Pop
Page: 67
Billie Eilish was struck in the face by an object during a recent stop on her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour.
While performing at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz., on Friday (Dec. 13), the 22-year-old pop star was struck by what appeared to be a necklace thrown by an overzealous fan. The incident occurred while Eilish was sitting cross-legged on stage, delivering an emotional rendition of the Barbie movie soundtrack ballad “What Was I Made For?”
Fan-captured footage shows Eilish flinching as the necklace strikes her face. But she handled the situation like a pro, continuing to sing the chart-topping track before tossing the piece of jewelry aside with mild frustration.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Eilish has spoken out before about fans throwing objects onstage. During the Barbie movie’s world premiere in July 2023, she acknowledged the impulse behind such actions but emphasized that it’s not acceptable.
“I’ve been getting hit on stage with things for, like, literally six years. I don’t know why this is new,” Eilish told The Hollywood Reporter. “People just get excited, and it can be dangerous.”
She explained that most of the objects thrown are smartphones, often aimed at capturing a selfie with the artist. “It’s absolutely infuriating when you’re up there. I have mixed feelings about it, because when you’re up there, it blows,” the artist said. “But you know it’s out of love, and they’re just trying to give you something. You’re in a vulnerable position, but I’ve been getting hit with stuff for years.”
Friday’s Arizona incident is part of a troubling trend of fans throwing objects at performers, which has been on the rise in recent months. Several high-profile artists — including Zach Bryan, Wiz Khalifa, Morgan Wallen and Nicki Minaj — have been struck by random objects during their shows.
In June 2023, P!nk was left shocked when a fan threw their mother’s ashes onto the stage during a performance at BST Hyde Park in London. Similarly, Cardi B had water thrown at her during a concert in August 2023, and Bebe Rexha was hit with a phone in June 2023, resulting in injury.
Harry Styles and Kid Cudi have also faced similar disruptions. Styles was hit in the eye by a Skittle during a 2022 show in Los Angeles, while Kid Cudi cut his Rolling Loud set short after fans threw bottles at him.
Meanwhile, Eilish is preparing to wrap up the North American leg of her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour, which began in late September. After taking a break on Dec. 21 following five nights at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, the singer will embark on a series of dates in Europe and Australia starting in February.
If you know, you know. Taylor Swift didn’t post anything on her social media accounts on Friday, Dec. 13, her 35th birthday. But her official team online, known as Taylor Nation, used its social media accounts to point fans in the direction of a new section on Swift’s website that’s dedicated to archiving material across eras.
Fans can navigate the TS Eras Archive by clicking a picture of Swift on the photo banner from the era they’d like to explore. There, they can discover behind-the-scenes clips from the music video shoots for “Anti-Hero,” “Karma,” “Fortnight” and more, all newly uploaded to YouTube as of Dec. 13. The BTS videos can also be found by going directly to Swift’s YouTube page and sorting videos by “latest.”
“I have been the architect of my own chaos that I currently live in,” a silver statue version of Swift, as seen in the video still above, quips in the “Karma” clip. “I have no idea how many hundreds of showers it’s gonna take to get this off.”
A recurring theme in these clips is that Swift’s hands-on work, personality and style as a director are highlighted. Besides being the obvious star of each of the music videos here, she also directed them. Swift counts 10 directorial credits — 9 music videos and one short (All Too Well: The Short Film) — for projects released thus far, with a plan to shift to features. In December 2022, it was announced Swift will make her debut as a feature film director with Searchlight Pictures. The as-yet-unnamed film will be based on a script that’s a Swift original.
Many (if not all?) of the behind-the-scenes videos from Friday’s drop were played at stadiums on The Eras Tour ahead of Swift taking the stage for her 3.5-hour concert. The volume and excitement there made it difficult to pay close attention to all the little details in the clips, but now they can be watched at any time, and as many times as you’d like to see them, from the comfort of home.
Swift’s massive Eras Tour wrapped in Vancouver on Dec. 8, just before she was named the big winner at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards on Dec. 12 — with 10 new wins, she’s become the most-awarded artist in the show’s history. “This is the nicest early birthday present you could have given me,” she said in her acceptance speech video, noting her fans’ support of the music is the reason for her being honored.
Billboard editors were on site at Vancouver’s BC Place to review the final weekend of The Eras Tour. Find Billboard‘s thoughts on night one, night two and night three, and relive the complete list of surprise songs Swift played throughout her Eras journey.
Watch all of Swift’s just-released behind-the-scenes clips, from the sets of “Karma,” “Fortnight,” “Bejeweled,” “Anti-Hero” and “Cardigan,” below.
