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It’s time, dahhlings. After officially announcing the start of the holiday season, Mariah Carey sat down for a wide-ranging interview Tuesday (Nov. 1) about her love for Christmas, the upcoming TV adaptation of her memoir and more.
“When I’m not onstage and I’m in holiday mode, there are rules that I set,” the Queen of Christmas dished to USA Today. “I don’t care who it is – the kids, if I have guests, whatever – nobody is allowed to play or watch anything other than a Christmas-related thing. If I wake up in the middle of the night and walk into the living room, and the music isn’t playing and the lights aren’t on, I just can’t handle it.”
While her past Christmas festivities have included Apple TV+ specials, themed McDonald’s menus and more, this year Mimi is gearing up for four holiday concerts in New York City and Toronto in the wake of releasing her new children’s book, The Christmas Princess.
“I’m trying to make [these shows] as magical as possible,” she said of the series of “Merry Christmas to All!” concerts at Madison Square Garden and Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena in mid-December. “Oftentimes as a child, or even throughout earlier parts of my career, I did not feel loved. I certainly never felt unconditional love, and that’s what I have with my fans: that connection. So I’m extremely excited.”
Another project the icon has in the works is a TV series inspired by her 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey. Working in collaboration with Lee Daniels, she told the outlet what she’s looking for when it comes to who will eventually be playing her younger self onscreen.
“I don’t think it’s about ‘cast the girl who sings the Mariah Carey style,’ whatever that is,” she teased. “It’s about casting a great actress with a somewhat similar look and just making sure the acting is there. Because we have the music – they can sing along to it.”
During the interview, the Elusive Chanteuse also teased the possibility of a live Butterfly show in honor of the landmark album’s recent 25th anniversary, as well as a documentary using the 175 hours of footage she has from her Butterfly Lounge sessions.
Read Mariah’s full interview with USA Today here.
Keith Urban‘s a major Swiftie.
The country superstar and Taylor Swift go way back — they’ve been friends since she opened for him back in 2009 — but even he is blown away by her new album, Midnights, which he has listened to multiple times since it dropped Oct. 28 and deems it “extraordinary…This is among Taylor’s finest. This and 1989. Absolutely stunning, stunning pieces of work,” he says.
“The lyricism, the fresh meters as far as some of the cadences she sang,” he raves to Billboard about the set, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with the biggest week for an album in seven years. “Jack Antonoff’s production is just exquisite for a guy like me, who is obsessive over fine, fine details. If you put headphones on, as an audiophile like I am, I can swim in that album with no vocals on it. It’s just so beautifully put together like some kind of acid trip, Jackson Pollock painting. It’s just beautiful. Absolutely love it, top to bottom. I think it’s one of her best albums ever.”
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In an age when individual songs trump full albums, Midnights — which Swift described as “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life” — is “the perfect example of why you make an album,” Urban says.
Swift and Urban have collaborated a number of times over the years. In 2012, Urban played guitar on Tim McGraw and Swift’s duet “Highway Don’t Care.” Then Urban appeared with Swift last year on gorgeous versions of “That’s When” and “We Were Happy” from the Taylor’s Version re-recording of her 2008 Fearless album. (They are two of the six additional songs on 2021’s Fearless [Taylor’s Version] that were written for the original but didn’t make it and were recorded fresh for the remake.)
“His music has inspired me endlessly,” Swift tweeted when she announced that he was on both songs. In 2015, she brought Urban onstage to perform his hits “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” and “Somebody Like You” during her 1989 World Tour.
Urban reached out to Swift and Antonoff to tell them how much he loved their new work. He’s heard back from Antonoff but not Swift yet. “I think she’s a little busy,” he says with a laugh.
Time to start saving up, Swifties. The news that Taylor Swift is going on her first tour in five years is exciting enough, but once you see the star-studded list of guest artists she’s bringing along for the ride, you’ll really want to purchase a ticket.
