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BigBang‘s Taeyang and BTS‘ Jimin gave us a studio vibe last week, with the release of their eagerly awaited collaboration “Vibe.”
Now, the K-pop legends team-up for a live “Vibe,” which arrives Thursday (Jan. 19), via YG Entertainment subsidiary The Black Label and BigHit Music.
The new cut is accompanied with a performance video, which shows the boy band veterans working their musical magic in a spacious living room, draped in clean-and-comfy white curtains, decorated with house plants, and with a six-strong band in support. It’s a chilled vibe.
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The original cut of “Vibe” and its official music video simultaneously arrived Jan. 13, marking Taeyang’s first solo track since he was discharged from his mandatory service in the South Korea military in Nov. 2019. His last solo single was 2018’s “Louder,” recorded for the Winter Olympics, and his most recent solo album was 2017’s White Night.
“Vibe” became Jimin’s first official solo release since BTS announced that they were going on hiatus to allow its members to focus on their solo ventures (he last appeared solo on the 2022 collaborative track “With You” with Ha Sung Woon).
For those keeping score, Jimin is the final member of BTS to release a solo project since the band announced that they were taking that break, breaking millions of hearts in the process.
K-pop fans were so eager for the collaboration, “Vibe” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs before the song was released.
Taeyang and Jimin took the reins on the composition, along with Teddy, founder of The Black Label and a long-time collaborator and producer for Taeyang and BigBang. The Black Label songwriters and producers Kush, Vince, and 24 were also on board.
Watch Taeyang and Jimin’s live version of “Vibe” below.
GOT7 are barrier-breakers for K-pop artists on the charts and the Korean industry at large, so it’s an occasion whenever one of its members releases new music. Finally, the last member of the septet has released his first solo album after more than a decade on the scene.
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Jan. 18 marks the release of Jinyoung’s debut solo album Chapter 0: WITH, the singer-actor’s first full music project. While the 28-year-old introduced himself to the world via acting and singing in 2012, and continued to juggle both careers performing as a member of GOT7 and starring in various TV and movies, the five-track EP marks his first official solo release. With the EP’s lyrics written entirely by Jinyoung, plus composition and production credits on almost every song, Chapter 0 sees the star returning to a comfortable place as the suave and soothing vocalist, songwriter and composer.
Chapter 0: WITH opens with lead single “Cotton Candy,” which lets Jinyoung’s silky vocals skip over effortlessly light pop production embellished with dreamy piano, bass and synthesizer elements. The accompanying music video delivers the track with a clean and fresh aesthetic, letting Jinyoung’s model-like good looks and elegantly smooth dance skills take center stage. It’s a warm welcome home for the boy-band member who gifted fans multiple new songs as well as choreography skills.
Previously, Jinyoung had teased his return to the music with 2021’s rock-pop single “Dive,” released in Korean and Japanese, and scored him his first-ever solo entry on the World Digital Song Sales chart. While he was never too long without music, Jinyoung has concentrated on his flourishing acting career, including credits like the 2022 Netflix film Yaksha: Ruthless Operations and both seasons of the hit Korean TV drama Yumi’s Cell.
Jinyoung’s release is the latest indication that GOT7 fans have even more to look forward to as GOT7 hit a decade in the business. After Chapter 0, all seven members of GOT7 (which includes Jinyoung alongside Jay B, Mark Tuan, Jackson Wang, BamBam, Youngjae and Yugyeom) have all released solo EPs and albums to their name, while still staying together as a group (after the septet departed JYP Entertainment in early 2021, GOT7 released a comeback EP together under Warner Music Korea last May). Not only was it remarkable to see GOT7 return on a new label—especially when all seven moved to new K-pop management teams—but every member releasing successful solo projects points to the star power in all seven GOT7 members.
Watch “Cotton Candy” below:
We’re weeks away from Rihanna taking over the Super Bowl LVII halftime show on Feb. 12. But before the superstar makes her sure-to-be-triumphant return to the stage, let’s look back on the halftime spectacles that have come before her.
The 2023 game marks 30 years since Michael Jackson‘s Super Bowl performance of 1993, which marked the beginning of a new kind of halftime show — one where fans began expecting to see the superstars they love enlisted to put on a career-defining set filled with lights, music and often a special surprise or two.
