Pride
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With Pride Month less than two months away, pop star Kim Petras, electronic artist Arca and dembow rapper Tokischa are ready to party with you this June. On Wednesday (April 17), Petras, Arca and Tokischa were announced as the official headliners for LadyLand 2024, the annual Pride festival produced by New York nightlife connoisseur Ladyfag. […]
04/17/2024
From assassinations to reveals to a lot of breastplates, the lip syncs of Drag Race season 16 gave audiences everything they could have hoped for.
04/17/2024
They took you back to “1999” and flung you forward to “2099.” Now, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan want to make you sweat in the present tense.
On Wednesday (April 17), the pop star duo announced their co-headlining arena tour, Charli XCX & Troye Sivan Present: Sweat, set to kick off this fall. The 21-date excursion will start at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., on Sept. 14, with the pair heading through Toronto, New York City, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Dallas and plenty more stops, before wrapping up with a final show at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Oct. 23.
Sharing the stage with special guest Shygirl, Charli and Sivan will transform arenas into raves throughout the Sweat tour, with a press release adding that the show will be “not only a celebration of their individual successes, but it is also a testament to their commitment to inclusivity and diversity within the music industry.” Fans can sign up for the advance presale until April 25 at the tour’s official website.
The news comes on the heels of Charli announcing the official dates for her own international arena tour in support of her forthcoming album Brat (due out June 7 via Atlantic), with shows set to start on June 1 in Barcelona. Sivan, meanwhile, will embark on his long-awaited European tour supporting his 2023 LP Something to Give Each Other starting in May.
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In an interview with Billboard in March, Charli teased that fans can expect her new album to sound “aggresive and confrontational,” while also remaining “conversational and personal.” Speaking about the writing, she said, “I’m over the idea of metaphor and flowery lyricism and not saying exactly what I think, the way I would say it to a friend in a text message. This record is all the things I would talk about with my friends, said exactly how I would say them.”
Artist presale for Charli XCX & Troye Sivan Present: Sweat begins Thursday, April 25, at 10 a.m. local time, with the general on-sale beginning Friday, April 26, at 10 a.m local time on Live Nation’s website. Check out the official dates for the tour below:
Troye Sivan and Charli XCX
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She knows she didn’t invent the idea of “gay pop,” but pop singer and Internet personality JoJo Siwa would like to see the subset become an “official genre” of music.
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During an interview on SiriusXM’s Hits 1 Miami With Mack & Jen, Siwa clarified the comments she made in a viral video interview with Billboard, saying she simply wants to see more queer art get recognized. “So, here’s the thing — ‘gay pop’ is a thing that people have done, but it is not an official genre of music,” she explained. “It is a style, but it is how there’s rap, there’s rock, there’s R&B, there’s pop — if you look on the iTunes charts … this should be a literal genre of music.”
The former Dance Moms star continued, saying that she doesn’t feel the current categorizations for LGBTQ+ artists are sufficient. “There’s so many gay pop artists … but I think that those gay pop artists do deserve a bigger home than what they have right now,” she said.
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Siwa originally spoke about the concept of “gay pop” during an interview with Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly about her new song “Karma,” when she claimed that she told her label (Columbia Records) that she “wanted to start a new genre … called ‘gay pop.’” Commenters quickly called out the singer for claiming to have created a “genre” that has existed for years — even LGBTQ+ pioneers Tegan and Sara shared a video on TikTok where they silently stared into a camera following the 20-year-old’s comments.
In a later interview with TMZ, Siwa clarified that she didn’t intend to say that she “invented” the concept of “gay pop” music. “I am not the inventor of gay pop, for sure not. But I do want to be a piece of making it bigger than it already is,” she said. “I’m not the president [of gay pop], but I might be the CEO, or the CMO. I can be the CMO, the chief marketing officer, and use my marketing tactics whether people like it or not.”
Elsewhere in her interview on SiriusXM, Siwa bemoaned the ongoing backlash to her comments. “I could say I want world peace, and everyone would be like, ‘How dare you want peace for the world!’” she said. “People ask me all the time, they’re like, ‘Do you feel like you have to be very careful about what you say?’ And I’m like, ‘No, because no matter what I say, it’s going down anyways.’”
