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As Chappell Roan dealt with backlash to her comments on toxic fan behavior over the last month, the singer says a huge number of fellow female artists have offered her their support.
In a new cover story for Rolling Stone, Roan said that a number of her fellow pop girls reached out to her and offered their words of encouragement. The list of singers included Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Hayley Williams, Katy Perry, Lorde, Muna, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski. “I’m not trying to name-drop,” she explained. “I’m trying to tell you there are girls who are good people, who are helping other girls out. I’m name-dropping them because people just need to know that people are good people.”
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Roan specifically thanked Sabrina Carpenter during the conversation, saying that the pair had a long heart-to-heart about their similarly huge years and the implications that has on their mental health. “We’re both going through something so f–king hard … she just feels like everything is flying, and she’s just barely hanging on,” Roan said. “It was just good to know someone else feels that way.”
The “Pink Pony Club” singer did point out that she’s noticed a worrying trend among the artists reaching out to her. “Not a lot of boys have been like, ‘Let me know if you ever want to talk about it,’” she said, before revealing that a few — including Orville Peck, Troye Sivan and Noah Kahan — have offered her their support.
One living legend who has supported Roan throughout her career also reached out — Sir Elton John. The “Rocket Man” singer told Rolling Stone that he felt “protective” over Roan. “She is kind, innocent and wonderful. She is not ‘Chappell Roan’ off stage – a bit like me,” he said. “She is one of those people who I felt like I have known for a long time.”
Roan added that as much as audiences like to pin the toxic fan discussion on her, she is far from the only artist feeling this way. “I don’t want to be agoraphobic. That’s [how] most of my peers [feel]. Every f–king artist is on this page,” she said. “Everyone is uncomfortable with fans. Some people just have more patience. I f–king don’t.”
Elsewhere in her interview, Roan revealed a number of specific instances of fans being inappropriate with her, including a fan kissing her without consent and a stalker showing up to her parents’ home in Missouri. “[Fans] need to see me as a random b—h on the street,” she said. “You can’t yell at a random b—h who’s on the sidewalk that you don’t know. It’s considered catcalling or harassment.”
Beyoncé has a reputation for staying aloof and enigmatic in spite of being one of the most famous women on the planet, with her public appearances remaining few and far between even when she’s in the midst of an album cycle. And in a new GQ cover story published Tuesday (Sept. 10), the multi-hyphenate explains why.
In the interview conducted over email, Bey was candid about the fact that creating art and performing are what she loves to do — but everything else that comes with superstardom? Not so much. “I create at my own pace, on things that I hope will touch other people,” she told the publication. “I only work on what liberates me.”
“It is fame that can at times feel like prison,” Bey continued. “So, when you don’t see me on red carpets, and when I disappear until I have art to share, that’s why.”
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Because of her love of music, the 32-time Grammy winner hasn’t shied away from experimenting with new genres — for example, her Billboard 200-topping country LP Cowboy Carter — and making albums based on what she loves, not on what’s popular. For instance, in 2011, when she could’ve played things safe by releasing a dance-pop album to keep up with the time’s radio-friendly trends, she instead turned in 4.
“I wouldn’t say that I was anti-pop,” she recalled of the 13-year-old project. “I respected pop. But it was a time where everyone was doing pop/dance music, and R&B and soul were getting lost. It was popular and fun, but it wasn’t my thing. It was not where I was going with my music career at that time. I was yearning for something deeper with more musicality.”
The cover story comes amid fan outrage that Cowboy Carter was snubbed from the CMA Awards, eight years after the incident that Bey seemingly hinted in March was the catalyst for her releasing a country album in 2024. In 2016, her performance of “Daddy Lessons” with The Chicks at the award show sparked backlash from critics who felt she didn’t belong in the space; almost a decade later, the vocalist wrote on social media that Cowboy Carter was “born out of an experience” she’d had years prior where she “did not feel welcomed.”
But as Bey told GQ, she’d still be singing even if she had no stage to perform on. “Singing is not work for me,” she said. “There’s magic in the way it feels on my throat, a resonance that vibrates through me. When I am at my lowest, when I’ve been sad or in a heavy fog, sick or anxious with sleepless nights, I sing. And, often, I sing alone.”
