Pride
Page: 2
JoJo Siwa has had her fair share of viral moments over the past year, but now she’s in on the joke.
The “Karma” superstar walked the red carpet at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday night (March 17), where she spotted Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly, with whom she had a controversial interview where she claimed she founded “gay pop.”
“I’m not talking to you,” she playfully told Kelly, before explaining, “You know what today is? It’s not only the iHeartRadio Music Awards, which is where I said ‘dream guest on my podcast’ but it’s also the one year anniversary of GLAAD Awards, which is where with your a— I said, ‘It’s called gay pop.’
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
In her original Billboard News interview with Kelly, Siwa said that when she originally signed to Columbia Records, she told the label, “I want to start a new genre of music … it’s called ‘gay pop,’” before going on to compare the genre to the jazz-funk genre of dance. The online community quickly began criticizing Siwa for saying she wanted to “create” this “new genre,” with queer icons Tegan and Sara literally offering the 20-year-old singer some side eye on their TikTok page.
However, Siwa is moving forward, sharing that she has a “big announcement that involves a lot of people all over the world” coming on March 22. She joked that her next musical era will include “something that nobody has ever done before.”
Trending on Billboard
Her “unexpected” moves she’s planning include that she’s “going to sing,” and “maybe even write my own song for once,” referencing the backlash surrounding songwriter Brit Smith, who recorded Siwa’s track “Karma” back in 2012.
Wrapping up their interview, Kelly told Siwa that another viral moment is likely on the horizon. “We’ll see y’all on TikTok,” Siwa joked, looking into the camera. Watch the full interview below.
An Evening With Elton John and Brandi Carlile, a one-hour concert special featuring live performances, stories about the pair’s friendship and an intimate look at their new collaborative album, will air on CBS on Sunday, April 6 (8-9 p.m. ET/PT) and stream on Paramount+. Filming on Wednesday, March 26, at London’s iconic Palladium Theatre and […]
After months of speculation and rumors among fans of indie rock supergroup Boygenius, Lucy Dacus at last confirmed that, yes, she is currently in a relationship with bandmate Julien Baker.
In a profile for The New Yorker, Dacus revealed that she and Baker are currently dating and moved to Los Angeles together after Boygenius’ tour wrapped in 2024. But the “Best Guess” singer pointed out that both she and Baker were reticent to share details with the public, considering how parasocial some fan relationships can become.
“It only takes a handful [of intense fans interactions] to make your life feel like a really easily threatened thing,” she said. “I’ve been practicing not reinforcing that narrative to myself.”
Trending on Billboard
Dacus continued, saying that trying to keep her private life private while also being transparent with her audience through songwriting has been a difficult needle to thread. “It’s been interesting, because I want to protect what is precious in my life, but also to be honest, and make art that’s true. I think maybe a part of it is just trusting that it’s not at risk,” she said. “Maybe a healthier way to think about it is that [my relationship]’s not actually fragile.”
The singer-songwriter added that most of her romantic relationships blossomed from close friendships, and that the concept of a romance that doesn’t come from a friendship or creative partnership boggles her mind.
“How are you doing romance without friendship? I can’t imagine. That feels so hollow. It makes me feel ill! Someone that’s not my friend? Are you serious?” she said. “Almost every relationship I have been in, we’ve had some business or creative dealings. I don’t mean this just sexually, but it turns me on; to have your minds meet on something, and be, like, ‘Oh, my gosh, you said what I couldn’t say. I love your mind.’”
Speculation around Dacus and Baker’s relationship has been going on for years, but the most recent interest in the two artists as a couple was reignited in October 2023, where the two posed as Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande for a Halloween costume.
Dacus is currently promoting her new solo album, Forever Is a Feeling, due out March 28 via Geffen Records. Baker, meanwhile, is rolling out her collaborative country album with fellow indie rock artist TORRES titled Send a Prayer My Way, which is due out April 18 via Matador Records.
Two months after the first-ever winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK The Vivienne died, the drag performer’s cause of death has been confirmed. In a statement shared with Attitude, the star’s manager Simon Jones revealed that James Lee Williams — The Vivienne’s off-stage name — died “from the effects of ketamine use causing a cardiac […]
Azealia Banks took a break from her usual strategy of issuing pop cultural hot takes on Sunday (March 16) when she took aim at Harry Potter author and anti-trans advocate J.K. Rowling. In a post on X, Banks reshared a post from a user commending Rowling’s against-the-odds rise to fame, listing out the author’s various […]
With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, we’re happy to inform you that you are in luck — because some of your favorite queer artists have some new songs for you to blast all weekend long. Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ+ artists.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
From Chappell Roan’s long-awaited return to Lil Nas X’s latest pop-rap jam, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Trending on Billboard
Chappell Roan, “The Giver”
Service tops everywhere, you’re welcome. After debuting the track four months ago via a live performance on Saturday Night Live, the fast-rising pop superstar finally delivered fans a studio version of “The Giver,” her cheeky, excellent new country-inspired song. Swapping out her synths for fiddles and banjos, Roan gives her prospective lovers a guided tour of exactly what she could do for them, all while flaunting some of her career-best vocals over the top of a raucous country track. Roan is right about one thing for sure, especially when it putting together A+ songs: she gets the job done.
