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Ariana Grande says she absolutely had to “earn” the right to play Glinda in the upcoming two-part big screen adaptation of Wicked. Speaking to Sentimental Men podcast hosts Quincy Born and Kevin Bianchi this week, Grande said she’s “always been a Wizard of Oz person,” but despite her global pop fame — including nine No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits — and deep knowledge and love for the original 1939 Judy Garland movie The Wizard of Oz and the 2003 Tony-winning Broadway production of Wicked, it was not a given that she’d land the gig in director Jon M. Chu’s fantastical re-imagining.
“People sometimes say to me, ‘you had to audition?’ Of course, are you out of your gourd?,” she said about earning the right to step into the beloved role opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba. “It’s Wicked! And it requires a totally different skill set than people know me for and have ever seen me do anything like,” she explained. “It’s Wicked! That’s the most respectful thing! It has to be earned… period!”
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If anything, Grande said her pop stardom could have worked against her in certain ways. “When you have this characterized persona that’s out there and people know you very well as this one thing, is this person going to be able to erase that and disappear into a character?,” she said, stressing that nothing about her playing Glinda is about herself, but only about inhabiting the beloved character.
During the pod recording where the singer apologized several times for her dog Myron’s incessant barking, Grande told the hosts that she has often turned to the Broadway Wicked original cast album for comfort and a “safe space” if she is nervous or needs to warm up her voice.
Grande also recalled that she first saw Wicked on Broadway when she was just 10, feeling “very, very, very fortunate” to see the original cast at a time when it was the show that “everyone was talking about.” In addition to repeatedly seeing the show on the Great White Way, after bidding way too much in a Broadway Cares Equity Fight AIDS auction for a backstage tour, the budding star was gifted a “little wand” and “magical body wash” by star Kristin Chenoweth.
How obsessed was she? At one point Grande erased every single song on her iPod with the exception of the Wicked soundtrack, further proof that this dream gig might have been in the stars all along. And, when the first murmurings about the film version reached her desk before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the singer said she told her team that she was willing to immediately pull the plug on her 2019 Sweetener world tour so she could go home and start on voice and acting lessons.
“‘I’m gonna turn this s–t out,’” Grande said she told her team more than a year before her August 2021 audition. “‘This is all I want. It’s done.’” Though they appreciated her enthusiasm, Grande said her management politely said no way to cancelling the tour at a time when the singer thought she might be brought in to read for both lead roles.
She knew, however, that Glinda was the part she was destined to inhabit. When Chenoweth gave her the thumbs up, Ariana said she lost it. “We had talked about it for years and years and years, but me finally confessing to her that I wanted to go in for Glinda was like a whole different thing,” Grande said about asking Chenoweth for guidance on how to really nail the part and make it her own without resorting to an impersonation.
“I said, ‘Hey, I think they’re doing this now, and I think that I wanna go for Glinda,’ and she went into the bathroom and closed the door and started crying,” Grande said beginning to tear up herself at the memory. “It was the sweetest thing in the world. Oh my god, it makes me emotional. It was so cute. She was just like, ‘I was hoping this would happen. I love you, and I trust you with it, baby girl.’ She was like, ‘Just do your thing. Just do your thing. You are so funny and you have great instincts and no one knows that.”
The first part of the movie that also co-stars Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Bowen Yang, Jonathan Bailey and Marissa Bode, opens in theaters on Nov. 22.
Watch Grande talk Wicked below.
Tyler, the Creator threatened to bring back the “old” him at his “30 Minutes of Chromakopia” mini-concert in Boston on Halloween (Oct. 31) while talking about his ire at Taylor Swift fans. The rapper lashed out at what he deemed an attempt by Swifties to “cancel” him recently over old lyrics after he momentarily took […]
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Lil Uzi Vert blasts off to a new world, The Weeknd gets edgy with Anitta, and Shawn Mendes hoists up a “Heart of Gold.” Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Lil Uzi Vert, Eternal Atake 2
Eternal Atake arrived in 2020 as a breathless amalgamation of Lil Uzi Vert’s elastic flows and forward-thinking ideas, a rap enigma blooming into a superstar; its sequel, which follows last year’s Pink Tape, harkens back to its predecessor at times — “Chill Bae” belongs alongside his older melodic masterworks — but also forges ahead with more tumbling bars, spaced-out beats and braggadocio.