“It steadies my heartbeat, it’s my best hit of dopamine,” she added. “It’s one of the deepest joys of my life, a necessity as vital as breath.”
See Bey’s cover of GQ below:
Katy Perry is making a return with her latest single and video, “I’M HIS, HE’S MINE,” featuring rapper Doechii, set to drop on Friday, Sept. 13.
Perry announced the news on social media on Sept. 10, teasing fans with a sneak peek of the song, which serves as the latest release from Perry’s upcoming dance-pop album 143, dropping Sept. 20.
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The collaboration news comes following controversy surrounding Perry’s previous single “Woman’s World,” which was produced by Dr. Luke, who has been involved in legal battles over accusations of sexual misconduct, most famously with Kesha.
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In a Sept. 4 episode of Call Her Daddy, Perry addressed the controversy and acknowledged that the collaboration “started a lot of conversations.”
“He was one of many collaborators that I collaborated with,” she continued of Dr. Luke, who helped craft “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream” and several more of her biggest hits over the years.
“But the reality is, it comes from me. The truth is, I wrote these songs from my experience of my whole life going through this metamorphosis, and he was one of the people to help facilitate all that. One of the writers, one of the producers.”
“I am speaking from my own experience,” Perry added. “When I speak about ‘Woman’s World,’ I speak about feeling so empowered now as a mother, as a woman, giving birth, creating life … I’m still a matriarch and feeling really grounded in that. That’s where I’m speaking from. So I created all of this with several different collaborators, people that I’ve collaborated with from the past, from the ‘Teenage Dream’ era, all of that.”
Perry first skyrocketed to fame with her 2008 album One of the Boys, propelled by the massive success of “I Kissed a Girl,” which became her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1.
Perry’s third album, Teenage Dream (2010), marked a historic moment as it produced five consecutive No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, a record previously held only by Michael Jackson. Iconic hits such as “Firework,” “California Gurls,” and “E.T.” helped shape Perry’s reputation as a global pop powerhouse.
Her follow-up albums, including Prism (2013) and Witness (2017), continued her chart success, with “Roar” and “Dark Horse” both reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Over her career, Perry has amassed nine Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles, 14 Top 10 hits, and several accolades, including being named Billboard’s Woman of the Year in 2012.
As one of modern-day K-pop‘s top-selling soloists, Baekhyun hardly needs an introduction. But with the release of his new solo album Hello, World, the singer-songwriter is signaling more than just another musical comeback — it’s the start of a new era, where Baekhyun is equally involved behind the scenes as he is when performing the songs onstage.
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After his 2023 exit from SM Entertainment, the K-pop label where he spent 12 formative years as a member of EXO as well as its subunit EXO-CBX, and the Billboard 200-topping supergroup SuperM, Baekhyun established a new home at INB100, which also houses fellow EXO members Xiumin and Chen. While EXO’s group activities remain tied to SM, Hello, World is Baekhyun’s first release outside his longtime label, showcasing the growth and independence cultivated as an established idol performer and an increasingly more hands-on K-pop professional.
Hello, World tracks like the bossa nova-inspired “Rendez-Vous” and crunchy-yet-harmonious, electro-pop cut “Woo” strike a balance between the polished, silky R&B and jazz influences Baekhyun first showed in 2019’s City Lights (that peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s World Albums chart and spent 16 weeks on the chart) to more experimental ideas he’s been eager to explore including a rap-like delivery on “Cold Heart” and the ’80s new wave-tinged departure into synth-pop on the lead single “Pineapple Slice.” Now having a production-heavy hand in everything from musical direction to visual concepts, tracklisting and fan connectivity, the superstar admits that his perfectionist tendencies slowed down the process but ultimately led him to the proper balance.
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“I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to music,” Baekhyun shares during an afternoon Zoom call from a Seoul office. “I think [the album] was delayed because I was trying to find the right feel to release the perfect album, which was really born from the title track ‘Pineapple Slice,’ which ended up being just the song I was looking for.”
The lead single’s sweet-yet-sultry vibe became the cornerstone for the rest of the album, inspiring the 32-year-old to push boundaries and further personalize his creative process.
“Now, I want to express my opinion, my ideas and what I want to try,” Baekhyun adds. “I think it’s fun to build up from the primary stages of preparing for an album and working together with a team where I’ve been able to contribute more is exciting. I feel a bit more ownership.”
