Pop
Courtney Love: Lana Del Rey and Kurt Cobain “Are the Only Two True Musical Geniuses”
Courtney Love showered Lana Del Rey with the ultimate praise in a new interview, likening the pop singer to her late husband Kurt Cobain. “Lana and Kurt are the only two true musical geniuses I’ve ever known,” Love said during an appearance on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast (via Stereogum). “And by that I mean they can Spielberg anything.” Love specifically cited Lana Del Rey reciting Allen Ginsberg’s Howl and Nirvana covering Meat Puppets on MTV Unplugged as examples of how the two musicians “Spielberged” it. “[Del Rey’s] got the integrity that Kurt had,” Love added. “The only two people I know that I can say… By the way, [Michael] Stipe? Bono? Yes, these are people that I know and love. Billie Joe [Armstrong], sure. But Lana? She’s got a magic thing. And she’s not even fucked up.” Advertisemen...
Halsey’s 10 Best Songs
There aren’t many self-release success stories quite like that of Halsey. When her original song “Ghost” was released to SoundCloud back in 2014, it instantly began to gain attention. With her very first release, Halsey was already on the map. In the years since, Halsey has become a reliable source of honest lyricism, innovative and creative concept albums, music video and film direction, and a deeply personal form of artistry. Over four full albums — from Badlands to If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power — Halsey has played with genre and self-mythology, constructing and deconstructing narratives as they see fit. It’s hard to narrow down their discography, so diverse in genre, to just ten songs, but we set out to give it a try. Advertisement Check out our list of ten favorite ...
Barack Obama Reveals His Favorite Songs of 2022
Barack Obama is getting in on the fun of list season by sharing his favorite songs of 2022. Some one may have taken a peak at our own top songs list (hi, Obama!), as the former president included five of our favorites: SZA’s “Shirt,” Ethel Cain’s “American Teenager,” Danger Mouse and Black Thought’s “Belize” featuring MF DOOM, Plains’ “Problem With It,” and Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange.” Sadly, our favorite song of the year — Paramore’s “This Is Why” — did not make Obama’s list. #JusticeForParamore. Obama’s list also includes songs like Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” Rosalía’s “SAOKO,” Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó,” Maggie Rogers’ “That’s Where I Am,” Burna Boy’s “Last Last,” NxWorries’ “Where I Go” featuring H.E.R., and Kendrick Lamar’s non-album hype trac...
Gwen Stefani Remembers Late No Doubt Member John Spence: ‘Today and Always’
Gwen Stefani honored the memory of one of No Doubt‘s founding members, John Spence, in a tribute posted 35 years after his death. Spence was the original lead singer in the earliest days of the Anaheim, Calif., group, while Stefani provided backing vocals. The first version of No Doubt — with a name inspired by a phrase Spence often said — was formed in 1986. “For some reason there was automatically this built-in following,” Stefani said in a 1996 interview with Spin. “People loved the fact that it was a girl, that it was 2-Tone, that it was me and John up there.” A year later, Spence died by suicide at the age of 18. “remembering John Spence today, and always,” Stefani wrote of the late singer and friend on Instagram Wednesday (Dec. 21). The pop star and Voice coach shared six photos on h...
Frank Zappa in 10 Songs
This feature was originally published in August 2012, but we’re dusting it off for Zappa’s birthday on December 21st. Ever felt overwhelmed by an artist’s extensive back catalog? Been meaning to check out a band, but you just don’t know where to begin? In 10 Songs is here to help, offering a crash course and entry point into the daunting discographies of iconic artists of all genres. This is your first step toward fandom. Take it. You’re a Serious Music Fan. You like artists who have a “Genius With a Capital G” tag affixed to them. You’re looking to immerse yourself in the world of a composer who will always keep you guessing, a musician who gave great interviews, broke new ground every time his or her feet touched the floor, and has a catalog so densely packed that it would make even Robe...
Oscars 2023: LCD Soundsystem, Mitski and David Byrne, Taylor Swift on Shortlist for Best Original Song
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed shortlists for 2023 Oscar nominees in several categories, including Best Original Song, Best Original Score, and Best Documentary Feature. In the original song category, a longlist of 82 initial nominees has been whittled down to 15. They include songs by LCD Soundsystem (“New Body Rhumba” from White Noise); Mitski, David Byrne, and Son Lux (“This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once); Taylor Swift (“Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing); Rihanna (“Life Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever); Lady Gaga (“Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick); and The Weeknd (“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from Avatar: The Way of Water). The shortlist for Best Original Score includes compositions from Composer of the ...
Nicole Scherzinger Is ‘Down for a Collab’ With Taylor Swift
When she grows up, she wannabe famous, wannabe a star, wannabe … Taylor Swift‘s next collaborator. Nicole Scherzinger shared with followers in a Tuesday (Dec. 20) TikTok that the door is definitely open if a certain 11-time Grammy-winning pop star ever wants to get into the studio together. In the TikTok, the former Pussycat Dolls star stands in a recording booth, dressed in a black dress. Singing into a microphone, she jams out to a mashup of Swift’s latest No. 1 single, “Anti-Hero,” and “Buttons,” one of Scherzinger’s own hits. “I’d be down for a collab @Taylor Swift 😏🖤,” she captioned the video. Scherzinger posted the TikTok in response to one fan who thought she had been teasing a Swift collab in a previous video, in which she’d worn another all-black outfit and dark na...
Shania Twain Opens Up About ‘How Good It Felt’ Posing Topless: ‘I‘m Comfortable in My Own Skin’
The best thing about bein’ a woman is the prerogative to have confidence in your body, no matter what stage of life you’re in. That’s exactly how Shania Twain feels, anyway. In a recent interview with People, the 57-year-old country–pop star opened up about why she chose to pose topless for the cover artwork of her September single “Waking Up Dreaming,” set to appear on her February album Queen of Me. “This is me expressing my truth,” she shared. “I’m comfortable in my own skin, and this is the way I am sharing that confidence.” “I think the best fashion is confidence, and whatever you wear — if you’re wearing it with that, it’s fashionable,” she continued. “I am a woman in my late 50s, and I don’t need to hide behind the clothes. I can’t even tell you how good it felt to do nude sho...
John Mayer Reveals Who ‘Your Body Is a Wonderland‘ Is About on ’Call Her Daddy’ Holiday Special
John Mayer stopped by Call Her Daddy for the hit podcast’s first-ever holiday special and spilled some major tea about his breakout hit “Your Body Is a Wonderland.” The topic came up when host Alex Cooper asked the rocker what he was like in high school, in an episode that dropped Tuesday night (Dec. 20). “I didn’t have a presence,” Mayer admitted. “So I think that one of the bigger misnomers about me is that there’s like a jocky-ness to me, you know? Like there’s an alpha, musician jocky-ness to me and the bottom line is, like, I went to school to get it over with. And my life began at 3 o’clock in the afternoon when I came home and played guitar.” Cooper was quick to point out that just a few years after graduating from high school, he was winning his first Grammy for 2002’s “Your Body I...
‘Smooth Like Butter’: This BTS Collab Is Perfect for Beauty Lovers
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. The Bangtan Boys dropped a new collaboration for beauty-loving members of the BTS Army! BTS and the South Korean beauty giant Laneige teamed up for a special edition of the brand’s lip sleeping mask set. The Laneige BTS x Amorepacific Lip Sleeping Mask Lip & Pop Edition Set features three delicious scents inspired by the BTS singles “Butter,” “Permission to Dance” and “Dynamite.” Available at Sephora.com and Laneige.com, the $35 set includes an exclusive “Butter” flavor (that smells like buttered popcorn) along with a couple of fan-favorite scents: ...
JoJo Siwa Claims She Was Used ‘for Clout’ After Avery Cyrus Split: ‘I Got Played’
Trouble is brewing for JoJo Siwa and ex-girlfriend Avery Cyrus. The former Dance Moms star recently claimed that she had been “used” for internet fame by someone she thought she was “in love” with, harsh words presumably aimed at Cyrus, who revealed only days prior that she and Siwa had broken up after dating briefly. On Monday (Dec. 19), JoJo’s mom Jessalynn Siwa posted a video to her own Instagram Stories of her daughter talking heatedly. In the video, the “Boomerang” singer paces back and forth as Jessalynn asks, “Why are you mad?” “Because I got used!” JoJo responds. When asked by her mom what exactly she was used for for, JoJo keeps going. “For views and for clout,” she continues, still pacing, though never naming Cyrus. “I got tricked into being told I was loved and I got f–king...
Justin Bieber Claims H&M Released Merch Collection Without His Permission
Justin Bieber is calling out retail clothing company H&M for selling products featuring his image and song lyrics, claiming that the items were released without his approval. “I DIDNT APPROVE ANY OF THE MERCH COLLECTION THAT THEY PUT UP AT H&M,” Bieber wrote in an Instagram Story on Monday afternoon (Dec. 19), adding that it was done “all without my permission and approval SMH I WOULDNT BUY IT IF I WERE YOU.” “The H&M MERCH THEY MADE OF ME IS TRASH AND I DIDNT APPROVE IT DONT BUY IT,” he emphasized in a second Instagram Story. Bieber was referring to items that appeared online on H&M’s website including a tote bag, a sweatshirt, a sweatshirt dress and more. On a fan Instagram account that shared images of some of the products, Bieber left the comment “When everyone finds ou...