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The Weeknd feat. Anitta, “São Paulo”
“São Paulo,” the high-wattage new team-up between The Weeknd and Anitta, immediately justifies its Halloween release: within the opening minute, a sinister synth arrangement prod at Abel Tesfaye as he gasps out, “Every time I try to run, you put your curse all over me.” Soon, “São Paulo” widens its stance and shape-shifts, offering throbbing percussion and Latin flourishes while never dropping its eeriest undertones.
Shawn Mendes, “Heart of Gold”
“Heart of Gold” is the moment in which Shawn Mendes’ sonic pivot to rootsy folk-rock catches up to his natural songwriting ability: a grief-stricken reflection on a friend he couldn’t help in time, the single boasts a myriad of moving images as well as the strongest hook of Mendes’ latest era.
The Cure, Songs of a Lost World
With Songs of a Lost World, the Cure’s first studio album in a whopping 16 years, Robert Smith and co. have offered the ideal project for longtime fans: a no-dust-detected presentation of the goth-rock greats’ classic sound, but with interesting new wrinkles, including the sweeping, 10-minute epic “Endsong” to close out the new affair.
Champion, Skrillex, Four Tet & Naisha, “Talk to Me”
Any time that Skrillex and Four Tet’s names appear together on a new track, the dance world is going to pay attention — and sure enough, “Talk to Me,” a new collaboration with British producer Champion and singer-songwriter Naisha, represents a squiggly autumnal banger, with streamlined instrumentation that dismisses the notion of a too-crowded studio.
Future & Travis Scott, “South of France (Remix)”
Future’s victory lap is not done: after triumphing with his pair of Metro Boomin albums, We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You, and then serving up solo revelry on Mixtape Pluto, the latter project’s “South of France” has received a remix featuring Travis Scott, with both A-listers gliding over the burbling beat.
Megan Moroney, Blue Christmas… Duh
A few months after returning with Am I Okay?, Megan Moroney is quickly back to ring in the start of the holiday season with Blue Christmas… Duh, a three-song EP featuring a pair of originals from the country star (the delicious “All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy” and heartfelt “Christmas Morning”), as well as, duh, a cover of “Blue Christmas.”
Editor’s Pick: Ethel Cain, “Punish”
If Preacher’s Daughter, Ethel Cain’s superb 2022 album, toyed with the ideas of pop structure and classic American iconography, “Punish” suggests that she’s prepared to explode all expectations for her next move: a nearly 7-minute drone song that starts with fragile beauty and builds up to eardrum-rattling noise, “Punish” showcases Cain’s talent while legitimately surprising the listeners — always a good thing.
Jennifer Lopez introduced Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris at a rally in Las Vegas on Thursday night (Oct. 31), imploring the audience to take a hard look at the stark differences between the sitting Vice President and twice impeached former President Donald Trump.
“At Madison Square Garden, he reminded us who he really is and how he really feels,” Lopez said of Trump in reference to his rally at MSG on Sunday in which a comedian told a succession of racist and sexist jokes, including one in which he referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”
“It wasn’t just Puerto Ricans who were offended that day, OK? It was every Latino in this country, it was humanity and anyone of decent character,” said Lopez, who endorsed Harris this week. The offensive comment from the comedian who also made an off-color joke about the O.J. Simpson murders tied to Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, set up more than a dozen other opening speakers who warmed up the crowd for Trump with equally offensive comments. One referred to Democrats as “degenerates… low-lives [and] Jew-haters,” while fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson purposely misstated Harris’ heritage by calling her the “first Samoan Malaysian low IQ, former California prosecutor to ever be elected President.”
The Puerto Rico slur, in particular, drove endorsements for Harris from Lopez, as well as P.R. natives Bad Bunny, Ricky Martin and Luis Fonsi. Nicky Jam, who was born in Massachusetts to a P.R.-native father, withdrew his previous endorsement of Trump to throw in with the Harris/Walz campaign amid the wave of anger over the slur about the U.S. territory whose 3.2 million residents are U.S. citizens, but who cannot vote in elections. Lopez stressed that she was not on stage supporting Harris at the event in the crucial swing state “to trash anyone or bring them down.”