While Baekhyun’s comeback may look like a seamless return to form from the outside, Hello, World results from countless hours spent behind the scenes, meticulously crafting his sound and image to kickstart a new chapter with grace. For now, the EP is Baekhyun’s way of saying he’s back and ready to take on even more in his next phase, sharing with Billboard more about the album, the processes behind it, and how he wants to meet fans around the world.
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How are you feeling with this new album release? The album’s title is Hello, World, and the opening song is “Good Morning.” Does it feel like a new day for you as an artist?
I really like new beginnings so I’m very exited about this new chapter in my life and excited to show a greater audience what I’ve prepared. That’s exactly why I put “Good Morning” as the first track on the album and why I named it Hello, World because the first lyrics that start the song are “Hello, world” so I wanted a lot of people to listen and feel like, “Oh, this is the start.” The song was kind of made to feel like preparation for your heart to listen to the rest of the album; it has an overall very soft sound and I thought that it would be nice to build up musically throughout the album. I was very particular with the tracklist, so I’m very happy that the order of songs get progressively more climactic.
This isn’t your first solo album, but your first under your new company in INB100. Has the process been similar or different to past releases?
It’s very different from when I released my previous album. Now, I want to express my opinion, my ideas, and what I want to try, which I think is really good because I can try a lot of big, new ideas. I think it’s fun to build up from the primary stages of preparing for an album and working together with a team where I’ve been able to contribute more is exciting. So, I feel a bit more ownership of the album — I’m excited for it to become one of my favorites.
You enlisted in the military for almost two years, and it’s been three-and-a-half years since your last solo record in 2021. Generally speaking, what took so long?
I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to music, and I think it was delayed because I was trying to find the right feel to release the perfect album, which was really born from the title track [single] “Pineapple Slice,” which ended up being just the song I was looking for. As long as it took, I really put a lot of effort into this to be able to put and show a lot more of the things that I wanted to do.
What kind of things were you able to do this time?
I had a lot of thoughts about wanting to show who I am as an artist in the long term which means that I should focus on the music that I enjoy and artistic decisions that I, as an artist, wish to make. Stylistically, a lot of the music is what I wants to do. The genre is R&B, but there are so many genres that I can branch out to further with that genre as a base. I even tried rapping on this album which was something new for me.
Second off, process-wise — the music video, the recording procedure and the visuals — everything was a little bit more “Baekhyun-centric” and I was able to input a lot more of my opinions. Instead of someone saying, “Oh, this would look good on you,” I was able to, I guess, reverse that process and say, “This is what I’ve been envisioning for myself, what do you guys think?” and move forward from there.
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You say Hello, World is inspired by movie genres with the album description saying, “A world where imagination becomes reality.” How exactly did you show this?
I’ve done a lot of different concepts throughout my career and I believe that the job of an idol is to kind of experience all these different sides you show. So, I thought that [making] the keyword “films” or “movies” would be a good way to put that in like one big box and express all these different things that I’ve done as one big genre. So, pretending that this is all a movie means I can turn my imagination into reality: I can be the stuntman, I can be a writer, I can be the director; there are so many different roles that go into making a movie…the “Pineapple Slice” music video is vampire themed and that also kind of taps into the fantasy and magic genre. But, once again, imagination becomes reality because, unlike the stereotypical vampire who is afraid of the sun and gets burned by the sunlight, my character in the music video does not, so it’s even these little twists that reflect back on the overarching theme of a world that I’ve imagined.
You can be very theatrical in your music, concepts, and even your vocals, but I’ve also read you are very low-key; right now, you’re in a T-shirt and simple hair. Does it feel like you’re acting when you go into K-pop idol concepts? Is idol life like acting in a way?
I think the job of an idol is similar to that of an actor, who acts according to the scene or concept. While I’m very satisfied with my job, I don’t usually like to wear makeup on a daily basis so that’s why I’m a bit more casual today. [Laughs] But on the other hand, I think there are differences. Onstage, I definitely focus on the moment and fully digest the concept in the song, but I don’t really feel like that’s acting — it’s not like I’m putting on a new persona. It’s more so that I focus on the moment and the job of performing the song perfectly more than being fake or pretending to be something.
The first preview we got of the album was the bossa nova-inspired “Rendez-Vous” performed during your Lonsdaleite Asia tour. Why was this song important to introduce your new chapter of music?
I wanted to show the most “Baekhyun-like” style from the songs I had. It’s been a while since I’ve been out [with new music], so I wanted to show fans a sound they were more familiar with instead of something completely new that would feel surprising or distant. I personally really like the song “Rendez-Vous,” like you mentioned it incorporates bossa nova, and that’s what I enjoy about R&B is how it can branch into and be altered in so many different ways depending on what you fuse in it.
Even since your last record, R&B music has changed so much, so it’s cool that you can do areas you’re comfortable with and play with something new in a song like “Pineapple Slice.”
When I first heard “Pineapple Slice, ” I got the feel within the first few seconds that this was the track I wanted to make as my single. I’d been searching for a song that has a very intriguing instrumental and catches the ear and “Pineapple Slice “did that. The bassline is very catchy so when you first hear it, I could kind of envision people listening and tapping their feet to the bass. And it’s different from his first three albums [singles] “UN Village,” “Candy,” and “Bambi” in that it has a stronger sound rather than the smoother, jazzy vibe. But the lyrics are very sweet, speaking about a male character trying to lure and seduce a lover, so I think the contrast is also very charming.
What do you think is the most surprising song on the album for fans?
“Cold Heart” was a track that, when I first heard it, I was very much like, “Oh, would I be able to pull this off?” but I really wanted to give it a shot. It was the first time I chose a song that I wanted to be better at; I chose it because I wanted to kind of prove that I could do it. I’ve spent so long as a vocalist, and this track has a lot of hip-hop influences and references, so finding the correct tone for rap was very difficult. So, I’m still feeling very nervous about this song coming out to the world and that the release day will be my “judgment day” since the fans will then be able to see whether or not I really pulled it off. I believe they’ll think, “Oh, Baekhyun sings this kind of song?”
It’s great to hear you challenging yourself in all these different ways under your new company. Why was it important for you to break out and create a space with your own company?
First of all, I wanted to meet my fans more and get a little bit more closer to them. And I always wanted to participate more in my own album process. With this question, rather than thinking about enjoying a new type of challenge, it’s more so that I really just wanted to get closer to my fans and listeners. Likewise, I believe that now I won’t have to take as long of a break between releases and hope to be able to come back in a quicker time frame. Working with my team and people, more possibilities are open for me in regards to things that I can do in the future, like producing, for example. Although there aren’t any set plans as of now, it’s a dream of mine and I thought this new chapter would open such doors.
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That makes sense because you’re keeping group activities with EXO strong and have EXO-CBX with you at INB100. More K-pop artists are balancing outside solo careers with group activities. How do you personally balance both sides?
Many fans want to continue seeing new sides of the group, so I understand that and we will continue to try new things and meet you in the future together. As for Baekhyun as a soloist, I feel that’s a little bit different from Baekhyun as a part of a group. So, in the future, I’m excited to show three different sides of myself: as a part of a unit, a solo artist, and also as part of a group. So I hope my fans are also excited to witness that journey alongside [me] as it happens.
Anything you can tease for your fans in this new era? Or other messages to the fans?
So, first and foremost, I’ll definitely be working on album promotions. Apart from that, I want to go on a world tour someday — and it’s definitely a possibility that’s, uh, not very far from reach. [Laughs] Since I recently finished my Asia tour, I want to branch out further to fans around the world…
To EXO-Ls who have been waiting for my album for such a long time, I’m so grateful for all of you and I want to promise you that there will never be a break like this again. I’ll show you a lot of great things in the future with new looks, new music, and all the cool things I’m ready to show the world. And like I slightly teased before, I’m ready to go meet more fans around the world so I hope that everyone stays happy and healthy until we meet again.
K-pop boy band BOYNEXTDOOR dipped into the members’ personal stories for the tracks on new EP 19.99. Singer Taesan tells Billboard that the seven-track mini-album “explores the emotions experienced just before turning 20. Specifically, the tracks express the intricate emotions that precede and follow turning 20.”
