Pop Music News
The Internet Has Spoken: Taylor Swift’s Folklore Album Cover Is Actually Very Metal
Remember when pop star Justin Timberlake retreated into the forest to get his “folk” on and became a bonafide Man of the Woods? It looks like Taylor Swift spent her quarantine attempting to take that same earthy path, and the result is a new album literally called folklore. What’s more, she put it together with help from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, himself A Wisconsin Man of the Woods, and Aaron and Bryce Dessner, members of quintessential indie outfit The National. As Fluxblog founder Matthew Perpetua so succinctly put it, “I guess Taylor Swift finally went out in the woods with the National and Bon Iver boys to actually make ‘some indie record that’s much cooler than mine,’” plucking choice lyrics from Swift’s 2012 hit single “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”. So I guess...
Billie Eilish Announces New Single “my future”, Due Out Next Week
Billie Eilish is closing out the month with a special summer treat for her fans. Our 2018 Rookie of the Year has announced that she will release a new single called “my future” next week on July 31st. The track marks her first new music since “No Time to Die”, her James Bond theme song from February, which somehow feels like a lifetime ago. It also follows her 2019 offering “everything i wanted”. It’s unclear whether “my future” is a standalone release or taken from a larger project. We haven’t heard much in the way of a new record, the follow-up to debut album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, but it’s not as though the 18-year-old pop star has been idle. She and her father recently launched their own radio show on Apple Music, and Eilish performed a quarantine-style concert ...
Taylor Swift Premieres New Album folklore: Stream
Following its announcement just hours ago, Taylor Swift has released her “surprise” new album folklore. Stream it below via Spotify. For a high-definition listening experience, you can sign up for a 60-day free trial of TIDAL HiFi. A new music video for the track “cardigan” has also been revealed. folklore serves as Swift’s eighth full-length overall and comes less than a year after Lover. Its 16 tracks were co-produced by Aaron Dessner of indie rock outfit The National. His bandmate and brother Bryce Dessner provided “beautiful orchestration on several songs from across the ocean,” while Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, Lover collaborator Jack Antonoff, and William Bower also contributed in various capacities. In a statement, Swift said that “Most of the things I had planned this summe...
J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny Team on New Single “UN DÍA (ONE DAY)”: Stream
Dua Lipa (photo by Ben Kaye), J Balvin (photo by Heather Kaplan), and Bad Bunny (photo via artist’s Instagram) As her smash sophomore album Future Nostalgia demonstrated, Dua Lipa is plenty comfortable flexing into various pop genres. For her latest foray into new territory, the British singer has joined three of reggaeton’s finest — J Balvin, Bad Bunny, and producer Tainy — on the collaborative song “UN DÍA (ONE DAY)”. Tainy first laid the groundwork for the track over a year and a half ago, executive producing the cut with his NEON16 partner Lex Borrero. He called up Balvin to handle the vocals, who in turn reached out to Dua Lipa. Bad Bunny hopped on last, adding his own voice during the same 2019 session that birthed “Callaita” (via Billboard). Trading Spanish and English vo...
Justin Bieber Announces Rescheduled Tour Dates for 2021
Justin Bieber has announced a 2021 tour, rescheduling many of the shows he previously called off due to the pandemic. Some industry folks don’t think live music will be back until 2022, but don’t count Bieber as a belieber believer. The pop star has revealed a tour schedule for next summer that includes previously postponed concerts as well as 19 new stops. Kicking off June 7th with a two-nighter in San Jose, the fresh shows include double-headers in Chicago, Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, as well as dates in Boston, Philadelphia, Tacoma, Newark, and Brooklyn. As for the rescheduled portion, a press release notes that the rerouting won’t be stopping in “all markets,” and it looks like planned gigs in Columbia, South Carolina; Lexington, Kentucky; East Rutherford, New Jersey; ...
Taylor Swift Announces New Album Folklore, Featuring The National’s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver
Surprise, surprise: Taylor Swift has announced the release of her eighth studio album. It’s called folklore, spans 16 tracks, and arrives TONIGHT at midnight ET. Co-produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner, who co-wrote/produced 11 tracks, the album also features collaborations with Bon Iver, Jack Antonoff, and William Bower. “Most of the things I had planned this summer didn’t end up happening, but there is something I hadn’t planned on that DID happen,” Swift announced on socials. “Tonight at midnight I’ll be releasing my entire brand new album of songs I’ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into. I wrote and recorded this music in isolation but got to collaborate with some musical heroes of mine; Aaron Dessner (who has co-written or produced 11 of the 16 songs), Bon Ive...
Kylie Minogue Announces New Album Disco, Shares “Say Something”: Stream
Kylie Minogue, photo by Darenote Ltd. 2020 Kylie Minogue is hitting the dance floor for her next studio album. Titled Disco, it’s due for arrival on November 6th. The upcoming effort follows up on Golden from 2018 and consists of a total of 16 new songs. One of those is lead single “Say Something”, produced by longtime associate Biff Stannard. As to be expected, the track works in a glittery ’70s strut, all while Minogue laments the distance — both physical and emotional — between herself and a loved one. “We’re a million miles apart in a thousand ways,” the Grammy winner sings. “Love is love it never ends, can we all be as one again?” Quite a timely tune given our current circumstances, right? Stream it below. Disco is available for pre-order now. All of the new album’s visual compon...
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! ABBA Promise To Release Five New Songs Next Year
Later this month, loyal ABBA fans and memorabilia collectors will be blessed with the holiest of grails: a special vinyl box set containing reissues of the iconic group’s entire catalog. Those same diehard listeners have even more to look forward to in 2021. According to The Independent, ABBA plan to release five new songs next year. If that promise sounds vaguely familiar, you’re not daydreaming. This past February, longtime member Benny Andersson said that this new ABBA material would arrive by the summer — meaning right about now. However, as with much of the world, those ambitions have since been unexpectedly derailed by the coronavirus pandemic. That being said, a new target date for new music has already been set for sometime in 2021, according to Geoff Lloyd, podcast co-host of Reas...
Beyoncé Reveals New Trailer for Visual Album Black Is King: Watch
Beyoncé has shared a new trailer and fresh details for her upcoming visual album, Black Is King. Announced in June, Black Is King is an intellectual property Turducken. It’s a reimagining of Disney’s live-action remake of The Lion King, which incorporates music from Beyoncé’s companion album, The Lion King: The Gift. The plot-to-music ratio isn’t clear at this time, but the new teaser is a star-studded affair, featuring appearances by JAY-Z, Kelly Rowland, Naomi Campbell, and Tina Knowles-Lawson. Nyong’o and Pharrell Williams will also appear in the film, according to a press release. The film was shot in Los Angeles, New York City, London, the country of South Africa, the region of Western Africa, and Belgium. Bey served as executive producer, working alongside directors Em...
Aluna of AlunaGeorge Announces Solo Album Renaissance, Shares “Get Paid”: Stream
AlunaGeorge frontwoman Aluna Francis is finally stepping out of her electropop group’s spotlight. Today, the pop star has announced her debut solo album as Aluna. It’s called Renaissance and it’s due out August 28th via Diplo‘s label Mad Decent. Renaissance spans 14 tracks in total, including Aluna’s debut solo single, “Body Pump”. There’s a handful of guest contributors throughout, including Kaytranada, Princess Nokia, and Jada Kingdom — the latter two of whom appear on Aluna’s new song, “Get Paid”. In a press release, Aluna explained why “Get Paid” takes on an especially personal meaning for her. “It’s an aspirational celebration about black women and women of color getting paid, in opposition of the reality that we are consistently undervalued for our work,” she said. “On the other...
Beastie Boys, Michael Jackson Get SiriusXM Channels
SiriusXM has announced six new, limited-run artist channels. Starting today, July 15th, at 12 pm ET, you can moonwalk to Michael Jackson, fight for the right to Beastie Boys, rock yourself to Queen, pass the dutchie to Bob Marley, and politely nod to Coldplay songs 24 hours a day. As if these new channels weren’t enough, SiriusXM is bringing back its dedicated broadcast honoring the Purple One himself, Prince. In addition to studio discographies, each channel will be stocked full of live performances, interviews, track-by-track commentaries, and celebrity guest DJs. In particular, The Beastie Boys Channel features playlists from Talib Kweli, Rosie Perez, Michael Rappaport, and more, while the Michael Jackson Channel will be voiced by journalist and author Steven Ivory, who can presuma...
Maroon 5 Bassist Mickey Madden Takes “Leave of Absence” from Band
Maroon 5 bassist Mickey Madden was arrested in Los Angeles last month for domestic violence. Now, he’s taking a “leave of absence” from the pop band “for the foreseeable future.” In a statement to People, Madden explained why he was stepping down from his role. “I have some things that I need to deal with and address right now and so I have decided to take a leave of absence from Maroon 5 for the foreseeable future,” he said. “During this time, I do not want to be a distraction to my bandmates. I wish them the absolute best.” Back in June, Madden was taken into police custody and given a felony charge for “intimate partner violence.” The 41-year-old musician was released several hours later after paying his $50,000 bail. His court date is scheduled for September 29th. Editors’ Picks ...