Watch a clip from Siwa’s interview below:
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Reneé Rapp knows her best qualities, and she made sure they were advertised on an eye-catching billboard on the way to Coachella, where the 24-year-old singer will be taking the stage this weekend. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Good tits, big heart,” the billboard displays in […]
JoJo Siwa would like to set the record — for lack of a better word — straight. After a clip from her recent Billboard interview went viral, the “Karma” singer is making it clear that she did not invent the idea of “gay pop.” In a video published by TMZ, Siwa took a moment to […]
While Madonna‘s globe-spanning tour is meant to be a “Celebration,” the singer took a moment on Tuesday night (April 9) to have a serious conversation with her fans about one of the worst shootings in American history.
During her final show in Miami, Fla., Madonna delivered an emotional speech to her fans in honor of the victims of the 2016 shooting at Pulse nightclub, the second-deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. “I want to remind you that we have not all been so lucky,” Madonna said somberly to her audience, according to a fan-captured video. “I want to draw attention to that moment because nightclubs and music and dance are what bring us together. They shouldn’t be places or things that we do that bring us sadness and tragedy and murder and death and pain and suffering and trauma.”
Along with paying tribute to the 49 people killed in the attack, the legendary pop star also shared her support for the LGBTQ+ community, saying, “I will always stand for the gays, because the gays have always stood for me.”
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“That was the biggest terrorist attack in America after 9/11,” she said. “People getting together to dance in a club that was inclusive and full of love. It was Latin Night, people were dancing to Latin music, and some motherf–ker came in there with two guns and started shooting at people.”
Madonna went on to share that she invited survivors and their families, as well as the families of those who did not survive to attend her show that night, calling out a few of their names and thanking them for attending. In the middle of her speech, her voice began to crack with emotion. “I make dance music. My job is to bring people together, to make people dance, to make people happy, to not judge,” she said. “This s–t is not supposed to happen. Don’t forget about it.”
It’s far from the first time Madonna has honored victims and heroes during her Celebration Tour. When her trek stopped at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in January, the pop icon shared the stories of Ellen Matzer and Valery Hughes, two New York nurses who treated and advocated for AIDS/HIV patients at the height of the epidemic the 1980s.
Watch the fan-captured video of Madonna’s speech below:
Drag star Katya announced on Tuesday (April 9) that she’s taking a break from her career to focus on her health and sobriety. In a video posted to her Instagram, Katya shared that she is currently seeking treatment for her addiction, meaning that her upcoming tour dates with friend and fellow Drag Race star Trixie […]
In the final elimination week of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16, the top four queens were given a crash course in an important part of their post-show lives — the art of branding.
On Friday’s episode (aired April 5), the remaining contestants showed off their personalities by creating covers and excerpts from their own faux memoirs, before giving a series of interviews with Las Culturistas’ Matt Rogers about their books.
For Nymphia Wind, the challenge turned into a triumph, with the judges praising the star’s vulnerability in her interview, as well as her stunning look she wore for her book cover — the queen earned her long-awaited third challenge win and a spot in the finale. Meanwhile, after much hair-splitting from the judges, queens Plane Jane and Q found themselves in the bottom after performances that didn’t quite stack up to those of Wind and Sapphira Cristál.
Lip synching to Tina Turner’s “Better Be Good to Me,” the queens used every weapon in their respective arsenals to try and win the last spot in the show’s grand finale. Ultimately, Plane Jane landed without too much turbulence, leaving fashion queen Q on the tarmac.
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Below, Q chats with Billboard about her time on the show, her approach to making some of the best runway looks on the show, speaking about life with HIV on national television, and how she’s taking online hate from the fanbase “one day at a time.”
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You made it all the way to the top four! How does it feel, looking back on your run, knowing you made it as far as you did?
It felt really great — it’s always been a dream to be on the show. Now, you know what happened, and here I am now, and I guess we’ll see what comes from it in the future.
I did want to check in with you — I know the fanbase was pretty rough on you, and you ultimately decide to deactivate your X account a few weeks back. How are you feeling since making that decision?
Honestly? I’m fine. I’m sort of trying to take all of this one day at a time. I have days where it’s not so great, and then other days where it’s truly not bothering me at all. But it definitely has not been nearly as bad since I left X, and deactivated that account. I don’t know, it definitely has … the online part of all of this has definitely shaped a large part of this experience for me.
People really have to learn to stop taking this show so seriously.
