Pop
Taylor Swift Spent Her 33rd Birthday ‘In the Studio’: ‘Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way’
Does Taylor Swift ever take a day off? On the day of her birthday Tuesday (Dec. 13), the newly 33-year-old pop star revealed that she’d celebrated the occasion by doing what she does best: working hard in the studio. In a photo posted to Instagram on the night of her birthday, Swift sits on the floor in front of stacks of keyboards and control panels, holding up three fingers on each hand in honor of the third year of her third decade of life. Lying across her lap is a huge upright bass, while none other than her go-to producer Jack Antonoff sits to her right, holding an acoustic guitar. “Thanks for all the beautiful wishes today!!” wrote the “All Too Well” singer in her caption. “I spent my 33rd birthday in the studio of course 😏 Wouldn’t have it any other way. Love you!” In the p...
Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of 2022: No. 6 — Lizzo
For this year’s update of our ongoing Greatest Pop Star by Year project, Billboard is counting down our staff picks for the top 10 pop stars of 2022 all this week. At No. 6, we remember the year in Lizzo — who once again used a runaway viral smash as a springboard to total pop cultural ubiquity. The year 2022 was not just a ‘Special’ one for Lizzo – it was the year she proved that she could navigate and command the pop landscape alongside splashy newcomers and veterans alike. Three years removed from her seismic breakthrough with Cuz I Love You, Lizzo had entered the new decade unproven as a major force in pop music. In 2021, she unveiled “Rumors,” a Cardi B-assisted standalone single that debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and fizzled out too quic...
Cyndi Lauper Performs “True Colors” As Biden Signs Respect for Marriage Act: Watch
President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday, protecting same-sex and interracial marriage under federal law. To celebrate the move, Cyndi Lauper and Sam Smith appeared at the White House signing ceremony to perform “True Colors” and “Stay With Me,” respectively. “This time, love wins,” Lauper said before kicking into “True Colors.” Without a backing track, the artist belted out her famous “Don’t be afraid” refrain supported only by acoustic guitar and a dulcimer. Toward the end of the performance, after a long high note, the audience broke into applause before Lauper, fist in the air, said, “Power to all the people.” Released in 1986, Lauper has said “True Colors” was partly inspired by her friend Gregory Natal, who passed away due to complications from HIV/AIDS. In ...
Taylor Swift “Shake It Off” Copyright Lawsuit Dropped One Month Ahead of Trial
Taylor Swift has reached an agreement with two songwriters who allege some of the lyrics to her 2014 hit “Shake It Off” were lifted from 3LW’s “Playas Gon’ Play” to drop their copyright lawsuit, which had been going on for five years. Attorneys for both Swift and songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler participated in a joint filing asking a judge to “[dimiss] this action in its entirety” (via Billboard) ahead of the scheduled trial, which was set to begin in January 2023. The public filings didn’t disclose any terms of the presumed settlement, like a change in songwriting credits or an exchange of money. Hall and Butler filed the lawsuit back in September 2017, claiming “Shake It Off” stole the lyrics “players gonna play” and “haters gonna hate” from “Playas Gon’ Play.” US District Judge ...
How to Get Tickets to Janet Jackson’s 2023 Tour
Janet Jackson has set the dates for her 2023 “Together Again” tour, and tickets will lift The Velvet Rope for fans to her first tour in four years. Get tickets here, and read on for more details including pre-sale dates. What Is Janet Jackson’s Next Tour? The “Together Again” tour will launch in Hollywood, Florida on April 14th. Jackson will hit Orlando; Savannah, Georgia; and Birmingham, Alabama in the first week, then performs in Columbia, South Carolina; Atlanta; and Memphis in the second. She closes April in St. Louis, then opens the next month in Kansas City, Missouri. Advertisement Related Video Jackson will play Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on May 4th and Bristow, Virginia’s Jiffy Lube Live on May 6th before headlining New York City’s Madison Square Garden on May 9th. She’ll c...
10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through the Week: Rebecca Black, UPSAHL, Cuco & More
Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week – particularly as we get within striking distance of the end of the year? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news These 10 tracks from artists like Rebecca Black, UPSAHL, Bree Runway & Stormzy, Cuco, BLK ODYSSY & BNXN (fka Buju) will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists — or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10. UPSAHL, “Kickflip” UPSAHL’s new EP Sagittarius explores complementary and contradictory facets of her personality. Opening track “Kickflip” finds the alt singer-songwriter in an uncompromised stat...