The pop star announced Tuesday (Nov. 1) that she would be embarking on The Eras Tour, a celebration of all 10 of the studio albums she’s released since 2006 — at least, that’s what the trek’s title suggests. Swift also shared a poster advertising the tour’s 27-date U.S. leg on Instagram featuring a collage of photos of herself through the years, from the time of her self-titled debut to Midnights, which dropped less than two weeks prior to the tour news.
The Cats star hasn’t hit the road since 2018, when she launched her best-selling Reputation Tour. She had planned on performing again after the release of her 2019 record Lover in a concert series called Lover Fest, but canceled the shows due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
For those who are keeping count, this means that Tay has six albums-worth of new material that she’s never played live — if you include the previously unreleased vault tracks on 2021’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version). Studio albums Folklore, Evermore and, of course, Midnights, have all also been released in the time between Lover and the Eras Tour.
Though additional international dates won’t be announced until a later time, Swift did also reveal exactly who’s joining her during her highly anticipated return to touring. A total of nine artists make up the supporting act lineup for the tour’s first leg — with two acts slated per night to open for Tay night — and some of them are very familiar faces for the Swiftie community.
Keep reading to see who’s joining Taylor Swift on her 2023 Eras Tour below:
Taylor Swift has long been a powerhouse on Billboard’s charts, from her 2006 debut single “Tim McGraw” through her latest, 10th studio album, Midnights.
On the latest Nov. 5-dated charts, Swift smashes several records, including becoming the first artist to blanket the entire top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in a single week. She also ups her count to 40 top 10s – passing Madonna for the most among women in the chart’s 64-year history. Leading the way, Midnights lead single “Anti-Hero” debuts at No. 1.
On the Billboard 200, Midnights‘ No. 1 entrance ties Swift with Barbra Streisand for the most leaders among women, 11 each, in the tally’s 66-year history.
As Swift makes more history, here’s a look at the numerous Hot 100 and Billboard 200 chart records that the superstar has claimed throughout her career.
Instagram official! Billie Eilish took to social media on Tuesday (Nov. 1) to share her first photo as a couple with rumored love Jesse Rutherford amid her Halloween celebrations.
The pop star tucked a snapshot with the lead singer of The Neighborhood at the end of a spooky slideshow captioned “life is craaaaaaaaaaaaaaazy…happy halloween” with a clown emoji followed by a jack-o-lantern and happy face surrounded by hearts.
In the snap, Eilish is dressed as a baby with her blonde hair framing her face in ringlets, while Rutherford transformed himself into an elderly man, possibly making reference to the pair’s 11-year age gap. (Eilish is 20, Rutherford is 31.)
In the comments, Eilish’s fans weren’t quite sure how to feel about her posting the photo of the couple, let alone the choice of costumes. “Honestly yikes on the last photo,” one wrote, with another commenting, “i know y’all see dat last pic.”
Yet another wrote, “SO WE POSTING JESSE NOW??” with a concerned emoji face.
Rutherford — who also appears in another video in the carousel dressed as a clown — wasn’t the only famous face to pop up in Eilish’s post. She also spent part of her spooky season hanging out with Dylan Minnette of Wallows, who’s dressed in a simple pumpkin costume in a separate snap.
On Nov. 8, Eilish will take part in the 2022 #iVoted Festival, with the Election Day webcast also featuring performances by Run the Jewels, CNCO, Rise Against, The Revivalists, OK Go, Lake Street Dive and more than 400 other artists
Click through Eilish’s Halloween post for a look at her costume with Rutherford below.
Get ready, ARMY: More BTS music is coming! Pharrell Williams and RM sat down and interviewed each other for Rolling Stone‘s Musicians on Musicians issue in a snippet published on Tuesday (Nov. 1), which resulted in several teasers about both artist’s upcoming music endeavors.
During the pair’s conversation, RM asked Pharrell what’s up next for for his music, to which the 49-year-old shared exclusive information regarding his forthcoming album and a collaboration with BTS.
