Pride
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There may be “Nothing in This World” that Paris Hilton fans want more than an official live performance from the Simple Life star. Now, it looks like they’re finally getting their wish.
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On Wednesday (April 26), the socialite-turned-singer announced Paris Hilton: Live in Concert, an upcoming event that will see Hilton take to the stage at L.A.’s Fonda Theater to perform some of her biggest songs. While Hilton has become known in recent years for her career as a DJ, her new show will mark her first full concert as a vocalist. The event is also set to feature “a variety of popular artists and musical guests” who have yet to be revealed, according to a press release.
Taking place on June 7, the show will also give back to the LGBTQ community as Pride Month kicks off — a portion of all ticket sales will go to GLAAD. Hilton is also teaming up with Absolut as the event’s “exclusive cocktail partner” for the evening, noting the company’s “40+ years of LGBTQ allyship” in a press release.
In a post to her Instagram, Hilton excitedly shared the news of her upcoming performance, telling fans that tickets would be available to purchase starting on May 5. “What songs would you like me to perform?” she asked.
Along with kicking off the “Stars Are Blind” singer’s “Summer of Sliving,” the concert will also serve as the official debut for the new music division of Hilton’s 11:11 Media. “My media company continues to expand, and I am so excited about the launch of 11:11 Media’s music division,” Hilton said in a statement.
The star added that fans of her music career won’t have to wait much longer to hear her first new album since 2006’s Paris. “I’ve been in the studio working on a brand new album, which will usher in a new era in my music career,” she said. “I am very excited for fans to experience my first concert as a vocal performer and the guest performances will be legendary!”
Tickets to Paris Hilton: Live in Concert go on sale at AXS starting Friday, May 5, at 1 p.m. ET. Click here to get your tickets then, and check out Paris’ official announcement on Instagram below:
The unceremonious dumping of Fox News personality Tucker Carlson was joke-writing manna from heaven for late night talk show hosts on Monday night (April 24). The surprise news that the network’s highest-rated host was dumped from the right-wing media channel effective immediately after Fox reached a historic $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over defamation charges last week gave Jimmy Fallon, James Corden, Jimmy Kimmel and this week’s The Daily Show host, Desi Lydic, more ammunition than they knew what to do with.
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But perhaps nobody took as much glee in the swift, sudden downfall of the profanity-spewing, conspiracy embracing, Green M&M fetishist as Maren Morris. As you may recall, Carlson referred to Morris as a “lunatic” and “fake country music singer” in September after Tucker invited Jason Aldean’s wife, Brittany, on his show to discuss her controversial transphobic tweet and a follow-up Instagram Story that doubled-down on her thoughts about trans youth and their rights to gender-affirming care.
In a since-expired Story from Monday night, Morris had the last laugh; as it turns out, Carlson’s final show was Friday night and the network was promoting his next episode just hours before announcing his canning. “Happy Monday, MotherTucker,” Morris wrote alongside a repost of an image of her face with the on-screen graphics from Carlson’s show reading “Lunatic Country Music Person.” The image was the same one she shared in screen grabs while announcing her “new profile pic” in September.
Morris also posted a screen grab of a Fox personality announcing the Carlson news. After the dust-up with Brittany Aldean, Morris launched a line of t-shirts with the “lunatic” line that raised more than $100K for Trans Life Line and GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program. In another Story slide, Morris posted a pair of rainbows with the words “The only Tuckers allowed are the drag queens,” a seeming reference to Fox and Carlson’s focus on the transgender community and drag time story hours.
The country star was not the only one weighing in on Tucker’s sacking. Bette Midler had plenty to say about it, tweeting, “#TuckerCarlson will no longer be spreading his lies, distortions and misinformation on #FoxNews. This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for for years. But how will #Fox explain his absence?”
The singer then said the quiet part out loud, adding “how about, ‘he cost us close to a billion $$$!”?, suggesting that Carlson’s dismissal may have been tied to a rash of emails and texts unearthed as part of the lawsuit that showed the host knew the false claims he peddled night-after-night about election fraud related to Dominions machines were lies.
Actor Michael Rapaport could hardly contain his glee in a video in which he slammed Carlson as a “giggling, cackling fool” and a number of other NSFW monikers as he whooped with joy while walking down the street.
See some of the reaction tweets below.
