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The Queen of Christmas, better known as Mariah Carey, is bringing more holiday cheer this month to Roblox via the platform’s Livetopia.
The “Mariah Carey’s Winter Wonderland” experience on the gaming platform will feature virtual performances from the five-time Grammy winner, a holiday-themed treasure hunt created with her 11-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan (whom she shares with ex-husband Nick Cannon), item drops and more.
Carey will perform a both old and new hits, including her classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You” as the grand finale. The first four consecutive nights of the virtual show starts at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday (Dec. 21), with additional showings from the 22nd to the 24th, starting at the same time.
“Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year! This year, I wanted to do something different to ring in the holiday season,” Carey said in a statement. “My kids and I live for Roblox, and we couldn’t be more excited to be creating this festive metaverse experience for everyone!”
Also this holiday season, the Elusive Chanteuse is set to perform four Merry Christmas to All concerts — two in New York City and two in Toronto. The Dec. 13 and 20 Madison Square Garden shows will be filmed for a two-hour special called Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All, which will air Dec. 20 on CBS and Paramount+.
Earlier this week, Rod Stewart shared the sad news that his second brother had died, just two months after he lost another brother.
“It’s with great sadness that I announce the loss of my brother Bob last night, who joins my brother Don on the great football pitch in the sky,” the singer wrote on Instagram next to a candlelit photo with the words “Rest in Peace.” “I’ve lost two of my best mates in the space of two months. RIP Don and Bob ‘irreplaceable buddies’… Sir Rod Stewart.”
Stewart’s oldest brother, Don, died in September, followed by Bob’s death on Tuesday.
Last week, Sir Rod took over the O2 arena in London for a pair of sold-out shows as part of his ongoing tour of the United Kingdom. Currently, he’s in Scotland, where he’s making stops at Glasgow’s The OVO Hydro and PB&J Live in Aberdeen before heading to arenas in Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester.
Stewart is also slated to make tour stops in North America, Australia and New Zealand in 2023, while also taking over the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for a seven-date Las Vegas run in May.
Read Stewart’s tribute to his brothers below.
Nick Carter spoke out in a new interview on Friday (Dec. 2) about what it felt like to have the rest of the Backstreet Boys by his side following Aaron Carter‘s sudden death.
“It was very emotional for me, having my guys with me,” the pop star told Extra about setting foot on stage for the first time after his younger brother passed away last month. “That night, it was tough to get up on stage. There’s the old saying ‘the show must go on.’ That’s been with us for years, but that night, I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t know what was going to come from it, getting on that stage. Getting the reaction from the fans, it was definitely comforting, and it meant a lot to me.”
During their show at London’s O2 Arena one day after Aaron’s Nov. 5 death, Kevin Richardson spoke on behalf of a visibly emotional Nick and the rest of his bandmates as he paid tribute to the “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)” rapper.
“Tonight, we’ve got a little bit of heavy hearts because we lost one of our family members yesterday,” the Backstreet Boys member said at the time. “We just wanted to find a moment in our show to recognize him … He’s a part of our family. We thank you guys for all your love, all your well wishes and all your support.”
Howie Dorough then went on to dedicate the boy band’s next song to the younger Carter’s memory, calling him “our little brother.”
Meanwhile the veteran boy band’s latest holiday single, “Last Christmas” — off their new album A Very Backstreet Christmas — became the quintet’s first No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart since “I Want It That Way” back in 1999.
Harry Styles had the perfect way of honoring the memory of Christine McVie, the Fleetwood Mac singer and songwriter who died at age 79 on Wednesday (Nov. 30): by singing — and singing her most famously beautiful song at that.
The day after it was announced that McVie had died following a short illness, Styles, who was performing a concert in Chile, carved room into his Love On Tour setlist to sing a gorgeous acoustic version of the ballad with his band. The “As It Was” singer played guitar and sang lead vocal on “Songbird,” backed by a piano and singers providing harmonies.
After the song was over, he blew a kiss up to the sky.
McVie’s death was first announced in a devastating statement posted to social media by the two-time Grammy winner’s family. “She was in the company of her family,” it read. “We kindly ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this extremely painful time, and we would like everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being, and revered musician who was loved universally.”
Styles, who’s long been vocal about how strongly Fleetwood Mac has influenced his musicianship, is just one of many artists honoring McVie following her passing. Sheryl Crow, Duran Duran and more have all taken to social media to mourn the singer-songwriter, along with McVie’s former bandmates.
