Pop
Page: 74
Last week, supergroup Band Aid – organized by Sir Bob Geldof and Ultravox’s Midge Ure – announced that they would be releasing an “ultimate mix” of festive charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” for its 40th anniversary. The new release will feature vocals from across the four recorded versions from 1984, 1989, 2004 and 2014, including takes from Bono, George Michael, Harry Styles (as part of One Direction) and more.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Ed Sheeran, who performed on the 2014 edition of the single alongside Coldplay, Sam Smith, Rita Ora and more, has since said that his vocals are being used without his permission on the latest remix.
Trending on Billboard
Writing on his Instagram Stories, Sheeran said, “My approval wasn’t sought on this new Band Aid 40 release,” Sheeran said. “Had I had the choice I would have respectfully declined the use of my vocals.”
He added: “A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed, eloquently explained by @fuseodg. This is just my personal stance, I’m hoping it’s a forward-looking one. Love to all x.”
Sheeran was quoting a post by Ghanian-English afrobeats musician Fuse ODG, who says he declined to take part in the Band Aid 30 version back in 2014. “I refused to participate in Band Aid because I recognised the harm initiatives like it inflict on Africa,” he wrote.
“While they may generate sympathy and donations, they perpetuate damaging stereotypes that stifle Africa’s economic growth, tourism, and investment, ultimately costing the continent trillions and destroying its dignity, pride and identity.”
He continued, “By showcasing dehumanizing imagery, these initiatives fuel pity rather than partnership, discouraging meaningful engagement. My mission has been to reclaim the narrative, empowering Africans to tell their own stories, redefine their identity and position Africa as a thriving hub for investment and tourism.”
“Today, the diaspora drives the largest funds back into the continent, not Band Aid or foreign aid providing that Africa’s solutions and progress lies in its own hands.”
The song was first released in 1984 following a report by the BBC into famine in Ethiopia, but has since been criticized as an example of white-savior narrative towards issues in Africa. Moky Makura, executive director of non-profit organization Africa No Filter writing in The Guardian that “[Live Aid’s] portrayal of Africa triggered the birth of a patronizing industry whose mission it was to ‘save Africa.’”
Over the weekend, Geldof responded to a report by New Zealand’s 1 News. “This little pop song has kept hundreds of thousands if not millions of people alive,” he said.
“In fact, just today Band Aid has given hundreds of thousands of pounds to help those running from the mass slaughter in Sudan and enough cash to feed a further 8,000 children in the same affected areas of Ethiopia as 1984.
“Those exhausted women who weren’t raped and killed and their panicked children and any male over 10 who survived the massacres and those 8,000 Tigrayan children will sleep safer, warmer and cared for tonight because of that miraculous little record.
“We wish that it were other but it isn’t. ‘Colonial tropes’, my arse.”
Billboard has contacted Band Aid for comment.
Live from the Short n’ Sweet Tour, it’s Domingo.
On Sunday night (Nov. 17) at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, Sabrina Carpenter brought out a very special guest straight from Miami for her tour segment where she arrests a crowd member for being “too hot” ahead of her frisky song “Juno.” This time, it was Domingo, the seductive Saturday Night Live character played by Marcello Hernandez who originated in a viral sketch last month to the tune of Carpenter’s smash hit “Espresso.”
“My name’s Domingo,” Hernandez said from the crowd to wild cheers, after catching Carpenter’s attention. When Carpenter asks where he’s from (“I’m from Miami, baby,” he growls), she replies, “I wish you were from my bedroom.”
Hernandez then riffs off Carpenter’s lyrics yet again by paraphrasing the words to the saucy Short n’ Sweet cut “Bed Chem”: “I’m the cute boy with the blue jacket and the thick accent.”
Trending on Billboard
“Is there anything you want to say before I arrest you, Domingo?” Carpenter asks, which sends him straight back to that original SNL sketch: “Came all this way had to explain direct from Domingo/ Sabrina’s a friend, she’s like my sis… but I would hook up though.”
Domingo’s first appearance on SNL came Oct. 12 and featured host Ariana Grande singing an uncharacteristically out-of-tune bridesmaid group song. Carpenter reacted to the bit last month, joking on her Instagram Story alongside a clip: “Very nice and on pitch.” Sharing the singer’s appraisal on her own Instagram Story, Grande replied, “tysm we tried.”
Hernandez’s tour appearance was especially timely since Domingo resurfaced on the latest episode of the long-running comedy series Saturday night, when host Charli XCX starred in a new sketch set to Chappell Roan’s “Hot to Go” (“D-O-M-I-N-G-O” was a perfect fit all along).
Previously on the tour, Carpenter “arrested” Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown at her Atlanta stop, saying, “I’m really distracted right now because I see this gorgeous girl,” as she interacted with the actress on the big screen.
Sunday’s show was one of three stops for Carpenter’s tour in the Los Angeles area, starting Friday night at Crypto.com Arena – where she brought out Christina Aguilera for “What a Girl Wants” and “Ain’t No Other Man” – and wrapping Monday night back at the Forum.
Watch Carpenter’s moment with Domingo below:
Jin‘s Happy tops this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Nov. 15) on Billboard, choosing the BTS member’s debut EP as their favorite new music release of the past week.
The poll featured a strong competition from all genres, but Jin’s new collection especially inspired fans to make their choice heard, bringing in almost 83% of the vote. Voters this week chose Happy over new music releases from talent including Gwen Stefani, Tate McRae, Linkin Park, Shawn Mendes, Rauw Alejandro, Shaboozey, Lil Nas X and more.
Happy, the long-awaited set from the BTS superstar, has just six tracks, but it’s the longest listening experience fans have gotten from him yet; on his own Jin’s previously released singles only, making him the seventh and final member of BTS to put out a multi-song solo project.
“Putting the album together has allowed me to pause and reflect on just how much ARMY means to me,” Jin recently told Billboard. “As I worked on each track, I thought about what I wanted to convey to them, how I want to bring joy and happiness to them, while also expressing how much I missed them during our time apart.”
Trending on Billboard
Jin was referring to the break he had from music while completing his mandatory military service.
“Before enlisting,” he said, “I was focused mainly on our group activities, so a solo album didn’t feel right at the time. But with all the members now taking turns serving, it felt like the right time to share something personal with ARMY who have supported us all along. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I’ve enjoyed making it.”
Among the new music trailing behind Happy on this week’s poll is Gwen Stefani’s Bouquet, which came in second place, and Tate McRae’s “2 Hands,” which came in third.
See the final results of this week’s poll below, or here.
Take Our Poll
Charli XCX hosted SNL for the first time and starred in nine sketches Saturday night (Nov. 16) in an episode that indulged in the pop star’s brat vibes.
Pulling double duty Saturday night as host and musical guest, Charli got things going with a monologue that explained how her career started (“I played at my first rave when I was 15 years old — my parents actually drove me there”), how she’s gotten to where she is (“Today, I consider myself to be a triple threat, which in England means I sing, I drink and I smoke”) and what it truly means to be “brat.”
“So many people have asked me, ‘What is ‘brat’?’ And honestly, it’s just, like, an attitude. It’s a vibe. For example, the new Martha Stewart documentary: When Martha gets mad about an old magazine article and she says that she’s glad the journalist who wrote it is dead, that is brat. And on Friday, when that exact journalist responded and said, ‘Hey, I’m alive, b—-!’ — that is extremely brat,” Charli said in front of the live audience at Studio 8H.
Besides bringing a dose of dry wit, the three-time musical guest brought her late-night party to the stage Saturday with Brat tracks “360” and “Sympathy Is a Knife” (the original album versions, not her Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat collabs).
The episode had an SNL cast member playing Charli in one sketch — so that Charli could star opposite, as her tourmate Troye Sivan. (Sivan’s response: changing his profile pic to Charli’s version of him.)
Charli’s impersonation skills were also put to the test in portrayals of Adele and Victoria Beckham, and she was part of a group cover of Chappell Roan’s “Hot to Go!” that welcomed the now-recurring character Domingo, the guy who crashed a wedding reception in Ariana Grande’s episode last month.
The best sketch, which had Charli’s humor matching a certain SNL trio’s comedy, was actually cut for time during the live broadcast. Thankfully we’ve got the internet and SNL uploaded this one online.
Here’s a ranking of every sketch Charli XCX was in Saturday night, when SNL‘s Nov. 16 episode aired. Watch all nine sketches below.
“Banger Boyz”
Charli XCX delivered some Wicked impressions during her hosting debut on Saturday Night Live.
On Saturday (Nov. 16), the 32-year-old British pop star pulled double duty as both host and musical guest. She showcased her comedic chops in a standout sketch about auditions for the upcoming live-action adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked.
The sketch begins with a voiceover for the movie: “Audiences can’t wait to see the star-studded cast of Wicked,” as clips from the Jon M. Chu-directed film, featuring Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, play on screen. “But before production starts, actors across Hollywood audition to step foot in Oz. Here are their never-before-seen screen tests.”
The sketch features a series of hilarious fake auditions from various celebrities, including JoJo Siwa (Chloe Fineman), Bernie Sanders (Sarah Sherman), Sydney Sweeney (Fineman), Al Pacino (Dana Carvey), Martha Stewart (Fineman), and Bad Bunny (Marcello Hernandez).
Charli kicks things off with a spot-on impression of Adele. Dressed in an elegant black dress and sporting long, wavy hair reminiscent of the British singer’s look during her Weekends With Adele residency in Las Vegas, Charli’s Adele exclaims, “Oh, hello, can I take me shoes off? OK, wicked!” as she flings off her heels and struts down a yellow brick road. “Oh my God! I said the name of the bloody movie! That’s f—ing funny!” she adds, laughing with exaggerated flair.
Trending on Billboard
Later in the sketch, SNL‘s Bowen Yang, who famously impersonated Charli during the show’s Season 50 premiere, returns to play Charli once again — this time while standing next to Charli herself, who appears as her Sweat tour mate Troye Sivan.
“Can I call you Elphie?” Bowen’s Charli asks, prompting Troye (played by Charli) to respond, “No.” Bowen continues, “I only bullied you because I’m a b—- and you’re a witch. And you’re a witch, I’m confused.” Charli’s Sivan clarifies, “I’m not a witch. I’m a top.”
Yang also plays Pfannee in Wicked, which hits theaters on Nov. 22.
Elsewhere in the episode, Charli electrified the crowd with performances of “360” and “Sympathy Is a Knife,” both tracks from her sixth album, Brat. Released in June, the set debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and earned widespread acclaim, including a 2025 Grammy nomination for album of the year.
Saturday’s appearance marked Charli’s third time on SNL, following previous musical guest spots in 2014 and 2022.
Watch SNL‘s “Wicked Auditions” sketch below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
Taylor Swift was joined by Gracie Abrams for a performance of their Grammy-nominated song “Us” during the Eras Tour stop in Toronto on Saturday (Nov. 16). During the surprise songs portion of her set at the Rogers Centre, the 34-year-old pop superstar brought out her friend and opener, 25-year-old Abrams, for a mashup of Swift’s […]
Charli XCX brought songs from her Grammy-nominated Brat album to Saturday Night Live on Nov. 16. The 32-year-old British pop star pulled double duty as both host and musical guest on the iconic NBC sketch comedy show. Between cracking jokes in sketches, Charli delivered electrifying performances of “360” and “Sympathy Is a Knife,” both from […]
Taylor Swift gave fans a sneak peek at the upcoming Target-exclusive, Black Friday version of The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology on vinyl and CD, posting an image that shows what appears to be the back cover of the physical set on Instagram. Swift, whose official The Eras Tour Book is also coming to Target […]
Sabrina Carpenter was joined by Christina Aguilera for an unforgettable moment during her Short n’ Sweet Tour stop in Los Angeles on Friday (Nov. 15). The 25-year-old “Espresso” singer surprised fans at L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena when she welcomed the iconic pop star, 43, on stage for a pair of duets. Together, they performed Aguilera’s classic […]
‘Tis officially the season, which means its time for festive songs on the radio! iHeartMedia announced that the annual station flip to holiday music kicked off on Friday (Nov. 15) with more than 85 stations across the country broadcasting modern holiday hits as well as Christmas classics from Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and […]