Lil Nas X, “HOTBOX”
In a particularly wild move, Lil Nas X decided to release not one, not two, but five singles this week, each dropping on a different day. And while there are plenty in that bunch to talk about, none goes quite as hard at “HOTBOX,” the rapper’s bawdy, rambunctious new offering that sees Lil Nas well and truly entering his new era with a splash. Over glittering R&B guitars and a killer beat, Lil Nas raps his way in and out of a romantic situation, all while asserting that he’s still got plenty more to offer his day one fans.
Lucy Dacus, “Talk”
After spending her last few singles sharing all the love, Lucy Dacus is ready to change gears a little bit. “Guess,” the latest track off Dacus’ forthcoming new album Forever Is a Feeling, takes the lyrical gymnastics of songs like “Ankles” and “Best Guess” and turns them into cutting examinations of a relationship hurtling towards its inevitable end. Droning guitar lines and a relentless drum beat slowly ratchets up the tension as Dacus brings this brutal post-mortem to its climax: “Do I make you nervous or bored?” she sings on the chorus. “Or did I drink you to thе last drop?”
Anitta, “Larissa”
Over the course of her career, Brazilian pop superstar Anitta has made it a habit to sing from a bossed-up point of view. Now, on her latest single “Larissa” (direct from her new Netflix documentary), Anitta is exploring what it means to strip that persona away. Gone are the loud, audacious production swings she normally takes, now replaced by simple melodies and a simple drum beat, as she lets her defenses down and sings a fragile, tender love song that is well worth your time.
Royal & the Serpent, “Death Do Us Part”
On her latest single “Death Do Us Part,” Royal & the Serpent is done toying with her sound — she’s found it, and she’s not letting it go. Throughout this ominous track, Ryan Santiago’s voice shrouds itself in multiple layers od distortion as she sings about the kind of love that you hold as tightly as you can, all while the soundscape behind her gradually grows from a simple, acoustic setup to a delirious gltich-rock anthem. “Wherever you take me, I’ll die in your arms,” she sings. “We’ll turn into daises, yeah, we’ll turn into stars.”
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
Laura Jane Grace set out to make a point with a recent performance of a new song. It turns out, the song went right over the heads of the people she was hoping would hear it most.
On Friday (March 7), Sen. Bernie Sanders hosted a town hall as part of his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour across the country in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and invited Grace to perform on stage. One of the songs she performed — her February released “Your God (God’s D–k)” — caused immediate outrage online over its profane lyrics and religious themes.
In the song, Grace makes a point that while religious conservatives have a problem using the proper pronouns for trans people, they seem to have no problem imposing gender on an omnipresent, non-physical deity. “Does your god have a big fat d–k? ‘Cause it feels like he’s f—ing me,” Grace sings on the track. “Are his b–ls filled with lightning?/ Do they dangle like heaven’s keys?”
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Grace said that the purpose of the song was to open people’s eyes to the double standard of gender constructs today. “I’m not being profane to be profane, I’m not just saying ‘d–k’ to say ‘d–k.’ I’m asking a genuine question,” she said. “If you refer to your God as he and him, but you will not refer to a transgender person with the pronouns that are theirs … that’s just insane.”
Grace continued, adding that the outrage itself was representative of the larger problem around the right’s attack on trans people. “It’s such blatant hypocrisy. You can’t prove God exists with biology or chromosomes,” she said. “So if you’re gonna throw science continually in my face, let’s stick to that: Your god doesn’t exist.”
Sanders’ event was aimed at protesting president Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers’ proposed plans to cut federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid that low-income families rely on. “4,000 people came out to say: NO tax breaks for billionaires,” he wrote on Instagram following his Kenosha event. “NO cuts to Medicaid. NO oligarchy. NO authoritarianism. NO MORE billionaires buying elections.”
The White House has since stated that Trump “will not cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits,” but has alleged that there is “waste and fraud in entitlement spending” without providing concrete evidence of where that waste and fraud exists in programs like Medicare or Medicaid.
What happens when a beloved pop star, a RuPaul’s Drag Race winner, a lucky fan and one piece of discarded jewelry collide? As Chappell Roan and Violet Chachki proved, that particular formula leads to online chaos.