“Karma” (Feat. Ice Spice) (Behind the Scenes)
“Fortnight” (Behind the Scenes With Post Malone, Ethan Hawke & Josh Charles)
“Bejeweled” (Behind the Scenes With Laura Dern)
“Bejeweled” (Behind the Scenes With Jack Antonoff, HAIM & Pat McGrath)
“Bejeweled” (Behind the Scenes With Dita Von Teese)
“Anti-Hero” (Behind the Scenes With Mike Birbiglia, John Early & Mary Elizabeth Ellis)
“Cardigan” (Behind the Scenes – Forest & Ocean)
“Anti-Hero” (Behind the Scenes with the Ghosts In the Room)
Myles Smith’s “Stargazing” caps a triumphant 27-week trip to No. 1 on Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, rising a spot on the tally dated Dec. 21.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Stargazing” reigns with 4.7 million audience impressions, up 15%, on alternative, adult alternative and mainstream rock reporting stations in the week ending Dec. 12, according to Luminate.
The song wraps the lengthiest rise to No. 1 by a solo male, and ties for the fifth-longest overall, since Rock & Alternative Airplay began in June 2009.
Longest Rises to No. 1, Rock & Alternative Airplay:33 weeks, “Out of My League,” Fitz and the Tantrums (reached No. 1 in 2013)30, “First, “Cold War Kids (2015)29, “Running Up That Hill,” Meg Myers (2020)29, “Trampoline,” SHAED (2019)27, “Stargazing,” Myles Smith (2024)27, “All My Favorite Songs,” Weezer (2021)26, “Way Down We Go,” KALEO (2016)24, “Broken,” lovelytheband (2018)24, “Tighten Up,” The Black Keys (2010)
“Stargazing” is Smith’s first Rock & Alternative Airplay ruler, earned with the British singer-songwriter’s first entry on the ranking. He’s the third act to score an initial leader on the chart this year, following The Offspring (“Make It All Right”), Hozier (“Too Sweet”) and Pearl Jam (“Dark Matter”). He’s the first to achieve the feat with a maiden hit since Giovannie & the Hired Guns, with “Ramon Ayala,” in 2022. Before Smith, Alice Merton last achieved the feat among soloists as a lead act, with “No Roots” in 2018.
Along the way to its Rock & Alternative Airplay coronation, “Stargazing” led the Alternative Airplay chart in September. (It ranks at No. 5 on the latest tally.) It also leads Adult Pop Airplay for a second week, following a week atop Pop Airplay. It becomes just the eighth song to have hit No. 1 on Rock & Alternative Airplay, Alternative Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay, joining Hozier’s “Too Sweet” earlier in 2024, Panic! at the Disco’s “High Hopes” (2018-19), Portugal. The Man’s “Feel It Still” (2017), Twenty One Pilots’ “Stressed Out” (2015-16), Lorde’s “Royals” (2013), fun.’s “We Are Young,” featuring Janelle Monáe (2012) and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know,” featuring Kimbra (2012).
“Stargazing,” which also reached No. 4 on Adult Alternative Airplay, ranked at No. 3 on the most recently published Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart (dated Dec. 14, reflecting the Nov. 29-Dec. 5 tracking week), with 53.4 million audience impressions across all radio formats, 6.3 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 sold.
“Stargazing” is on Smith’s EP A Minute…, which debuted at its No. 25 high on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart dated Nov. 23.
All Billboard charts dated Dec. 21 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Taylor Swift is officially 35 years old, and her Eras Tour crew is celebrating her birthday on Friday (Dec. 13). Her fan-favorite backup dancer, Kam Saunders, shared his final Eras “Bejeweled” solo via Instagram, and in the video, he and Swift share an adorable hug before he repeatedly tells the star, “I love you!” In […]
Robbie Williams thinks he’s exhibited a lot of “Patience” around rumors of his sexuality — but in a new interview with The Guardian, the Take That singer is setting the record straight. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Speaking to the outlet about his forthcoming biopic Better […]
We’re done recapping the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century — find all of our past episodes for that series here — but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still plenty of Greatest Pop Stars Podcast discussion to be had, as we begin to dive into our annual top 10 Greatest Pop Stars of the […]
12/13/2024
From Linkin Park 2.0’s BBMA debut to Teddy Swims, Jelly Roll, Coldplay, Fuerzo Regida and Stray Kids, we’ve got all of Thursday night’s (Dec. 12) sets here for you.
12/13/2024
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.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
This week, Stray Kids earn another victory lap, Bossman Dlow keeps rising and Snoop Dogg links back up with an old friend. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Stray Kids, Hop
Five months after scoring another No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with Ate, and one day after taking home the 2024 Billboard Music Award for Top Global K-Pop Artist, Stray Kids’ dominant run continues with Hop, which is highlighted by a sound branded as “SKZHOP” — the group’s personalized riff on hip-hop — and starts rolling with opener “Walkin on Water,” packing in ample record scratches and chest-thumping rhymes in two-and-a-half minutes.
Bossman Dlow, Dlow Curry
Few rappers have had bigger breakout years than Bossman Dlow, the Miami rapper whose springy drawl is often applied to tales of effortless success; Dlow Curry, his official debut album, arrives before the end of the year to both reflect on a major 2024 and set the MC up for an even more significant 2025, with assists coming from Ice Spice, Lil Baby and GloRilla and the previously released tracks flowing nicely within this new-school trap opus.
