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It’s been 39 years since Bonnie Tyler first announced that she was waiting for her white knight, and Adam Lambert is done biding his time.
On Monday (Jan. 9), Lambert unveiled the official music video for his cover of Tyler’s “Holding Out For A Hero.” Bringing his version’s glam-rock stylings into the video, the Jordan Rossi-directed clip sees a disguised Lambert and a group of bedazzled helmet-wearing backup dancers start their performance of the song in a liminal, all-white space.
It doesn’t take long for Lambert to shed his sunglasses revealing a full-face of glittering makeup — and as he sings about needing to be saved by a hero, the singer instead takes on the role of the savior by removing the helmets from his backup dancers, allowing them to express their truest selves. By the end of the journey, a kilt-wearing Lambert is joined by an ensemble of queer performers, rocking out to the moody rendition of the track.
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“Holding Out For A Hero” is just one of the covers set to appear on Lambert’s upcoming new album High Drama. Due on Feb. 24, the album will see Adam covering classic rock artists like Culture Club, Noel Coward and Ann Peebles, while also offering his takes on more contemporary music by stars like Sia, Lana Del Rey, P!nk and Billie Eilish. His last single to be released off the album saw Lambert taking on an haunting version of Duran Duran’s 1993 hit “Ordinary World.”
Check out Lambert’s official video for “Holding Out For A Hero” above.
For fans of Sam Smith anxiously awaiting the release of the singer’s hotly anticipated album, fear not: They’re here to give you what you want.
On Saturday (Jan. 7), Smith announced that their latest single “Gimme,” featuring Koffee and Jessie Reyez, would be dropping on Wednesday, Jan. 11. Teasing the new track on Instagram and TikTok, Smith also shared a snippet of the song’s infectious chorus, with them and Reyez singing the word “gimme what I want” over an undulating tropical beat.
Fans of Reyez will also be excited to know that this is not the only time the R&B star will be appearing on Smith’s new album Gloria — the singer is also credited as a featured artist on the song “Perfect.” Reyez was also announced as Smith’s special guest for their upcoming U.S. tour, which will see them hit arenas around the country this summer.
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Gloria, which drops on Friday, Jan. 27, is marked to be something of a breakthrough for Smith in terms of songwriting and production. Speaking to Billboard for our August cover story last year, the star said that fans can expect to hear Smith’s “first non-heartbreak album,” and that the project was centered around the concept of queer joy. “I think joy for me, and for a lot of queer people, is quite a dangerous place,” Smith said “We’re all masters of pain, and I think it’s actually a very courageous act to step into the queer joy of it all.”
“Gimme” is out everywhere on Wednesday, Jan. 11. Check out the announcement and song teaser below:
RuPaul’s Drag Race is back for another lap! Season 15 of the hit series premieres on VH1 on Friday (Jan. 6) at 8 p.m. ET.
Ariana Grande will join as a guest judge for the two-episode season premiere, while Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley and Ross Mathews return as mainstays and Ts Madison is a rotating judge this season.
With the finale just hours away, fans can still catch up on their favorite queens just in time for the new season. See below for how to watch and stream RuPaul’s Drag Race online.
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How to Watch RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 15
Althrough previous season of RuPaul’s Drag Race have aired on VH1 and Logo, the new season will broadcast exclusively on MTV and stream on MTV.com.
Can I Watch RuPaul’s Drag Race for Free?
Yes! If you don’t already have MTV through a cable, satellite or a streaming subscription, sign up for a free trial to Philo for just $25/month after your first free week.
Philo, which offers more than 60 channels and unlimited DVR, is currently offering a seven-day free trial here, so you can stream RuPaul’s Drag Race and more. Want to save on your streaming bill? T-Mobile has a deal that gives you an even deeper discount on Philo for a year.
Philo $25/month
You can also find a free trial through Fubo TV, Direct TV Stream and Verizon Fios. Other ways to watch and stream Ru-Paul’s Drag Race: Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV and Verizon Fios.
Additionally, the newest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race will be available to stream on Prime Video along with the previous seasons that you can stream right now and on Vudu.