Yeah, for sure, I agree. Here’s hoping.
On the show, you got to show off your capability as a seamstress. Your approach to fashion, and more importantly style, feels really refreshing for the show — what do you think makes your skills stand out?
Well first, thank you. I guess, what I see as fashion and style is definitely a lot more theatrical than what somebody else would see as fashion and style. It definitely comes from my background in the theater, and so sometimes, I really try to lean into that, and try to make my costumes that much more grand and costume-y. And that’s where a lot of my taste level comes from, I think.
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Did you have a favorite look you wore down the runway this season?
Oh, man. Yeah, I really, really liked my floral runway. I think that was my absolute favorite I did all season.
This was a very different kind of challenge for this season, where you essentially were tasked not only with branding yourself, but with being really open and vulnerable. How challenging did that feel in the moment?
Honestly, it didn’t feel that challenging — I thought I did good until I hit the stage and got my critiques. But, because there were only four of us left, we literally all thought that we did really great this week before heading to the main stage. When you get there, that’s really the first time that you actually get a gauge on how you did when it’s that late in the competition.
You also had already shared a lot with your sisters already up to this point in the season — how did it feel speaking publicly about living with HIV back in episode 11?
Yeah, it felt really good! I did that because, I figured if I could help one person who felt the way that I felt when I was going through my diagnosis, then it would absolutely be worth it. Having people come up to me now, saying that it helped them, really helped me realize that speaking up about that on the show was really worth it.
What did you think of Plane’s now-viral response in the moment?
It really didn’t seem like as big of a thing in the moment as it has since become, to be honest. At that point, we had heard a lot more surprising things come out of Plane Jane’s mouth, so that felt like nothing!
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Before we let you go, I wanted to ask — is there any music you’ve found yourself listening to lately?
I mean, I am always the one with Artpop on replay all day since it came out. I’m big on “Venus,” personally.
Azealia Banks is playing matchmaker, and she wants to see Tyler, the Creator and Lil Nas X become music’s newest power couple.
Banks posted a lengthy message to Instagram on Sunday (April 7) explaining why she hopes the two talented creatives join forces romantically.
“I really think Tyler the creator and lil nas x should get over their obsession with broke white bussy and become a power couple,” she wrote. “I think the sensationalism of successful black gay men toting trailer a– rent man hookers as arm candy is played , predictable and they’re both obviously being objectified and plotted on by these boys for hire.”
“It would be way more monumental to see [two] young black gay men as an item. Even just for aesthetic reasons,” she added.
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The Harlem native continued to harp on why Tyler and Lil Nas “would shift culture so hard”: “Tyler can teach lil nas x how to rap so he can stop doing his Azealia Banks impression and fire all these weird white creative directors who obviously have no point of references or respect for the nuance, sheer musical opulence and political groundwork laid out for him to inherit.”
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Tyler hopped into Banks’ comment section laughing at the whirlwind of emotions from AB. “lmfao what the hell,” he wrote seemingly caught off-guard; the comment has earned more than 6,000 likes as of press time.
The Grammy-winning rapper has long been coy about his love life, but comedian Jerrod Carmichael recently opened up about how Tyler rejected his advances during an episode of his new reality show Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show.
“I fell in love with my best friend. one out of 10, don’t recommend,” Carmichael said on the program. “I knew I had to tell him. Things started getting kind of weird between us. I had these feelings… So I texted him. I remember saying, ‘I know you didn’t ask for this, but somewhere down the line I developed feelings for you and I don’t know what to do with that.’ Then I immediately turned my phone off and went into therapy. [Tyler] sent me a voice note. I was so nervous. It was like six seconds … He said, ‘Hahahaha, you stupid b–h.’ And I don’t really know what that means.”
Carmichael wanted Tyler to be his date to the Emmy Awards, but the California native declined the invitation. However, they hashed things out publicly during an interview together on the show. “It’s because I told you I had feelings for you, and we didn’t talk about it, ever,” Carmichael explained. “I feel like you left me hanging out there a little bit.”
Tyler replied with a laugh. “I did. Yeah, I did. And I think I just, like, brushed it off,” he said. “Getting news like that and then avoiding it is a way to avoid change.”
The IGOR rapper said he looks at Carmichael — who narrated on Tyler’s 2019 album — as “truly family” and a “brother.”