But with just days before Tuesday’s (Nov. 5) election, the singer explained, “I know what that can feel like and I wouldn’t do it to my worst enemy, or even when facing the biggest adversary I think America has internally ever had,” in reference to convicted felon Trump, who has vowed to use the engines of presidential power to take vengeance on his political enemies if re-elected. “But over Kamala Harris’ entire career, she has proven to us who she is. She has shown up for us every day, for the people. And it’s time for us to show up for her.”
Lopez noted that her parents were born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York before she was born, saying, “We are Americans. I am a mother. I am a sister. I am an actor and an entertainer and I like Hollywood endings. I like when the good guy, or in this case the good girl, wins. And with an understanding of our past and a faith in our future, I will be casting my ballot for Kamala Harris for president of the United States proudly.”
She also added, “You can’t even spell American without ‘Rican.”
Pollsters continue to call the contest between Harris and former reality TV host Trump a toss-up, which might also explain why Harris invited Lopez and Mexican rock band Maná — who performed at Thursday’s rally — to join her in a state where Latinos represent around 30% of the population; across the country an estimated 36.2 million Latinos are eligible to vote this year. Earlier in the day, Los Tigres del Norte performed at a Harris rally in Phoenix.
While Lopez and Harris were encouraging people to vote, Trump staged a stunt in Green Bay, WI in which he dressed up like a garbage collector in an orange vest and drove in circles on an airport tarmac in a Trump-branded garbage truck. His campaign said it was in an effort to call attention to a video of President Biden saying “the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter,” which the White House later clarified was a reference to the other speakers at Trump’s rally.
“His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been,” Biden added.
Check out video and photos of Lopez at the Harris campaign below.
Olivia Rodrigo pulled off the ultimate Halloween trick on Thursday night (Oct. 31) in a Jimmy Kimmel Live! bit in which the “Vampire” singer popped out to adorably shock her youngest trick-or-treating fans. The bit opened with Kimmel’s sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, dressed up as a mustachioed Olivia in tight sparkly black hot pants, an “eat, drink, sleep” crop top and long brown wig.
“I’m Olivia Rodrigo!” Guillermo said as he dropped a Rodrigo paper mask and an on-screen chryon clarified: “NOT Olivia Rodrigo.” Luckily, the real Olivia was right there, hopping into frame in the same black hot pants and a matching red heart necklace, white tank with red bra straps showing with the message “Live, Laugh, Love.”
“And I’m Olivia Rodrigo!” she said holding up a bowl of candy. “Let’s mess with some kids!”
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The first victims included a young girl and boy, who correctly guessed who Guillermo was supposed to be. When he asked the girl if she liked the singer, she said Rodrigo was one of her favorite artists. Then Olivia popped out unexpectedly and the girl lost her breath and nervously said she’d gone to one of Rodrigo’s concerts. “Do I look just like that?” she asked pointing to Guillermo. “Yes,” the girl laughed.
When another group of kids showed up, they rejected an offer of a pile of guts from Guillermo, and when one of the girls was dumbstruck after being asked if she recognized the Kimmel sidekick’s costume, a young boy said, “Why are you not talking?”
“It’s like if you met whoever you like the most,” she explained. “Wait, you’re the real Olivia Rodrigo?” he asked. “You don’t believe that it’s me?” Rodrigo asked, proffering her, wah wah, driver’s license as proof. “It doesn’t say Rodrigo,” the boy said incredulously. “Oh wait, it does.”
The fun continued, with one girl bursting into tears at the sight of Rodrigo, telling her friend as they walked away, “I’ve never happy cried in my life.” The shock on the face of one boy dressed as a crabby old man was so intense that Rodrigo asked, “Sir, are you having a stroke?”
Another group of freaked out girls engaged in a scream-off with Rodrigo and one superfan proved her love by crushing a game where she got one piece of candy for every one of the singer’s song titles she named. And she came to play, racking up a total of 11 pieces while stumping the singer with tracks even she forgot about, such as “The Rose Song,” as well as pulling out some deep cuts including the Bizaardvark theme song.
