Pop
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It’s been almost 11 months since Lil Nas X boldly declared that “b—h I’m back like J Christ.” Now, the singer promises, he’s actually back for good. In a video posted to his X account on Sunday night (Nov. 10), the rapper revealed that “phase 1” of his new era begins on Monday (Nov. 11). […]
Beyoncé is adding another ivy to her life. Next year, Yale University will offer a collegiate course studying the multi-hyphenate superstar’s career as it relates to a greater history of Black excellence in art, spanning her 2013 solo debut to 2024’s Cowboy Carter.
Registered as “Beyoncé Makes History: Black Radical Tradition History, Culture, Theory & Politics through Music,” the spring 2025 class will be taught by Professor Daphne Brooks. As reported by the Yale Daily News Friday (Nov. 8), it’ll focus on the “sonic, fashion and visual media” evolution of Bey — who is mom to eldest daughter Blue Ivy (along with twins Rumi and Sir) and founder of Ivy Park — over the past decade. According to Yale’s course description, “In short, this is a class that traces the relationship between Beyonce’s artistic genius and Black intellectual practice.”
“[Beyoncé] is just so ripe for teaching at this moment in time,” Brooks told the student publication. “The number of breakthroughs and innovations she’s executed and the way she’s interwoven history and politics and really granular engagements with Black cultural life into her performance aesthetics and her utilization of her voice as a portal to think about history and politics — there’s just no one like her.”
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Through examining the 32-time Grammy winner’s career, students will also gain insight into “Black history, intellectual thought and performance” at large, with Bey serving as a jumping-off point for wider discussions on icons such as Josephine Baker, Diana Ross, Betty Davis and Grace Jones. Brooks previously incorporated Beyoncé into her “Black Women in Popular Music Culture” curriculum when the professor was teaching at Princeton, which inspired her to devote an entire class to the star as past students showed “so much energy” around Bey in particular.
The Yale offering is just the latest Beyoncé course to be unveiled at a prestigious university in recent years, part of a broader trend of colleges all over the world dedicating classes to modern artists. A notable uptick in Bey-related studies happened in 2016, around when she released her critically acclaimed album Lemonade; since then, Arizona State, the University of Copenhagen, the University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of Michigan and more institutions have all enshrined Queen Bey in academia in some way or another.
News about the latest Beyoncé class arrived on the same day as the 2025 Grammy nominations, which saw the Destiny’s Child alum earn more nods than any other artist. Among her 11 nominations are song and record of the year for Billboard Hot 100-topper “Texas Hold ‘Em” and album of the year for Cowboy Carter.
Gracie Abrams has notched her first ever No. 1 song in the U.K. with “That’s So True” topping the Official Singles Chart.
The U.S. singer-songwriter has had a breakout year following the release of her sophomore album, The Secret Of Us, as well as an opening slot on Taylor Swift’s massive Eras Tour. The Secret Of Us debuted at No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart back in June and at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
“That’s So True”, which recently peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, faced a stiff challenge from Gigi Perez’s “Sailor Song,” which held the top spot prior to this week’s battle. The Official Charts Company says that fewer than 1,200 chart units across downloads, streaming and physicals came between the pair. Another Abrams single, “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” is currently placed at No. 4.
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Chappell Roan secured her second top five hit with “Hot To Go!” which rises to No. 5. The Missouri-born musician, who Billboard reported recently split from her management company, previously peaked at No. 2 on the Official Singles Chart with “Good Luck, Babe!” back in August.
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Elsewhere there’s success for KSI and Trippie Redd as their collaboration “Thick Of It” reaches a new height of No. 6, while Sabrina Carpenter follows at No. 7 with “Bed Chem,” while her previous chart-topper “Taste” lands at No. 9.
Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower” rises seven from its previous position to No. 11, its highest position yet. The Weekend and Anitta’s “São Paulo” lands at No. 22, the latter’s first top 40 entry in the U.K.
Following his maiden U.K. No. 1 Album with Chromakopia, Tyler, The Creator secures his eighth top 40 hit with Lola Young-featuring “Like Him” landing at No. 33.
See the full Official Singles Chart here.
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars have a lot to smile about following the unveiling of the 2025 Grammy nominations Friday (Nov. 8), which saw the duo earn two major nods for their chart-topping collaboration “Die With a Smile.”
And on Sunday (Nov. 10), both pop stars reacted to the news with a passionate thank-you note to fans who supported the track. “I’m so grateful for these 2 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS! 😭” Gaga wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of herself and Mars enjoying glasses of champagne.
“Because of our amazing fans we are so blessed to be nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo recording for Die With A Smile!!” the Joker: Folie à Deux actress continued. “@recordingacademy We love y’all! 😭Monsters and Hooligans did that! 🥂”
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In the comments, Mars added, “(Monsters 🤝 Hooligans) Thank you! We love you!”