Group leader Jaehyun adds that the album is especially close to the singers’ hearts because it involves a lot of “true stories” from their personal lives. “We felt a lot of some kind of pain, some kind of happy and some kind of thankful. We always feel pain of growth, growing, so that is our album’s story,” he says.
The EP that dropped on Monday (Sept. 9), was preceded by the uptempo single “Dangerous,” which the group says represents their “mischievous side,” in which they fantasize about such rule-breaking activities as not listening to their moms, hanging out with friends all night and other shenanigans they pulled off before turning 20. And while their aim was to express a wide variety of feelings in a uniquely BOYNEXTDOOR fashion, boys also, of course, just wanna have fun.
Then again, lead single “Nice Guy” presents the flip side of that dangerous attitude, with lyrics Jaehyun says are funny and witty, which, of course, would not be as funny if they were all in their 30s. (All of BOYNEXTDOOR’s members — which also include Sungho, Riwoo, Leehan and Woonhak — are between 17 and 20 years old.) “But we are 20, or 19, 17, so I think that point is a really good point and ‘Nice Guy’ is [like a] flirt to someone,” he says.
Because the members of HYBE’s latest boy band write and co-produce a lot of their songs, Taesan — who co-wrote and co-produced “Dangerous” — says he also incorporated a lot of his own stories and an anecdote involving one of his siblings on the EP that focuses on “real-life experiences” rather than more generalized pop culture references from TV and movies. “We tried our best to use lyrics and melodies that feel genuinely relatable from our everyday experiences,” he says.
BOYNEXTDOOR scored its highest charting album to date in the U.S. when How? entered the Top Album Sales chart at No. 7 on the May 4-dated tally. The group released its first single album, Who! in May 2023, followed by the EP, Why.., in Sept. 2023 and this year’s How?
Watch BOYNEXTDOOR’s interview with Billboard above.
RuPaul’s Drag Race and We’re Here alum Bob the Drag Queen spent the better part of last year with pop icon Madonna. Now, the drag star is ready to tell fans what the singer is like behind the scenes. In a clip shared on Saturday (Sept. 7) from one of her recent standup shows, Bob […]
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hoists a ninth nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, extending 2024’s longest rule. The hit became the singer-songwriter’s first leader on the chart in July.
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” likewise furthers the longest domination this year on the multimetric Hot Country Songs chart, adding a 13th week at No. 1.
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Meanwhile, Sabrina Carpenter logs three songs in the Hot 100’s top five for a second consecutive week, as “Espresso” returns to its No. 3 best, from No. 4; “Please Please Please” dips 3-4, after it became her first No. 1 in June; and “Taste” falls 2-5 in its second week.
All three songs are from Carpenter’s new album, Short n’ Sweet, which scores a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Notably, as Carpenter’s three songs mark her first three top five Hot 100 hits, she becomes only the second act – and first soloist – ever to chart three initial top five hits in the region simultaneously in multiple weeks. She joins only The Beatles, who first achieved such a triple over five weeks in 1964, with “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “She Loves You” and “Please Please Me.” (No other act has charted three first top five hits in the region simultaneously for even one week.)
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated Sept. 14, 2024) will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Sept. 10. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
‘Tipsy’ Top Shelf in Airplay, Sales
Ed Sheeran only has one year left of touring in support of his +, –, =, ÷ and × albums, but he’s found a way to make sure that the global Mathematics trek lasts for ∞.
On Instagram Monday (Sept. 9), the 33-year-old superstar announced plans to drop a collection of live recordings from his three-year tour Sept. 27 following the conclusion of his 2024 run of dates. “It’s been 15 years of releasing these Mathematics albums and it’s been a hell of a journey so far,” Sheeran wrote, sharing a video of highlights from his time on the road.
“I wanted to make a collection of the songs I play on the tour, but also just to have all the big songs in one place for fans, or new coming fans, a journey of where its been and where it is now,” he continued. “The tour collection vinyl / CD will also have some voicenotes from me hidden in them, talking about all my memories behind the songs and from tour, so look out for them.”
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The announcement comes more than two years after the Mathematics Tour kicked off in 2022, which ended with Sheeran selling more concert tickets that year than any other musical act. In July, the “Bad Habits” singer confirmed that the trek would finally end in 2025, unveiling a final set of European dates for spring and summer next year.
