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Everyone has that one music video that they go back and watch over and over again. That’s certainly true for Chappell Roan, and her pick might surprise you. In a post to her Instagram Stories on Sunday (Nov. 24), Roan shared a clip of “my fav music video” — a Sims version of Lady Gaga’s […]
Khalid is opening up about his sexuality — even if it’s not something he originally intended to talk about. In a series of posts to his X on Friday (Nov. 22), Khalid officially came out as gay, simply posting a rainbow flag emoji and asking his fans to move on to the “next topic please […]
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, why not give some thanks to some of your favorite queer artists this week? 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 Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande’s long-awaited Wicked songs to Lil Nas X’s latest single, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below.
Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande “Defying Gravity”
Sure, we could put the entirety of the new Wicked soundtrack on this list, but there is something to Cynthia Erivo’s performance of the undisputed queer anthem “Defying Gravity” that just deserves some special recognition here. Her voice is incredible, her acting is off the charts, and she sells every second of this song alongside Grande’s gorgeous supporting vocals. Especially in the song’s famous final minute, Erivo gives her all for “Defying Gravity,” making this an absolute must-listen for theater fans and skeptics alike.
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Lil Nas X, “Need Dat Boy”
As he proved on Montero standout “Sun Goes Down,” Lil Nas X is phenomenally good at stripping things back to get to the personal core of a song. “Need Dat Boy” starts out in that exact contemplative mode, with Lil Nas showing off his consistently-growing vocals as he croons about looking for inspiration. And when the bridge kicks in, Lil Nas turns the heat up as he lets the object of his desire know exactly what he’d like to do to him. It’s a fitting amalgamation of the rapper/singer’s multitude of talents, packed into a 3-minute track you’ll want to hear.
Omar Apollo feat. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, “Te Maldigo”
Give Omar Apollo a guitar and a microphone and he will make sweet music for you. On “Te Maldigo” (which translates to “I Curse You”) from the upcoming Luca Guadagnino film Queer, Apollo sings a lonesome ballad of heartbreak and betrayal, asking why his former flame couldn’t show him the love he deserved. “My heart, without you, does not beat,” he sings in Spanish on the song’s second verse. “What a cruel world/ Where you don’t love me.”
Various Artists, Transa
In a time when trans people everywhere are scared for the future, Red Hot decided to give the community something hopeful. Transa, the organization’s expansive new compilation album, pairs trans icons and allies throughout its massive three and a half hour journey, reflecting on the nature of transness itself. With featured stars like Adrienne Lenker, Moses Sumney, Anohni, Sam Smith, Beverly Glenn Copeland and dozens more, Transa makes sure to never boil down the trans experience into a single, simplistic message — just like the community it serves, this album is as expansive as the universe itself.
Rahim Redcar (Christine and the Queens), “It’s Okay to Cry (Hôtel Pour SOPHIE)”
It would have been easy for Rahim Redcar (the newly-adopted stage name for Christine and the Queens) to offer a simple, largely-unchanged cover of legendary producer SOPHIE’s classic song “It’s Okay to Cry.” But that wouldn’t be like him, after all. Instead, Redcar takes the affirming track and strips it down to its molecular level, building it back up into something completely new that still manages to honor the legacy of the iconic artist who brought it into the world in the first place.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
Is this a desert in the middle of August? Because Lil Nas X is thirsty on his latest single. On Friday (Nov. 22), the “Old Town Road” singer shared his latest single “Need Dat Boy,” a rapid-paced, heart-racing new single that sees him chasing down a potential lover and explaining, in no uncertain terms, all […]
With the music world still grieving the loss of One Direction member Liam Payne, Culture Club frontman Boy George is taking some accountability for comments he made about the late singer.
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In the latest episode of the High Performance podcast, George expressed his regret over comments he left on a post of one of Payne’s performances. “I’d actually put a message under a post saying ‘he’s off his nut,’ which wasn’t very nice,” the “Karma Chameleon” singer said. “But I felt it. I felt like he was out of control.”
George continued, saying once he’d learned of the singer’s death, he was “hit” in a similar way to when Amy Winehouse passed in 2011. “It felt so senseless. I was up at five in the morning, and it came up on the American news, and I was literally just like, ‘What the f–k,’” he said. “Like, ‘No, this isn’t real,’ I could not take it in, and I think everybody felt like that.”
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The singer added his anger and frustration with some of the comments he read after he posted a short tribute to the singer on his Instagram. “Someone tweeted at me, ‘Oh, you only care because he’s good looking,’ and I was like, ‘F–k off,’” he said. “You’re an idiot … no, actually, I care about his family. I watched his dad [greet fans after Payne’s death], heartbreaking.”
