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Rita Ora, Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong and Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg just really, really, really wanna zigazig-ah. In honor of The Masked Singer‘s “Girl Group Night” episode, airing Wednesday (April 24), the four judges banded together to deliver an energetic performance of the Spice Girls ’90s hit “Wannabe,” as shared exclusively with Billboard ahead of time. In […]
Post Malone is expanding his creative bandwidth. The “Sunflower” singer is teaming up with Vault Comics as well as Michael Bay and Brad Fuller’s Platinum Dunes to create a brand new IP universe based on an original story by Malone. The story is inspired by elements of “road thrillers like Mad Max: Fury Road and demonic […]
After a competitive season filled to the brim with drag performers at the top of their game, RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 finally crowned its winner on Friday (April 19) — and fans are going bananas.
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After a series of solo lip syncs and one final Lip Sync for the Crown to Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam,” Nymphia Wind was officially crowned America’s Next Drag Superstar and the winner of season 16. The fashionable, yellow-loving queen triumphed over her sister Sapphira Cristál in the final lip sync, dressing herself up as a massive cup of bubble tea and delivering a series of iconic outfit reveals to earn the competition’s coveted prize.
In winning, Wind made history for the show — with her ascension, the queen became the first East Asian performer to win RuPaul’s Drag Race, and the first Asian queen to take home the crown since Raja was crowned on season three, 13 years ago.
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Accepting her scepter from RuPaul, Nymphia addressed the audience during the finale. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and have the courage to live your truth,” she said, before declaring “Taiwan, this is for you!”
Below, Nymphia chats with Billboard following her victory, breaking down her excellent showing throughout the season, her love of bananas, her reaction to the President of Taiwan congratulating her, and how she created her memorable finale lip sync.
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Congratulations to you, our current reigning! How are you feeling after a weekend of celebration?
Well, I have two answers. First, I feel very excited to have won this dream of mine, and it’s crazy to be able to live this out for my community and my country. It really means a lot to me to be able to live this. But second, in reality, I am dying. [Laughs.] I want to sleep! I have no feelings anymore! I am dead inside!
I can only imagine that the last 48 hours has been a lot for you.
Yes, it has been a lot, and the problem is it’s getting to be more and more of a lot. But there are worse problems to have. I am enjoying this torture, because I’m doing something I love.
You spoke before the finale about wanting to break the “Asian curse” on Drag Race, since no East Asian queen had ever won the show, and the last Asian winner was Raja in season three. What does it mean for you to be the one breaking that curse?
It’s truly amazing. That’s why that win means so much to me, because it’s a win for the entire community. Because I remember when I was younger and I would watch the show, I said “I want to be the first East Asian to win this show.” Fast forward to now, and here we are — thinking about it is really crazy. You can dream big, and it will work itself out!
Even the President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen congratulated you for your win and thanked you for “living fearlessly.” As someone who has been championing Taiwan throughout this competition, what was that like to see the president say that?
I fully gagged. I screamed so loud, that was truly so crazy. It was such a sweet message, and to be able to get that recognition was absolutely amazing. I mean, she’s the literal President of f–king Taiwan! It makes me feel like I was successful in actually making my country proud. Ugh, it’s so beautiful.
Congratulations to you, Nymphia Wind @66wind99, for being so accomplished in the difficult art form of drag, and for being the first Taiwanese to take the stage and win on @RuPaulsDragRace. Right after being crowned queen, you said “Taiwan, this is for you.”Taiwan thanks you… https://t.co/hrbG7Vnovd— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) April 20, 2024
You recently explained your obsession with bananas, saying that you look good in the color yellow and you wanted to combine that with some campy, phallic imagery. How many bananas or banana-themed gifts have fans brought you so far?
Girl, too many! No, it’s really fun to see the fans bring banana things, I love it when I see it. I will say, when they bring me actual, real bananas, I have to tell them that I can’t take them. Like, I will sometimes eat them in front of them because that’s fun, but if you give me a bunch of bananas during a meet-and-greet, I’m sorry, I can’t take those. But I will sign it! Like, traveling with bananas is not happening, sorry. But it is really cute seeing fans bring all these bananas to the shows, because ultimately, Nymphia Wind is a cult! I’m going to make everyone yellow bananas!