“We have one more year of this tour then Mathematics is over for good, and onto the next set of symbols…,” he added in his post, seemingly teasing his next era.
Sheeran released the first of his math-themed albums in 2011, with + marking his breakthrough into global stardom. Since then, he’s fleshed out the series with four more albums, three of which — =, ÷ and = — topped the Billboard 200 and helped make him Billboard‘s 24th greatest pop star of the 21st century.
See Sheeran’s announcement below.
Elton John loves a good joke. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer revealed over the weekend that he thought former one-term President Donald Trump’s repurposing of the pop star’s 1972 classic “Rocket Man” as a nickname for North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un was “hilarious.”
That’s what John, 77, told Variety during the Toronto Film Festival after Friday’s premiere of the Disney+ documentary Elton John: Never Too Late. Trump, who frequently boasted of his good relations with dictators such as Un and Russian president Vladimir Putin during his term in office — and who has made a habit of referring to friends and foes alike with taunting nicknames — proudly referred to the North Korean leader as “Little Rocket Man” in press briefings.
“I laughed, I thought that was brilliant,” said John. “I just thought, ‘Good on you, Donald.’ … Donald’s always been a fan of mine, and he’s been to my concerts many, many times. So, I mean, I’ve always been friendly toward him, and I thank him for his support. When he did that, I just thought it was hilarious. It made me laugh.”
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Trump administration CIA director/Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote in his 2022 Never Give An Inch memoir that Trump had to explain the nickname to Un, who was reportedly not familiar with John’s music when Trump autographed one of Elton’s CD’s as a gift to the dictator.
In 2018, South Korean media reported that when Pompeo visited North Korea that July for a round of denuclearization talks, the commander-in-chief sent along two gifts for his North Korean counterpart: a personal note as well as a signed CD with a recording of John’s “Rocket Man” after Un said during an earlier meeting with Trump that he did not know the Honky Chateau hit.
John said he was not surprised by any of it. “Of course he hasn’t heard of me, Kim Jong Un. I’d be very surprised if he had,” John told the magazine. “I’ve never toured North Korea, and I have no intention of doing so. But, I thought it was a light moment, and it was fun.”
Though John had a jovial attitude about the musical way twice-impeached Trump cozied up to the North Korean strongman whose decade-plus in office has been marked by the reported assassinations of family members, repression of human rights and widespread starvation, Variety noted that the singer also seemed to take a veiled swipe at the convicted felon who will face off with Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris in their first, and only, debate on Tuesday night (Sept. 10).
“Kindness will always win out… that’s what I hope for the American election in November,” said John, who later elaborated on what many political experts warn is an existential choice American voters are facing in November’s presidential face-off. “I don’t go on stage and say to people, ‘You must vote for the Republicans, you must vote for the Democrats.’ It’s none of my business how they vote. They come to see me, and I’m so grateful they have,” said John. “What I want by saying that last night … there is a danger, as Dick Cheney said the other day. America is in a very volatile position. And it’s a country I love, and I’ve always loved, and I’m so thankful that it made me who I am.”
During the 2016 presidential contest, John hailed then Democratic candidate former Senator and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton. “America is already great – and Hillary is a part of the reason why. So tonight, I’m proud to say: I’m with her!” he said at an all-star fundraiser for the former First Lady in what turned out to be a losing contest with Trump.
Over the weekend, former Bush administration Vice President and staunch Republican Dick Cheney announced that he will be voting for Democrat Harris over Trump while issuing a warning that Trump should “never be trusted with power again,” adding, “In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump. He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him.”
John, who is a citizen of the UK despite owning homes in the U.S. for decades, made it clear that he is not the type to tell people how to vote or how to feel about their elected officials. “I just want people to vote for things that are just, things that are important to people: the right to choose, the right to be who you are, and not let anybody else tell you who to be. And that goes all the way up to the Supreme Court,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly boasted of seating three conservative justices on the Supreme Court who helped reverse more than half a century of precedent when they overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022; in his concurring opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, conservative justice Clarence Thomas appeared to suggest that other long-established precedents, including the 2015 decision legalizing gay marriage, could also be up for reconsideration, or reversal, in the future.