The bit ended with Rodrigo harmonizing on “Vampire” with a succession of trick-or-treat groups, giving the kids what is likely the greatest treat of their lives. The singer’s Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour concert doc premiered on Netflix earlier this week.
Watch Rodrigo on Jimmy Kimmel Live! below.
Just a few weeks after finally being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cher could receive a Grammy nomination for best traditional pop vocal album for her first holiday album, Christmas. The nominations will be announced on Friday Nov. 8.
The worlds of rock and roll and traditional pop were once far apart, but those worlds been coming together in recent years as genre lines blur across the board. Six artists who are in the Rock Hall have won Grammys in this category – Joni Mitchell (for Both Sides Now), Rod Stewart (Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III), Paul McCartney (Kisses on the Bottom), Willie Nelson (Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin and My Way, a tribute to Frank Sinatra), Elvis Costello (Look Now, with the Imposters) and James Taylor (American Standard).
Should Cher’s album win when the Grammy Awards are announced on Feb. 2, it would be the first holiday album ever to win in this category, though many have been nominated.
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Cher has won just one Grammy over the course of her six-decade career – best dance recording for her 1999 megahit, “Believe.” Her nominations stretch back to 1965, when Sonny & Cher were nominated for best new artist.
Cher is vying for a nomination in the traditional pop category with Stephanie J. Block, who portrayed the icon in The Cher Show on Broadway in 2019, winning a Tony Award for best actress in a musical. Block is represented with her own Christmas album, Merry Christmas, Darling. (The title track is a cover version of the ballad made famous by the Carpenters in 1970.)
Several other Christmas albums are vying for nominations, including Brandy’s Christmas With Brandy, Johnny Mathis’ Christmas Time Is Here, Seth MacFarlane & Liz Gillies’ We Wish You the Merriest, Gregory Porter’s Christmas Wish and Jim Brickman’s Brickman Sings Christmas. Brandy has received 12 Grammy nominations over the years, winning for “The Boy Is Mine,” her Billboard Hot 100-topping collab with Monica. This would be her first nomination in this category.
Mathis is a four-time nominee in this category. He was nominated in 1991, the year the category was introduced. But Mathis’ history with the Grammys goes back much further than that. He received his first nomination in 1960, the third year of the Grammys, for his exquisite recording of “Misty.” Shockingly, Mathis, 89, has yet to win a Grammy in competition. He received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2003.
MacFarlane is a three-time nominee in this category. This is his second collab with Gillies.
Stewart is vying for a nomination with Swing Fever, a collab with Jools Holland. Stewart is a five-time nominee in this category, winning once.
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends: A Celebration (Live at the Sondheim Theatre) is a strong contender. Last year, two of the nominees in this category were salutes to the legendary Broadway composer, who died in 2021 at age 91. Liz Callaway was nominated for To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim. A Various Artists collection, Sondheim Unplugged (The New York City Sessions), Vol. 3, was also nominated last year. “Old Friends,” which is part of the title of the new collection, is a highlight of Sondheim’s 1981 show Merrily We Roll Along, which won a Tony for best revival of a musical in June.
Another celebration of legendary Broadway composers is on the entry list — My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert (Live from Theatre Royal Drury Lane/ 2023.
Broadway legend Patti LuPone is entered with A Life in Notes. LuPone has won Tonys for her performances in Evita, Gypsy and Company. Ben Platt, who won a Tony, Daytime Emmy and Grammy for Dear Evan Hansen and related projects, is entered with Honeymind. Nine-time Grammy winner Dave Cobb was one of the album’s producers.
Raye & the Heritage Orchestra are entered with My 21st Century Symphony (Live at Royal Albert Hall). Raye has a good chance to receive a best new artist nomination next week. She took home six Brit Awards in March.
Two albums by past Grammy winners for best new artist are vying for nominations — Norah Jones’ Visions and Paula Cole’s Lo. Jones has received two nods in this category.
Janis Siegel and Yaron Gershovsky are entered with The Colors of My Life. Siegel is a nine-time Grammy winner for her work with Manhattan Transfer. Straight No Chaser has two albums on the entry list – 90s Proof and Stocking Stuffer.