#TuckerCarlson will no longer be spreading his lies, distortions and misinformation on #FoxNews. This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for for years. But how will #Fox explain his absence?— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) April 24, 2023
How about, “He cost us close to a billion $$$!”?— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) April 24, 2023
As U.S. state legislatures continue to try and make this Pride season a “Cruel Summer” for drag performers, actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick are telling them “You Need to Calm Down” with the anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
In an Instagram post on Sunday (April 23), Bacon and Sedgwick are dancing around their living room to Taylor Swift’s Midnights track “Karma,” while wearing T-shirts that read “drag is an art and drag is a right” over an image of a drag performer. Swift’s lyrics helped drive the message home, as she’s heard singing “I keep my side of the street clean/ You wouldn’t know what I mean” while the celebrity couple groove along — by doing the “Karma” dance that the pop star has been performing during her Eras Tour, of course.
Bacon expounded on the topic in the caption, urging his fans to support the ACLU’s Drag Defense Fund going after anti-drag bills being passed throughout the U.S. “Drag bans are bad karma. Right now, drag performers and the LGBTQIA+ community need our help,” he wrote. “Tap the link in my bio to shop the @SixDegreesOfKB campaign supporting the @aclu_nationwide Drag Defense Fund in the nationwide effort to protect creative expression or make a gift. #DragIsARight.”
After publishing their video, the couple received plenty of support from fellow actors such as Alyssa Milano and Rosanna Arquette in their comments section. Meanwhile, singer-songwriter Peter Frampton shared Bacon and Sedgwick’s video on Twitter, simply adding, “Yes #DragIsARight thank you guys!”
The couple’s video comes after multiple states have passed or forwarded legislation that would ban drag artists from performing in public spaces. Tennessee passed its drag ban in early March, before a federal judge temporarily blocked the law from taking effect via a temporary restraining order until May 26, calling the statute “both vague and overly broad.”
This also isn’t the first time that Bacon has spoken out on the state of anti-LGBTQ affairs this year. When the queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15 performed a “Rusical” based off of Footloose earlier this year, Bacon applauded the queens on his Instagram Stories, saying , “With all the recent anti-drag bills, this came at just the right time.”
Check out Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick’s dance clip below:
At a concert Friday night (April 20) in Knoxville, Tennessee, Lizzo filled the stage with drag queens in a glittery protest against the state’s legislation designed to restrict drag performances in public.
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While performing at Thompson-Boling Arena, the Grammy-winning “Juice” singer brought out a number of drag performers, including Aquaria, Kandy Muse, Asia O’Hara and Vanessa Vanji. On Saturday, Lizzo posted videos on Instagram from the show, including comments to the crowd that referenced the pending law.
In February, Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed the legislation against “adult cabaret” in public or in front of minors. A federal judge temporarily blocked the law in late March, saying it was too vaguely written. Civil rights groups have criticized the law as a violation of free speech.
The Tennessee law is part of a wider Republican effort to restrict drag shows and other LGBTQ+ public gatherings.
“In light of recent and tragic events and current events, I was told by people on the internet, ‘Cancel your shows in Tennessee,’ ‘Don’t go to Tennessee,’” Lizzo said during the Friday concert. “Their reason was valid, but why would I not come to the people who need to hear this message the most?”
“Why would I not create a safe space in Tennessee where we can celebrate drag entertainers and celebrate our differences?” added Lizzo.
As we inch closer and closer to Pride Month, there’s no better time to get back in touch with your favorite queer artists than right now! 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.
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From Kim Petras’ retro team-up with Nicki Minaj to MUNA’s latest banger, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
MUNA, “One That Got Away”
There’s simply nothing better than getting to rub your success in an ex’s face, which is exactly the approach MUNA takes with their potent new kiss-off, “One That Got Away.” In this deliciously petty electro-pop jam (that was debuted during the band’s their weekend one set at Coachella), the trio are at the zenith of their collective sound, as they pity the lover who missed their shot with them. “You never let me know I’m what you want,” Katie Gavin’s voice coyly sings over the song’s chorus. “Maybe that’s why I’m the one that got away.”
Kim Petras feat. Nicki Minaj, “Alone”
There’s never a bad time to be reminded that Alice Deejay’s classic hit “Better Off Alone” is an absolute banger — and it certainly helps when Kim Petras and Nicki Minaj are the ones reminding you. On “Alone,” Kim and Nicki bounce effortlessly off of one another, with the former’s tried-and-true pop vocals balancing just right with the latter’s earworm bars in the song’s second verse. Add in a healthy amount of interpolation from “Better Off,” and you’ve got a song that’s guaranteed to be inescapable this summer.