Nominations for next year’s Grammy awards arrived about three months ahead of the Feb. 2 ceremony. Gaga and the Silk Sonic star share the song of the year category with Shaboozey, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé, while 2025’s best pop duo/group performance is split among “Die With a Smile” and “Us” by Gracie Abrams and Swift, “Levii’s Jeans” by Bey and Post Malone, “Guess” by Charli XCX and Eilish, and “The Boy Is Mine” by Ariana Grande, Brandy and Monica.
Gaga and Mars spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Die With a Smile” this year. Complete with a retro Nashville-themed music video, the track served as a standalone collaboration ahead of Gaga’s Joker 2 companion album, Harlequin, and upcoming seventh studio album. It also preceded Mars’ “APT.” duet with ROSÉ of BLACKPINK, which recently debuted atop the Global 200.
“This was a pure, organic thing that both these artists who respect each other so much wanted to do together,” songwriter Andrew Watt, who worked on “Die With a Smile” with the two superstars, told Billboard earlier this year. “This was about the love of making great music.”
Olivia Rodrigo is joining the already star-studded line-up for the BST Hyde Park series next summer. American Express presents BST Hyde Park announced on Monday (Nov. 11) that the “Bad Idea Right?” singer will headline the Great Oak Stage on June 27 with support from The Last Dinner Party and Girl in Red, with additional […]
One of the suspects in the investigation into the death of Liam Payne broke his silence over the weekend in an interview with an Argentinian media outlet. Three people were detained last week in connection with Payne’s death on Oct. 16 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the One Direction singer and solo star died after falling from a third-floor balcony of a hotel.
Speaking to journalist Guillermo Panizza for Telefe Noticias, 24-year-old waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz admitted to partying with Payne, but denied supplying the 31-year-old singer drugs; to date, Argentinian authorities have not revealed the names of any of the suspects that have been detained and Billboard has not been able to independently confirm that Paiz was one of them.
Paiz said he met Payne twice before the singer’s death, but insisted, “I never supplied Liam with drugs. Liam’s first contact with me was at my place of work.” He said they swapped info and then got back together later that night, with the report including pictures of the two men together. “We got together there and he showed me some of the music he was going to bring out. I’ve heard people saying he was taking drugs, but the truth is that when he got to the restaurant where I was working he was already under the effects of drugs and he didn’t actually eat anything.” Paiz said the two men communicated via Payne’s secret Instagram account.
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When the two men got together a second time at Payne’s hotel on Oct. 13, Paiz — who reportedly has lost his job in the wake of the investigation — claimed that he spent the night partying at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, alleging that the singer was doing cocaine while Paiz smoked pot. “We took drugs together, but I never took drugs to him or accepted any money,” said Paiz, who added that his home has been searched in the probe, but that he has not yet been questioned by investigators.
Paiz also said he doesn’t know who the other two unnamed suspects are and that he does not know what happened to Payne after he left the hotel room. Click here to watch the interview in Spanish.
Last week, officials in Buenos Aires released Payne’s body to his family for repatriation to the U.K. and a press release from the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s office No. 14 revealed the final results of toxicology tests on the singer. According to a translated copy of the report, in the 72 hours before Payne died after falling from a three-story hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he had “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” in his system.
The results of the autopsy concluded that Payne’s death was caused by “‘multiple trauma’ and ‘internal and external hemorrhage,’ the result of the fall the musician suffered from the balcony of the third-floor room of the hotel in the Palermo neighborhood where he was staying.”
Additional reports concluded that the injures Payne sustained were caused by a fall at the hotel from a height and that “self-harm of any kind and/or physical intervention by third parties were ruled out.” Authorities also reported that Payne did not adopt a “reflex posture” to protect himself from the fall, which led to the conclusion that he “may have fallen in a state of semi- or total unconsciousness.”
The three people detained so far were charged with abandonment leading to death and the supply and facilitation of narcotics.
Taylor Swift is spending another Sunday afternoon cheering on her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. The 34-year-old pop superstar — currently enjoying a brief break from her record-breaking The Eras Tour — arrived in style at the Kansas City Chiefs versus Denver Broncos game at K.C.’s Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday (Nov. 10). Swift, who has attended the […]
Following The Tortured Poets Department‘s monochrome “shades of greige,” will Taylor Swift’s next era be “in screaming color”?
The Eras Tour — where Swift is known to keep fans guessing what color outfits she’ll wear, and has been debuting particularly bright and colorful dresses over the past few weeks across North America — is on break this weekend, but Swift still stepped out in a multicolor new dress while in New York City.
Friday night (Nov. 8), Swift was photographed arriving at a dinner spot in Manhattan. She exited a car wearing a familiar Vivienne Westwood silhouette: a style called the Sunday dress, revived from Vivienne Westwood’s Spring-Summer 1997 collection (and worn by Swift previously, just in more subtle colorways). On this Friday night she wore a version of the dress with a simple, striped skirt that turns bold and colorful when it reaches a corset-inspired bodice. The dress bodice brings to mind an art canvas, with yellow and red paint mixing together to make orange, all laid atop the blue striped fabric of the skirt.