Other notable albums on the entry list of 78 albums include Crowded House’s Gravity Stairs, Toby Gad’s Piano Diaries – The Hits, Gaither Vocal Band’s Let Me Be There, Il Divo’s XX: 20th Anniversary Album, Joe Jackson’s Mr. Joe Jackson Presents Max Champion in ‘What a Racket!,’ Ingrid Michaelson’s For the Dreamers, Steven Pasquale with John Pizzarelli’s Some Other Time and The Sound of Rusic by the cast of Rupaul’s Drag Race.
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Brandy, Christmas With Brandy
Cher, Christmas
Ben Platt, Honeymind
Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends: A Celebration (Live at the Sondheim Theatre)
Rod Stewart & Jools Holland, Swing Fever
Brat summer is now endless. After the title of Charli XCX‘s smash sixth album became an inescapable meme this year, the Collins Dictionary has dubbed the “brat” its word of the year for 2024.
The dictionary announced the designation on Friday (Nov. 1), noting that “brat” refers to someone who is “characterized by a confident, independent and hedonistic attitude.” According to the full entry, “Brat, newly defined in 2024 as ‘characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude’, has been named Collins’ Word of the Year 2024. Inspired by the Charli XCX album, brat has become one of the most talked about words of 2024. More than a hugely successful album, brat is a cultural phenomenon that has resonated with people globally, and ‘brat summer’ established itself as an aesthetic and a way of life.”
The singer’s own definition of “brat” is “that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes,” which, when paired with the album’s signature lime green square background and blurry Arial font created an aesthetic that ruled the summer. Charli’s also described the aesthetic as, “me, my flaws, my f–k ups, my ego rolled into one” and “that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes. Who feels herself but maybe also has a breakdown. But kind of like, parties through it, is very honest, very blunt. A little bit volatile. Like, does dumb things. But it’s brat. You’re brat. That’s brat.”
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Some of the necessary items for a brat girl summer, according to Charli, include: “a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter, and a strappy white top with no bra.” The vibe became so hot, in fact, that Vice President Kamala Harris began using it to boost her presidential campaign after Charli declared “kamala IS brat” in July.
Experts at Collins comb through their 20-billion-word database to make their annual list of new and notable words that represent the evolution of the English language. Other words that were short-listed for this year’s WOTY included: brainrot, era (defined as “a period in one’s life or career that is of a distinctive character” in honor of Taylor Swift’s global tour), as well as looksmaxxing, rawdogging, anti-tourism, delulu, romantasy, supermajority and yapping.
Finally! Mariah Carey was right on time on Friday morning (Nov. 1), ushering in the holiday season with her annual Christmas kick-off video. The Queen of Christmas officially declared that the countdown to the most wonderful time of the year had begun with her eagerly awaited “It’s Time” video.
This year, her Instagram post featured a video of Carey, 55, dressed as Morticia Addams from the Addams Family. The clip opens on a dark and spooky night, complete with a full moon, howling wolves and a steady rain falling on a haunted mansion. Cut to Carey in a sparkly black dress, a black wig and dark makeup taking the hand of a dancer dressed as Gomez Addams as they do the couple’s signature terrifying tango.
But after a few spins and dips, Mariah gives Gomez a hard push out of frame, tosses a dagger at his face — which narrowly misses her smiling beloved — and then gives a knowing look right down the lens and uses her mind to open a curious cabinet as the final calendar pages from October fly away.
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You know what was inside: Mariah’s red and white Santa jumper, of course. “IT’S TIME!!!!” Mariah wails in her signature whistle register from the seat of a sleigh filled with presents as the scene fills with fake snow, Gomez is transformed into a snowman and, of course, MC’s iconic holiday classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You” blasts out.
The video ends with Carey smiling broadly as she and her reindeer prepare to take off in her sleigh. Carey had been teasing the launch of Christmas season for weeks, including dropping a “Christmas Time Set List” on Apple Music, unwrapping the cover art for four new “All I Want For Christmas” physical singles and, as always, posting a “not yet” video to make sure nobody jumps the gun on her favorite holiday.
