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At her Christmas Day halftime performance, Beyoncé officially kicked off Cowboy Carter‘s live era by performing nine songs from the 2024 country album for the first time. Could a tour announcement be next? On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are discussing what Bey might reveal on Jan. 14, a date she […]
In its 20th week on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” hits No. 1 for the first time, soaring 25-1 on the Jan. 11-dated tally.
“Die With a Smile” earned 27.1 million official U.S. streams in the week ending Jan. 2, up 11%, according to Luminate. The song’s precipitous positional gain on the chart comes after the close of the 2024 holiday season, with seasonal tunes falling off the ranking; the entire top 24 of the Jan. 4-dated list were such songs.
The song’s 20-week climb to No. 1 is the sixth longest since the chart began in 2013 and the lengthiest since Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” reigned in 2023 after 27 weeks. Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” holds the all-time record at 43 weeks ending in 2023.
It’s the second No. 1 for Lady Gaga on Streaming Songs. Her previous, “Dope,” reigned for a week in November 2013.
Between “Dope” and “Die With a Smile,” Lady Gaga’s best rank had been the No. 2 debut and peak of “Rain On Me,” with Ariana Grande, in 2020.
As for Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile” marks his third leader, following the 12-week rule of Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk!,” on which he’s featured, in 2015, and then his Cardi B collaboration “Finesse” in 2018.
Between “Finesse” and “Die With a Smile,” Mars rose as high as No. 2 three times, via fellow Cardi B collaboration “Please Me” in 2019, Silk Sonic’s “Smokin Out the Window” in 2021 and his Rose duet “APT.” in 2024.
Though the Jan. 11 chart marks the first week at No. 1 for “Die With a Smile,” it’s not the song’s biggest streaming week; that came on the Sept. 7-dated Billboard charts, its second week of release, when it accrued 30.8 million streams. It is, however, the song’s best week since the Sept. 14, 2014, survey, toward which it earned 27.2 million streams.
Concurrently, as previously reported, “Die With a Smile” reaches No. 1 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, also concluding a 20-week wait.
Rosé is reflecting on the ups and downs of her landmark 2024. The BLACKPINK superstar took to Instagram on Tuesday (Jan. 7) to share moments from the past year, which saw her delving into a successful solo career. “2024 for me, was the toughest and most rewarding year to date,” she admitted in the caption. […]
Lady Gaga is having an excellent start to 2025, with the pop star’s Bruno Mars duet “Die With a Smile” reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week — something she thanked fans for in a heartfelt TikTok posted Tuesday (Jan. 7). Holding up her camera so that she could speak directly to […]
Peter Yarrow, one third of the beloved 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary has died at 86. According to the New York Times, spokesperson Ken Sunshine said the singer and anti-Vietnam War activist died at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan following a four-year battle with bladder cancer.
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With his high tenor melding seamlessly with baritone Paul Stookey and contralto Mary Travers, Yarrow and this singing partners produced some of the most beloved songs of the 1960s, taking the lead on classics “Puff the Magic Dragon,” “The Great Mandala” and “Day Is Done,” all of which he wrote or co-wrote.
Perhaps the group’s most well-known track, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” was penned by Yarrow based on a poem by fellow Cornell grad and author Leonard Lipton about a magical dragon name Puff and his human friend, child Jackie Paper, who take off on adventures in the magical land of Honalee. Fans of the 1963 song — which was later turned into a beloved 1978 animated special and two follow-up sequels — were convinced that it was larded with secret drug references, tagging it as a trojan horse ditty about smoking weed, a claim both Lipton and Yarrow repeatedly denied.
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The song was one of the group’s most successful on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 2 on the tally in May 1963. Following Yarrow’s death and Travers’ passing in 2009 at age 72, Stookey, 87, is the group’s last living member.
“Our fearless dragon is tired and has entered the last chapter of his magnificent life. The world knows Peter Yarrow the iconic folk activist, but the human being behind the legend is every bit as generous, creative, passionate, playful, and wise as his lyrics suggest,” daughter Bethany Yarrow said in a statement according to the Associated Press.
Yarrow was born in Manhattan on May 31, 1938 and after starting his singing career as a student while pursuing a degree in psychology at Cornell University in the late 1950s. He moved back to the city to begin performing in New York’s burgeoning Greenwich Village folk scene after graduation. After a performance at the Newport Folk Festival, he met the event’s founder and famed music manager Albert Grossman, who shared his idea for putting together a vocal group in the vein of the Weavers, a harmony quartet from the 1940s and 50s that sang traditional folk and labor songs as well as children’s tunes and gospel; it originally featured beloved folk singer/songwriter Pete Seeger.
It was Dylan manager Grossman’s idea to put Yarrow and Travers together, with the latter later suggesting the addition of Stookey, who both had performed with on the folk scene. After signing to Warner Brothers Records, they debuted in 1962 with the song “Lemon Tree,” which peaked at No. 35 on the Hot 100. Quickly establishing their folk credentials, they followed up with the 1949 Seeger/Lee Hayes-penned protest anthem “If I Had a Hammer,” which won them two Grammy Awards in 1962 for best folk recording and best performance by a vocal group; they were also nominated for best new artist that year. They picked up two more Grammys the next year in the same categories for their cover of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” and a fifth one in 1969 (best recording for children) for the Peter, Paul and Mommy LP, which peaked at No. 12 on the album chart.
Among their string of hits on the Billboard Hot 100 were their 1969 No. 1 cover of John Denver’s “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane,” as well as the No. 9 charting “I Dig Rock and Roll Music” and the No. 21 hit “Day Is Done.” They were also well-known for their charting covers of such Dylan classics as “Blowin’ in the Wind” (No. 2, 1963) and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (No. 9, 1963), scoring a total of five top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart. Two of those albums, a self-titled collection from 1962 and 1963’s In the Wind, reached No. 1. (Those albums held the top two spots simultaneously, an extremely rare feat, on Nov. 2, 1963. In the Wind jumped from No. 12 to No. 1 in its second week. Peter, Paul And Mary slipped from No. 1 to No. 2 in its 80th week.)
In keeping with the tenor of the era, the group were also notable for their strong, progressive political stance in song (“The Cruel War,” “Day Is Done”) and in practice. They participated Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington in 1963, performing Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” (and “If I Had a Hammer”) on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, helping to cement that song’s place as a civil rights anthem.
In total, the group released nine albums during their initial run before breaking up in 1970. It was around that time that Yarrow was accused of taking “immoral and indecent liberties” with a 14-year old girl, Barbara Winter, after she and her older sister came to his hotel room for an autograph and he answered the door naked and forced her to perform a sex act on herself. The singer was indicted and sentenced to one to three years in prison, and ended up serving just three months. He later apologized for the incident and was granted a presidential pardon by Jimmy Carter in January 1981, just before the late president’s final day in office.
Yarrow was also an indefatigable anti-war protester, helping to organize the anti-Vietnam National Mobilization to End the War protest in 1969 in Washington that drew nearly 500,000 fellow anti-war activists, as well as 1978’s anti-nuclear benefit show Survival Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl, which featured appearances by Jackson Browne, Graham Nash and Gil Scott-Heron, among others. In 2000, he founded Operation Respect, a non-profit that aimed to tackle the mental health effects of school bullying.
In addition to his work with the trio, Yarrow released five solo albums, scoring a No. 100 hit on the singles chart with “Don’t Ever Take Away My Freedom” in 1972 and a No. 163 debut on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1972 for his debut solo LP, Peter. Following solo ventures by all three, the trio reunited several times over the ensuing years, including for a 1972 concert to support George McGovern’s failed presidential campaign, his 1978 Survival Sunday anti-nukes show and a summer reunion tour that same year.
By 1981 they were back together for good, performing and releasing five more albums before Travers’ death.
Check out some of Yarrow’s highlights below.
Spotify is celebrating a record-breaking artist with a first-ever concert film. The streaming platform teamed up with The Weeknd to launch a concert film on Tuesday (Jan. 7). The show, Billions Club Live With The Weeknd, is a 45-minute film capturing the star’s recent one-night-only Los Angeles concert honoring his record-breaking 25 songs with over […]
It’s a good time to be Selena Gomez. In addition to her dual nominations at Sunday’s Golden Globe awards for her co-starring role in the award-winning drug cartel musical Emilia Pérez and her long-running role on the series Only Murders in the Building, as you may have heard the singer/actress recently got engaged to longtime love music producer Benny Blanco.