“A few hours ago I was told that my best friend in the whole world since the first day of 1975, had passed away,” wrote Stevie Nicks in an emotional post on Twitter. “See you on the other side, my love. Don’t forget me.”
Lindsey Buckingham also shared a message about McVie on social media, writing that her sudden passing was “profoundly heartbreaking.” “Not only were she and I part of the magical family of Fleetwood Mac, to me Christine was a musical comrade, a friend, a soul mate and a sister,” he wrote. “I feel very lucky to have known her. Though she will be deeply missed, her spirit will live on through that body of work and that legacy.”
Watch Harry Styles perform Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird” for Christine McVie below:
Santa’s elves work hard, but Ariana Grande and Kelly Clarkson work harder. On Friday (Dec. 2), the two singers and former Voice coaches released a live recording of their holiday duet “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me,” originally performed last year during Clarkson’s NBC Christmas special.
The new live version of “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me” serves as a follow up to the studio recording featured on Clarkson’s album When Christmas Comes Around…, released in October 2021. Peaking at No. 22 on the Billboard 200, the project marked the three-time Grammy winner’s second holiday record, following 2013’s Wrapped In Red.
The December after When Christmas Comes Around… dropped, Clarkson invited Grande to perform the track with her during her NBC holiday music special, fittingly titled Kelly Clarkson Presents: When Christmas Comes Around. Amy Poehler, Leslie Odom Jr., Jay Leno, Melissa McCarthy and Brett Eldredge were also featured guests on the program, which included several musical performances from the “Stronger” singer.
The audio from this performance is what now serves as the new live edition of “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me.” During the duet last year, Grande and Clarkson wore stunning white and purple gowns, respectively, and sang joyfully together while supported by a shimmering orchestra of string musicians, backup singers, percussionists and brass.
Pulling together his annual tribute to the celebrities we’ve lost in the past calendar year via the Beatles’ iconic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band cover is always a fraught prospect for British artist Chris Barker. Over the past few years as December rolls around and he feels the pressure to blast out this year’s model, Barker frets over whether he can do it, who to include/leave out and whether the whole things is even a good idea.
“I’ve been doing this since 2016. That was the year anyone who was nice or kind or creative or special decided it was time to leave before the bad stuff started,” Barker tells Billboard in an exclusive note about the year we lost Prince and David Bowie, among many others. “Or at least that’s how it felt at the time. I’ve become a little bit desensitised to it over the years. I mean, I still try and keep the star’s dignity and think of their loved ones and how it would make them feel to see it, but – let’s face it – I make notes over the course of the year now rather than just waiting til November. It’s a thing.”
That explains the inspiration behind his 2022 image, which contains a whopping 151 faces, including late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who sits front and center next to an image of Queen Elizabeth II, and just below a Grease-era Olivia Newton-John, who is flanked by actors Ray Liotta and Harry Potter actor Robbie “Hagrid” Coltrane.
Also added last minute was Fleetwood Mac singer/songwriter Christine McVie, who passed away this week, as well as a raft of other music stars, including “Bat Out of Hell” singer Meat Loaf, Migos’ Takeoff, Aaron Carter, Irene Cara, Loretta Lynn, Coolio, the Screaming Trees’ Mark Lanegan, rock godfather Jerry Lee Lewis, Low’s Mimi Parker, Dr. Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson, The Wanted’s Tom Parker, composer Vangelis, the Ronetttes’ Ronnie Spector, mysterious singer Q Lazzarus, Yes drummer Alan White and famed rock member memorialist Cynthia Plaster Caster.
“But this year, I had to put them all the previous ones side by side for some reason (Someone asked me to do it or something) and it really hit me how many great people we’ve lost forever. It’s a real sea of amazing talents laid out in front of your eyes,” Barker says of the lengthy list of musicians, actors and comedians who’ve shone a bit of light into the darkness. By now an expert on such things, Barker says that he noticed early on in 2022 that it was going to be an “exceptional year” of bold-faced losses, with his list so long that by mid-year he’d already surpassed the final total from year one.
“It was almost enough to make me think maybe this isn’t the right thing to do any more. But people really like it and they’ve grown to expect it,” he says. “I have been shuffling the characters around quite a lot but I think my front four is valid. Nichelle Nichols’ (Star Trek) career was groundbreaking, Meat Loaf was iconic, Robbie Coltrane was heartbreaking and Olivia Newton-John defined an era. There are plenty of others on the list who are also huge losses and massive icons but I’m satisfied with my decision here. I have made life difficult by going so early on this. I know in previous years I have had to make late editions and updates but this year it will be a really difficult job as there just aren’t any gaps.”
The list, as usual, is a mix of mostly American and British luminaries of stage, screen, music, comedy and politics, including actors Sidney Poitier, Angela Lansbury, James Caan, Paul Sorvino, Julee Cruise, Anne Heche, William Hurt, Yvette Mimieux, Bob Saget and Leslie Jordan, as well as a mix of directors and sports and fashion figures.
“Every year I ask that if people like the montage, they could consider making a donation to charity,” he says. “This year, please consider making a donation to a charity helping the children and the people of Ukraine. This shouldn’t be happening in the 21st century.”
Check out this year’s image and the numbered key.
They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, they’re altogether ooky, the Little Monster family! “Bloody Mary,” one of Lady Gaga‘s 2011 Born This Way deep cuts, has resurfaced and gone viral in the past few days thanks to a new TikTok trend of folks using it to recreate Wednesday Addams’ standout dance scene from Netflix’s new series Wednesday starring Jenna Ortega in the title role. And now, even Mother Monster has taken notice.
“Slay Wednesday!” Gaga tweeted Thursday (Dec. 1). “You’re welcome at Haus of Gaga anytime (and bring Thing with you, we love paws around here 😉).”
The “Rain On Me” singer’s tweet was actually a response to a cute message posted on Wednesday Addams’ official Twitter account, expressing the fictional character’s approval of the “Bloody Mary” trend. “I see you doing my dance moves to @LadyGaga’s Bloody Mary,” it read. “I understand she is followed by little monsters. I approve.”
The latest of several onscreen adaptations of Charles Addams original Addams Family cartoon, Wednesday is executive produced and largely directed by Tim Burton. Clips showcasing Ortega’s instantly lovable portrayal of the gothy teenage character quickly started circulating online after the series dropped Nov. 23, particularly a scene in which she shows off her peculiar style of boogying at a school dance.
Ortega actually choreographed the dance herself, later revealing on Twitter that she’d taken inspiration from several artists as well as old videos of goths getting down at dance clubs in the 1980s. Though the dance sequence in Wednesday was actually set to “Goo Goo Muck” by The Cramps, TikTok users started making fan edits with the scene using Gaga’s “Bloody Mary.”
Thanks to Siouxsie Sioux, Bob Fosse’s Rich Man’s Frug, Lisa Loring, Lene Lovich, Denis Lavant, and archival footage of goths dancing in clubs in the 80’s. Helped me out on this one. https://t.co/zlxlv1JUW4— Jenna Ortega (@jennaortega) November 25, 2022
From there, another trend started to snowball: Users began posting videos of themselves trying out Wednesday’s quirky moves using “Bloody Mary,” some of them dressing up in black and doing their hair to match Ortega’s school dance look in Wednesday.
Check out some of the “Bloody Mary” Wednesday TikToks below:
Billboard’s First Stream 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, RM presents a bold solo vision, Metro Boomin ends another big year with a superstar affair, and Lewis Capaldi’s latest will turn your frown upside down. Check out all of this week’s First Stream picks below:
RM, Indigo
Even with the context of every recent solo project from the members of BTS, which have presented their millions of listeners with individual aesthetics and ideas, RM’s official solo debut Indigo ruptures with artistic ambition from the opening minutes, where he raps about his humanity over a buttery R&B beat before Erykah Badu slides in with a majestic pre-chorus. Indigo wriggles free of easy classification, much like its creator: the moment one tries to peg the project as a mainstream hip-hop effort, a song like the arena-ready sing-along “Wild Flower” or the forlorn strummer “Lonely” upends expectations. RM’s curiosity balances out his natural talent on Indigo, resulting in an accomplished, multi-faceted solo step.
Metro Boomin, Heroes & Villains
From Future to 21 Savage to The Weeknd, Metro Boomin has helped mold the sound of some of the biggest mainstream stars of the past decade as a producer and songwriter — so when he releases his own projects, they (and many others) naturally show up to pay homage. Heroes & Villains, the long-awaited follow-up to the Atlanta studio whiz’s underrated 2018 opus Not All Heroes Wear Capes, is a star-studded heat check before the end of the year that allows superstars to operate over slow-rolling beats (“Trance,” a bleary-eyed team-up between Travis Scott and Young Thug, is a highlight), as well as engage in some rollicking genre exercises (“Creepin’” joyfully re-creates Mario Winans’ “I Don’t Wanna Know” with The Weeknd and 21 Savage).
Lewis Capaldi, “Pointless”
Lewis Capaldi became a star on the strength of sorrow: his singles “Someone You Loved” and “Before You Go” grew into unlikely top 10 Hot 100 hits while embracing heart-wrenched balladry, as the singer-songwriter bet on unbridled emotion as a commercial vehicle and won handily. “Pointless,” the second taste of his upcoming sophomore album Broken By Desire to be Heavenly Sent, taps into another rush of feelings, but this one could soundtrack a wedding dance instead of a tearful night in bed: “Everything is pointless without you,” Capaldi sings, the intensity of his voice and stabs of piano drawing the listener into his love story.
Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time (Sampler)
After nearly two years of watching his Dangerous: The Double Album become one of the biggest commercial LPs of the past decade, and rebuilding trust in and out of Nashville following some high-profile controversies, Morgan Wallen is setting himself up for a major 2023, with a recently announced international stadium tour accompanied by a three-song sampler of an upcoming studio project. “One Thing at a Time,” “Days That End in Why” and “Tennessee Fan” don’t try to reinvent Wallen’s appeal, instead augmenting the long-running juxtaposition between his rustic, lived-in voice and sparkling, sophisticated country-pop songwriting, while also suggesting that fans will have plenty to look forward to in the new year.
Latto feat. GloRilla & Gangsta Boo, “FTCU”
From the moment you realize that the acronym “FTCU” stands for “f-ck the club up” in the new collaboration between Latto, GloRilla and Gangsta Boo, you hope that the trio can come as correct as Three 6 Mafia and Waka Flocka Flame did on their respective destroying-the-club anthems from different generations of hip-hop. Fortunately, they deliver: “FTCU” is pure, menacing fun, with Latto dropping threats with efficiency and GloRilla relying on her drawl to accentuate punchlines like “Walk up in your party, make that bitch my party, ayy.”
Arcangel, Sr. Santos
Sr. Santos, the new project from former Arcangel & De La Ghetto leader Austin “Arcangel” Santos, will likely draw most of its attention toward the explosive Bad Bunny team-up “La Jumpa,” which sounds ready to dominate clubs for the foreseeable future. Although Arcangel’s new album gains strength from its high-wattage collaborators — Bizarrap, Myke Towers and Duki all swing by — the reggaetón veteran also sounds reinvigorated on the project, surrounding the guest-heavy portions of the projects with sizzling solo tracks like “La Roca” and “PortoBello.”
In the time since Meghan Trainor dropped her third studio album Treat Myself in January 2020, her life has completely transformed. That October, she revealed that she was pregnant with her first child. She released A Very Trainor Christmas the same month, and early the following year, the 28-year-old Nantucket native welcomed her son, Riley, with her husband, Spy Kids star Daryl Sabara.
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Now a mother, Trainor says that she has learned to focus more on “what actually matters” and being her most authentic self for her new baby. That has involved spending loads of time on TikTok, posting casual videos dancing with her family or sharing personal and hilarious tidbits about her life. “I’ve been more real and open than ever. I even talk about my love for MiraLAX online,” she jokes to Billboard.
The platform has also boosted one of her biggest hits in the past few years: her fresh take on doo-wop, “Made You Look,” first began to spread across TikTok thanks to a dance trend started by users Brookie and Jessie that has since become inescapable. Trainor has gotten in on the fun, and to date, nearly two million user-created videos on the platform have utilized the track as a backing sound. “Made You Look” reaches a new No. 24 high on the Billboard Hot 100 dated Dec. 3, marking Trainor’s highest-charting hit since “Me Too” reached No. 13 in 2016.
Below, the pop star tells Bilboard about the details behind “Made You Look” — including how she drew inspiration from a familiar hit to create the song — how music has changed over her decade-long career and what being a mother has taught her.
How did “Made You Look” come together?
It was one of the last songs I wrote for the album. I knew I needed my self-confident banger that I always do on my albums, and I was really studying “All About That Bass.” I was like, “Why did this work so well?” I think everyone just loves to sing along to a song that’s like, “I am awesome, I am the sh-t, I am hot.” Especially after having a baby, I was already struggling to love my body. I was covered in a C-section scar crossing over all my stretch marks and I was really struggling to like myself, but also like myself in front of my own husband.
My therapist had me stand in front of the mirror naked every day and the first day, I was shaking and hated it. By the third day, I noticed things that I liked about my body and I was like, “Wow, this is so powerful.” So, I was in the shower one day and I was like, “Yeah, they could dress me in all these fancy clothes, but when I’m at my grungiest and at home, that’s when my husband is like, ‘You’re the prettiest girl in the world. You’re the hottest.’ ” I wanted to put that in a song, and I wrote the chorus in the shower.
Your C-section scar is how you gave birth to your son, though. That’s so special.
Exactly. I was at the point where I would say to my husband, “Please don’t look at it. Don’t look at my scar!” He’s like, “That’s my favorite mark there ever was. That’s where my boy came out of. That’s the most special thing in the world!” I had never thought about it like that.
How is making music different for you since having your son?
It’s more important now. I guess I’m also more mature, because I’m older and been through more, so now, I’m at an age and point in my life where I’m like, “Here’s what actually matters and here’s what doesn’t. I’m not going to stress anymore.” I really had to work with my therapist on what I can and can’t control. These stretch marks are here, [I have to] get used to them and learn to love them because I can’t control whether they go away or not. In my songwriting, I try to put in that “let it go” vibe.
What was your reaction when “Made You Look” started blowing up on TikTok?
I was so surprised, because it’s so hard to get a song to be successful on TikTok. You don’t want to be out there every day like, “Check out my new song!” I like being vulnerable on that app, and I feel weird being on there just to promote my music. This song was important to me, though, and I knew it would help people with their confidence.
When I saw the dance from the TikTokers Brookie and Jessie, [it] was so fun and they made it look so cool. It was hard to learn, but now that I know it, I do it literally every day. I love the dance so much. It blew up and popped off, but now I see people doing other stuff to the song. I saw a girl who was learning how to be a chef, someone practicing how to cut a vagina while giving birth and a horse giving birth to my song. That’s the coolest part of TikTok. The whole world is on there.
What are some of the biggest differences you see in music trends and on the Hot 100 over the course of your career?
Obviously, TikTok rules the world. For the last album, I was like, “I’ll do every piece of promo you want me to do. If this works, I’ll do it.” But it didn’t work. So, for this album, I made a priority to do “TikTok days” and make content. This app allows for a whole day of fun work for us, and it doesn’t feel like work. I get to be at home and make videos that go viral, and it still helps my music and connect with strangers all over the world. I went live on TikTok this morning and people from Ethiopia were in there. People are like, “Hi from South Dakota! Hi from South Africa!” And I’m like, “Oh my God!” It’s just the best app to connect with everyone globally.
I’ve been more real and open than ever. I even talk about my love for MiraLAX online. The best part of that is that it seems to be what everyone likes. They like me being myself. That’s easy to do for me, rather than [being] like, “Oh, I’m a celebrity that no one can touch, and I wear Gucci and Prada. Don’t talk to me.” It’s easier and more fun this way. Finally, for the first time in a long time, I really, really love my job again. I love promoting music again.
It also feels like you found a renewed love for music on Takin’ It Back.
Yeah! My last album I was chasing radio so hard and was going more pop because I was trying to run away from the doo-wop stuff. I was like, “No, I can do all the genres! I love pop! I love dance!” Then, I was like, “Alright, let’s do the doo-wop. Let’s give the people what they want.” I realized, then, my love for it. I wrote the verses of “Made You Look” over lunch while laughing. We were like, “Oh, it should be, ‘Call up your chiropractor just in case your neck breaks from looking at me.’ ” We were having a ball.
One thing that definitely hasn’t changed through your albums are your messages of empowerment.
I’m trying to do that for everyone out there. The best reward is [that] I’ve been getting letters from fans that start with, “Your music helped me so much growing up.” That’s better than any compliment ever.
What are you excited for with the holidays coming up? You’re a big Christmas fan and even have a holiday album.
Yes, my decorations are already up and I put up the tree. I’m also trying to get pregnant. I’m trying to have four kids and get them out. I don’t know if we’ll tour next year, because touring is so exhausting and brutal still.
Especially if you do get pregnant.
I mean, I don’t know if I’m as cool as Cardi B. The icon that’s like, “Sure I can tour and perform and do SNL pregnant.” I don’t know if I’m as strong as her. I remember being pregnant and being like, “I really should lay down.” I was pooped, so I don’t know if I want to sign up for a tour and then get pregnant while doing that. It’s a big debate, but if something happens and I can open for someone or do a short run, I would love to do something like that. I also want to put out a book about pregnancy. After giving birth, I feel like I can do anything. So, I’m just picking new goals and making new dreams.
What’s the biggest thing you learned through motherhood?
Mom guilt is [a] very similar pain to struggling with loving yourself. I’m a very hard critic on myself in everything I do. With loving myself and music and my talent, I’m my worst critic. I noticed that mom guilt is a very similar feeling. Immediately, I had the worst mom guilt because I started working right away and I was like, “Oh, he’s saying ‘dada’ first and it’s probably because he doesn’t know me!” That’s not the case at all. I had to learn, “Hey, be easy on yourself. You’re doing the best you can and that’s all that matters.” Watch out for mom guilt, and just know that I have it too and I’m working on it.
A version of this story originally appeared in the Nov. 19, 2022, issue of Billboard.
Britney Spears’ biggest hits are getting a fairy-tale makeover with the arrival of Once Upon a One More Time on Broadway.
Produced by Tony winners James L. Nederlander and Hunter Arnold, the musical comedy will open at the Marquis Theatre on June 23 following previews, which begin May 13. Directed and choreographed by Keone and Mari Madrid (Beyond Babel, Karate Kid), the show combines classic storybook characters — think Cinderella, Snow White, Little Mermaid and more — with hits from Spears’ extensive, award-winning music catalog.
The show is billed as being inspired by music performed and recorded by Spears, who is otherwise not known to be involved. According to a rep for the production, all of the musical compositions in the show are licensed through their publishers with the approval of the songwriters. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to a lawyer for Spears for comment.
Described as a revisionist fairy tale, Once Upon a One More Time is a “musical adventure about claiming your own happily ever after,” according to the production. Singles like “Oops I Did It Again,” “Lucky,” “Circus” and “Toxic” serve as the soundtrack to a fairy-tale book club upended by a rogue fairy godmother, who decides to drop The Feminine Mystique into the laps of women who have known little else outside of “bird-made dresses and true love’s kiss.”
With an original story written by Jon Hartmere (Bare, The Upside), the production’s creative team includes David Leveaux (Nine, Romeo and Juliet) as a creative consultant, scenic designer Anna Fleischle (Hangmen, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), costume and hair designer Loren Elstein (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead), lighting designer Kenneth Posner (Wicked, Beetlejuice), sound designer Andrew Keister (KPOP, On Your Feet!) and projection designer Sven Ortel (Newsies).
The show was originally slated for a pre-Broadway run in Chicago in 2019 at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, but delayed its opening to spring 2020. In March, the pandemic shut down theaters across the country, with producers deciding to cancel the show’s Chicago engagement.
Once Upon a One More Time would make its world premiere in December 2021 at Washington D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company, where it eventually extended its limited engagement from Jan. 3 to 9 due to demand.
Spears, who is not credited as part of the creative or producer team, was present for an early reading in 2019, according to The Washington Post. Ahead of the musical’s abandoned Chicago run, during which Spears was still in her now-ended 13-year conservatorship, Playbill reported that the pop icon called the production “a dream come true for me.”
“I’m so excited to have a musical with my songs — especially one that takes place in such a magical world filled with characters that I grew up on, who I love and adore,” she continued in a statement at the time.
Before the musical’s D.C. run in 2021, Hartmere said he was “given access to all of Spears’ songs,” according to an interview with the Post. “The only thing I was told was that she loves fairies,” he said of Spears. “And I was like, ‘That’s it, that’s what we’ve got to go on.’”
“I knew the songs that everybody else knew,” he added. “I didn’t know the deep cuts. She literally has a song [called] ‘Cinderella.’ I was like, ‘All right, I have to do this.’”
The news comes on the pop icon’s 41st birthday.
This story was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