Christine and the Queens feat. 070 Shake, “True Love”
Never one to offer up anything simple, Christine and the Queens unveiled his testament to sensuality with 070 Shake in “True Love.” Throughout the hypnotic new song, Chris leans on his lilting falsetto often, forcing you to lean in as he sings about allowing yourself to feel vulnerable in front of someone. Just as the song has you in its trance, Shake enters to break it up with a smooth, ecstatic bridge. If “True Love” is any indication of the artistic angle fans can expect from the star’s upcoming album, then they’re in for a treat.
Arlo Parks, “Blades”
Even when you’re surrounded by people, a house party can be an isolating place. But Arlo Parks knows that even just spotting a friend in the crowd can dispel that unease, as she explores on her new alt-pop single “Blades.” Keeping the general sonic landscape that’s permeated much of her recent era, Parks ratchets the good vibes up to 11, as she floats her way through the sublime feeling of feeling seen.
Brandy Clark, “She Smoked in the House”
Let’s take a beat to slow things down and reflect, as Brandy Clark does on her sweet new song. “She Smoked in the House” is the country singer-songwriter’s tribute to her grandmother and the time she lived in. Accompanied by some acoustic guitars, a piano and some drums, Clark charmingly remembers all the idiosyncrasies that made her grandmother who she was — good, bad and otherwise.
The Japanese House, “Sad To Breathe”
For the first minute or so of The Japanese House’s “Sad to Breathe,” you feel like you know what you’re in for. Amber Bain’s sonorous voice plaintively sings about the immediate sting of heartbreak, while streaming piano lines stir up the detritus left behind a breakup. But just as you settle in for a well-made ballad, the song shift — unrelenting drums, a pumped-up bassline and some rhythmic guitar patters suddenly kick in, sending “Sad to Breathe” careening into uncharted territory and perfectly encapsulated the all-encompassing chaos that comes with a relationship’s end.
JORDY, BOY
Transitioning into adulthood is nothing short of a nightmare for most people — so, rising pop singer JORDY wanted to make sure everyone going through that knew that they weren’t alone. BOY, the singer’s sophomore effort, bounces around the different topics that nearly every 20-something has to content with, be it sexual unrest (“Dry Spell”), social anxiety (“Hypothetical Party”), or the general feeling of having absolutely no clue what you’re doing (“IDK SH!T”). JORDY threads the needle of bearing his soul while creating a narrative that others can relate to — a skill he’ll no doubt keep honing for years to come.
Dreamer Isioma, Princess Forever
For years, singer-songwriter Dreamer Isioma has been writing and re-writing their own story, testing the waters to see what felt right. With Princess Forever, it feels like they’ve found their footing. This lush, intricate concept LP follows Isioma through the perspective of the titual character as they fight for a better future, while mixing together the sounds of psychedelic rock, pop, R&B, Afrobeats and more. It’s a journey that stands to benefit anyone who listens, if only for the magnificent energy maintained through this beautifully-crafted album.
Iniko, “Jericho”
You may have already heard the viral acapella stylings of Iniko singing this song on TikTok, but don’t be mistaken — you haven’t heard “Jericho” until you’ve listened to their full version. This spellbinding single is a masterclass is using the voice as an instrument; as Iniko chants the other-worldly lyrics of her song, she’s joined by very simple-yet-effective production that only heightens the moody atmosphere of the track, making for a potent song you’ll be listening to on repeat.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
Kim Petras opened up in a new interview on Friday (April 21) about what it was like collaborating with Nicki Minaj on her latest single, “Alone.”
“It doesn’t feel real still,” the rising star told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1. “Her singing, ‘It’s Barbie and it’s Kim Petras,’ I cried, I was on the floor and then she calls me Kim Petty in it, which all my friends are like, ‘How do we not come up with that our entire lives?’ So she just changed my life in so many ways with that verse and that verse rips, I love her and I’m so inspired by her always, it’s crazy to me. I don’t know how she does it, but she’s just the greatest ever.”
The recent Billboard Women in Music honoree went on to gush over shooting the music video with Minaj for the dance-influenced track, which samples Alice Deejay’s classic 1990 club banger “Better Off Alone,” calling the experience “the best thing ever.”
“Alone” is set to be included on Petras’ long-awaited major label debut album via Republic Records — a project the German singer teased is finally on its way in the wake of her first-ever Grammy win for her Sam Smith collab “Unholy.”
“The Grammys were just a few months ago and really changed my life in a big way,” Petras said. “So it’s crazy that this year just started out with such a bang for me, and then Nicki jumping on the song was just one of the greatest life achievements for me ever in my life, and it’s just been really amazing. It really sped up my album and how people finish it and it’s done now. Yeah, it’s done. It was time to say it.”