Now that the skeletons needs to be packed away for another year, ’tis the season to crank up “All I Want,” because Carey is celebrating the 30th anniversary of her Merry Christmas album on the Merry Christmas Time Tour, which is slated to kick off on Nov. 6 in Highland, CA. Last year, “All I Want” topped the Billboard Hot 100 once again, marking the fifth year in a row that the holiday classic has topped the tally since first doing so in 2017.
Watch Carey’s “It’s Time” video below.
Just after POW reached their first anniversary, the rock-inspired K-pop boy band dropped a new EP, Boyfriend, whose lead single title track paid homage to one of the scene’s favorite artists — pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne.
For “Boyfriend,” the quintet reinterpreted Avril’s 2007 single “Girlfriend,” the Canadian superstar’s first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and one of the year’s biggest tracks. POW kept the original’s stomping production and undeniably catchy chorus intact for the hybrid track with a new mix of Korean and English lyrics.
POW members Jungbin, Yorch, Hyunbin, Dongyeon and Hong tell Billboard that the superstar played a significant role in their musical backgrounds and made a song like “Boyfriend” happen.
“We’ve loved band sounds and Avril Lavigne’s songs were always on our playlist,” the group says. “We think she was the first to show how punk can be so appealing in pop music. We’re grateful she made it possible for us and so we’ve worked hard to release ‘Boyfriend.’”
“For this remake, I listened to all of Lavigne’s albums,” adds POW eldest member Yorch. “I was drawn to her timeless drum sounds and couldn’t get over the rawness and cool beat of the drums. I recently got an electric guitar and she’s opened my eyes to acoustic real sound. And, it’s something K-pop should also look out for.”
When honoring both the sound and aesthetics from Avril’s debut in 2002, the A&R for POW’s record label, GRID Entertainment, saw their work as helping connect K-pop more extensively to music culture today.
“We believe that youth culture is the essence of mainstream K-pop,” a representative from GRID’s A&R says. “Rebellious, grunge-like, and youthful innocence defines K-pop and POW’s music is grounded in real rock and band sounds. It still feels like the 2000s era, a period where analog and digital collide. That is why we find Avril Lavigne’s music relevant, powerful and resonating with people in their teens, 20s, and 30s. It’s her greatest strength and the reason her music inspires us for interpretation.”
From bands like POW, SEVENTEEN and Stray Kids to solo superstars like BoA and former LOONA members Yves and Heejin, here is a collection of K-pop stars who have expressed their admiration for Avril Lavigne.
POW
Image Credit: Courtesy Grid Entertainment
Shawn Mendes just released “Heart of Gold,” a new single that’s as touching as it is personal.
Written about a childhood friend who passed away from a drug overdose, “Heart of Gold” taps into the raw emotions of losing someone too soon.
In the song, Mendes opens up with lines reflecting the regrets of not being there when it mattered: “Honestly, it’s been a while since I thought of you / In the end, we didn’t talk much / I didn’t know what you were going through / I’m sorry that I wasn’t there.” Then, in the chorus, he celebrates his friend’s legacy: “You had a heart of gold, yeah / You had a heart of gold / You left too soon, it was out of your control.”
Recently, Mendes gave “Heart of Gold” another layer of meaning by dedicating it to late One Direction member Liam Payne during a live show in NYC on Oct. 18. Stopping the music to speak to fans, Mendes shared, “We heard the news about Liam. It felt like… It felt completely devastating. I got to meet him a couple times, and he was a beautiful soul and his eyes gleamed — it was beauty, shining into his eyes.”
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He explained that the song is not just about loss but about celebrating those who have left an impact: “It’s about grieving those we miss with tears, but it’s also about celebrating them… who they were and what they’ve left in this world.” Mendes added, “I just want to take a second to send so much love to him wherever he is up there… Liam, we love you! And the world is crying for you, brother.”
As he launched into the song, Mendes dedicated the night’s performance to Liam, saying, “This one’s for you tonight, Liam, from all of us.”
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Throughout his career, Mendes has scored four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, with his debut album Handwritten kicking off his career by landing at No. 1 in 2015. His collaboration with Camila Cabello, “Señorita,” topped the Billboard Hot 100, and he’s had big hits like “Stitches” and “Treat You Better” reach the Top 10. Mendes has also hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Songs chart three times.
Stream “Heart of Gold” below: