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Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered.
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These 10 tracks from artists including Mazie, Honey Dijon and Josh Caffe, Pinkpantheress and Fana Hues will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists — or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10.
Mazie, “Girls Just Wanna Have Sex”
“Girls Just Wanna Have Sex” by rising Baltimore native Mazie may be a brash, unabashed ode to queer pleasure, but the singer-songwriter gets all the details right in her vocal delivery — the breathlessness of her infatuation, the zippy elation of a high-speed physical collision, the commanding tone of her “Get outta your HEAD!” plea. There’s a lot to like within “Girls Just Wanna Have Sex,” and the majority of its positive attributes are by Mazie’s design. – JASON LIPSHUTZ
Fred again.. & Romy, “Strong”
Dance floor euphoria can often be about comfort in community, and on “Strong,” the latest team-up between Fred again.. and The xx’s Romy Madley Croft, a simple message precedes a major drop: “Let me be someone you can lean on … You don’t have to be so strong.” The gentle foundation of Romy’s voice has always balanced out the darker undertones of The xx’s catalog, and here, she counteracts the laser-light fantasia of the production with natural grace. – J. Lipshutz
Ayleen Valentine, “Next Life”
Ayleen Valentine’s latest single harkens back to her origin story: after spending time at the Berklee School of Music, the singer-producer dropped out and moved to Los Angeles to get a jump-start on her career. “Next Life” focuses on the desire to sprint into a new chapter, as Valentine’s smoky voice shies away from the melodramatic and coolly operates over drum thwacks, layered harmonies and glistening keys until swimming solo in the final 30 seconds. – J. Lipshutz
Blake Rose, “In Your Arms”
“This song is about wanting to pour all your love into someone but not being able to because the timing is never right,” Australia’s Blake Rose says in a press release for “In Your Arms,” which takes an open-hearted approach to missed opportunities and crafts an affecting piano ballad that showcases his skill set. Slower tracks like these can be a tough sell at pop radio, but “In Your Arms” is likable enough to have crossover potential. – J. Lipshutz
Fletcher, “Better Version”
Included on her new album Girl Of My Dreams, Fletcher’s “Better Version” is a stunning self-reflection with a subtle country twist. While for most of the, song the pop artist bemoans the feeling of someone new getting the better version of her ex, she ends with an optimistic outlook that proves a post-breakup glow-up can go both ways: “Now some other person, is gonna get the better version … of me.” — LYNDSEY HAVENS
Grace McKagan, “Jimmy (Lookin’ Like Trash)”
Sounding fresh out of the 2010s indie rock scene, “Jimmy (Lookin’ Like Trash)” is a welcome throwback — it’s not hard to imagine the song soundtracking a scene of the Humphreys’ Brooklyn living in Gossip Girl. With a warm tone that compliments the lo-fi instrumentals, this second single from Grace McKagan (daughter of Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan) should create just the right kind of stir ahead of her upcoming debut EP, out Dec. 2. — L.H.
Honey Dijon feat. Josh Caffe, “La Femme Fantasique”
Opening with spacious, eerie echoes, “La Femme Fantasique” quickly shifts into chilly electro territory with a relentless throb. It’s a highlight from Honey Dijon’s knockout new LP Black Girl Magic, and while the title might be French, this collab between the London-based Josh Caffe and Dijon (who splits her time between NYC and Berlin) is fit for any dancefloor around the world still bumping past closing time. – JOE LYNCH
Fana Hues, “Float”
Fana Hues, one of the best new voices in R&B, brings her lilting, earthy croon to the forefront on “Float,” a track that coasts gently down a lazy river of soul-funk. It hails from the recently released deluxe version of her wittily titled Flora + Fana and arrives with a fittingly blissful visualizer. – J. Lynch
Pinkpantheress, “Do you miss me?”
The world was first introduced to Pinkpantheress and her heavily garage-, jungle- and drum and bass-inspired music in 2020, but now, the continually rising star is experimenting with different genres through collaborating with some of her favorite artists. New track “Do you miss me?” sees the singer once again embracing her bubbly, effervescent vocals — this time, against a more worldy backdrop with Afrobeats influences, thanks to co-producers phil and longtime idol Kaytranada, allowing her to step just a few feet out of her comfort zone. – STARR BOWENBANK
Cigarettes After Sex, “Pistol”
It’s been a long time coming for a new Cigarettes After Sex single, but new song “Pistol” was certainly worth the wait. The track — which serves as the three-piece band’s (Greg Gonzalez, Jacob Tomsky and Randall Miller) first offering since 2020’s “You’re All I Want” — builds on their signature dreamy, romantic and melancholic sound, and sees Gonazlez lamenting the loss of a relationship, begging for the affections of his former lover for in the simplest of ways: “I know if I saw you/ And we kissed just once/ You could be happy/ Maybe you’d come back/ ‘Cause I really miss you.” —
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sent a special message to Elton John ahead of the last U.S. show of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour on Sunday night (Nov. 20).
“Hi Elton, we just wanted to say congratulations,” the Duchess of Sussex said in a video played during Disney+’s Countdown to Elton Live ahead of its broadcast of his final show at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, which is the final North American date of his farewell tour. “And we are just so proud of you. We’re so grateful that we were able to see you on your farewell tour also.”
After offering his own “congratulations,” the prince added, “And thank you for entertaining everybody for so many decades. Thank you for being the friend that you were for my mum, thank you for being our friend. Thank you for being a friend to our kids and thank you for entertaining people right around the world.
“Even though this is officially your retirement, this will not be your last gig, we know that,” Harry concluded. “But we love you and congratulations on an incredible career.”
Of course, Sir Elton’s friendship with the late Princess Diana dates all the way back to before Harry’s birth, when he was asked to perform at Prince Andrew’s 21st birthday party in 1981. Elton and Princess Diana remained close for the remainder of her life, and the singer famously performed “Candle in the Wind 1997” at her funeral in 1997. (The song rocketed to No. 1 when he released the studio version following the service; it went on to spend 14 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.)
Elton’s farewell concert also featured a number of special, in-person guests throughout the night, including Dua Lipa, Kiki Dee and Brandi Carlile.
Watch Harry and Meghan’s well wishes for John below.
Footwear News announced Monday (Nov. 21) that Dua Lipa will be the recipient of a new award at the upcoming 36th annual Footwear News Achievement Awards.
The pop star will be awarded the inaugural trophy for Collection of the Year along with her Puma collaborator Billy Walsh for her Puma x Dua Lipa Flutur Drop 2 collection. The awards, colloquially called the Shoe Oscars, are slated to take place Nov. 30 at Cipriani South Street in New York City.
“The second drop is inspired by rave culture and old-school rave posters,” Lipa said in a statement on Puma’s website about her sophomore line for the brand, which features her signature butterfly logo. “That’s where I drew inspiration as well on colorways and how I wanted things to look for this collection.” In addition to shoes, the collection also contains dresses, pants, gym bags, basketball shorts, bralettes and more.
Other winners to be honored at this year’s Footwear News Achievement Awards include Christian Louboutin (Lifetime Achievement Award), Kith (Retailer of the Year), Lululemon (Launch of the Year) and the late Virgil Abloh for his Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 (Shoe of the Year). Puma will also be recognized with the Sustainability Leadership Award at the ceremony.
On Sunday night, the pop star joined collaborator Elton John at Dodger Stadium for the final North American performance of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, along with fellow special guests Kiki Dee and Brandi Carlile. Dua and Elton performed their Billboard Hot 100 top 10 collaboration “Cold Heart” for the first time ever at the concert, which was livestreamed on Disney+.
Billboard and Footwear News are both owned by Penske Media Corporation.
Elton John pitched a major surprise when he brought out Dua Lipa to help wrap things up for his final performance at Dodger Stadium.
The Rocket Man is winding down his touring career with his Farewell Yellow Brick Road trek, the U.S. leg for which came to an end Sunday night (Nov. 20) with the third of three shows in Los Angeles.
Elton made it a night to remember when, during the encore, he invited Lipa onstage for their hit 2021 single “Cold Heart,” which had just won the best collaboration category at the 2022 American Music Awards.
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Remixed by Australian electronic trio PNAU, “Cold Heart” interpoles Elton’s hits “Sacrifice” with “Rocket Man,” “Kiss the Bride” and “Where’s My Shoorah,” and smashed records around the globe.
It topped Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, was nominated for song of the year at the Brit Awards, collected an APRA AMCOS Billion Award for cruising past one billion streams, and hit No. 1 in the U.K. and Australia.
Also, The Lockdown Sessions, the parent album for “Cold Heart,” gave Elton his first U.K. No. 1 LP in almost a decade.
Sunday night’s concert event was captured for the special, Elton John Live From Dodger Stadium, which streams exclusively on Disney+, and produced by Fulwell 73 Productions and Rocket Entertainment.
Lipa wasn’t the only starry guest on stage. Elton was joined by Kiki Dee for a performance of their upbeat ‘70s gem “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” and Brandi Carlile for a rendition of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”
Billed as his final trek, Elton began his tour in 2018 before illness and the pandemic intervened in 2020. Based on figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, his goodbye run is just the third tour in history to pass the $600 million threshold, following U2’s 360 Tour ($736.4 million), and Ed Sheeran’s The Divide Tour ($776.4 million).
The end proper is scheduled for July 8, 2023 when Elton performs at Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
Watch below.
Right in time for the kickoff of the 2022 World Cup, the new FIFA soundtrack song “Dreamers” comes via BTS‘ Jung Kook and Qatari singer and producer Fahad Al Kubaisi.
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The uplifting anthem features vocals from Jung Kook, the third solo track from the youngest BTS member this year following February’s “Stay Alive” (produced by his bandmate Suga) and “Left & Right” (his Hot 100 summer hit with Charlie Puth). Qatari singer and producer Fahad Al Kubaisi also features on the track. The 41-year-old also dropped two singles earlier this year, with both Arab-pop tracks earning millions of streams on YouTube: “Aghnni” has more than 9.5 million views while “Yousfi Al Halla” has over three million.
“Dreamers” features production from RedOne, the pop-dance producer who joined FIFA in late 2021 as Creative Entertainment Executive and has helped helm signature hits for superstars like Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, and Enrique Iglesias.
Jung Kook will perform the new song at the opening ceremony for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 202. The star filmed a video teasing the performance revealed after the song’s release.
As previously reported, “Dreamers” is part of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 soundtrack that includes contributions from artists like Nicki Minaj, Maluma, Davido, Myriam Fares and more. The music video for “Dreamers” will release on Nov. 23.
After the festivities begin with the opening ceremony and “Dreamers” performance, World Cup host nation Qatar will play against Ecuador. A total of 32 teams are participating in the World Cup and one will be crowned champion on Dec. 18.
Listen to “Dreamers” below:
“Protect the rainbow. Taste the rainbow. But please, don’t throw the rainbow,” a full-page print advertisement in the Los Angeles Times reads, Skittles announced on Saturday (Nov. 19). The ad is the brand’s latest reaction to Harry Styles getting an eyeful of Skittles thrown at his face at a concert earlier this week.
On Saturday, the candy brand released a similar image on social media, along with the tweet: “PSA: Protect your eyes from Skittles (by eating them, not throwing them).”
The ad features a large pair of heart-shaped, protective eyewear in homage to Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” sunglasses.
Styles was hit with Skittles while performing “Kiwi” at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, on Monday night (Nov. 14). Footage of the unfortunate moment circulated online, and by Thursday, Skittles issued a bulletin on social media: “Didn’t think I needed to say this: Please don’t throw Skittles,” read the message.
The singer has had a variety of objects aimed his way while performing on his Love On Tour, from chicken nuggets to an unidentified object that hit him in the groin area.
BTS‘ Jung Kook will release a new single as part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup soundtrack.
Revealed alongside official artwork featuring the K-pop star, “Dreamers” will be released this weekend to coincide with the Opening Ceremony at the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
BTS’ Korean label BIGHIT MUSIC also shared that Jung Kook will perform the new song at the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The music video to “Dreamers” will be released on Nov. 22 on FIFA’s official YouTube channel.
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The upcoming track joins other official songs for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 soundtrack, including “Tukoh Taka” by Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares, as well as “Hayya Hayya (Better Together)” by Davido, Trinidad Cardona and Aisha.
“Dreamers” drops on Nov. 20, the same day as the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off with an opening ceremony and host nation Qatar’s match against Ecuador. A total of 32 teams will participate in the World Cup before one is crowned champion on Dec. 18.
See the announcement and single artwork below.
Elton John and Britney Spears are continuing to celebrate the success of their collaboration, “Hold Me Closer,” by unveiling an acoustic version of the track on Friday (Nov. 18).
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Along with the release, the superstar pop duo unveiled a music video for the acoustic cut, in which Olympic Gold Medalist Nathan Chen is seen ice skating to a stunning, emotion-filled routine that he choreographed. Chen has been a longtime fan of John, as he has often incorporated the legend’s songs into his skate routines and even attended one of John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour performances in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Elton John’s music means something to anybody who’s ever listened to it. ‘Rocket Man’ has always intrigued me — it’s otherworldly, but it’s just as much about our lives on Earth, love and loneliness, dreams and disappointments,” Chen said in a press statement. “In a way, ‘Rocket Man’ captures what my own journey has felt like — and getting to skate to it at the Olympics was one of the most special moments of my life. I couldn’t believe it when I heard Elton thought of me for this video. Elton and Britney created something really beautiful with this version of ‘Hold Me Closer’ — and I’m so honored to be a part of it.”
Combining elements of Sir Elton’s past hits 1971’s “Tiny Dancer” and 1992’s “The One,” “Hold Me Closer” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Thanks to its top 10 debut, the song marked Spears’ highest-charting single since 2012’s “Scream and Shout” with will.i.am. The track has also given both singers new milestones on Billboard‘s various radio charts, including top 10 on Adult Pop Airplay and the top spot of Dance/Mix Show Airplay.
Watch the acoustic version’s music video below.
Aaron Carter‘s manager spoke out on Thursday (Nov. 17) about the singer’s final days before his tragic death earlier this month.
“He looked thin. He was extremely tired,” Taylor Helgeson said in an interview with Page Six. “He just looked like he needed to be doing anything but working. He looked like he needed to be taking care of him.”
The manager explained that Carter had been working on a new album — which would’ve served as a follow-up to 2018’s Love — at the time of his Nov. 5 death at the age of 34.
“He didn’t seem okay,” Helgeson continued. “Now, when I say that, I think it’s really important to kind of context that…He didn’t seem okay physically…[but] mentally, he was the most excited I’ve seen him in months. He was very intelligent and he was very conscious of what people wanted to see from him. We had so much stuff going on and, you know, Aaron was a really prideful guy in his own right, too”
In the wake of the “That’s How I Beat Shaq” singer’s passing, his older brother Nick Carter has launched a donation fund for On Our Sleeves, a children’s mental health charity, in his memory. Meanwhile, the publication of Aaron’s unfinished memoir — Aaron Carter: An Incomplete Story of an Incomplete Life — has been postponed after backlash from the singer’s management team, ex-girlfriend Hilary Duff and others. (Carter’s team also publicly slammed the planned release of an album titled Blacklisted, which he purportedly recorded with producers Morgan Matthews and John Wyatt Johnson before his death.)
Taylor Swift has spoken on the Ticketmaster fiasco, and it seems that she’s just as angry as her fans are. In a lengthy Friday (Nov. 18) message posted to her Instagram story, the 11-time Grammy winner shared that the mass outages and hours-long delays her fans experienced while trying to purchase tickets during her Eras Tour presale on Nov. 15 “pisses” her off.
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“Well. It goes without saying that I’m extremely protective of my fans,” she began in the statement. “We’ve been doing this for decades together and over the years, I’ve brought so many elements of my career in house. I’ve done this SPECIFICALLY to improve the quality of my fans’ experience by doing it myself with my team who care as much about my fans as I do.
“It’s really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse,” Swift continued. “There are a multitude of reasons why people had such a hard time trying to get tickets and I’m trying to figure out how this situation can be improved moving forward. I’m not going to make excuses for anyone because we asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could.”
So many attempts — 14 million, to be exact — flooded Ticketmaster’s website on the day of the presale that the company’s site experienced major technical difficulties, causing some Swifties to walk away without securing a single ticket, even though they had previously been sent a special “Verified Fan” presale code by Ticketmaster. Hours later, the company posted a statement saying that it had been unprepared for the “historically unprecedented demand” Swifties exhibited that day, and postponed other Eras Tour onsales scheduled for that day.
Consumer response to the situation was so overwhelmingly negative, Live Nation chairman Greg Maffei appeared on CNBC to apologize to fans.
“It’s truly amazing that 2.4 million people got tickets, but it really pisses me off that a lot of them feel like they went through several bear attacks to get them,” Swift added in her note. “And to those who didn’t get tickets, all I can say is that my hope is to provide more opportunities for us to all get together and sing these songs.”
“Thank you for wanting to be there,” she concluded. “You have no idea how much that means.”