“Well, my project, it’s called … it’s [under] my name, and the title of the album is Phriends,” the songwriter-producer told the BTS member. “It’s the volume one. You guys [BTS] are on there, obviously. And I’m actually talking about this way more than I’m supposed to, but it’s a song from my album that [BTS] sang and it’s amazing, and I’m super grateful.”
While the pair made sure to keep details under wraps, RM said, “I just love this song.”
Pharrell noted that “Everyone that hears it is like, ‘Whoa.’”
Happy with their collaborative effort, Pharrell wanted RM to know he’s more than willing to share his talents on RM’s solo work. “You said you’re 90 percent done with your solo album,” he revealed. “But if within that last 10 percent, if you need — you don’t need me, but I mean …”
“I always needed you, for 15 years,” RM replied, adding that he feels “honored and grateful.”
Concluding their conversation, Pharrell gave RM some parting advice for his career. “I would just say continue to move forward. Continue to be curious. And don’t put any kind of pressure on what it is that you do by saying … No absolutes, like, ‘Oh, I will never do music again,’ or ‘I will never …’ I wouldn’t do any of that,” he told the rapper. “No nevers. Just stay along for the ride. Just keep going.”
Watch Pharrell’s conversation with BTS’ RM below.
Harry Styles fans have got chills, and they’re multiplying, ’cause for his Monday night (Oct. 31) Harryween concert in Los Angeles, the 28-year-old pop star dressed up as Danny Zuko from Grease and performed a heart-stopping cover of “Hopelessly Devoted to You.”
Taking the stage at the Kia Forum, where he’s currently stationed until Nov. 15 for a 15-night residency, Styles sang tracks from his May-released album Harry’s House while dressed in black jeans, a leather jacket and a studded tank top with the word “Harryween” emblazoned on the back in glittery red lettering. He even had his hair styled into the slick, dark coif sported by John Travolta in the iconic 1978 film, while some of his band members dressed up as the Pink Ladies.
Then, it came time for the “As It Was” singer to perform a cover of one of the musical’s famous songs. But instead of “Greased Lightnin’” or “Sandy,” Styles instead chose a ballad performed by Sandy Olsson.
Belting out “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” sung by Olivia Newton-John — who passed away in August — the Grammy winner had his crowd swaying sentimentally to the beat and cheering him on during the song’s most intense moments.
“But now there’s nowhere to hide since you pushed my love aside/ I’m out of my head, hopelessly devoted to you,” he riffed, walking back and forth onstage past his drummer, who was dressed in Sandy’s black cat suit from Grease‘s end scene.
Fans online were ecstatic over Styles’ Halloween costume — “I’M HYPERVENTILATING,” wrote one — but so were those in the concert crowd while the show was still happening. TikTok star Chris Olsen, for example, was in the audience, holding up a thirsty sign that simply read “DADDY?”
The Don’t Worry Darling star noticed the sign, and had the perfect response. Pointing directly at Olsen, he answered the sign’s question with a simple “Yes?”
“I fear that there may be a communication breakdown from this distance …,” Styles added. “But just know: Yes?”
Watch Harry Styles cover “Hopelessly Devoted to You” as Danny Zuko from Grease and react to being called “Daddy” on Olsen’s sign below:
For the 11th time in her career, Taylor Swift is simultaneously No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100, Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts.
The superstar returns to No. 1 on the Artist 100 for a 51st total week on top, extending her record for the most weeks spent at the summit. Meanwhile, Midnights launches atop the Billboard 200 albums chart and its lead single “Anti-Hero” soars in at No. 1 on the Hot 100 songs chart.
Midnights becomes Swift’s 11th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 – tying her with Barbra Streisand for the most among women – with 1.578 million equivalent album units earned in the Oct. 21-27 tracking week, according to Luminate. That’s the largest one-week total since the debut week of Adele’s 25 (3.482 million) on the Dec. 12, 2015, chart. The new set is also already the top-selling album of 2022, with 1.140 million copies sold in its first week.