This was a truly phenomenal season for you as a competitor, especially when it came to your runways. You have such a good eye, not only for creating haute couture, high-concept fashion, but for always giving it that little twist that made it so camp. The pussycat wig look comes to mind.
Yeah, usually, I got to read the brief on each runway theme and let my imagination run wild. The question always starts with, “What can I do to make this cool?” And then you build off of that. The inspiration really comes while I’m in the process of making the looks, so the full concept is always still in development while I am putting things together.
That pussycat outfit was originally made for Chinese New Year celebration for the Year of the Rabbit, and it was supposed to be finished in January. But I wasn’t able to finish it in time for the celebration, so I just kept working on it here and there, but didn’t end up wearing it anywhere. So then, when I got the brief for the pussycat wig look, I just knew I needed to fit something into that slot. So that’s where that look came from.
There was a running theory on the show amongst your competitors, where they were convinced that every time you complained about being stressed heading into a challenge, you were never actually concerned and were really just playing mind games with them. What’s the truth?
I, 100%, felt like I had no idea what I was doing during filming. The other girls were definitely a little annoyed at me and kept saying that I was crying wolf, but I had truly no idea where they were coming from at the time. That is my natural process — I complain, I whine, I stress out, I self-doubt, and then ultimately, I know what I need to do and manage to pull it together. Being on Drag Race is genuinely scary and daunting, because you’re living with this fear of going home or someone outshining you, and the challenge is about pulling yourself together and making it work. So, the work room really became the place for me to get all that panic out of my system.
It did give us some of the most iconic moments of the season, where you would just do and say truly unhinged things on a regular basis. Have you continued your Spanish lessons with Morphine?
Nope! “Dame más leche” is still the only thing I know how to say in Spanish!
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This finale reminded me a lot of season 9, where we have a finalist who never lip synced on the show, and then absolutely demolished their first proper lip sync of the season. How did you come up with this bubble tea-inspired concept for your “Padam Padam” lip sync?
I knew that I was either going to be up against Plane or Sapphira, and with Sapphira, I knew that her looks are always these big, parade float-style looks. I knew I needed to come in with something big, too. I also knew I wanted to represent my country with this lip sync, but I didn’t just want to stick a flag onto my dress and call it a day. That, to me, is a bit too cheesy. So, I thought, “Maybe I should be a giant bubble tea,” because that’s the national drink of Taiwan. I talked with a designer, and they came up with the idea of the balloons floating up.
Then, I knew I wanted to have a second reveal, and I wanted to do it while doing a cartwheel at the same time, because I wanted to make each reveal a little more interesting. We literally built the look with the cartwheel and the stunts in mind, and the rest ended up working itself out.
Before we let you go, what can fans expect to see during Nymphia Wind’s reign as America’s Next Drag Superstar?
Honestly? Expect the unexpected. There’s nothing to expect — all you can do is sit back and watch.
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Sydney Sweeney went from the charming and hilarious Anyone But You rom-com to the chilling horror movie Immaculate, which you can finally watch online at home. The 2024 movie made its debut at SXSW back in March and had audiences falling for jump scares, then laughing at their own reactions, according to Variety‘s reporting.
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Immaculate originally premiered in theaters on March 22, but for those who missed its run in the cinemas, you can officially rent or buy the movie through video-on-demand. Collectors should also mark their calendars as the Blu-ray and DVD editions have a release date set for June 11 — and its already earned the label of No. 1 new release on Amazon in horror. Don’t worry though, you don’t have to wait until its release date to order a copy, Amazon, Target and Walmart have opened their preorders to ensure fans can get their hands on the Immaculate DVD the moment it’s released.
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Keep reading to learn more about Immaculate and the streaming options available.