John, who shares two young children with husband/manager David Furnish, fell short of an explicit endorsement of either major party candidate, but did encourage Americans to vote with their hearts and choose hope over bluster and division. “I just hope that people make the right decision to see what the future is going to be. Is it going to be fire and brimstone … or are we going to have a much calmer, a much safer place?” John said. “People can vote for who they like, but as far as I’m concerned, I love love. And I’m a loving person, and I want that to come back to America. I feel it’s been lost in the last 12 years.”
Elton John: Never Too Late will have a limited theatrical run in November before streaming on Disney+ beginning Dec. 13.
BTS’ global ARMY issued a statement over the weekend in which the K-pop superstars’ most ardent fans emphasized that they are ride or die, no matter what. “The BTS ARMY is a vast fandom based around the world, yet a small number of people have recently released statements through the media claiming opinions that are contrary to the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of ARMY.”
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The statement posted on a variety of social platforms from the band’s biggest global fan groups came after recent comments and claims from South Korean media and some fans in the wake of member Suga’s drunk-driving episode last month. In early August, Seoul police said they spoke to Suga (born Min Yoon-gi) on August 6 after he fell off his electric scooter while driving it near his home.
“Despite ARMY’s opposition to this imperious behavior, they continue to act against the fandom’s wishes while using ARMY’s name,” the statement continued. “It was further revealed that fans of other groups organized these actions. Therefore, we would like to clarify our position as the Global ARMY Alliance both domestically and internationally.”
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The message then spotlighted the three-point support plan proposed by the global ARMY:
The group that claims to speak for ARMY, while dismissing the majority of ARMY’s opinions, cannot in fact represent ARMY. The Global ARMY Alliance calls on them to stop abusing ARMY’s name.
The Global ARMY Alliance supports all seven members of BTS.
The Global ARMY Alliance does not ask BTS members to take any more responsibility than legally required.
While the statement representing 127 ARMY divisions from around the world did not specifically mention the Suga incident, the message posted on Sunday (Sept. 8) ended with the double-down, “as stated above, global ARMY fan bases, both domestic and international, have gathered to affirm with one voice that we continue to support all seven members of BTS. Additionally, we strongly urge media not to give credibility to individuals with unconfirmed representation.”
After the scooter stop, Suga issued the first of two apologies to fans, writing on Weverse, “I bow my head and apologize to those who have been hurt by my carelessness and wrong action.” In addition, the 31-year-old rapper assured ARMY that no property or people had been impacted in the incident he said happened after he had drinks at dinner and then hopped on his electric kickboard, not realizing he could not operate a two-wheeled scooter while intoxicated during what he described as a short trip to his home.
“In the process of setting up an electric kickboard at the front door of the house, I fell alone, and there was a police officer around me, so I took a breath test,” he said, noting that a fine was issued and his license was suspended. In a second, handwritten note posted on August 25, Suga again apologized for what he said was the “disappointment and hurt of my misbehavior to my fans and everyone who loves me. I’ve made a big mistake, forgetting the responsibility to repay you with actions worthy of the love I’ve received… Due to this incident, I have greatly damaged the precious memories I made with the members and fans and put a lot of pressure on the name of the BTS. I feel so sorry and painful that it’s hard to express because it’s causing damage to the members and the team. I’m sorry that the members who always trusted me have a hard time because of me. And I know the disappointment that the fans who supported and supported me must have felt.”
Suga’s license was suspended after police said he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.227, well above above the 0.08 level that triggers license revocation after he drove the seated electric scooter while impaired in the Yongsan District in central Seoul.
According to Variety, in the weeks following the stop, more than 1,400 stories have been posted on Korean media sites about the DUI, with many reportedly containing speculative details and others spotlighting “fake news.” Among the reports were two from mainstream media outlets Yonhap and JTBC, which reportedly featured footage of a man using a scooter on a a road at night that they claimed was Suga, though after police revealed a week later that Suga was riding on a footpath during the incident JTBC reportedly apologized for “causing confusion.”
After some commentors online suggested that Suga should be booted from the band in the wake of the DUI, the statement makes it clear that the global ARMY group supports all seven members of BTS; the K-pop superstars are currently on a hiatus slated to last through next summer while its members complete their mandatory South Korean military service.
Check out the statement below.