Payne was laid to rest in a private funeral on Wednesday (Nov. 20). Among those in attendance were Payne’s former One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik, along with The X Factor host Simon Cowell and former late-night host James Corden.
Watch the full episode featuring Boy George below:
While fighting off a heat-induced panic on the set of Hot Ones, Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang explained that one particular scene in Wicked made him similarly break down.
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In the latest episode of the long-running interview series, Yang — who portrays Pfannee in the movie musical out Friday (Nov. 22) — explained that one big dance number sent him into a spiral while on the set of the movie. “I had a full-on panic attack during one of the scenes, in ‘Dancing Through Life,’” he told host Sean Evans. “I learned the choreography in November and then they were like, ‘You’re not going to shoot this until, like, March or April.’”
He continued, saying that at the end of a long shoot day, he was brought to set and asked to recall the choreography he’d learned months prior. “I was like, ‘What?!’ I forgot all of it,” he recalled, laughing. “I did as much as I could and everyone on set was so supportive and encouraging. They could’ve had the response of being like, ‘Oh this is unacceptable, we cannot use this,’ but it ended up being this really wonderful moment of being buttressed by all these beautiful people.”
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Elsewhere in his interview, Yang was asked to pick out his “Mount Rushmore” of pop albums from 2024. Listing out beloved albums such as Cowboy Carter, Hit Me Hard and Soft and The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (“We’ll grandfather it in,” Yang said, noting the album was released in 2023), the SNL star became briefly stuck between Sabrina Carpenter’s Short ‘n Sweet and his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine.
“Short n’ Sweet and Eternal Sunshine are fulfilling the same thing for me where [there are] no skips, and it’s so sonically streamlined. Well, there goes my friendship with Ariana Grande,” he said with a sigh, before changing his mind. “No, she gets a spot, of course … I’m gonna say she edges out Sabrina, I’m so sorry, Sabrina. I gotta go with Ari.”
Check out Bowen Yang’s full Hot Ones interview above.
When Chappell Roan shared the list of celebrities who’d reached out in support after she asked fans to respect her boundaries, Miley Cyrus‘ name appeared. Now, the “Flowers” singer is vocalizing her support for everyone else.
In a new cover story with Harper’s Bazaar, Cyrus spoke about Roan’s rise and the wave of online criticism that has come with it, saying that she sympathized with the “Good Luck, Babe” singer’s situation. “I wish people would not give her a hard time,” she said.
She explained that the star’s rise hasn’t been helped by social media, and explained her reticence toward being active online in 2024. “It’s probably really hard coming into this business with phones and Instagram. That wasn’t always a part of my life, and I’m not a part of it now,” she said. “I don’t even have my Instagram password.”
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Roan herself has personally pointed to Cyrus as an inspiration for her solo career. Back in August, when Cyrus was honored at the Disney Legends Ceremony, Roan shared a video for the award thanking Cyrus for the work she did paving the way for artists such as her. “She constantly reinvents herself and always works,” Roan said. “She could do whatever she wants, which is something I want to do. Miley does anything and it works. Miley feels like freedom to me.”
Elsewhere in her interview, Cyrus also chatted about her song “Used to Be Young,” saying that with the benefit of hindsight, both she and her godmother Dolly Parton don’t know if she needed to put it out. “It was one of those things that maybe now that I’m a bit more private, I would’ve kept private, but I’m happy to have shared it. It just feels like a song that’s so personal that it’s hard for people to relate,” she explained. “[Dolly] goes, ‘I don’t know if I like that new ‘Used to Be Young’ song because it’s not fair that you’re singing about not being young when you’re young and beautiful. And here I am — I’m like 80 — and I’m like, that should have been my song!’”
Cyrus added that she still looks to Parton for inspiration today, especially when it comes to separating the personal from the professional. “She lets everyone in and no one in at the same time,” she said. “Everyone feels like they know her, but they’re also OK with the fact that they don’t see her without makeup, without the full drag.”
JoJo Siwa and Dakayla Wilson have broken up, three months after confirming their relationship in August. “We have gone our separate ways, but she is an amazing girl,” Siwa told People. “And I got my own fun holiday plans, and I know she’s got her family that she’s spent the holidays with.” Siwa and Wilson met […]
It’s been less than a week since Lil Nas X came back with his latest track “Light Again,” and he’s already teasing yet another new song out this week. In a post to his Instagram on Tuesday (Nov. 19), Lil Nas shared the artwork and release date for his newest single. Titled “Need Dat Boy,” […]
In the wake of a presidential election that saw calls to its crisis hotline increase by nearly 700%, The Trevor Project is taking a moment to celebrate some good news, courtesy of pop star Dua Lipa. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On Tuesday (Nov. 19), the […]