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Ed Sheeran sometimes takes a bit of a break after an album/tour cycle. But After releasing two albums last year, – (Subtract) and Autumn Variations and touring the world for the past two years, the singer told Variety magazine that his next project is already in the can.
Sheeran told the magazine that the as-yet-untitled LP is already finished and that he’s shot two music videos for it, with plans to shoot two more early next year as he continues touring across India, China and the Middle East before returning to Europe next spring and summer.
The singer is planning a full-court promo push for the next LP after his = (Equal) LP’s release in the waning days of the COVID-19 pandemic and the more subdued vibe on Subtract, which he said was “obviously a completely different record that didn’t really call for big pop stuff.”
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Asked what fans can expect next time around, Sheeran had some good news. “It feels like I’m getting back into big pop for the first time in a long time,” he said. “It’s quite exciting.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Sheeran talked about his latest collaboration with Love Actually‘s Richard Curtis, which began when the director showed the singer some early storyboards for his first animated project, That Christmas. “He asked if I wanted to write the music for it, and I said, ‘Cool,’” Sheeran said. “There was one scene, and I wrote a chorus for it, but didn’t hear anything back.’”
Then, after two years, Curtis asked Sheeran to finish the song called “Under the Tree” — which Ed said was the first “sad” Christmas tune he’s ever written – for the animated movie now streaming on Netflix. “It’s the one thing I’ve wanted to write,” Sheeran said of the tune in which he put himself in the place of a man waiting in vain for his dad to come home at Christmas. “I’d never seen the need [to write] a sad Christmas song until writing this one… this is quite a lot of people’s realities at Christmas.”
When Netflix decided to edit the song into the movie Sheeran told them he wasn’t really planning to do promo this year, but said if they wanted a video he’d do it if Curtis agreed to direct his first-ever music video. “I’ve felt that having him put his stamp on me doing a Christmas song would be kind of special to me,” said Sheeran.
Check out the “Under the Tree” video below.
Mariah Carey was forced to cancel her planned Christmas Time show on Wednesday night (Dec. 11) at Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena after falling ill. In a note to fans posted just hours before showtime, Carey informed her Lambs that the show could not go on.
“Pittsburgh, I am sorry to say, I’ve come down with the flu,” the singer wrote. “It breaks my heart that I unfortunately have to cancel tonight’s show. I love you all so much.” The arena posted a note just before Carey’s announcing the cancellation and telling fans that they will receive an email with refund options.
WTAE spoke to some disappointed fans, who said missing out on the Christmas spectacular was definitely a bummer. “We didn’t get anything telling us that it was cancelled. We didn’t know until we arrived and we saw a paper you know when you get to the entry to get your ticket for it there was a paper taped on,” said a family that had traveled from Youngstown, Ohio.
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“I had my whole outfit picked out I was smooth. I was like man, she’s gonna see me, she gonna see me and she aint gonna see me that hurts,” said fan Anthony Mock. Fans had all kinds of feelings in the comments on Carey’s post, including one who showed off the sparkly nutcracker costume he planned to wear and another who has some motherly advice.
“Get well soon! Your health is the most important thing, so please take good care of yourself. Drink some chamomile tea to help you feel better! i know you were really looking forward to the show, but sometimes things happen,” they wrote. “Just remember, you love your fans, and they love you back. They’ll understand and won’t blame you Sorry to hear you’re not feeling well. Your health is the most important thing, so take the time you need to rest and recover. We can always reschedule once you’re better—wishing you a speedy recovery!”
Carey performed in Raleigh, N.C. on Monday, where she was informed on stage that her holiday classic, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” has hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 yet again.
“Last night on stage in Raleigh, North Carolina, I found out that ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ returned to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100,” Carey wrote alongside a repost of a fan video of her twins, Moroccan and Monroe, handing over a bouquet of celebratory flowers. “I couldn’t have dreamed of a better time or place to celebrate the news than on stage with my amazing fans, my kids and my #Christmastime tour family. I love you and am so grateful to you all,” Carey added.
Carey will have something else to celebrate this week as she recuperates: “All I Want” was also certified 16x Platinum by the RIAA. The singer’s next scheduled show is on Friday (Dec. 13) at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The Christmas tour is slated to wind down with two more shows, on Dec. 15 in Belmont Park, NY and Dec. 17 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
ROSÉ made her highly anticipated solo in-studio debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday night (Dec. 11).
The BLACKPINK star brought her signature style and her infectious energy to the late-night stage, performing “APT.” and “Toxic Till the End” from her latest album, rosie.
With a six-piece band behind her, ROSÉ turned Fallon’s iconic studio into her own concert venue. She began an “APT./toxic till the end” medley by taking over his desk, casually singing with her feet propped up as if she owned the place.
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Dressed in a sleek black crop top, pleated gray miniskirt, and bold red-and-black suspenders, ROSÉ gave the audience a taste of her unique flair while letting the music take center stage.
Her latest appearance wasn’t just another performance—it signaled a pivotal moment in her career. ROSÉ is no stranger to The Tonight Show stage—BLACKPINK delivered “How You Like That” in June 2020, and she herself shared a pre-taped performance of “On the Ground” in March 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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This time around, it was live and in-person, and she certainly owned the moment. The crowd rose to their feet to sing along to the catchy chorus of “APT.” before ROSÉ seamlessly transitioned into her new track “toxic till the end”. Confetti rained down during the finale, the neon lights of the Tonight Show glowing behind her, wrapping up a set that felt as celebratory as it was transformative.
Elsewhere on Fallon, the New Zealand-born, Melbourne-raised star opened up about her childhood dream of becoming a singer, shared how Bruno Mars helped pick the name of her first solo album, and shows Jimmy Fallon how to play the “APT.” drinking game.
Reminiscing about her first audition for BLACKPINK, ROSÉ shared with Fallon, “It was around the time Jason Mraz had released a song called “I Won’t Give Up,” I had just learnt it…”
“I walked in, I honestly thought it was a joke. I was like, ‘This is funny. There’s no way I’m going to get it at all.’ But My dad and I had flown all the way from Melbourne to Sydney for the audition, so I was like, ‘Well, might as well make some memories..’”
“I did it and was like ‘bye’, then they called me, and I just remember thinking, ‘What is happening?!’”
ROSÉ is fresh off the release of her solo debut album, Rosie. The 12-track set includes hit single “APT.” with Bruno Mars — which has spent six weeks so far at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and has so far peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 — surpassing even the highest-charting hit of her globally famous K-pop girl group BLACKPINK— as well as her new track “Number One Girl.”
She also recently dropped “toxic till the end,” which she performed on Fallon, accompanied by a new Ramez Silyan-directed music video co-starring Evan Mock.
The hype around ROSÉ’s solo career is only growing. Rosie has been met with excitement for its blend of introspection and pop-forward energy, and with performances like this one, she’s proving why she’s a force to be reckoned with on her own.
“I have poured my blood and tears into this album,” she wrote on Instagram when she first announced the project back in October. “I cannot wait for you to listen to this little journal of mine. Rosie – is the name I allow my friends and family to call me. With this album, I hope you all feel that much closer to me.”
ROSÉ’s new album, Rosie, is available to stream below, and you can watch her performance on Fallon here.
Taylor Swift‘s goodbye to The Eras Tour was a short and sweet one on social media following a trio of performances in Vancouver last weekend, the final three dates of a 149-show tour that grossed more than $2 billion in 2023-2024. The “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” hitmaker uploaded a series of […]
Shawn Mendes is the latest guest on John Mayer‘s new SiriusXM show, How’s Life, and in the upcoming Dec. 12 episode, the “In My Blood” singer has seemingly addressed unconfirmed theories about a love triangle between himself, Camila Cabello and Sabrina Carpenter following the release of the “Espresso” singer’s sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet.
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“I’m with someone. Two days before going to hang with my ex, [I] express I’m going to hang with my ex because I have unresolved feelings,” Mendes told Mayer in a preview clip released on Wednesday (Dec. 11). “Maybe instead of two days it could have been two weeks.”
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He continued, “The biggest lesson I’ve heard is no one gets out of this life without getting hurt, and no one gets out of this life without hurting someone.”
The star’s comments are seemingly in reference to the time Carpenter and Mendes were spotted hanging out in February 2023, a year after the “In My Blood” singer split from Cabello in November 2021. Just two months later, Cabello and Mendes were spotted rekindling their romance at Coachella.
Songs on Carpenter’s album, including “Coincidence,” “Sharpest Tool” and “Taste” all seem to follow a storyline about a love interest rekindling his romance with his ex-girlfriend. The corresponding “Taste” visual stars Jenna Ortega, who fans think was casted to represent Cabello in the clip.
Cabello also seemingly added fuel to the flame, by recently sharing a TikTok singing along to her own track, “June Gloom,” which features the lyrics: “She’s cool, I heard/ Won’t act surprised, I saw the pictures/ […] If she’s so amazing, why are you on this side of town? / If you like her so much, what are you here trying to find out?”
While no party involved confirmed the theories, Mendes previously spoke out in defense of Cabello in October. When a fan commented on X, “they don’t play about each other” about the duo, Mendes retweeted the comment and agreed, “no we don’t.”
A couple hours after that, he clarified why he engaged with the comment in the first place. “i guess to be honest it came from a place of being a little annoyed with all the projection over the last few months about us,” Mendes wrote, referring to Cabello. “I’m usually pretty good at just watching all the ‘noise’ go by but lately it’s been kinda bugging me 
feeling human i guess.”
Since Taylor Swift kicked off The Eras Tour on March 17, 2023, the global trek has dominated the touring industry and given fans endless moments of joy, from surprise guests (from openers like Gracie Abrams to a certain NFL star named Travis Kelce) to rerelease announcements — Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) — and so much more. As Swift said of the tour’s impending end during a June stop in Liverpool, England: “[It] feels so far away from now, but then again, it feels like we just played our first show on this tour because you have made this so much fun for us.”
And yet, on Dec. 8, 2024, the outing did indeed come to a close, after 149 shows that spanned five continents. While the night included no major surprises, she did, of course, sprinkle some special moments for fans throughout the set, especially during the acoustic surprise song “era” of the show.
For her final surprise song of the tour, Swift performed a mashup of “Long Live” and “New Year’s Day” with an added bit of “The Manuscript,” singing: “I re-read the manuscript, but the story isn’t mine anymore.”
And yet, it was a lyric from “Long Live” that mustered up the most emotion, as Swift sang: “It was the end of an era, but the start of an age,” cleverly changing the words from the recording, on which she says “end of a decade.”
And while there really was no way to sum up such an experience into words, Swift tried her best, saying earlier in the show while she introduced “All Too Well”: “The lasting legacy of this tour is that you’ve created such a space of joy and togetherness and love…. You’re why this is so special, and you supporting me for as long as you have is why I get to take these lovely walks down memory lane every single night — because you’ve cared about every era of my entire life that I’ve been making music.”
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/TAS23/Getty Images
Onstage with Ice Spice in East Rutherford, N.J., in May 2023.
Image Credit: Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images
A June 2024 concert at Wembley Stadium in London featured Gracie Abrams.
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/TAS24/Getty Images
In May 2024, while in Paris, Swift debuted the Tortured Poets Department section of the show.
Image Credit: John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Images
In May 2023, she announced the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) in Nashville.
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/TAS24/Getty Images
While performing in Inglewood, Calif., in August 2023, she announced 1989 (Taylor’s Version).
Image Credit: Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images
With Travis Kelce at Wembley Stadium in June 2024.
Image Credit: John Shearer/TAS23/Getty Images
Phoebe Bridgers joined her onstage in Nashville in May 2023.
Image Credit: Mat Hayward/TAS23/Getty Images
Swift rocked out with HAIM during a July 2023 Seattle date.
Image Credit: TAS24/Getty Images
In October 2024, Florence Welch guested during a show in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/TAS23/Getty Images
Jack Antonoff also shared the stage with Swift in East Rutherford in May 2023.
Image Credit: TAS Rights Management/Getty Images
In April 2023, Aaron Dessner handled the keys in Tampa, Fla.
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/TAS23/Getty Images
Swift contemplated “Champagne Problems” during an August 2023 Inglewood show.
Selena Gomez is diving deep into her acting era.
As part of Variety‘s Actors on Actors series, the Emilia Pérez actress sat down with Saoirse Ronan, who starred in Blitz and The Outrun. During their wide-ranging conversation, Ronan points out Gomez’s musicianship, which makes an appearance in Emilia Pérez with a solo that Ronan calls “dirty and sexy and raw.”
In response, Gomez shared, “I love storytelling, and my music career is separate. However, I don’t see that being a forever thing.”
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She then elaborated that she’ll “always have music in my life,” as her boyfriend Benny Blanco is an award-winning songwriter, producer and musician. “I love having moments to do it for fun. It can be a little vulnerable when you’re putting yourself out there versus escaping into a character,” she added.
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Gomez concluded that she believes her “strong suit is probably acting,” adding that “one thing I’m proud of in music is being able to tell a story — my favorite songs are mostly ballads, and they’re very transparent and honest.”
Ultimately, the multi-hyphenate revealed that she thinks she “might be a little too old for the pop star life,” but is “genuinely so happy to just be in this new era of my life, because in a lot of ways, it’s just the beginning.”
Gomez has previously opened up about her desire to shift away from music and focus on acting. “I think I’ve done just as much as I wanted to do in music, but it’s exciting because I feel like I haven’t even started in film and TV,” she most recently told The Hollywood Reporter last month, adding that she’s “almost done” with her pop star career. “Music isn’t going away,” she said. “I just set it down for a second.”
The star hasn’t released a full-length album since her 2020 third studio project Rare, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 and spawned her first-ever No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Lose You to Love Me.”
In 2021, she unveiled a Spanish-language EP, Revelación. Earlier this year, she dropped the single “Love On,” a follow-up to her 2023 single “Single Soon.”
As if the world needed any more proof of Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Rihanna‘s power, Forbes has listed all three superstars on the publication’s year-end most powerful women ranking. As unveiled Wednesday (Dec. 11), the “Anti-Hero” singer is the highest placing musician on the list, with the publication putting her at No. 23. Giving her […]
The Weeknd will perform at Spotify’s first-ever Billions Club Live concert in Los Angeles to celebrate having the most songs hit one billion streams on the platform. The concert will be held exclusively for his top fans on Spotify Tuesday, Dec. 17, and his set list will include selections from his 24 total songs in […]
Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez are in each other’s corners. While at the Academy Women’s Luncheon Tuesday (Dec. 10) in Los Angeles — where the Rare Beauty founder sat next to the “Yes, And?” singer — Gomez revealed to Variety that Grande was one of the first people to message her after they both received Golden Globes nominations in the best supporting actress category the day prior.
“Ariana texted me and it was the sweetest note and it was about six in the morning,” the Only Murders in the Building star said, noting that boyfriend Benny Blanco also sent congratulations around the same time. “We sent each other voice messages. It was very exciting.”
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Grande also told the publication that she’s “always adored” Gomez. “I respect her so much,” said the R.E.M. Beauty mogul. “I was really happy for her to see us on that list together. It was very special.”
“I really love watching this moment happen for Selena,” Grande added. “I know how hard she’s worked and how long she’s waited. I recognize that because it resonates with me, so I know that feeling. So when you can reach out to your friends in the industry and say, ‘Great work, congratulations,’ why not do it? I don’t know Selena as well as I wish I did, so I’m excited to sit next to her today.”
While sitting next to each other at the luncheon, which celebrated women in Hollywood, Gomez also shared a photo on Instagram Stories of their hands — recognizable from their respective tattoos — and called Grande an “angel on earth.” The Wizards of Waverly Place alum is nominated for best supporting actress at the 2025 Globes for her performance in Emilia Pérez, while the “We Can’t Be Friends” artist is up for the award for Wicked. The two women share the category with Gomez’s costar Zoe Saldana, The Brutalist‘s Felicity Jones, The Substance‘s Margaret Qualley and Conclave‘s Isabella Rossellini.
It’s an exciting moment all around, especially as Gomez has long been a fan of Grande’s. In January, the former was one of the first stars to react to the latter’s new-music tease: “FINALLY,” the Only Murders in the Building star excitedly commented on pictures of Grande in the studio. And earlier this year, while serving as a guest DJ on SiriusXM Hits 1, Selena queued up “7 Rings” and gushed, “I cannot do anything fun without listening to Ariana.”
“I feel so empowered, and I think she is incredible, and I just have so much fun,” she added at the time. “I’m the girl that’s playing Ariana all the time, and I think people kind of notice that, but I love it! I think she’s amazing.”