So naturally, when she stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday night (Jan. 6), the host had a special engagement gift for her. “It’s not a traditional gift and it’s not necessarily a practical gift, but I think you and Benny are really going to enjoy it,” said the host, before plunking a Daddy Saddle on his desk.
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“You can ride around on Benny in a very wholesome way,” he explained as Gomez covered her face in mock horror. “I don’t want you to think that anything is being suggested here that isn’t,Kimmel explained, pulling off a bit of stray Christmas wrapping paper and admitting, “That may have been a regift.”
Elsewhere in the chat, Gomez said it was no big deal bouncing between two tables to spend time with her fellow actors from both her nominated projects, though she noted that Only Buildings co-star Martin Short did get a bit possessive. “No [I didn’t have to pick one table], I went to both,” she said, adding, “Marty was trying to steal my ring.”
Kimmel posted video of always-on Short tugging the ring, with Gomez confirming that the comedian was “twisting” it, which confused her. “I wonder, is he appraising it?… because he really gave it a…,” Kimmel said. “He wanted to know what was going on. I don’t think he cared. Maybe he had a little [drinking motion],” Gomez joked.
Given how close they’ve gotten over the past few years, Kimmel asked if Blanco called Short and fellow Only Murders co-star Steve Martin to formally ask permission for her hand in marriage — though her dad would have been the more obvious choice — with Gomez quipping that Short “wasn’t very happy” about the snub.
In keeping with the yes-anding she’s learned from the veteran comics, Gomez also mentioned that Martin sent her assistant and email so her assistant could tell her congratulations on his behalf. “He always tries to be polite and it’s very kind but it’s okay to send a little text,” said Gomez, who thought Kimmel’s idea that the two men could serve as the couple’s ring bearers would be pretty cute.
She also once again heaped praise on one of her movie icons, Salma Hayek, recounting the red carpet meet-cute at the awards show with her dad’s biggest crush. “Did you tell you dad you told her [about his crush]?,” Kimmel asked. “I didn’t have to tell him,” Gomez laughed.
Watch Gomez on Kimmel below.
After BABYMONSTER spent 2024 solidifying their position as one the year’s standout K-pop rookie acts, the girl group is looking to extend their reach with fans worldwide during their first-ever world tour that the septet is preparing with a dynamic production to distinguish itself from other K-pop acts and showcase what truly makes them unique.
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Hot off the group’s Billboard 200 debut with their first full-length [Drip] splashed onto the charts in November, the stars tease a “vibrant setlist” featuring never-before-performed tracks from the LP alongside individual solo stages by members RUKA, PHARITA, ASA, AHYEON, RAMI, RORA, and CHIQUITA. Accompanied by a live band, the tour will rock major arenas like Los Angeles’ Kia Forum and the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, to help cement their reputation as rising live-performance powerhouses. So far, BABYMONSTER has already wowed live audiences with standout appearances at K-pop award shows (a highlight of the year for RORA) and as special guests during dates of 2NE1‘s highly anticipated reunion tour across Asia (which “felt like a dream,” according to youngest member CHIQUITA).
Billboard caught up with the monster rookies to learn about the creative process behind their tour, the group’s favorite moments and tracks from last year, and New Year’s greetings and messages for their loyal fans — adorably known as MONSTIEZ.
Congratulations on announcing your first-ever world tour! What does it mean to you as a group that your first U.S. shows will be at iconic arenas like the Kia Forum and Prudential Center?
RUKA: We are honored and thrilled to be able to hold our first U.S. shows at such iconic arenas. We promise to deliver amazing, unforgettable performances that you’ll cherish for a lifetime, so please look forward to them!
The name is really fun, how did you decide on the name for your world tour? Is there a message you wanted to convey?
RAMI: was chosen with the idea of our first meeting with our fans in mind and the very first greeting we will share when we meet in person. We would like to extend a heartfelt first greeting through our music and performances. First meetings are always so exciting, which is why we are especially looking forward to the upcoming shows! This tour will be a chance for us to share our story with all of you and create special, unforgettable moments that will be cherished for years to come.
CHIQUITA: For the first time ever, we’re unveiling performances from our first full-length album, [DRIP], including solo stages and a vibrant setlist. We can’t wait to showcase not only the unique charms of our seven members but also the incredible synergy we share together.
The tour begins in Seoul in late January. What songs are you looking forward to performing for the most? And what should U.S. fans expect from your shows?
PHARITA: I’m so excited to perform songs we’ve never shared with our fans before! However, the song I always enjoy performing the most on stage is “BATTER UP (Remix)!”
ASA: Our U.S. fans will get to experience our vibrant performances and high-energy stages. We hope to create special moments with music and performances that showcase our unique style. Additionally, we look forward to connecting more closely with MONSTIEZ and sharing unforgettable moments together!
BABYMONSTER gained a lot of attention for the live “band” performances of your songs like “SHEESH” and “FOREVER.” I hope that means you’ll be touring with a live band in the U.S.?
AHYEON: We believe that a live band is the best way to capture the energy and atmosphere of the moment, so we’ve decided to perform every song with one! The rearrangements in each track will bring a fresh, new vibe while adding elements we hope you’ll find exciting and enjoyable.
Beyond the concerts, what are you looking forward to doing or experiencing in the LA or NY areas?
RAMI: I want to stroll, shop, and enjoy delicious food at my leisure while soaking up the sun on the streets of LA. In NY, I definitely want to visit Times Square!
Taking a step back, 2024 has been a monumental year for the group; what stands out as most memorable?
RORA: It’s definitely hard to choose just one, as there have been so many memorable moments! However, the most unforgettable moment for me was performing at the year-end annual music festival. It is both the most recent and the most memorable. It was my first time performing on such a big stage, and everything — from the newly arranged songs and choreography, to the stage and outfits — was perfect, making it such a fun performance.
One of my personal highlights was seeing BABYMONSTER perform as guests on 2NE1’s comeback concerts. What was your experience alongside such icons?
CHIQUITA: It was such an honor and felt like a dream to perform on stage at the 2NE1 concerts — seniors I’ve admired since I was young! Watching their amazing performances inspired me to improve and strive to do even better on our own stages in the future.
BABYMONSTER won several new-artist awards this year and was named K-Pop Rookie of the Month at Billboard. What do these titles mean to you and what more would you like to show moving forward?
RUKA: As we’ve been given the “Monster Rookie” title, we’ll continue to work hard, strive to show our growth, and always present new and different sides of ourselves.
The start of the year is often a time for goal setting. What dreams do you have for 2025, whether as a group or as individuals?
PHARITA: 2024 was filled with amazing opportunities and achievements. I’m so proud of all our members and I hope we continue to grow and stay healthy throughout our 2025 tour.
ASA: As a group, we hope to connect with more fans and share our music and performances with a wider audience on stages around the world. We also aim to continue challenging ourselves with new music styles and to showcase our growth. In 2025, we’ll work even harder to ensure we can share amazing moments together.
Billboard always shares its staff picks for the best songs of the year. What were each of your favorite songs from 2024?
RUKA: “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
PHARITA: “Good Graces” by Sabrina Carpenter
ASA: “POWER” by G-DRAGON
AHYEON: “Soft Spot” by keshi
RAMI: It would have to be “toxic till the end” by ROSÉ! It’s one of the songs I listen to every single day because I love the melody and style so much!
RORA: “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish
CHIQUITA: “BILLIONAIRE” by BABYMONSTER
Any other messages you’d like to share with international fans and Billboard readers?
AHYEON: I hope everyone stays healthy and happy in the new year. We’ll work hard to make sure 2025 is a year where we can take another step forward and show even better versions of ourselves. Thank you, and wishing you all a happy new year.
RORA: First of all, kudos to everyone for all the hard work and dedication you’ve shown throughout 2024 — you’ve all been amazing! 2024 has been especially meaningful for BABYMONSTER, as it marked the beginning of our journey. We’ve worked incredibly hard, given it our all, and gained so many valuable experiences. I’m truly grateful to everyone who has supported us, and as the years go by, we promise to become stronger and even more incredible artists. Last but not least, we’d like to express our deepest gratitude to all the Billboard readers who love and support BABYMONSTER. Thank you so much!
Ariana Grande is continuing to embrace her natural beauty despite jokingly shouting out Botox and Juvederm during her Rising Star acceptance speech Friday (Jan. 3) at the Palm Springs International Film Awards.
In a red-carpet interview with Entertainment Tonight, the singer-actress clarified that she was only kidding when, at one point in her speech, she quipped, “I never thought at the age of 31 I would be hearing the words ‘rising star’ again, so I wanted to start by thanking my two friends: Botox and Juvederm.”
“Oh my gosh, my joke,” Grande remarked to the outlet, laughing. “My bit.”
“I’m still clean, I’m still clean,” she then clarified in regards to the beauty treatments. “But when I start going again, I’ll let you know. I mean it. I really want to be transparent as a beauty founder, as the founder of R.E.M. Beauty — I think it’s important to have transparency.”
“I love it, I support it,” the “Yes, And?” singer added of fillers. “But I am still four years clean.”
Grande’s comments echo what she previously revealed to fans in a 2023 beauty secrets video with Vogue, saying at the time that she’d had a “ton” of lip filler and Botox injections over the years before stopping cold turkey in 2018. “For a long time, beauty was about hiding for me, and now I feel like maybe it’s not,” she said in the emotional clip. “It was just like, ‘Oh, I just want to see my well-earned cry lines and smile lines’ … These are just thoughts that I feel like we should be able to discuss when we’re talking about beauty secrets. F— it, let’s lay it all out there.”
The two-time Grammy winner earned the Palm Springs ceremony’s Rising Star honors thanks to her performance in Wicked, in which she stars as Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba. Grande was full of jokes at the award show, with the Victorious alum also comically faking like her trophy was too heavy for her to carry after accepting it from Jennifer Coolidge — something she also laughed about with ET.
“I was doing a bit on stage, but I’m scared people actually thought it weighed me down,” Grande said.
Two days after the Palm Springs International Film Awards, Wicked won cinematic and box office achievement at the 2025 Golden Globes.
Watch Grande clarify her joke about Botox below.
Selena Gomez didn’t go home with any hardware at Sunday night’s (Jan. 5) Golden Globe Awards, but the Only Murders in the Building co-star had absolutely no complaints about her big night out with fiancée producer Benny Blanco.
In addition to being nominated for a best supporting actress award for her role in the musical Emilia Pérez — with her co-star, Zoe Saldaña, taking home the prize — Gomez was also overcome with emotion when she had an unexpectedly sweet encounter with a fellow A-lister before the show. During a pre-show red carpet stroll, Gomez was shocked when House of Gucci star Salma Hayek interrupted her live spot with carpet co-host and Variety senior culture and events editor Mark Malkin, to give Sel, 32, a hug.
According to video posted by Variety, Hayek not only embraced the singer/actress, but insisted that Gomez take the mic and chat with Malkin as well. “No, no, no… I refuse,” Hayek said, swatting away Malkin’s hand as he tried to get her to hop up and do a dual interview with Gomez.
Gomez clearly appreciated the kind gesture, bowing down and giving Hayek a kiss on her hand as she fought off tears that threatened to muss her perfect makeup.
“That just made me cry! She’s who I’ve looked up to,” Gomez told Malkin. “It’s actually the sweetest thing ever,” Gomez told Malkin. “I love her. I looked up to her. My dad’s crush was her. Everything.”
In a different interview with Malkin at this weekend’s Variety 10 Directors to Watch & Creative Impact Awards, Gomez admitted that she’s super anxious about the idea of performing songs from Emilia Pérez at the 2025 Oscars. When Malkin asked her if she would be up for performing songs from the musical alongside Saldaña, Selena said she’d rather defer to the Avatar star.
“I hope that all goes on Zoe,” she said, noting that she has not performed live for quite a while. Then Malkin reminded Gomez that Saldaña recently said she wants both of them on stage on March 2 to do a “big homage to Mexico with both (Emilia Pérez) songs,” asking “will you do it?”
“I don’t know if I could, Gomez responded. “I’m not as… I’m not there, it’s just different.” The announcement of the 2025 Oscar nominations are less than two weeks away and assuming Emilia Pérez continues its winning ways — it also took home best motion picture – musical or comedy, best original song (“El Mal“) and best non-English language motion picture at the Globes — it’s likely it’s musical numbers will get nods; the songs nominated for the best original song Oscar are typically performed during the ceremony.