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Meanwhile, on stage for the final leg of the Eras Tour, Swift has been embracing vibrancy in a series of new, multicolored dresses worn during her acoustic surprise songs set. She’s been cycling through these latest Roberto Cavalli looks since wearing them for the first time in Miami and New Orleans, in October. (At football game sightings she’s mostly gone for a more subdued look: a lot of black, mixed with Chiefs red.)
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The Eras Tour, which highlights music from the early days of Swift’s career through 2024, officially wraps on Dec. 8. She has not yet announced what’s in store after it ends, but she’s been known to drop hints in what she wears.
Here’s a quick roundup of the very colorful dresses Swift has recently debuted:
Arriving to dinner with friends in a dress that’s a surrealist dreamscape on top and utilitarian stripes on the bottom, Swift wore a Vivienne Westwood design in an unexpected color combination. She accessorized her Nov. 8 street style in New York with a pair of Aquazzura velvet heeled sandals in burgundy, a small, black Vivienne Westwood purse and a vintage statement necklace featuring a large coin as its centerpiece.
Taylor Swift is seen in the Meatpacking District on Nov. 8, 2024 in New York City.
TheStewartofNY/GC Images
One of Swift’s new dresses worn while singing her show’s surprise songs is this custom, multicolored gown from Roberto Cavalli, with hot red-orange fading into a muted yellow, and then to royal blue. She’s only worn this design very recently, while nearing the end of her Eras Tour. Here, she’s pictured in it on Oct. 25 in New Orleans.
Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Caesars Superdome on Oct. 25, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Erika Goldring/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Also courtesy of the Roberto Cavalli brand is the same dress style as above, but in a pink and blue color scheme that mashes up into purple in some spots. The photo below is from her acoustic set on Nov. 1 in Indianapolis.
Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Lucas Oil Stadium on Nov. 1, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Kevin Mazur/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
On Nov. 5, Robert Cavalli creative director Fausto Puglisi posted a photo on Instagram of a bright yellow, orange and pink gown Swift (of the same style shown above), which has only been seen on stage this fall during her acoustic set. “My new sunset , new orchid, new tropical dream,” he captioned the image, which you can see here.
Deep into a slideshow of pictures from her weekend in New Orleans, on Oct. 29, Swift also included a picture of herself on Instagram, wearing another new Robert Cavalli blue and purple gown that she’s added to her Eras wardrobe options for surprises song time. See the dress here (shown in the 14th photo in the set).
The Weeknd is paying tribute to late actor Tony Todd.
On Friday (Nov. 8), the superstar singer honored the iconic actor, known for his roles in horror franchises Candyman and Final Destination, with a heartfelt post on his Instagram Story.
“A trailblazer,” the Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, wrote alongside a photo of Todd as Daniel Robitaille/the Candyman. “Rest well Tony Todd.”
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Todd passed away on Wednesday (Nov. 6) following a long illness at his home in Marina del Rey, a neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was 69. The actor is best known for his portrayal of the sinister figure in Candyman (1992) and for his role in Final Destination (2000). He also appeared in the sequels of each movie.
Todd’s extensive filmography includes roles in Night of the Living Dead (1990), The Rock (1996), The Crow (1994), Hatchet (2006), The Man from Earth (2007), Frankenstein (2015), Hell Fest (2018), Requiem (2018), Hellblazers (2022), and The Bunker (2024), among others.
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He also appeared in multiple Star Trek series, portraying Kurn in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as well as Alpha Hirogen in Star Trek: Voyager.
“The industry has lost a legend. We have lost a cherished friend. Rest in peace, Tony—Your Final Destination Family,” wrote New Line Cinema, the studio behind the Final Destination films, in a tribute shared on Instagram.
The Weeknd is no stranger to the horror genre himself. As previously reported, the singer’s upcoming psychological thriller Hurry Up Tomorrow will be distributed worldwide by Lionsgate. The film, directed by Trey Edward Shults, marks the Weeknd’s feature film debut and will also serve as an extension of his upcoming sixth studio album of the same name. Jenny Ortega and Barry Keoghan will also star in the movie.
Hurry Up Tomorrow is produced by The Weeknd’s production company, Manic Phase, along with his producing partner Reza Fahim (co-creator of The Idol) and the late Kevin Turen. Executive producers on the film include Ortega, Shults, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, Ryan Kroft, The Weeknd’s manager Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, and Harrison Huffman.
See The Weeknd’s tribute to Tony Todd here.
IVE continues to elevate their global appeal by unleashing a new collaboration with David Guetta. “Supernova Love” marks the K-pop girl group’s second English-language release, following January’s “All Night” with Saweetie, which peaked at the No. 10 spot on Billboard‘s World Digital Song Sales chart. The new single showcases a sophisticated disco-dance sound, seamlessly combining […]