Throughout the last three decades, everyone from Katy Perry and Madonna to Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones have graced center stage between the goalposts, and we want to know which halftime performance is your all-time favorite.
In Billboard‘s official ranking, staffers put Prince‘s 2007 set at the very top thanks to The Purple One’s mix of his own hits with covers of Queen (“We Will Rock You”), Bob Dylan (“All Along the Watchtower”) and Creedence Clearwater Revival by way of Tina Turner (“Proud Mary”), though the defining act of his halftime show was the extended coda of “Purple Rain” as actual rain poured down in the stadium.
Then there’s U2‘s set just months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, which brought the still-mourning nation together for a special tribute that included “Beautiful Day,” “MLK” and “Where the Streets Have No Name.”
Of course, the most memorable Super Bowl moment of all time occurred in 2004 when Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake headlined and an accidental tear-away (or expertly planned shock to the system, depending on who you ask) in the closing strains of “Rock Your Body” rocketed the phrase “wardrobe malfunction” into the cultural vernacular.
Other modern triumphs at the Super Bowl halftime show have come in recent years courtesy of Beyoncé, whose incredible 2013 set shut down the power in the third quarter of the game; Lady Gaga, who kicked off her 2017 performance by singing “God Bless America” and jumping from the roof of the stadium; and Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, whose combined dance moves and costumes sparked a flood of controversy just weeks before the coronavirus pandemic took over the world.
And last year, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg headlined an epic hip-hop show with help from Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak that electrified the hometown crowd at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium with hits like “California Love,” “No More Drama” and “Still D.R.E.”
Vote for your favorite Super Bowl halftime show below!
In 1910’s The Vagabond, the French writer Colette claimed, “The only real things are the dance, the light, freedom, music.” If that’s the case, then there are few pop catalogs more in touch with reality than Madonna’s.
The Queen of Pop kicked 2023 off right by announcing the Celebration Tour, a global trek honoring her four decades of culture-changing hits.
Needless to say, she has a lot of material to choose from — with 12 No. 1s, 38 top 10 hits and 57 titles on the Billboard Hot 100, Madonna is an all-time pop GOAT. And considering her most recent tour (the excellent, intimate Madame X Tour from 2019-2020) was primarily focused on the album of the same name she was supporting, there’s quite a number of beloved classics that Madge hasn’t performed live in several years.
That seems set to change with the Celebration Tour, which promises to be a career-retrospective run of songs from the pop icon, whose self-titled debut introduced the world to a new game-changing superstar back in 1983. And since we’re looking at 40 years of Madonna, we decided to round up 40 songs we would love to hear the Material Goddess perform live.
Now, we’re not saying we want every one of these songs performed in full at every tour stop — a 40-song setlist is less a concert and more of a marathon. Some we’d like to hear in part, perhaps as a segue or in a medley; others we could imagine M performing as a surprise treat on select tour dates. But this is our wish list.
Stephen A. Smith walked back the comments he made comparing Rihanna to Beyoncé on Wednesday (Jan. 18).
The moment occurred when the firebrand sports commentator stopped by Sherri Shepherd’s eponymous talk show to discuss the “Needed Me” singer’s upcoming Super Bowl LVII halftime show. “Ladies and gentlemen, she’s a lot of things; she’s spectacular, actually,” he said. “There’s one thing she’s not: She ain’t Beyoncé.”
Obviously, the ill-suited comparison sparked a vocal outcry from the studio audience — as well as backlash among Rihanna’s fans on social media — and hours after the interview aired, Smith hopped on Instagram ready to eat crow. “I’m gonna own it,” he said. “I know what y’all tryin’ to do. But I’m gon’ own it because I get paid to speak for a living, so I need to be more careful.
“I want Rihanna to know: You’re a superstar, you’re sensational, you’re spectacular,” the ESPN personality continued. “You’re no joke. And you are a worthy person to be doing the Super Bowl halftime show.”
However, Smith then attempted to justify his comment by blaming Shepherd for asking a question in front of her largely female studio audience. “Now I’m a Beyoncé fan,” he stated. “I think that Beyoncé is not only a phenomenal performer, but the phenomenal performer. And the only reason any kind of comparison came into play is because Beyoncé performed at halftime at the Super Bowl not just by herself, but one separate Super Bowl performance with Bruno Mars and Coldplay. And I thought that those were two of the greatest shows that I’ve ever seen.
“So what I’m saying is anybody has to measure up to that,” he concluded. “Last year with Snoop and Dre and Mary J. and Eminem, I was like, ‘Bruno Mars! Beyoncé! Coldplay! Big time! They’ve got to measure up to that.’ Anybody who does a Super Bowl halftime show, forever I’m gonna say, ‘Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, and Beyoncé by themselves.’ Michael Jackson could still be alive and I would say, ‘It’s gotta measure up to that.’”
Watch Smith’s gasp-inducing Sherri interview and subsequent mea culpa to Rihanna below.
Ariana Grande showed off her new “Thank U, Next” collection from R.E.M. Beauty on social media Wednesday (Jan 18).
In a TikTok video set to Vitamin String Quartet’s cover of her 2019 No. 1 hit, the blonde superstar — who’s currently filming the big-screen adaptation of Wicked — showed off each of the products in the drop one by one.
“our limited edition @r.e.m.beauty ‘thank u, next’ collection is out now on rembeauty.com,” she captioned the clip. “It includes ~ a brand new midnight shadows eyeshadow palette, a pair of pink crystalized, faux mink lashes, an XL version of our #utmostimportance plumping gloss and of course our classic midnight black liquid liner. we hope you enjoy!!!”
Naturally, Ari’s fans couldn’t get enough of their queen in the video, with one commenting, “She keeps getting prettier everyday,” and another writing, u cannot imagine how much we love u and were so proud of you!! keep it up my love
Michael Jackson is the subject of an upcoming biopic helmed by Lionsgate and director Antoine Fuqua.
The film, titled Michael, will take on the musician’s life and career and will be produced by Graham King (Bohemian Rhapsody) and John Branca and John McClain, who are the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate, according to The Hollywood Reporter. There is no information yet surrounding casting and release date.
“The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are a deep part of who I am,” Fuqua shared in a statement, per THR. “For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson. I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work – the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV. His music and those images are part of my worldview, and the chance to tell his story on the screen alongside his music was irresistible.”
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In a career that spanned throughout almost his entire life, the King of Pop had 13 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. He first saw success as part of the family band the Jackson 5, and four of their songs topped the Hot 100.
As a solo artist, Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller became one of the best-selling albums of all time and spent an impressive 37 weeks atop the Billboard 200. Additionally, its seven singles all reached the top 10 of the Hot 100.
Jackson died on June 25, 2009 at age 50.
Jonathan Knight looked back on his coming out journey in a new conversation with Lance Bass on Monday (Jan 16).
Speaking on the latest episode of the *NSYNC member’s podcast, Lance Bass Presents: Frosted Tips, the New Kids on the Block singer explained that his manager knew he was gay at the time, but instructed him to stay closeted for the sake of the boy band. “He pulled me aside and was like, ‘If anybody finds out, your career is over. The New Kids’ career is over. My career is over,’” he recalled. “It was just so much pressure.
“Looking back, that was a lot of pressure to put on somebody who’s just trying to figure out the world themselves,” the ’80s heartthrob went on. “As it went along, the stress built up and built up and built up.”
Ultimately, Knight was forced out of the closet in 2009 after a former boyfriend sold photos of himself with the star to The National Enquirer. At the time, he felt forced to address his identity publicly, saying, “I didn’t want to. I was just living my life … it wasn’t something I was hiding. But then it was like, ‘No, you have to make a statement. You have to clear the air.’ And that whole process was horrible.”
During his chat with Bass and guest co-host Joey Fatone, Knight also shared his struggle to have kids with husband Harley Rodriguez, revealing that the couple spent five years trying to start a family. “It just didn’t happen for us,” he told his fellow boy banders. “Going through the process, like, ‘Today’s the day the eggs are being [transferred], you’re so excited, and you’re so happy. And then, you know, a week later it’s like, ‘No, you’re back to square one.’”
Listen to Knight’s full interview on Lance Bass Presents: Frosted Tips below.
Glitter in her eyes, glitter in the sky, Dua Lipa will be shining just the way she likes at this year’s Met Gala. As announced by Vogue on Wednesday (Jan. 18), the 27-year-old pop star has signed on to be one of four 2023 co-chairs for the A-list fashion event that comes around every first Monday in May.
Joining the pop star as fellow co-chairs are Penélope Cruz, Michaela Coel and Roger Federer, a lineup that spans “every realm of popular culture,” according to Vogue. The four of them will assist Anna Wintour in planning a night based around this year’s theme — Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty — which pays tribute to the late German fashion designer.
The “Levitating” singer posted the news on her Instagram account, writing, “Excited to announce that I am one of the #MetGala 2023 Co-Chairs… See you for the First Monday in May #CostumeInstitute Benefit 🌹”
As explained by Dua further down in her post, this year’s gala will celebrate the May 5 opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” exhibit. Every year, the exclusive event also provides the museum’s Costume Institute with its primary source of annual funding.
“Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” will showcase more than 150 original looks designed by Lagerfeld, who died at 85 years old in 2019, delving into the former Chanel creative director’s expansive seven-decade career. Many of his original sketches are also set to appear alongside the objects on display.
Last year’s Met Gala, themed “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” was co-chaired by Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Regina King and Lin-Manuel Miranda. So far, Dua has attended the event just once, making her Met Gala debut in 2019 dressed in Versace for that year’s theme, “Camp: Notes on Fashion.”
See Dua Lipa’s post about co-chairing this year’s Met Gala below:
Madonna is used to making history, but in a first, the singer adorns the cover of three different editions of Vanity Fair in Italy, Spain and France this month in the kick-off to the new annual “Icon Issue” project celebrating legends who “contribute[s] to shape the modern culture.”
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The massive project includes a sprawling portfolio of pictures created by photographers Luigi & Iango that expresses the “values Madonna has defended throughout her artistic path and iconography,” beginning with a provocative cover image of the singer as a weeping Virgin Mary, complete with a sword-pierced heart on the outside of her chest and another in which she plays a Jesus at an all-female Last Supper.
In a preview, the magazine said the two-day shoot for the piece involved more than 80 collaborators, noting that it will also spin off a future exhibition, a short movie and an urban art performance. In keeping with her haute history, Madonna was dressed for the shoot in designs by John Galliano for Maison Margiela, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Jean Paul Gaultier and others under the direction of her regular collaborator, Swedish stylist B. Åkerlund.
In an exclusive interview for the piece, Madonna talks about feminism, sexuality, religion and diversity, with a focus on her career-long battle against the patriarchy and the price she’s had to pay for sticking to her guns over the past four decades in the public eye.
The day after announcing the dates for her upcoming 40th anniversary “Celebration Tour,” the singer discusses her return to the stage and the plans for her long in-the-works biopic. “I’m about to create another show, and I’ve been working for several years on the screenplay about my life,” the singer told the magazine. “This is a good time for me — I’m gathering ideas, getting inspired, hanging out with creative people, watching films, seeing art, listening to music.”
The 35-city Live Nation-produced tour will kick off in North America on July 15 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC and hit Detroit, Chicago, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas and San Francisco before wrapping up in Las Vegas on Oct. 7. The outing will then move on to Europe, starting with a date in London at the O2 Arena on Oct. 14 and winding down in Amsterdam on Dec. 1 at the Ziggo Dome. No release date or title has been announced so far for the biopic.
“Madonna’s career has a biblical dimension, a universal scope,” Galliano told the magazine. “The first time I saw her, she was already inspired, fearless, with integrity and artistic pride.” VF‘s European editorial director Simone Marchetti, who conducted the interview, added, “Madonna accepted not only to be part of a fashion shoot but on an artistic project that is the representation of the values that she embodied in the last 40 years. Each image is like a reflection on Madonna’s extraordinary contribution to the culture of the last decades. Those pages are the milestones of a discussion, a progress and a commitment that does not stop here. A commitment that we strive to tell, explain and illustrate in every issue of Vanity Fair.”
Images from the shoot will be part of a Sept. exhibition by Luigi & Iango at the Palazzo Reale Museum in Milan; the Italian edition of VF hits newsstands today, followed by the Spain and France editions on Jan. 25.
Check out more images from the shoot below.
Vanity Fair Italy, Spain and France Unveils The “Icon Issue” Starring Madonna.
Luigi & Iango
Vanity Fair Italy, Spain and France Unveils The “Icon Issue” Starring Madonna.
Luigi & Iango