How to Watch All Seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars
RuPaul’s Drag Race and All Stars are available to stream online via a number of streaming services, such as Philo, Paramount+ and Hulu.
Not familiar with Paramount+? The ViacomCBS’s streaming service launched in 2021, replacing CBS All Access. When you sign up for a 30-day free trial to Prime Video, you can also get a seven-day free trial to Paramount+ that will be billed through your Amazon Prime account.
New Hulu subscribers can choose between Hulu with or without ads to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race online. Alternatively, the Hulu + Live TV package offers customers 85+ live channels, including MTV. Sign up for Hulu here.
Who’s on This Season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars?
This season’s queens vying for the ultimate title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar” and a grand prize of $200,000 include Amethyst, Anetra, Aura Mayari, Irene Dubois, Jax, Loosey LaDuca, Luxx Noir London, Malaysia Babydoll Foxx, Marcia Marcia Marcia, Mistress Isabelle Brooks, Princess Poppy, Robin Fierce, Salina EsTitties, Sasha Colby, Sugar and Spice.
Happy New Year! Celebrate everything 2023 with some new releases from some of your favorite queer artists this week. Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of First Out, our weekly roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
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From Sigala & MNEK’s thumping new single, to a whole new album from the Queen of Queens RuPaul, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Sigala & MNEK, “Radio”
It may be the dead of winter, but British DJ Sigala and singer-songwriter extraordinaire MNEK are ready to give you pure summer vibes on their new track. “Radio,” the latest single to come off of Sigala’s upcoming album, bounces with a French disco flair and a deep house beat, while MNEK’s signature silky vocals glide over the beats, singing about wanting to be with someone based the the song they’re jamming out to. Sure, it’s cold outside, but that’s no reason to not dance like it’s the summertime to this absolute banger.
RuPaul, Black Butta
Whenever RuPaul debuts a new album, she tends to lean into one flavor of her ever-changing style. On Black Butta, the flavor-of-the-year is pure R&B ecstasy — Ru largely doesn’t aim for the burn-the-club-down highs of past hits like “Sissy That Walk” or “Supermodel (You Better Work),” but instead goes for a more tender, sensual vibe. That manifests itself well, as Ru lets her voice croon on standouts like “A.S.M.R. Lover,” while occasionally going for bigger moments, like with the titular rap track.
Joesef, Borderline
Simply put, singer-songwriter Joesef is at his career-best with his latest EP. Borderline serves largely as a quiet collection of separate heartbreaks, as Joesef’s incredibly fine-tuned vocal gives you a first-person tour of his broken heart. That’s particularly true on the project’s title track, in which the crisp clear vocal contrasts perfectly with a blurrier guitar line, Joesef is at peak performance, as he sings, “Baby hold me close cause I don’t want to fight/ Cause I want you all the time.”
Kamaiyah, “Thru the Week”
Looking for a thesis statement for your 2023? Rapper Kamaiyah is here to offer you some assistance on “Thru the Week,” a bouncing rap track dedicated to chasing dollar bills and putting toxic people behind you. The rapper’s vocals and flow remain as sharp as ever, while the grooving production keeps you bouncing in your seat as you bob along to this declaration of unfiltered confidence.
Hyphen Hyphen, “Own God”
French electro-pop trio Hyphen Hyphen are ready to lean into their pop-rock roots on their newest single. With a shimmering guitar hook and delicious bassline, “Own God” is the perfect spark for those in need of a mood boost as we face down the New Year — why wait around for good things, the song asks, when you can make the change you want to see yourself? Of course, the trio phrases it in a much catchier turn of phrase: “I’ll be my own god/ I’m a believer.”
Coming out can be a strange experience for queer folks — but as Noah Schnapp can now attest, Stranger Things have happened.
In a TikTok posted Thursday (Jan. 5), the Stranger Things actor revealed that he identifies as gay. Lip-syncing along with another creator’s sound saying “You know what it never was? That serious,” Schnapp wrote a message over the video saying, “When I finally told my friends and family that I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years, and all they said was ‘we know.’”
In a caption for his post, the actor kept the mood light, writing “I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought.” The comment references a scene from season 4 of Stranger Things, in which it appeared that Schnapp’s character, Will Byers, was admitting his love for his best friend, Mike Wheeler. Following fan speculation from the scene, Schnapp told Variety that there was no question about Will’s sexuality: “It’s 100% clear that he is gay and he does love Mike.”
The actor made headlines in 2022 when he revealed an online exchange he had with Doja Cat, wherein the “Woman” singer asked him to set her up with co-star Joseph Quinn. Doja would later go on to call Schnapp posting their conversation “borderline snake sh–,” before Schnapp later revealed that he had spoken with and apologized to the rapper. “Everything is all good I apologized and I still follow her and love her music,” he wrote on TikTok.
Check out Schnapp’s coming-out video below:
Ariana Grande is set to make her return to the Werk Room on the season 15 premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race this Friday (Jan. 6), which provides ample opportunity for one of her songs to be used in a lip sync smackdown to eliminate the first queen of the season.
The pop star’s music has already provided epic moments throughout the show’s 15 seasons, spin-offs and international iterations (“I’d like to keep it on, please,” anyone?), and she even served as a guest judge back in season 7. Now Billboard wants to know: Which of Grande’s song do you want to hear in a Lip Sync for Your Life next?
So far, Grande’s discography has been mined a total of eight times on the main stage, including iconic lip syncs set to “Break Free,” “Into You,” “No Tears Left to Cry” and, yes, “Greedy.” But there are still more than a few gems and powerhouse cuts left yet untapped by RuPaul.
One of the most obvious choices is “7 Rings” — its swaggering beat, braggadocious lyrics and delectable connection to The Sound of Music (a.k.a. canon for theater gays!) would provide the perfect backdrop for two desperate queens to outflex each other.
Both “Positions” and “Thank U, Next” are equally strong contenders for the lip sync treatment, with the former’s teasing, sexually charged lyrics sure to inspire some rather NSFW moves on the stage and the latter giving queens a chance to live out their First Wives Club fantasies for the judges. (I mean, just imagine it after a runway filled with white power suits, am I right?)
Other fan favorites perfect for a Lip Sync for Your Life include her Lady Gaga duet “Rain on Me,” “Dangerous Woman,” “God Is a Woman” and “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored.” Also, how has “Side to Side” (featuring Nicki Minaj) not been used already?
Vote for the Ariana song you want to see used as a Lip Sync for Your Life in Billboard‘s poll below.
With the return of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the time has come for us to consider an important question asked throughout ages long past — what song do you think they’re going to lip synch to in the premiere?
With a Drag Race premiere, it’s not even a foregone conclusion that we will definitely get a Lip Sync For Your Life — back in season 9, for example, when guest judge Lady Gaga oversaw the queens’ first challenges, there was no elimination or winner lip sync. Then again, when season 13 rolled around, we got six lip syncs in the premiere episode as every queen faced off in pairs.
Assuming we’re getting at least one lip sync battle — be it For Your Life of For The Win — in season 15’s two-episode MTV premiere, we can also assume whose song we will be hearing. With Ariana Grande stepping in for her second stint as a guest judge, it’s safe to say that we will likely get a new rendition to one of her tracks.
It’s a position that Grande is very familiar with; the singer once held the record for most songs lip-synced on the show (other than Ru, of course). Today, she’s tied with Whitney Houston for second place, both having eight of their songs performed on the show and its All Stars seasons, while Britney Spears has had nine tracks earn their place on the main stage in 11 different lip syncs.
Which of Ariana’s songs can we expect to hear during the premiere? Tom Campbell, an executive producer of the show since its conception, told Billboard last year that RuPaul has final say over what songs make it onto the show, and he takes a lot of aspects into consideration. “He will reject songs because they’re the wrong tempo, they don’t build, there’s all of these factors he’s thinking about,” he said.
Billboard decided to offer up a few suggestions — below, we list out 10 songs by Ariana Grande that we would love to see featured in an upcoming lip sync on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15:
Wave that checkered flag, Drag Race fans, because the competition is about to begin.