Snoop Dogg, Missionary
Missionary is billed as the first Snoop Dogg album that’s also a full-length collaboration with Dr. Dre as a producer since Doggystyle 30 years ago, and while the album is a guests-packed, samples-heavy showcase for Snoop with Dre hopping on just a few tracks as a rapper, hearing the West Coast legends and longtime friends link back up with some old cohorts — Eminem and 50 Cent also swing by “Gunz N Smoke” — makes for a satisfying return to a proven formula.
GloRilla with Kehlani, “Xmas Time”
“This as merry as I’m gettin’, swear to God,” GloRilla spits on “Xmas Time,” a singular holiday single on which Kehlani croons about cold nights and time with family in between Glo’s verses about getting iced out in the winter and figuring out which guys are on her naughty and nice lists; the result is disarmingly sweet, with two mega-talented performers joining forces for a Christmas cut that doesn’t sound like any other.
Fred Again.., Two More Days
After releasing his album Ten Days in September, Fred Again.. decided that that number simply couldn’t stand before 2024 closed out — so we’ve got Two More Days, a pair of singles (the hypnotic “Light Dark Light” featuring Angie McMahon, and the tropical-tinged “Little Mystery” with John Martyn) that lets the superstar producer shimmy into the new year on a high note.
Editor’s Pick: Olly Alexander, “Archangel”
As Olly Alexander continues moving through a solo career following his start as the leader of Years & Years, new single “Archangel” is a promising step toward a more established pop identity: the delicate synth-pop and fluffy melodies recall Alexander’s previous heights, but the track contains more danceable vibrancy and lyrical personality than his previous solo oeuvre, and sets up a promising future.
Mariah Carey is still out of commission as she battles a tough case of the flu, with the superstar announcing Friday (Dec. 13) that she needs to cancel two more shows on her holiday tour as she recovers. In a message posted to X and Instagram Stories the morning of her slotted performance in New […]
Sabrina Carpenter claims her fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart – all earned in 2024 – as “Taste” tops the radio ranking dated Dec. 21.
The song, released on Island Records and promoted to radio by Republic, follows Carpenter’s “Please Please Please,” which led Pop Airplay for two weeks in September; “Espresso” (three weeks, July); and “Feather” (one week, April).
Carpenter joins only Doja Cat and Lady Gaga in having scored four Pop Airplay leaders in a single year, dating to the chart’s 1992 launch. Doja Cat reigned in 2022 with “Need to Know,” “Woman” and “Vegas” and as featured on Post Malone’s “I Like You (A Happier Song).” Gaga dominated in 2009 with “Just Dance” (featuring Colby O’Donis), “Poker Face,” “LoveGame” and “Paparazzi.”
Carpenter this year and Gaga in 2009 are the only artists with as many as four Pop Airplay No. 1s in a single year all in lead roles.
“Taste,” meanwhile, is the third Pop Airplay No. 1 from Carpenter’s LP Short n’ Sweet. The album, released in August, is the first to spin off at least three Pop Airplay leaders since Selena Gomez’s Revival in 2016, and the 10th to achieve the feat in the chart’s history.
Albums With 3 or More Pop Airplay No. 1s:Artist, Album, No. 1s, Year(s)
Sabrina Carpenter, Short n’ Sweet: “Espresso,” “Please Please Please,” “Taste” (2024)
Selena Gomez, Revival: “Good for You” (feat. A$AP Rocky), “Same Old Love,” “Hands to Myself” (2015-16)
Justin Bieber, Purpose: “What Do You Mean?,” “Sorry,” “Love Yourself” (2015-16)
Maroon 5, Overexposed: “Payphone” (feat. Wiz Khalifa), “One More Night,” “Daylight” (2012-13)
Katy Perry, Teenage Dream: “California Gurls” (feat. Snoop Dogg), “Teenage Dream,” “Firework,” “E.T.” (feat. Kanye West), “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” “The One That Got Away” (2010-12) (*The album’s The Complete Confection reissue generated an additional No. 1, “Wide Awake.”)
Lady Gaga, The Fame: “Just Dance” (feat. Colby O’Donis), “Poker Face,” “LoveGame,” “Paparazzi” (2009)
Justin Timberlake, FutureSex/LoveSounds: “SexyBack,” “My Love” (feat. T.I.), “What Goes Around…Comes Around,” “Summer Love” (2006-07)
Avril Lavigne, Let Go: “Complicated,” “Sk8er Boi,” “I’m With You” (2002-03)
Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill: “Ironic,” “You Learn,” “Head Over Feet” (1996)
Ace of Base, The Sign: “All That She Wants,” “The Sign,” “Don’t Turn Around” (1993-94)
“I called it Short n’ Sweet for multiple reasons,” Carpenter mused to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe ahead of the album’s release. “It was not because I’m vertically challenged [‘5 feet, to be exact,’ per ‘Taste’]. It was really, like, I thought about some of [my] relationships, and how some of them were the shortest I’ve ever had, and they affected me the most.”
All charts dated Dec. 21 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Dec. 17.