How to Watch Immaculate Online
While a streaming service for Immaculate has yet to be announced, you can watch Immaculate online through VOD on Prime Video and Apple TV.
You can rent or buy the horror movie through Prime Video with the rental priced at $10, and $20 for purchases. You don’t need a Prime membership in order to stream Immaculate at home either — just make your purchase and the movie will automatically download to your digital library. Rentals will be available for 30 days after purchase and for 48 hours once you start streaming the movie.
You can also buy or rent the movie on Apple TV to watch Immaculate at home. An Apple TV streaming device is not required to stream the movie. You can also get access to Apple TV through most smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV+, Roku devices, tablet or gaming consoles.
It’s likely that you’ll be able to stream Immaculate on Hulu, which has a deal with NEON (the film distributer for the horror flick). Hulu has yet to announce the official streaming date, but new users can sign up for a 30-day free trial here to make sure you have the platform in time for its streaming premiere.
Prefer to own a hardcopy? The Immaculate DVD will be released on June 11, but you can preorder the Blu-ray version below.
“Immaculate” [Blu-Ray]
The Immaculate DVD features a close-up photo of Sweeney you’lll be tempted to display on your mantle. Each Blu-ray DVD comes with special features that’ll give you a deeper look at the making of the film.
What Is the Movie Immaculate About?
Immaculate follows Cecilia (Sweeney) an American nun of devout faith who joins a remote convent in the Italian countryside. She enters what appears to be a warm welcoming, but soon takes a dark turn as Cecilia begins to unravel the sinister secrets the convent has been hiding.
Starring alongside Sweeney includes Álvaro Morte, Simona Tabasco, Benedetta Porcaroli, Giorgio Colangeli, Dora Romano, Giulia Heathfield Di Renzi, Giampiero Judica, Betty Pedrazzi and Giuseppe Lo Piccolo.
Why Is the Immaculate Movie Rated R?
Immaculate is rated R, which is not recommended for those under 17-years-old. IMBD explains the film was given the rating for its strong and bloody violent content, grisly images, nudity and some language.
Check below to watch the trailer for Immaculate.
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With season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race officially in the rearview mirror, it’s time for fans of the franchise to look forward … to even more new episodes of the hit series. On Tuesday (April 23), Paramount+ announced the official cast and release date for RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season nine. In the new […]
This week marked the start of the Playoffs rounds on season 25 of The Voice and the show brought in some serious ringers on Monday night (April 22) to help cut down each coach’s team from five to three singers before the live, public-vote rounds begin.
Team John Legend teed up a veteran of the franchise in Colombian superstar Maluma, who has been a coach on two seasons of La Voz, in both his native country and in Mexico. Meanwhile, Team Dan + Shay got a boost from rapper Saweetie, with each guest bringing their own unique set of skills to the gig.
According to EW, Maluma seemed completely at ease with the job, serving up positive notes and encouragement and some pro tips on performance and setting the mood. In a preview video that dropped before the show aired, Maluma had a lot of good advice for the Team members, from encouraging them to write their own songs to suggesting they ditch their instruments while performing live to focus on their vocals.
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That experience came through when Nathan Chester was prepping his powerhouse cover of the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling.” After Legend — whom Maluma dubbed “Juan Leyenda” — suggested that Chester put more urgency into his performance, Maluma seconded that emotion and offered up a technical note about stepping back from the mic a bit to let his voice truly shine. The dynamic due clearly were on to something, as Chester made it to the Live rounds.
Maluma also seemed to bond with Venezuelan-born singer Mafe, who stepped up majorly with a moving version of Adele’s “Someone Like You,” but failed to make the final cut; the other Team Legend Playoffs members include Bryan Olesen and Zoe Levert.
EW noted that while rapper Saweetie seemed to be an odd choice to work alongside country duo Dan + Shay, they had a good chemistry and the “Best Friend” MC seemed to really have a vibe with the female singers on the pair’s team, offering them such poetic advice as “there’s no deadline to dreams.” When 17-year-old Anya True began rehearsing her take on Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” Saweetie helpfully suggested more eye contact to connect with the studio audience.