On Friday (Jan. 6), RuPaul’s Drag Race is set to return for its 15th season, with a bigger batch of queens and an even bigger cash prize — the latest season is set to feature a record number of 16 queens competing for $200,000 and the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar.
Along with its new set of queens, the season will also feature a vast array of celebrity guest judges ready to offer their expertise and advice to the competitors on how to get ahead. Ariana Grande will appear in the season’s premiere episode on Friday, with subsequent episodes set to feature stars like Janelle Monáe, Maren Morris, Hayley Kiyoko, Orville Peck, Ali Wong, Amandla Stenberg, Harvey Guillén, Julia Garner and Megan Statler.
Fans used to viewing the show on VH1 will also have some adjustments to make with season 15 — for the first time in the franchise’s history, RuPaul’s Drag Race will now be aired exclusively on MTV. In a statement released with the news back in December, co-CEOs of World of Wonder (the production company behind Drag Race) Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey said that they were “delighted” to see the show make the move. “Drag Race is about universal themes of love, self expression, and acceptance — and there has never been a more important time than now for these ideas to be expressed internationally,” they said.
With MTV’s storied history as the primary home for the most iconic music videos of all-time, Billboard asked the 16 queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15 to select their favorites. Below, the queens explain their picks, from Lady Gaga to Beyoncé and beyond:
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a new cover song by Adam Lambert!
On Friday (Dec. 30), Lambert shared his latest in a new string of covers with “Holding Out for a Hero,” his rendition of Bonnie Tyler‘s 1984 hit. For his version, Lambert brings the tempo down from its frenetic original pace, and replaces the iconic, chunky piano chords with a syncopated, sinister bass and guitar section that permeates the track. When it comes to his voice, though, the singer keeps the pure glam-rock sound alive with his signature growl as a choir joins him for the chorus.
The new cover comes as Lambert preps his next album, High Drama, for release in the new year. The LP will consist entirely of covers, two of which the star has already shared with the world (his renditions of Noël Coward’s “Mad About the Boy” and Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World,” respectively). High Drama will see Lambert taking on a few other classic singles — such as Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” and Ann Peeble’s “I Can’t Stand the Rain” — while also taking on some contemporary favorites including Billie Eilish’s “Getting Older” and Sia’s “Chandelier.”
“Holding Out for a Hero,” along with being a quintessential song of the ’80s, remains as one of Tyler’s biggest chart hits in her career. While “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “It’s a Heartache” both landed in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 1 and No. 3, respectively), “Hero” stands as her only other top 40 hit to date, reaching its peak of No. 34 in April 1984.
High Drama will be released on Feb. 24. Check out Lambert’s rollicking new cover of “Holding Out for a Hero” above.
In a year that felt at times completely chaotic and at others eerily familiar, one thing is for certain: 2022 never allowed you to let your guard down. Around the world, people struggled to cope as they watched the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the stripping of abortion rights in the U.S., inflation rising across the globe and more. They also celebrated as new breakthroughs in energy and medicine provided potential answers to long-looming problems.
Similarly, the music industry experienced plenty of highs and lows throughout 2022. Artists like Taylor Swift, Drake, Glass Animals and Bad Bunny had record-breaking years on the charts, while stars like Kanye West saw their careers practically go up in smoke around them. Music synchs on television shows like Stranger Things and Euphoria saw record gains, Ticketmaster got placed under the microscope for a massive public meltdown, and TikTok extended its reign over the trends dominating the industry.
When it came to living as an LGBTQ person, 2022 was less than stellar — the continued rollback of LGBTQ protections and rights in the U.S. and elsewhere was a major story throughout the year. Whether it was anti-trans initiatives being promoted by government officials, the loss of LGBTQ life at the hands of another homophobic hate crime, or even the World Cup being hosted by a country that has criminalized sexuality, this year was marked by pain for queer and trans people everywhere.
So, what stories in the music industry offered some respite for the LGBTQ people in need of an escape in 2022? Billboard took a look back at the 10 biggest LGBTQ music stories of 2022 to round out the year: