Pop Music News
Taylor Swift’s Re-Recorded Albums Are Eligible for Grammys
Taylor Swift’s plan to re-record all of her older music is officially underway, as evidenced by the announcement of Fearless (Taylor’s Version) a few days ago. A project this ambitious has never before happened with a pop star of her caliber, and it has led to questions regarding her eligibility at upcoming Grammy ceremonies. Could these records, most of which received nominations in the past, again find themselves in contention? Well, the answer is yes — kind of. “Current eligibility guidelines would allow for the new performances and albums to be eligible if they were recorded within the last five years,” explained a spokesperson for the Recording Academy. “However, none of the older songs would be eligible for songwriting awards.” That statement is simultaneously clear and confusin...
Miley Cyrus to Perform at Super Bowl Pre-Show Concert
The Weeknd is already set for the coveted halftime performance, but the NFL is also planning a Super Bowl LIV pre-show event. Before the game kicks off, Miley Cyrus will headline a special gig for healthcare workers who are helping combat the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The pre-show event, dubbed TikTok Tailgate, will take place in Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium several hours before the biggest football game of the year kicks off. The NFL has already given 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers tickets to the Super Bowl for free. Those same attendees will be invited to the TikTok Tailgate, too. Cyrus broke the news on Instagram this afternoon alongside a high school-style collage of herself holding pom-poms in a football jersey. “SUPER BOWL LV!!! 💗🏈 I’ll be...
Marianne Faithfull Says She Lost Her Singing Voice from COVID-19
Marianne Faithfull was one of the lucky musicians who recovered from COVID-19 after contracting the virus last year, but that doesn’t mean she was left unharmed by it. In a new interview, the “As Tears Go By” singer revealed that her battle with coronavirus stripped her of her singing voice and it’s unclear if she will ever get it back. Last April, Faithfull was hospitalized in London after testing positive for COVID-19. She bounced back relatively quickly considering she was 73 years old at the time, and was prescribed “palliative care only” following the end of her 22-day stay in the hospital. Initially it seemed like a miracle because Faithfull wasn’t expected to survive. But now, she’s dealing with the downsides of overcoming it — terrible permanent effects like intense fatigue, short-...
Billie Eilish Announces New Photo Book
Billie Eilish fans already had her forthcoming documentary to look forward to, but now they’re also being graced with something tangible. The Grammy-dominating pop artist has announced a new photo book that’s filled with never-before-seen images that were curated by Eilish herself. Simply titled BILLIE EILISH, the book features hundreds of photos that span Eilish’s entire life thus far, from her humble childhood beginnings to touring stadiums worldwide. According to a synopsis from its publishers, Grand Central Publishing and Wren & Rook (two divisions of the Hachette Book Group), the book is “a stunning visual narrative journey through her life.” But that’s not all. On the same day the book hits shelves in May of this year, Hachette will release a standalone audiobook that featur...
Grimes Changes the Album Artwork for Miss Anthropocene
When Grimes rolled out her excellent fifth studio album Miss Anthropocene back in February, it was clear that the full-length was an ambitious passion project bursting with imagination. Little did we know that nine months later it would get a new creative twist. As caught by FADER, the album artwork for Miss Anthropocene has been replaced with a painting by artist Rupid Leejm on all streaming platforms. When Miss Anthropocene was initially released, the album repped a black and pink graphic akin to a screenshot of Photoshop mid-assignment. As Grimes later clarified, the visual was an image of the software that the “new Gods” use to design the simulation, and the project they were designing was the record’s titular character. Now, streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music display a b...
Florence Welch Shares Gorgeous Cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”: Stream
The holiday season is well underway, and Florence Welch is celebrating by lending her voice to a Christmas classic. As part of The Stars Come Out to Sing for Christmas, an annual charity event by Nordoff-Robbins, the Florence and the Machine singer shared a gorgeous cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, which you can hear below. For her rendition, Welch stayed true to the original, singing gently over a bare piano melody that’s slightly faster than Judy Garland’s 1944 version. Of course, the power in her cover comes from her extraordinary vocal range. Instead of flaunting her skills, Welch takes a subtle approach, singing the iconic falsettos with graceful dexterity and charming casualness. Thankfully, Welch’s performance was captured live in a beautiful video that sets the sc...
Grimes Drops Shares New Song “Delicate Weapon” from Cyberpunk 2077: Stream
Cyberpunk 2077, one of the most hyped video games of the year, finally came out this week, which means gamers can interact with the character Lizzy Wizzy, a fictional alt-pop star voiced by the very real alt-pop star Grimes. To celebrate the game’s release, Grimes is sharing a new song she wrote for the soundtrack called “Delicate Weapon”, which you can stream below. The first volume of the Cyberpunk 2077 soundtrack is out today and features Grimes’ previously released single “4ÆM”, but the second volume — which includes “Delicate Weapon” — won’t be out until December 18th. Grimes must have been too excited to keep it quiet because she debuted the contribution early today on an Apple Music mix. Musically, “Delicate Weapon” sounds like a spacious early Grimes cut that could have appeared on...
The Weeknd Releases “Blinding Lights” Remix with Rosalía: Stream
There’s only four weeks until 2021 begins, but that isn’t stopping The Weeknd from making these last moments count. He just released a new remix of “Blinding Lights” featuring Rosalía, and it’s available to stream below. Despite having to postpone his massive tour, 2020 has arguably been The Weeknd’s biggest year ever — especially due to the sheer willpower of “Blinding Lights”. The After Hours single dominated the radio, was Spotify’s most-streamed single of the year, and has spent a full year on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. No wonder it earned our coveted spot as the best song of 2020. Of course, all of this is in addition to the other cool things he’s done in support of After Hours. The Weeknd performed an augmented reality concert on TikTok, literally lost his head in the “Too Lat...
Lady Gaga Is Getting Her Own Oreo
While the rest of us were swooning over her “911” outfits and praising her for saving pop as we know it, Lady Gaga was secretly busy creating her very own Oreo. Announced earlier today, the limited-edition cookie is tied to her latest album, Chromatica, and will reportedly be available to purchase in stores soon. Unsurprisingly, the official Lady Gaga Oreo is a pink-colored cookie with heart-shaped detailing and green creme filling — a playful spin on the cover artwork of one of the best albums of 2020. The whole thing comes packaged in a neon pink wrapper emblazoned with Lady Gaga’s name in giant, metallic text, too. It’s bold, it’s flashy, and it’s very much up her alley. To break the news, Gaga shared a video of herself opening the new Oreo flavor while lounging with Koji, her pet dog, ...
Billie Eilish Discusses Her Identity Crisis, New Music in “Time Capsule” Interview: Watch
Back in 2017, when only a handful of outlets knew she would become a breakout star, Billie Eilish stopped by Vanity Fair for a video interview. Since then, they’ve invited her back each year to answer the same questions and see how she’s changed — and the 2020 installment of “Time Capsule” might be the best yet, as it sees Eilish touching on her identity crisis, new music she has yet to release, and everything in between. The 27-minute-long video places Eilish’s annual answers side-by-side for easy comparison. The big takeaways? She never wants to stop performing live, and living through a global pandemic where the safest option is staying home has made her all the more aware of that. “I never thought I wouldn’t be able to do shows someday. It’s the one thing I feel like I’ve ever been goo...
Cher Is Escorting “The World’s Loneliest Elephant” to a Cambodian Sanctuary
Cher is moving heaven and Earth to save a sad animal. According to The Los Angeles Times, the pop icon is currently in Pakistan preparing to escort “the world’s loneliest elephant” to a sanctuary in Cambodia. The elephant, named Kaavan, was a gift from the government of Sri Lanka to the head of the Pakistani army 35 years ago. After his partner Saheli died in 2012, Kaavan became increasingly lonely and depressed. He’s spent over a dozen years in chains at the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, where he is overweight and malnourished, suffers from abysmal conditions, and is sometimes beaten. Experts believe it may take years of psychological care for Kaavan to fully recover. Animal rights activists have been trying to get Kaavan out of the zoo for years. Apparently it was Cher, who after lear...
Miley Cyrus Releases New Album Plastic Hearts: Stream
Miley Cyrus has released Plastic Hearts, her new album and the seventh studio full-length of her career. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. This ia Cyrus’ first release since the 2019 EP She Is Coming, and her first full-length since 2017’s Younger Now. Plastic Hearts spans 15 tracks in total, including her rock-infused pop single “Midnight Sky” and her phenomenal covers of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” and The Cranberries’ “Zombie”. She also tacked on “Edge of Midnight”, her remix of “Midnight Sky” featuring the one and only Stevie Nicks. Across Plastic Hearts, there’s plenty of room for Cyrus to spread her wings and soar to new pop heights. There’s also a handful of collaborations where she showcases other skills: “Bad Karma” features perennial rock icon Joan Jett, “Night Crawling”...