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On the Hot 100, all 20 tracks from Midnights (encompassing its 13-song standard version and its “3am Edition,” adding seven songs) debut on the latest list, with a single-week record 10 in the top 10. (Drake previously charted as many as nine simultaneous Hot 100 top 10s, on the Sept. 18, 2021, ranking.)
Swift became the first act to lead the Artist 100, Hot 100 and Billboard 200 simultaneously on charts dated Nov. 15, 2014, thanks to her LP 1989 and its lead single “Shake It Off.” The only artist to spend more weeks tripling up is Drake, who’s done so 16 times.
Most Weeks Spent at No. 1 on the Artist 100, Hot 100 & Billboard 200 Simultaneously
16, Drake11, Taylor Swift9, Adele5, The Weeknd2, Ariana Grande2, Ed Sheeran2, Harry Styles1, Beyoncé1, Justin Bieber1, BTS1, Camila Cabello1, Future1, Kendrick Lamar
The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.
Cody Simpson just might be Australia’s renaissance man. The 25-year-old Queenslander has enjoyed a pop career (with five appearances on the Billboard 200 chart), pivoted into the ranks of elite swimming, and he’s thrown what energies he has left into an eco-clothing business.
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On Tuesday (Nov. 1), Simpson brought his love of music and sport together when he performed the national anthem at the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse.
Wearing a pin-striped three-piece suit, Simpson delivered a mature rendition of “Advance Australia Fair,” with a packed crowd of 80,000 race-fans watching on.
He’s no stranger to performing the anthem for the big occasion. On Australia Day 2016, he delivered it during the Cleveland Cavs’ home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the first time “Advance Australia Fair” had rung out prior to an NBA contest.
Speaking ahead of the so-called “race that stops the nation,” Simpson admitted he hasn’t considered hanging up the guitar and mic.
“Music’s still a massive part of my life and I train full time, but everybody needs something to help balance them out, and music for me is just that,” News.com.au quotes Simpson as saying.
“I still play guitar pretty much every single day to relax, and I certainly will be jumping around back to music once I’m done with the pool.”
A butterfly specialist, Simpson collected Commonwealth Games gold earlier in the year, as part of the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay, along with silver in the 4x100m medley. His efforts earned him selection to Australia’s squad for the 2022 Duel in the Pool against the U.S.
In August, the Gold Coast native unveiled Prince Neptune: The Label, and its range of eco-wear, from tees to hoodies, shirts, bandanas and more — all stamped with the freshwater god’s trident.
Simpson also found time in April to release a fourth album, via Coast House Collective, a self-titled studio set containing singles “Nice to Meet You” and “Let Go” as well as the Ben Harper collaboration “It’s a Dream.”
In 2019, he won the inaugural Australian edition of The Masked Singer.
Halloween is officially done, now it’s time for the Queen of Christmas to shine.
As the calendar flipped to Nov. 1, Mariah Carey let us know what time it is with a seasonal social post.
The clip opens in black and white with Carey on a stationary bike, dressed as a witch and surrounded by jack o’lanterns and CG bats.
Then, with a sucker punch of color, we’re thrust into Mariah’s winter wonderland. “It’s time,” she squeals. And, of course, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” rings out.
Carey is the undisputed Queen of Christmas, with her 1994 holiday original topping the Billboard Hot 100 multiple times over the last few years and ranking as the most popular song of all time on the Billboard Holiday 100.
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Her gift of Christmas spirit continues to grow in the U.K., where “All I Want for Christmas Is You” finally hit No. 1 in December 2020 — 26 years after its release. That long journey to the summit set a new chart record. Several weeks later, the record was broken again, when Wham’s “Last Christmas” finally claimed the crown, 36 years after its original release.
In Australia, where Christmas is peak summer, and a time for hitting the beach, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” took 24 years to reach No. 1, finally doing so in December 2018.
Carey will get into the swing of things next month with a four-performance run celebrating her “repertoire of classic holiday songs.” Her “Merry Christmas to All” dates, presented by Live Nation, will take place in December with performances in New York and Toronto.
For the record, it’s not time yet. Christmas is 54 days away, but who’s counting.