Kim Petras and Nicki Minaj teamed up for the ultimate girl power collaboration, “Alone,” which dropped on Friday (April 21).
“Yeah! It’s Barbie and it’s Kim Petras!” the rapper opens the song over a sample of Alice Deejay’s 1998 club classic “Better Off Alone,” before the “Heart to Break” singer lets out her signature “Woo-ah!”
“Alone” follows Petras’ recent string of singles that includes 2022’s Max Martin-produced “If Jesus Was a Rockstar” and 2023’s “Brr,” which she performed at this year’s Billboard Women in Music ceremony before accepting the Chartbreaker Award with a heartfelt speech calling for bodily autonomy and “true equality” for women.
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In February, the German pop princess made history as the the first transgender woman to win the best pop duo/group performance, thanks to her Sam Smith collaboration, “Unholy.”
Listen to Kim Petras’ “Alone” featuring Nicki Minaj below.
We bet you didn’t have “Kelly Clarkson writes a Troye Sivan diss track” on your 2023 bingo cards — yet the “Angel Baby” singer would like a word with Miss Independent herself over a recent lyric.
In a TikTok posted late Wednesday night (April 19), a shirtless Sivan looked bewildered as he asked his audience, “What did I do to upset Kelly Clarkson?” The clip then cut to Clarkson’s recent debut performance of her new single “Mine” on her daytime talk show.
The captions of the video appear to show Clarkson wailing the words “Troye Sivan/ Who the hell do you think you are” at the song’s final bridge. Adding one final jab, Sivan wrote a demand to the American Idol alum in the caption of his clip, saying “@kellyclarkson drop your location im [sic] ready to fight.”
Of course, Clarkson wasn’t actually taking a swing at the “My My My” singer on her latest single — the real lyrics to “Mine” see Clarkson examining the fallout of her relationship with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock. The bridge lyrics that led to the mondegreen that got Sivan so concerned are actually, “Sabotage, your choice of art/ Who the hell do you think you are?”
Clarkson released “Mine” alongside her other recent single “Me” on Friday (April 14), saying in a statement that she wanted the two songs to speak to the emotional weight of her forthcoming album, Chemistry. “We decided to release ‘mine’ and ‘me’ at the same time because I didn’t want to release just one song to represent an entire album, or relationship,” she said. “There are many stages of grief and loss on this album. Each song is a different stage and emotional state.”
Check out Sivan’s hilarious reaction to the misheard lyric below.
The end of each new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race is bittersweet — you’re happy to have a new winner, but sad to see the show come to an end. This year, you can rest easy, because the Drag Race drought won’t last for long.
On Thursday (April 20), Paramount+ unveiled the cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8. The season premiere, which will take place Friday, May 12, on Paramount+, will consist of a two episodes as 12 returning queens compete for a cash prize of $200,000 and a spot in the “Drag Race Hall of Fame” alongside past All Stars winners Chad Michaels, Alaska, Trixie Mattel, Monét X Change, Trinity the Tuck, Shea Couleé, Kylie Sonique Love and Jinkx Monsoon.
The supersized cast features former competitors Alexis Michelle (season nine), Darienne Lake (season six), Heidi N Closet (season 12), Jaymes Mansfield (season nine), Jessica Wild (season two), Jimbo (Canada’s Drag Race season one & U.K. vs. The World season one), Kahanna Montrese (season 11), Kandy Muse (season 13), LaLa Ri (season 13), Monica Beverly Hillz (season five), Mrs. Kasha Davis (season seven) and Naysha Lopez (season eight).
The news comes on the heels of the latest Drag Race crowning. Last week, Sasha Colby took home the top prize for season 15. In an interview with Billboard shortly after her victory, Colby said that she felt awestruck that she managed to win the competition. “When I made a miracle happen by winning [Miss] Continental, I sort of thought that you get one miracle in your lifetime,” she said. “But it’s wild to think that we made magic again.”
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8 premieres on Paramount+ on Friday, May 12. Watch the full “Meet the Queens” video below:
In March, Fever Ray released their first new album in over five years, Radical Romantics. The project arrived as a welcome return for the artist, also known as Swedish singer Karin Dreijer (half of the sibling duo The Knife), as they explore the idea of love by questioning, deconstructing and rebuilding the concept in their own intriguing way.
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Filled with 10 metallic synth-pop tracks, which see-saw between atmospheric and industrial, Radical Romantics follows Fever Ray’s 2017 album, the acclaimed Plunge. In support of the new set’s release, Fever Ray will set out on the There’s No Place I’d Rather Be Tour, their first trek since 2018. The U.S. leg kicks off May 1 in Washington, D.C.
In the latest edition of Billboard’s 20 questions, Fever Ray discusses their most memorable recent show at “a wonderful punk venue,” how they celebrated the album’s release (and who they dressed up as… spoiler: it’s from one of their music videos) and much more.
1. What’s the first piece of music you bought for yourself, and what was the medium?
The first record I bought was a 7” with Cyndi Lauper’s “All Through the Night.” I thought it was the best thing I’ve ever heard. I still like it.
2. What was the first concert you saw?
I don’t remember — my dad took me to some, I guess. But I went to my first festival when I was 15, Hultsfredsfestivalen, in 1990. 22 Pistepirkko I remember [them playing]. That was a great show.
3. Who made you realize you could be an artist full-time?
I guess I realized it myself when I started to make money out of it. I’ve done it the past 20 years now. Before that I had other jobs as well.
4. What was your first job?
I was cleaning hotel rooms.
5. Whose career path continues to inspire you most?
I think I get inspired by people who are passionate about what they do, who keep on learning new things, who understand how to combine work with relationships, friends, family and manages to take care of themselves. It can be in any profession.
6. How did your hometown shape who you are?
I lived in the same place from 6 to 18 — it was sort of out in nowhere, outside Gothenburg. There were small streets with the same exact houses in straight rows. Only houses and a lot of forest around. There was a tennis hall, too, so everybody played tennis. Except our family, although my sister started to do that later. I guess music was a way to find a space where I could be me, a way to understand that there’s something else than this.
7. If you could see any artist in concert, dead or alive, who would it be?
I would have loved to see Eurythmics around the Savage album. And Cyndi Lauper when she released “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.”
8. What’s the best or favorite concert you have seen so far this year, why?
I haven’t seen so many unfortunately, cause I’ve been working too much with the tour. But I saw Sarah Parkman a few weeks ago in Gothenburg. She has an incredible voice, it was a great show.
9. What’s the last album you listened to in one sitting?
Bendik Giske’s Cracks, I love it.
10. What’s your favorite album of all time?
Around the World in a Day with Prince.
11. How did you celebrate the release of your third album, Radical Romantics?
We had a big party in Stockholm with many great DJs and performances — people said afterwards it was like a queer reunion after the pandemics. I was there as Demonalisa from the “Even It Out” video.
12. What song on the album was particularly challenging to write?
I think writing is always a mix of easy and light — some days everything is clear and some days everything’s a struggle. I work office hours, mostly. I think routines are the best way to get things done, even though routines also van be a struggle. Days when you don’t get ideas, you just practice — practice a new instrument, practice vocals, practice a new plug-in. You just have to stay in it.
13. You’ve long worked with your brother, and he’s a co-writer on several tracks here. What’s the key to working with family?
I have no idea. I’ve never thought of it like that. I don’t think of family as something blood-related either; family are the people you keep close. It’s six years between Olof and I, so we didn’t share much as kids. I had a strong urge quite early to break out from there, I moved out when I was 18. So it was later we started to do things together — he had started making music by the computer and we played around with it one summer. That’s how it started.
14. If you had to pick one lyric that you have thought about or revisited most since the album released, which one would it be and why?
I think they all mean a lot to me. It’s interesting to perform them live now — you have to learn to live with them. When you write them and record them, you just think about how to tell this specific story, once. But now, you have to make friends with them in another way.
15. What’s your karaoke go-to?
I am too shy to karaoke.
16. What show of yours stands out as being particularly moving or memorable?
My recent one was den Atelier in Luxemburg. We didn’t have any expectations — it’s a bit of a strange city, very clean and a lot of money. Then we played at a wonderful punk venue and the audience was just amazing, we had such a good time.
17. What’s your favorite book?
My oldest kid made me re-read Kathy Acker lately, who I love.
18. What’s your favorite film or TV show?
I love so many films. Those by John Waters are new favorites.
19.. What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
You have to make friends with yourself. Treat yourself like your own best friend.
20. What remains at the top of your professional bucket list?
I am very grateful of everything that’s happened already. When finishing an album I always think of the last album I’ve made like the very last I will make, that I might do something completely different next time. I don’t have a professional bucket list. I’d like to keep working and collaborate with fun people, there’s a lot of things that needs to be widened and explored.