Admittedly not a country aficionado, Saweetie suggested that singer Karen Waldrup try to focus less on being technically perfect, but instead “strive for personality,” which she definitely did on her cover of Lainey Wilson’s “Heart Like a Truck.” That was enough to punch Waldrup’s ticket through, along with Madison Curbelo and Tae Lewis.
The Playoffs roll on next week with performances from Team Reba and Team Chance.
Check out some of Monday night’s performances from Team Legend and Team Dan + Shay below.
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Kim Kardashian did not address the one topic America was dying to hear about on Monday night (April 22) when she hit the couch on Jimmy Kimmel Live!: her feelings on theories that Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department diss track “thanK you aIMee” is about her.
The American Horror Story: Delicate star did, however, cover a wide variety of other random topics, including being Madonna’s dog walker as a kid, the origin of her nipple-forward Skims Ultimate Nipple Bra shapewear and her current feelings on former one-term president Donald Trump in the midst of his hush money trial in New York for paying off a porn star.
Kimmel seemed most charmed by the Madonna stories, which included Kim describing how she lived next door to the pop superstar when she was a kid. “She was my next door neighbor when I was like seven or eight years old,” Kardashian said. “I was her dog walker. Kourtney and I would walk her dog after school… in exchange for her jewelry… She was transitioning out of the 80s neon phase, so one day she just walked downstairs and handed us a shoebox of all these neon bracelets and Kourtney and I went to school and everyone was like, ‘Oh my God I love your bracelets!’ And we were like, ‘Thanks, Madonna gave them to us.’”
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Sadly, she doesn’t still have the haul, and as Kimmel lamented, the sisters missed out on the pointy bra era castoffs. And while the K gang did not trick-or-treat at Madonna’s as kids, years later, Kardashian watched the singer shoot her “Cherish” video with photographer Herb Ritts. “Me and my friend were on the beach and it was the most magical moment ever,” Kardashian said of the sensual black-and-white clip whose every wet-and-wild frame he seemed to have committed to memory.
Though she never in her wildest dreams imagined it, as an adult Kardashian said she was once again neighbors with Madge, whom she’d run into occasionally when they went trick-or-treating with their kids. You would never know it, though, since Kim said she and Madonna both wore ski mask costumes to stay incognito. “We both had like masks on and we were going to the same house and then we looked at each other and I was like, ‘M? Kim?,’” she recalled of their incognito meet cute again moment.
In a rapid-fire segment, Kardashian, 43, responded to a series of what sounded like weird internet rumors about herself, most of which turned out to be true. Among them: does she really blow dry her jewelry before putting it on? (yes, because she hates being freezing when putting cold metal on her skin). She also confirmed that she washes her feet before getting into bed every night, sleeps with her eyes slightly open (per videos taken by her sisters), she celebrated her 14th birthday at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, had a fitness DVD called Kim Kardashian Fit In Your Jeans By Friday, can change a tire and has an assistant whose job it is to take the cardboard sleeve off her Starbucks orders because the sound of cardboard getting moved off the cup is “like nails on a chalkboard” to her.
In fact one of the only things Kimmel floated that wasn’t true was a rumor that Kim has six toes on one foot.
Kimmel heaped praise on Kardashian for inventing a bra with built-in nipples, with the host getting slightly thrown off when Kim said they got “amazing” feedback from breast cancer survivors on the product, a sobering fact that seemed to derail what sounded like Jimmy’s more lascivious planned line of questioning. Fun fact, the nipples in the bra are fashioned after the shape of Kardashian’s breasts and she can definitely spot their tell-tale form from afar on someone else.
Kim also said she’s working on the upcoming launch of a line of shapewear for men, which, of course, led to Kimmel sidekick Guillermo strutting out in a be-thonged bodysuit that left nothing to the imagination. The conversation was mostly light, though Kimmel did ask Kardashian about the current state of her relationship with the twice-impeached former president, whom she visited in the White House in 2020 with three women whose sentences Trump cut short following the fellow reality star’s lobbying.
“I don’t think he likes me very much,” Kardashian said diplomatically. “But… I think he did amazing stuff with prison reform and let a lot of people out and signed an amazing bill with the First Step act and that’s what I’ll focus on.” For the record, after Kimmel earlier played a series of doctored videos of the four-times indicted Trump passing gas — as he’s been rumored to be doing quite often between reported naps during his New York trial for paying hush money to a porn actress to keep their affair quiet — Kardashian smiled and gently said, “no.”
“So he saves that for court situations?,” Kimmel quipped.
Watch Kardashian’s Kimmel interview below.
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For a band that split in 1970, the Beatles seem to be everywhere right now.
Last year, the Fab Four released their final recording, “Now And Then,” which gave the band their first No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay in more than 50 years, a leader on the Official U.K. Singles Chart which extended their record as the British act with the most leaders (18). It was also the longest-ever gap between No. 1 singles for any act, at 54 years.
Then, last week, confirmation that Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 documentary Let It Be would be released for streaming on Disney+ from May 8, restored by Peter Jackson and the Kiwi director’s team.
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The Beatles’ music got another boost — and an update — during the Playoffs of NBC’s The Voice, when Nathan Chester ripped out a classic.
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For the latest episode, which aired Monday night (April 22), Chester gave an acrobatic performance of “Oh! Darling,” which appears on the Beatles’ Abbey Road album.
Chester, looking sharp in a retro, green suit, brought soul to his rendition, delivered high notes with style, and busted out some eye-watering splits. Think prime James Brown.
The Chicago, IL native hones his talents as a professional singer on cruise ships. It shows. During the Blind Auditions, he impressed with a performance of Al Green’s “Take Me to the River,” earning a two-chair turn.
“I’m always waiting for someone to inspire me, excite me,” coach John Legend said at the time. “When I heard you singing, I turned very quickly because I was like, this man’s got it.”
Guided by Legend, Chester performed Elvin Bishop’s “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” in the Knockouts.
And what is Chester comfortable singing? Jazz, opera, golden age of musical theater, funk, soul, Motown, he explained following his Blind Audition. It turns out, he’s just fine with the Beatles. And if he was to make an album, he’d want to bring back “the James Brown-style of Motown.” We got a glimpse of that on Monday night.
Watch below.
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Born: June 14, 2000 – Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Favorite Alums: Chris Daughtry, James Durbin
Musical Influences: Bon Jovi, Journey, Whitesnake, Queen, Ed Sheeran
First Idol Experience: “When Chris Daughtry got voted off, I wrote a handwritten letter to American Idol and said, ‘You made a mistake. This guy’s a star.’”
“I have older parents and they looked in the Yellow Pages to find a piano teacher. My dad said, ‘I want you to teach my son. He’s three years old. And the teacher said, ‘We normally like them to read English before they read music.’ My dad told him, ‘He reads, let’s get him in. We’ve got to start him early.’ So I went to his studio and my little legs didn’t touch the floor. I was swinging off the piano bench and I learned how to read music along with English. When I was 10, my parents asked if I actually liked taking lessons. I said, ‘I’ve been doing it forever, so I might as well keep doing it. It’s a part of my identity at this point.’”
Kayko says he was always a music kid. “I did classical piano competitions for a long time and then I always wanted to change the song and not play what’s on the page, so I did jazz. And I thought, ‘This really isn’t really my vibe. I’m a rocker. I would never do a singing competition, not even American Idol. I would never try out for that.’ And then I did theater.”
After appearing in musicals like Side Show, In the Heights, Ghost, Cabaret and 9 to 5, Kayko turned to YouTube and Billboard to see what music was popular and was inspired to record cover songs. “I was definitely a YouTube kid and that’s how I learned how to produce my own music.”
Kayko attended Berklee College of Music for three semesters, until he realized he didn’t want go to school. “I quit and moved to Nashville. I needed to write and produce my own songs. I needed to book live shows. I had no mentorship or insight, just a dream of being an artist and putting out music.”
Kayko’s audition for Idol was unlike most other tryouts but he assures Billboard that what was shown on television was 100% true. “I don’t know if the world will ever believe that. One of my very good friends from college, Abby Blake, got a call to do American Idol and they wanted her to prepare two songs but said the accompanist would only play one. She said, ‘I feel more comfortable with you in the room.’”
Kayko agreed to go with her. They woke up at 4 a.m. for the Nashville audition and sat in a room all day without ever seeing the judges. The producers asked Blake to come back the next day and Kayko said he would return with her.
“Abby’s voice was shot and she wasn’t feeling well that day and I was thinking I have to break the ice for her, so I was probably talking way more than any accompanist has ever done before. Abby sang her song and got a yes. Katy Perry looks at me and says, ‘There’s something about you. You look like an artist.’ I said, ‘No, I’m not doing this.’ Abby said I should sing for these three music legends. I played an original song and they look at each other and tell me I’m going to Hollywood. What?!”
But Kayko had a huge conflict. “I booked a job in New York playing guitar for a new off-Broadway musical, Hard Road to Heaven, and I had this in place for a year. The guy who got me the gig put his neck on the line for me and now I have to call him and say, ‘I don’t know what to do. Katy Perry just told me that I have a thing and I need to go to Hollywood Week and I could get cut and get no airtime and lose this thing, or it could be great.’ He said, “I would never hold you back from doing something like that.’ So I spent a week and a half in New York and flew directly to L.A. for Hollywood Week. The only reason I went was for that chance for airtime and the potential viral moment and for my friend Abby. She got cut in Hollywood and I’m still here.”
It could have been an awkward situation, but it wasn’t. “Abby and I are real friends and we’re both in the music industry and know that it’s not personal. I didn’t take her spot. My dad always said, ‘If Simon Cowell walked into the bar and you’re playing a lousy gig, are you going to blow him away?’ And it actually happened with Katy Perry.”
The stars came out as the Rock Hall class of 2024 was unveiled to the world Sunday night (April 21) during ABC‘s American Idol.
Another star-in-the making, Julia Gagnon, used the special occasion to announce herself as a strong candidate for this year’s title.
For a shot at the top 12, Gagnon, the college student from Cumberland, Maine, wore a long red dress and rows of pearls, and channeled the “greatest singer of her generation” — Whitney Houston.
Gagnon and the other top 13 contestants performed songs by Rock And Rock Hall of Fame inducted artists, and two more contestants were eliminated.
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Gagnon delivered with a rendition of “Run To You,” by class of 2020 singer Houston, which appeared on The Bodyguard soundtrack.
During the season 22 auditions, Gagnon shared the story of her tough upbringing. Born in Guatemala, and put up for adoption as a baby, the youngster was raised by a loving family in the U.S. At school, she experienced bullying, but she found her voice through singing.
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Curious of her background, Gagnon went and located her birth mother. The Idol stage would provide a platform for the contestant to “do something for” her birth mom. “I felt really helpless, because I can’t go to her in Guatemala. It’s really far. But she’s really proud of my voice,” she said during the auditions. “And she wanted to see me do something big.”
There was nothing small about her performance on Sunday night, which showcased her vocal power and range. A standing ovation awaited from the audience and the three judges: Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. And on she advances, into the final dozen.
Gagnon wasn’t the only must-see moment on Idol.
During the show, Ryan Seacrest and Rock Hall inductee Lionel Richie revealed the Rock Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024. As previously reported, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige, stalwart pop icon Cher, roots rock jam band Dave Matthews Band, stadium rock hitmakers Foreigner, guitar pro Peter Frampton, funky R&B legends Kool & the Gang, metal god Ozzy Osbourne and alt hip-hop progenitors A Tribe Called Quest are all entering the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year in the performers category.
Watch Gagnon’s performance during the Rock Hall-themed episode of Idol below.
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