carlile corralled in to deliver some yearning harmonies about nagging regrets and too-late calls. Yet a closer look reveals a shapeshifting sonic tapestry, with grand piano, harmonica, guitar and programmed drums pushing the song somewhere between Americana and synth-pop; whatever its genre classification, “Thousand Miles” recalls the twangy Cyrus masterclass “The Climb,” which is always a good thing.
“Wonder Woman”

The power of “Wonder Woman,” the tearjerking piano ballad that serves as the final non-demo song on the Endless Summer Vacation track list, lies in its universality: when Cyrus sings, “She’s a million moments / Lived a thousand lives / Never know she’s hopeless / Only when she cries,” she could be speaking as a pop star who’s had to charm the mainstream through several album eras, or as a woman being forced to bear too much in an imperfect society. “Wonder Woman” provides connection to those who seek it, and Cyrus sounds superb as the piano notes roll on, drawing out each line and extracting meaning from every moment.
“Jaded”

Immediately following “Flowers” on the Endless Summer Vacation track list, “Jaded” again reflects on a breakup, but focuses on the impact it had on Cyrus’ ex instead of herself: “You’re lonely now, and I hate it,” she sings, convinced that breaking up but necessary but still swimming in lingering concern. As the only track here produced by Greg Kurstin, “Jaded” leans on the echoes of bending guitar lines to express melancholy, then balls up its resolve during a grand, affecting chorus.
“River”

There’s a reason why “River” is being positioned as Cyrus’ potential follow-up smash to “Flowers”: the single handles its synth-pop flourishes and sexual innuendoes with funk and personality, its melodies blasted out like laser beams and Cyrus opting for sashaying monotone on the verses to offset the “ooh-ooh-OOH!” maximalism of the chorus. The foundation of “River” recalls the shimmering pop-rock tone of “Flowers,” but the intricate production keeps pushing the tempo, yielding a dance track that’s going to pop up at a lot of parties this summer.
“Flowers”

As “Flowers” has become Cyrus’ longest-running hit atop the Hot 100 in recent weeks, its appeal has only deepened — as if the major-key chorus and tabloid rumors launched the single as an early 2023 smash, but then the luxurious details, from the strings to post-chorus shuffle, helped the song sustain its run at No. 1. Yes, Cyrus has had flashier hits, but not too many as complete as this one, and the combination of stadium-sized melodies and polished subtleties makes “Flowers” sing.
“Violet Chemistry”

“Violet Chemistry” boasts quite the studio pedigree — Cyrus worked with Mike WiLL Made-It, Sia, James Blake, Jesse Shatkin, Maxx Morando and Max Taylor-Sheppard on the track — and that cacophony of ideas was somehow streamlined into a sleek, singular wallop of a synth-pop song. Cyrus works wonders on the forget-about-tomorrow anthem, her voice commanding in some moments and pleading in others, and the extended bridge, where the production simplifies to focus on the beats and bass as Cyrus turns sex into a Monet simile, makes “Violet Chemistry” both the longest song on Endless Summer Vacation, and one of the best.
“You”

One achievement that Plastic Hearts subtly unlocked for Cyrus: if you looked beyond the more uptempo singles and towards searing tracks like “High” and “Angels Like You,” she had clearly mastered her brand of the pop ballad. One album later, “You” exists as a lovestruck waltz but abides by the same tenets of those tracks, sparkling with lyrical gems (“I wanna cut off my hair and kick off my boots / Dance in the wind just to do it again”) and approaching its hook, an ode to embracing a flawed partner unconditionally, with tenacity and verve. Cyrus’ balladry bursts with her personality, which is why a song like “You” is so uniquely effective.

10 Mar 2023

An Arizona Town Planning ‘Highly Unusual’ Tribute to Taylor Swift For Eras Tour Kick-Off Date

Taylor Swift has shelves full of awards and, now, a Stanford University class based on her “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).” But when her anticipated Eras Tour hits Glendale, Arizona next week it will feel like coming home, because the city will temporarily change its name to Taylor Swift in honor of her tour-opening March 17 gig at State Farm Stadium.

According to KPNX, Mayor Jerry P. Weiers is slated to read a proclamation on Monday (March 13) making it official. The city reportedly wanted to do “something highly unusual” to show its appreciation for Swift launching the stadium jaunt in their town, though the renaming will only be in place until March 18.

Part of the celebration will also include welcome messages hung in the city’s Westgate Entertainment District, with local restaurants offering Swift-themed menu items. Swift is kicking off the Eras tour with shows on March 17 and 18 featuring Paramore and Gayle at the stadium before moving on to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for March 24-25 shows featuring Beabadoobee and Gayle.

The 52-date tour — during which Swift is expected to run through songs from her entire catalog — is the follow-up to her 2018 all-stadium tour in support of her Reputation album. The massive outing will double- and triple-down in some cities as it winds its way across the nation, hitting Tampa, Houston, Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, Cincinnati and Seattle before winding down with five dates at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Along the way she will be joined by a long list of support acts, including Gracie Abrams, Muna, Phoebe Bridgers, Girl in Red, Owenn and Haim.

10 Mar 2023

TWICE Thrill With Late-Night TV Performance of ‘Set Me Free’: Watch

The month of March has been an electrifying one for TWICE, the K-pop girl group which in short time has collected a special award, dropped a mini album and performed on late-night U.S. TV.

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First, the Breakthrough Award at Billboard’s Women In Music Event, where Chaeyoung, Nayeon, Tzuyu, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun and Jeongyeon graced the red carpet and performed “Moonlight Sunrise,” video for which has since racked-up about four million views on YouTube.

TWICE was honored at the annual event March 1 at YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, where they chatted with Billboard on the red carpet about the LP.

Then, overnight (March 9), the singers stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for a performance of “Set Me Free.”

The NBC studio audience emptied its collective lungs at the group, as they delivered their style of slick pop with clockwork-like choreography, all bathed in blue light.

“Moonlight Sunrise,” “Set Me Free” and earlier single “The Feels” appear on Ready to Be, the 12^th mini-album from TWICE, which dropped at the stroke of midnight. “Set Me Free” is the only track on the record that receives versions cut both English and Korean.

If you need a pointer to its potential chart success, the last TWICE mini-album was August 2022’s Between 1&2, which logged eight weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 3.

In an interview with Billboard ahead of the 2023 WIM, the nine-member act spoke of their global success despite language differences. “I think it’s the songs of ours that carry TWICE’s color rather than the language in which the song is sung,” Jihyo said at the time. “I don’t think the language is that relevant in carrying out TWICE’s [identity].”

Watch the late-night TV performance below and stream Ready to Be here.

09 Mar 2023

TWICE’s ‘Ready to Be’ Is Here: Stream It Now

ONCE, the day has arrived. TWICE unveiled their 12th mini-album, Ready to Be, on Friday (March 10).

The group’s previously released second English single “Moonlight Sunrise” is included in the seven-track set, in addition to songs like “Got the Thrills,” “Blame It on Me,” “Wallflower,” “Crazy Stupid Love” and “Set Me Free.” “Set Me Free” is the only track on the record that will receive a version in both English and Korean. “I think it’s the songs of ours that carry TWICE’s color rather than the language in which the song is sung,” Jihyo previously told Billboard. “I don’t think the language is that relevant in carrying out TWICE’s [identity].”

The K-pop group’s last mini-album, Between 1&2, was on the Billboard 200 for eight weeks and peaked at No. 3.

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TWICE was honored with the Breakthrough Award at Billboard’s Women in Music event on March 1, where they chatted with Billboard on the red carpet about the album. “We are ready to show more of our beautiful inner side to the world and ready to show more of ourselves,” Tzuyu shared of Ready to Be.

Listen to Ready to Be in full below.

09 Mar 2023

Miley Cyrus Drops ‘River’ Music Video

Miley Cyrus unfurled her new single “River,” as well as its associated music video, on Friday (March 10) via RCA Records.

The track’s moody visual finds the singer striking pose after pose as she belts out, “I feel you everywhere/ You face is all in my hair/ Covered up in your sweat/ It turns me on that you care, baby” before the synth-heavy beat drops in to turn the occasion into a full-blown dance banger.

In the week leading up to the video’s premiere, the former Hannah Montana star teased what inspired the sexually-charged follow-up to her smash single “Flowers,” saying, “It was a time in my life where I was going through just a lot emotionally and personally. All of my songs evolve. They can start as something that was a trouble, like, it just feels like it’s an April shower, it never stops raining and then it started raining down love” before adding, “Sometimes we just need a dance floor banger a.k.a. they don’t want me to talk about the fact the song is about [bleep]. It’s f—ing nasty.”

“River” is also featured on the tracklist of Cyrus’ new studio set Endless Summer Vacation, which is out in full now via digital retailers, streaming services and elsewhere, along with album cuts like “Rose Colored Lenses,” “Thousand Miles” featuring Brandi Carlile, “Wildcard,” “Island” and more.

Fans can experience the entire album live for the very first time by tuning into Miley’s Backyard Sessions concert special celebrating the release, as well as the fifteenth anniversary of “The Climb,” on Disney+.

Watch the music video for Cyrus’ “River” below.

09 Mar 2023

Miley Cyrus Unveils ‘Endless Summer Vacation’: Stream It Now

Miley Cyrus released her new album Endless Summer Vacation on Friday (March 10) via RCA Records.

The studio effort, the singer’s eighth, was preceded by its lead lead single “Flowers,” which became a worldwide smash upon its January release — topping the Billboard Hot 100 and both Billboard Global charts for six consecutive weeks and becoming inarguably the biggest hit of Cyrus’ career.

Prior to its arrival, the pop star teased that Endless Summer Vacation would be split into two sides, AM and PM, that function as separate acts. “The AM to me is representing the morning time where there’s a buzz and an energy, and there’s a potential of new possibilities — it’s a new day. And in the nighttime, it feels that there’s a slinky seediness and kind of a grime, but a glamor at the same time…And L.A., there’s a certain energy to the night, that you can kind of feel trouble boil up to the surface, and it’s very inspiring to me.” she said in a clip posted to her official Instagram feed.

In addition to “Flowers,” the full-length also contains second single “River” as well as collaborations with Brandi Carlile (“Thousand Miles”) and Sia (“Muddy Feet”) and additional tracks like “Jaded,” “Handstand,” “Violet Chemistry” and “Wonder Woman.”

To celebrate the release, Cyrus is making her return to her Disney roots for Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions), a concert special streaming now on Disney+ that will give fans the first live experience of her new album.

Stream Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation in full below.

09 Mar 2023

(G)I-DLE’s Minnie & Anne-Marie Vent on Pop-Star ‘Expectations’ in New Collaboration: Watch

While Anne-Marie is the English pop star known for massive collaborations with Marshmello and Clean Bandit, and Minnie is the Thailand-raised singer and producer in K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE, there are universal frustrations both pop stars can agree upon that get explored in “Expectations.”

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The new collaboration speaks to sticking to your guns and blazing your own path in life. The pair brush off unsolicited career advice, declare their past music doesn’t define them today (Minnie shouts out (G)I-DLE’s 2020 summer single “Dumdi Dumdi” while Anne-Marie throws back to her debut single “Karate” from 2015), and share a message with the Recording Academy, shouting, “F-ck that Grammy nomination/ Happiness cannot be bought!”

The pair show off their different personalities in the music video where both get rowdy and let loose while singing their stories in their own studios.

“Expectations” is Anne-Marie’s latest plug in the K-pop scene since jumping on a remix to boy band SEVENTEEN‘s single “_WORLD” last year. The U.K. starlet has become a favorite in South Korea after the remarkable local success of singles like “2002” and “Friends,” that’s led her to wins at Korean-music ceremonies including the V Live Awards, Gaon Chart Music Awards, Asia Artist Awards and more.

Watch Anne-Marie and Minnie challenge “Expectations” in their music video below:

09 Mar 2023

Henry Lau Duets With Yuna, Wonders If ‘Real Love Still Exists’: Listen to R&B-Pop Track

2023 will mark five years since Henry Lau went independent after his contract completion with Korean super-label SM Entertainment, and his latest music shows him still pushing toward his goal of boundary-less music.

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Henry’s new single “Real Love Still Exists” brings the singer-songwriter and Malaysian breakout superstar Yuna together for a languishing R&B-pop duet perfect for both their tender voices. Canada-raised Lau opens the track with sparse acoustic guitar backing a melancholy melody reminiscent of the No. 1 Beatles classic “Something.” Yuna hops in halfway through the song as the second verse incorporates heavier percussion beats accompanying the songbird’s sweetly somber delivery. The two harmonize on the chorus together, dreamily duetting and pleading: “Give me just a chance/ One chance/ Take you to the other side/ Where ignorance is bliss/ Where real love still exists.”

For the accompanying music video, Henry headed to the City of Light for the lovelorn song’s visual. The star plays guitar on the Paris streets amid couples kissing, one getting down on one knee for a proposal, as Henry flashbacks to his own relationship. By the end of the visual, the sun has set on Paris, and Henry finds himself face-to-face with his lost love again.

“Real Love Still Exists” is the second new track from Henry in 2023 after January’s funky, folky pop single “Moonlight,” marking the former Super Junior member’s first new collection of singles since his Journey album in late 2020. Both releases come through Lau’s Monster Entertainment Group, which he told Billboard in 2019 was envisioned for him to “make my own brand, to have my own color” and make label-less music in any language he feels. The multilingual star has recently been active with music, television, acting, and his YouTube channel featuring viral violin and vocal covers of Hot 100 hits like Miley Cyrus‘ “Flowers,” SZA‘s “Kill Bill” and more.

Check out if “Real Love Still Exists” with Henry below:

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“Flowers (Demo)”

“Muddy Feet” feat. Sia

“Handstand”

“Wildcard”

“Island”

“Rose Colored Lenses”

“Thousand Miles” feat. Brandi Carlile

“Wonder Woman”

“Jaded”

“River”

“Flowers”

“Violet Chemistry”

“You”

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