Jewel Takes Over ‘Kellyoke’ for ‘Merry Little Christmas’ Cover
It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Jewel to take the reins at The Kelly Clarkson Show. With Kelly Clarkson home sick, the pop star stepped in to deliver a “Kellyoke” cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” on Monday (Dec. 12). “As always, we’re gonna dive straight in with music,” the host announced via satellite from her home, “except this is a little different — I’m very excited. Instead of a standard ‘Kellyoke,’ I have a good friend and super talented singer, she’s right there to lift you up with a signature song of the season.” From there, Jewel launched into a wistful, jazz-tinged rendition of the holiday standard, singing, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas/ Let your heart be light/ From now on, our troubles will be out of sight/ Through the years, we all will...
Taylor Swift to Release Additional Eras Tour Tickets for Verified Fans
Taylor Swift gave some Swifties an early Christmas present on Monday morning (Dec. 12) when some fans who signed up for the Verified Fan presale for her Eras Tour last month who were unable to land tickets were notified that they were getting a second chance. An unknown number of fans who signed up for the Ticketmaster Verified Fan pre-sale who were locked out when shows went on sale last month due to a crush of demand were notified that they will have an opportunity to participate in an upcoming sale. Taylor Swift Fans Sue Ticketmaster Over Tour Presale Debacle: ‘Massive Disaster’ 12/12/2022 “Congratulations, you have been selected to participate in a limited-time opportunity to request to purchase 2 tickets to Taylor Swift The Eras Tour,’ read the note. “You were selected for this opport...
How Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Bad Bunny All Found Space to Thrive In 2022
When the 2023 Grammy Award nominations were announced in mid-November, the Big Four categories included a slew of household names: Beyoncé, Adele, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, Doja Cat, Lizzo. None of them were surprises. The Grammy noms were star-studded to reflect the past year in popular music: Following a pandemic-stricken period in which pop’s upper tier mostly held off on releasing new projects, 2022 was dominated by the A-listers, many of whom made good on the commercial promise of their returns and added new hits to their impressive résumés. “We’ve had almost every global superstar release music within a 12- to 18-month span,” says Joe Hadley, Spotify global head of artist partnerships and audience. Some of that overabundance of big names can sur...
Miley Cyrus Reveals Some of Her ‘New Year’s Eve Party’ Lineup on ‘The Tonight Show’
Miley Cyrus has announced some of the guests who will ring in 2023 with her and Dolly Parton for NBC’s annual New Year’s Eve special. Cyrus stopped by The Tonight Show this weekend to have a chat with Jimmy Fallon about the upcoming holiday show, revealing that Sia, Latto and Rae Sremmurd are among the other musical artists who will be joining the festivities. “Sia is coming. She’s one of my favorite artists,” Cyrus told Fallon. She continued, “We have Latto.” And Cyrus rounded out the reveal to announce the news that “Rae Sremmurd, who are friends of mine,” will be appearing. Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party is set to air on NBC Dec. 31, live from Miami. “As we get closer to the show, I want to start revealing who else we have. But the lineup is very me. It is curated in a way ...
Gwen Stefani and Sheryl Crow Compete in an Axe-Throwing Contest: Watch
Who do you have in an axe-throwing contest: Gwen Stefani or Sheryl Crow? The new USA game show Barmageddon answers that age-old question in a new clip that you can watch below. Barmageddon lines up celebrities to compete in pub games like darts, pool, and, yes, axe-throwing. Hosted by WWE star Nikki Bella and created by Blake Shelton, Lee Metzger, and Carson Daly, it makes sense that Stefani, Shelton’s wife, would be an early guest on the series. Shelton attempts to cheer on Stefani in the axe-throwing clip, dubbed “Drunken Axe Hole,” but the No Doubt singer fails to hit the board in her three shots. Crow, meanwhile, kind of kills it, hitting the board on her first shot pretty damn close to the bullseye. “What the hell?!” Stefani asks, speaking for all of us. Advertisement Related Video Ea...
LA3C Day One Best Moments: SEVENTEEN, Snoop Dogg & More
Penske Media Corporation’s new music, art and food festival LA3C launched on Saturday (Dec. 10) at Los Angeles State Historic Park, bringing some of the top stars from every musical genre together for a day that shined bright despite the gloomy weather. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news From SEVENTEEN‘s fiery hour-long set to Snoop Dogg‘s breezy performance and Lil Baby‘s headlining moment, the inaugural LA3C sent fans back to their own homes more than happy — and ready for day two. See day one’s best moments below. Shawn Wasabi’s Colorful Visuals Besides being a creative producer who makes tracks by using his own curated sounds as well as samples from everything — yes, everything, including iPhone alarms, games, doors clos...
