Pop
Ranking: The Beatles’ Albums from Worst to Best
Almost everybody has a Beatles moment. Mine came when I was 10 years old, riding in the middle row of a 1994 Dodge Caravan on a family road trip from Indiana down to the Great Smoky Mountains. My step-brother had just gotten cassette copies of 1962-1966 and 1967-1970, better remembered as “The Red Album” and “The Blue Album” by anyone who grew up with parents who’d spent the ’60s as teenagers. We played those tapes non-stop from Kokomo to Gatlinburg and back again, the sounds of “Love Me Do” and “Ticket to Ride” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” on a continuous week-long loop. I remember tears welling in my eyes during “In My Life”, the hairs raising on the back of my neck at the start of “Eleanor Rigby”, the strange kaleidoscopic friendliness that radiated off of “Penny Lane” and “All Y...
Ariana Grande, BTS & More: Who Should Do a Concert Special Next? Vote!
Following news that ABC will be airing a Taylor Swift City of Lover Concert special this month, we got to thinking of what other artists we’d like to see on screen while stuck at home. Ariana Grande teased back in October that a Sweetener tour film is in the works, so Arianators are surely itching to relive Grande’s biggest tour yet, plus have a chance to see some behind-the-scenes footage. While Shawn Mendes (and Alessia Cara) had been uploading mini-documentaries to his YouTube channel throughout his 2019 world tour, it could be great quarantine entertainment to mash them all together into one big special. Similar to Taylor Swift, BTS, Camila Cabello, Justin Bieber, Madonna and Celine Dion were among the countless artists who had to reschedule concert dat...
Hayley Williams’ Petals for Armor Discovers the Strength in Vulnerability: Review
The Lowdown: Hayley Williams once said on the writing of Paramore’s Brand New Eyes album, “Some of it hurt, some of it was like, ‘Am I being too honest even with myself?’’’ Honesty has long been a trend with Williams’ approach to music-making; she’s been the principal songwriter for Paramore since 2005, and her scathing, dynamic vocals have granted her ever-evolving lyrics the perfect expression of painful, angry, at times heartbroken truth. On Petals for Armor, she dives inward at a new level, using dark pop melodies to not only vocalize her innermost thoughts, but also battle them, untangle them, and reckon with them in a way that feels personal to her own experience. She sings on the blistering “Watch Me While I Bloom”, “You only got one side of me/ Here’s something new/ I’m alive in sp...
Christine and the Queens Sings “People, I’ve been sad” on Colbert: Watch
Christine and the Queens has spent the global lockdown perfecting the art of the intimate at-home performance. Last night, she showcased all she’s learned by singing “People, I’ve been sad” on Colbert. Perched on a windowsill in her Paris abode, Chris sang the track off the La Vita Nuova EP while golden-hour light cracked through the clouds on the other side of the glass. Even sitting still, her foot propped up against the frame, she proved to be one of the most emotive and graceful artists working in pop. Watch the replay below. If Christine and the Queens seems particularly comfortable with these sort of isolated performances, it’s likely because she’s been regularly delivering livestream performances for fans. Included in the streams have been covers of The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights”, T...
First Stream: New Music From Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber, Kehlani, Hayley Williams & More
Billboard’s First Stream serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. This week, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber are happily stuck with each other, Kehlani releases her definitive statement and Hayley Williams tries on her ‘Armor’ as a solo artist. Check out all of this week’s First Stream picks below: The Song That You’ll Dance To With Your Quarantine Partner This Weekend:Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber, “Stuck With U” [embedded content] Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber are two of the defining pop artists of the past decade, each accruing regular top 40 smashes and packing arenas. Yet their new collaboration, “Stuck With U,” does not try to conque...
Will.i.am Promises the New Black Eyed Peas Album is ‘On Some Next Level-ness’: Exclusive
The Black Eyed Peas took over Billboard‘s Instagram on Friday (May 8) to dish about life in quarantine and their long-awaited new album. “I’m really excited about this Black Eyed Peas album,” Will.i.am teases exclusively in Billboard‘s latest IGTV video. “RITMO’s a smash. ‘Mamacita’? Smash. Last time I was excited about a project like this was [2009’s] The E.N.D., when we did ‘Boom Boom Pow’ and ‘I Got a Feeling,’ ‘Meet Me Halfway,’ ‘Imma Be,’ ‘Rock That Body’ — I feel the same way. Lordy, lordy, lordy! It’s on some next level-ness.” Meanwhile, newest member J. Rey Soul, who’s replaced longtime member Fergie as the lone female singer of the gr...
Justin Bieber & Ariana Grande’s ‘Stuck With U’ Is the Loving Soundtrack for a Quarantined Prom: Listen
2020’s pop royalty came together–for a good cause. A week after announcing their collaboration, Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande unveiled “Stuck with U,” which will benefit the First Responders Children’s Foundation. The tune is the first of a musical compilation benefitting charitable organizations from the duo’s manager Scooter Braun’s SB Projects that will be released over the course of the year. First Responders Children’s Foundation funds grants and scholarships for children of healthcare workers, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, police officers and firefighters serving on the front lines during the global pandemic. “i can’t fully articulate ……… howwwww happy i am that we waited this long to do this (the duet th...
Tei Shi Releases New Song “Die 4 Ur Love”: Stream
Tei Shi, the Canadian-Columbian artist known for her collaborations with Blood Orange, has released the new song called “Die 4 Ur Love”. For the songwriter born Valerie Teicher, “Die 4 Ur Love” is her first new music of the year. It’s faster and more danceable than the tracks on her 2019 album, La Linda, and the way she repeats, “Die, die, die, die, die for your love now,” recalls a songwriter like The-Dream, who finds the stickiest part of a hook and runs it past the ear over and over again until you can’t get it out of your head. Via Stereogum, Tei Shei explained that the song is about feeling like the world is ending. She said, “Die 4 Ur Love” is a song about the end of the world as you know it. About losing someone or something you never knew you could lose, and then all...
The Jonas Brothers Accept the All-In Challenge & Each Brother Has a Special BBQ Party Task
Jonas Brothers fans are a sucker for what they’re serving up: The three accepted the All-In Challenge today (May 7) by promising to fly to one lucky winner’s hometown for a day of giving back at a chosen charity followed by a barbeque with the winner’s friends. But who’s on what BBQ duty? Kevin Jonas will man the grill, Joe Jonas will hit the DJ booth and Nick Jonas will breakdance, according to Joe. But Nick denied having any intention of burning it up on the dance floor. “I’m no good behind the barbeque, but I’ll give it my best shot. Hopefully, I don’t burn the hot dogs and the burgers,” the “Bacon” singer reassured the family trio’s eight million Instagram followers with their special announcement video. They&...
Billie Eilish and Her Father Launch “me & dad radio” on Apple Music
Billie Eilish and her father, the actor Patrick O’Connell, have announced “me & dad radio”. The new show will premiere on Apple Music this Friday, May 8th, at 3 pm EDT. This will be Eilish’s second program on Apple Music, after her 2018 show “groupies have feelings too”. That preceded her Grammy-winning breakout LP, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, and now she has the clout to demand her dad be a part of the proceedings. O’Connell has a four-decade acting career, with bit parts in NYPD Blue, The West Wing, Supergirl and Baskets. As it turns out, he also has pretty good taste in tunes. “My dad and I have been putting each other on to music since I can remember, and we want to share it with you,” Eilish told Zane Lowe. She added, “My dad and I have had this relationshi...
10 Famous Beatles Locations You Can Visit
On Location is a new series that brings to life the places you know from songs, album covers, and music history. Consider it a blur between travel guide and liner notes to your favorite albums. The Beatles: you’ve heard the songs, seen the footage, and heard about the places. What you may not have done yet, though, is step into their world. The Midas touch of the Fab Four has turned everyday locations from London to Liverpool — such as a crosswalk, an office building, a local street, and a pub — into some of the most iconic locations in music history. To see these locations in person for the first time is like finally being in the same place as a partner with whom you’re in a long-distance relationship: they’re always there, but to be able to actually see them adds an almost indescri...
Kitty Talks Getting Scratched From ‘Masked Singer’ After Proving She’s ‘Not Just a Little Girl With a Big Voice’
[Spoiler alert: This story contains the identity of the eliminated contestant on Wednesday night’s (May 6) The Masked Singer.] It’s getting down to the wire on The Masked Singer. Wednesday night’s show had the top five facing off after the previous week’s bouncing of Astronaut Hunter Hayes. You would imagine that, at this point, we’re dealing with some serious pipes on the remaining contenders for the crown: Kitty, Rhino, Frog, Night Angel and Turtle. So let’s focus on Kitty, shall we? She’s been one of the most consistent contestants all season, nailing the sultry take on Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend,” crushing Sia’s “Unstoppable” and Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” putting on a pop clinic with Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman,” as we...