In a viral TikTok posted over the weekend, one of Roan’s fans revealed that her roommate had a very rare piece of memorabilia — a single earring that Roan wore during her second weekend performance at Coachella 2024. “me everytime I remember my roommate caught Chappell Roan’s earring at the weekend 2 Coachella set and it just lives in my room,” the fan wrote over a video of the earring sitting in a frame on their bookshelf.
The video went so viral, in fact, that Roan herself saw it and decided to comment revealing some key context around the earring. “Ok the tea is I was very much not supposed to throw them because I didn’t realize they were violet chachki’s and she loaned them to me,” Roan wrote. “I apologized profusely& it’s fine loll but Iconic nonetheles [sic].”
Trending on Billboard
Chachki, never one to waste an opportunity to create some funny drama, posted a video response to Roan’s comment, jokingly threatening to take the singer and her stylist Genesis Webb to court over the missing trinket. “This means f–king war. My long lost earring that I have been searching high and low for has been discovered by the children of the internet,” she said in the clip. “And you will pay Genesis Webb and Mx. Roan!” The caption for her video summed up her feelings: “justice for my bare lobes!!!!!”
At this point, even Webb herself chimed in, commenting on Chachki’s video by apologizing and offering to make amends. “I bend the knee, holding a plate of Swarovski crystals and cheese I can’t pronounce,” the stylist wrote. Chachki responded with a series of thinking emojis, followed by a few knife emojis.
For anyone who was convinced that the fan was in actual trouble, Chachki set the record straight in the comments — they responded to Chachki’s comment on their video saying that if the queen wanted her earring back, “we will make sure it gets back to you queen.” Chachki responded, saying they could keep the jewelry. “No diva it’s fine — Earrings are meant to be lost. Just keep supporting queer art,” she wrote with a purple heart emoji.
All the “drama” comes hours before Roan drops her much-anticipated new single “The Giver.” After initially premiering it on a November 2024 episode of SNL, Roan revealed to Country Heat Weekly that the purpose behind the track was simply not that deep. “I’m not trying to convince a country crowd that they should listen to my music by baiting them with a country song,” she said. “I just think a lesbian country song is really funny, so I wrote that.”
Check out the original TikTok and Chachki’s hilarious response video below:
“Good Luck, Babe!” hitmaker Chappell Roan is opening up about her new self-described country song, “The Giver,” which arrives later on Thursday (March 13).
Roan recently made the media rounds, visiting Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast on Thursday (March 13). With hosts Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson, the musician opened up about creating the new country-leaning bop — and also made her intentions clear.
“I’m trying to really articulate that it’s not me trying to cross genres and be like, ‘Hey, you know, look at me.’ I’m not trying to convince a country crowd that they should listen to my music by baiting them with a country song,” Roan said. “That’s not what I feel like I’m doing. I just think a lesbian country song is really funny, so I wrote that.”
Trending on Billboard
Roan also noted, “I wrote a country song not to invade country music, but to really capture what I think, the essence of country music is, for me, which is nostalgia, and fun in the summertime, and the fiddle, and the banjo feeling like country queen. It makes me feel a certain type of freedom that pop music doesn’t let me feel. I think it’s interesting and I had to do it. I had to do it for myself to know what is it actually like to write a country song and perform it next to ‘Casual’ or next to ‘My Kink Is Karma’ or next to ‘Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl’ — I just had to do myself justice.”
The Missouri native referenced the title of her 2024 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, saying, “Well, and I can’t call myself the Midwest princess and not acknowledge country music straight up. That is what is around me in the grocery stores. That’s what is playing on the bus … I know that my heart really wanted to write a country song.”
Roan previously shared her thoughts on writing “The Giver,” and said she grew up surrounded by country music as a child. “I have such a special place in my heart for country music. I grew up listening to it every morning and afternoon on my school bus and had it swirling around me at bon fires, grocery stores and karaoke bars,” she wrote in a March 4 Instagram post. “Many people have asked if this means I’m making a country album??? My answer is.. hmm right now I’m just making songs that make me feel happy and fun and The Giver is my take on c–try xoxo may the classic country divas lead their genre, I am just here to twirl and do a little gay yodel for yall.”
Over the past few years, Roan has gained pop music acclaim thanks to songs including the Billboard Hot 100 top five hit “Good Luck, Babe!” and top 10 hit “Pink Pony Club.” Roan also picked up a Grammy win for best new artist earlier this year.
With the United States government repeatedly failing to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people — and more specifically, transgender people — everywhere, a star-studded group of performers is coming together to celebrate queer excellence in defiance of the systems of oppression surrounding them. On Thursday (March 13), LGBTQ+ non-profit organization GLAAD announced the list of […]