Selena Gomez took to social media on Thursday (Dec. 26) to share a sweet Christmas message in the midst of signing copies of her yet-to-be-released third solo album, Rare.
«Merry Christmas and many, many blessings to you and your close loved ones!!» the pop star captioned a carousel of pictures from an undisclosed snowy locale before plugging the release date for her upcoming LP. «4,000 down 6,000 more to go RARE is coming out Jan 10th.»
With just two weeks to go before Rare drops, Gomez has been steadily ramping up her promotion of the album, which was preceded by No. 1 hit «Lose You to Love Me» and feel-good single «Look at Her Now.»
Justin spent the holiday in Canada with wife Hailey and his family.
Justin Bieber was feeling the Christmas cheer on Dec. 25, so much that he decided to bust out some hits from his 2011 holiday album, Under the Mistletoe, live from his car.
The Biebs shared three videos to his Instagram on Wednesday (Dec. 25), beginning with a rendition of «Christmas Eve.» Clad in a pair of festive red and green plaid pajama pants with a matching green sweatshirt, Bieber also sang along to «Mistletoe» and «Santa Claus Is Coming to Town» — and judging by his smile, he had a great time doing it.
Along with his silly videos, Bieber posted some photos from his family Christmas celebrations in Canada: a shot of his younger sisters Allie and Jazmyn (who were sporting Drew sweatshirts, naturally) and a pic sharing a kiss with his wife, Hailey, as his little cousin sits on his lap. Hailey also shared selfies from their Canadian Christmas, including four Polaroids of herself and Justin sharing some cute moments together.
It’s been a busy holiday for Justin, as he spent Christmas Eve announcing a massive 2020 tour as well as a new single titled «Yummy» — which arrives Jan. 3 — and a docu-series that will include «all different stories,» as he teased in a 90-second video. Bieber has clearly been keeping watch on how fans are reacting to the big news, as he shared a 3-minute video of one very overwhelmed Belieber bursting into tears upon seeing the vid.
Adele gave us a sweet early Christmas present on Monday (Dec. 23), even if it wasn’t the one we were looking for. No, there’s no new music coming from the «Hello» singer (at least as far as we know), but she did post a sweet pic with an old friend that is sure to put a smile on your face.
«We both tried to ruin Christmas but then both our hearts grew!» Adele wrote alongside a black-and-white picture of her in a ruffled black dress standing back-to-back with someone dressed as the Dr. Seuss holiday baddies amid falling snow with London in the background.
«Thank you for coming to my party and making us feel like kids Grinch,» she added, wishing a Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all her fans.
Earlier this year, Adele reportedly began work on the follow-up to 25, which broke the record for biggest first-week album sales following its 2015 release. While making a highly publicized visit to a New York drag bar in March, she confirmed she was “working” in the city (she had been photographed entering Manhattan’s Electric Lady Studios) and, two months later, on her 31st birthday, she teased in a cheeky Instagram caption that “30 will be a drum n bass record” — but a rumored November date came and went.
On Tuesday (Dec. 24), Miley Cyrus shared several black-and-white photos of her family on Instagram. In the pictures, the Cyrus’ are seen on getting cozy next to one another on a porch decorated with Christmas lights.
«Happy Holidays from America’s most dysfunctional family,» the pop superstar captioned the post.
In the days leading up to Christmas, Cyrus shared an emotional throwback to 2015’s «Sad Christmas Song,» which she wrote while driving from Malibu to her L.A. studio. The somber track was recorded with Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz collaborators Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips.
«Was feeling like s–t cause I couldn’t be with the one I loved,» she wrote on Instagram. «Even with a house full of family and friends I still felt alone. In ways that still feels relevant and someone reading this right now could possibly relate!»
See the Cyrus family holiday photos and listen to Miley’s «Sad Christmas Song» below.
It was a big week for Mariah Carey, whose holiday classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You” finally hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 after 25 years. Coincidentally, the pop legend is also this week’s Billboard cover star, and she talked all about her iconic Christmas tune and how she’s managed to build such an empire around the holiday.
In other news this week, Harry Styles crushed a cover of Lizzo’s “Juice,” Jay-Z shared his favorite songs of 2019, and Billie Eilish turned 18 years old. Plus, both The Voice and The Masked Singer crowned their latest champions.
Check out some of the biggest music happenings this week below — and beware, there’s some spoilers in here!
Juice WRLD’s girlfriend delivered a heartfelt tribute to the late rapper
The final set of Los Angeles’ Rolling Loud festival on Sunday night (Dec. 15) was dedicated to the late Juice WRLD, which featured tribute performances from A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, YBN Cordae and G Herbo. The most touching moment came from Juice WRLD’s girlfriend, Ally Lotti, who declared to the fans, “He literally loved every single one of you guys.” And his fans loved him back: Juice posthumously hit No. 1 on the Artist 100 chart, and seven of his songs landed on the Hot 100 in the wake of his death.
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” finally hit No. 1
Twenty-five years after its release, Mariah Carey’s «All I Want For Christmas Is You» finally ascended to the top of the Hot 100, making history as the icon’s 19th No. 1 hit just one day after she sold out Madison Square Garden. Carey took to social media to celebrate the milestone with her beloved Lambily, tweeting simply, «We did it» with a host of festive (and emotional) emojis.
Cardi B’s daughter showed off her musical chops
With two artists as parents, it’s no surprise Cardi B and Offset’s daughter, Kulture, loves to sing too. Cardi shared an adorable video of Kulture singing the children’s classic “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” with her aunt Hennessy on Tuesday (Dec. 17), which made fans melt. It was even too much for Hennessy to handle, as she wrote in a comment on the video, “AUNTIESSSSS SMART BABYYYYYY. I LOVEEEEE Herrr sooooooooo much!!!! :’)))).”
The Voice found its 17th winner on Tuesday (Dec. 17), with country singer Jake Hoot beating out runner-up Ricky Duran, Katie Kadan and Rose Short. The triumph marks Kelly Clarkson’s third win in just four seasons as a coach, following her victories with Season 14’s Brynn Cartelli and Season 15’s Chevel Shepherd.
Billie Eilish turned 18
Billie Eilish rang in her 18th birthday on Wednesday (Dec. 18) by sharing a cute throwback video on social media. The clip features adorable vignettes of Billboard‘s future Woman of the Year playing music as a youngster interspersed with footage of Eilish now selling out arenas around the world, all while her song «8» soundtracks the journey. Eilish’s brother and right-hand music man Finneas shared a sweet post for her birthday, saying “I love you more than life itself.”
Harry Styles covered Lizzo
Since releasing his sophomore album, Fine Line, last week, Harry Styles has been a very busy guy. This week, he stopped by both The Ellen DeGeneres Show and BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge — and while the Ellen appearance featured a hilarious prank on a pizza delivery guy, there was nothing quite like his cover of Lizzo’s “Juice.” Styles tackled the sassy song for one of his four Live Lounge performances, and yes, it’s as incredible as you’d hope:
BTS made big plans for New Year’s Eve
One year after appearing on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with a pre-recorded performance, BTS will be part of the New Year’s festivities live in Times Square to ring in 2020. The K-pop superstars were announced as performers for the New York City telecast, which will be headlined by Post Malone and will also feature performances from Sam Hunt, Alanis Morissette, and the cast of the Broadway musical Jagged Little Pill.
The Masked Singer also found a winner
The second season of the hit Fox network reality karaoke show came down to the Rottweiler (Chris Daughtry) and the Fox (Wayne Brady), with Brady coming out victorious after delivering a stirring rendition of Otis Redding’s «Try a Little Tenderness.” Both Daughtry and Brady chatted with Billboard about their Masked Singer experiences, with Brady admitting that the show made him the “happiest I’ve been in a long time.”
Lizzo, Bette Midler and More Reacted to Trump’s impeachment
Wednesday proved historic, as the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, marking the third time in history that a president was charged with committing high crimes and misdemeanors. Social media lit up once the decision was final, with Lizzo, Bette Midler, Bernie Sanders and plenty more expressing their (all very excited) thoughts. The “Truth Hurts” singer summed up the reactions best: “I’m having a great day!”
Mariah Carey discussed her Christmas empire for Billboard’s cover
Just days after “All I Want For Christmas Is You” hit No. 1, Mariah Carey rightfully graced the Billboard cover — in divalicious, hair-blown fashion — for a deep-dive into the Christmas legacy she’s created. Carey recounted how her passion for the holiday began at an early age, and how that translated into making Christmas such a big part of her career. “What I’ve tried to do is take what I always wished Christmas would be and have the perfect holiday season,” she said. “For me, it’s not just making a Christmas album for the sake of jumping on a bandwagon. It’s literally exorcising the demons that I had to battle as a child and coming out still feeling festive.” Read more here.
Jay-Z shared his top tracks of 2019
Jay-Z took to Tidal Thursday (Dec. 19) to reveal his favorite tracks of 2019, unveiling a 40-song playlist appropriately dubbed “Jay-Z’s Year End Picks 2019.” His picks included tracks from hip-hop superstars like Drake and Travis Scott, while also highlighting some of the year’s breakthrough stars like Roddy Ricch and Summer Walker. Check out the full playlist here.
Nick Cannon added another diss track to his Eminem feud
It ain’t over until Nick Cannon says so, apparently. Just when you thought the Nick Cannon/Eminem feud had fizzled, Cannon fired a third diss track on Thursday. Titled «Canceled: Invitation,» the nearly five-minute song sees Cannon firing more scathing disses at the “Lose Yourself” rapper, incorporating clips of Em’s controversial track “Foolish Pride” from 1993. Cannon seems to think this diss track might put the nail in the coffin, as he tweeted «Trilogies are my favorite” and “Welp! The Invitation has expired” shortly after dropping the song. We’ll see if and when Em decides to keep this going…
First Stream
With the holidays around the corner, New Music Friday isn’t as fruitful as usual. But luckily, Future, Young Thug and Travis Scott, and DaniLeigh decided to give us some new tunes to bump while we wrap presents. Young Thug recruited Travis Scott to close out their major years in epic fashion with «Hop Off a Jet,» DaniLeigh dropped a short-but-sweet EP (appropriately titled My Present), and Future curated a compilation of rising MCs for 1800 Tequila’s 1800 Seconds series. On top of that, two highly anticipated soundtracks arrived, with the Cats and Star Wars albums adding some cinematic flair to the holiday season. Check out the full rundown of this week’s new music here!
This article was originally published by: Billboard
Could new Justin Bieber music be right around the corner? The superstar took to social media on Friday (Dec. 20) to potentially tease a release date for his long-awaited follow-up to 2015’s Purpose.
«December 24, December 31, January 3 …» he captioned a cryptic Instagram post of the year 2020 spelled out on a black background, possibly hinting that new music could drop the evening of Jan. 3 or at midnight the following day.
This is hardly the first time the pop star has sent his Beliebers into a frenzy over what’s coming down the pipeline in recent months. Back in October, Bieber declared he was «putting out an album this year» via Instagram Live — and even went as far as promising fans the LP would arrive before Christmas if a now-removed post received 20 million likes — though the exact date seems to have been pushed back until after the new year.
Whenever it arrives, the album will be the singer’s follow-up to recent collaborations with the likes of Dan + Shay («10,000 Hours), Billie Eilish («Bad Guy») and Ed Sheeran («I Don’t Care»).
Your Queen of Christmas was back on Wednesday night (Dec. 18) to spread more cheer.
Your Christmas Queen was back on The Late Late Show for the second appearance in her three-night run on Wednesday night (Dec. 18), busting out the melancholy «Christmas Time is in the Air Again.» The jazzy ballad from Mariah Carey’s 2010 Merry Christmas II You collection took the chill out of the air with a string section and piano accompaniment as Carey sang about falling in love at the most wonderful time of the year.
«Mr. Grinch simply can’t resist/ Warming up when he looks our way/ Even Old Scrooge makes a Christmas wish/ For a honey to hold Christmas day/ And to feel love like ours always/ La da da, da da dum,» she sang while rocking a plunging neckline silver dress with a white furry stole draped on her arms and her neck ringed in eye-popping bling.
The warm and fuzzy performance followed up Tuesday night’s rocking Late Late run through «Oh Santa» from the same album. Carey, of course, has a lot to celebrate this season, as her beloved «All I Want For Christmas Is You» finally ascended to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 after 25 years.
Watch the performance below.
This article was originally published by: Billboard
Dua Lipa is finally unveiling her highly-anticipated sophomore album, Future Nostalgia, in 2020, and she recently chatted with Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s Beats 1 about growing as an artist.
«When I started [making] Future Nostalgia, I had a couple people be like, ‘All right, you sure this is what you want to do?’ Because obviously it is so different from the last record and the last record had the success it did, but I felt, as an artist, I had to grow and I had to mature,» she explained. «After touring for so long, I wanted it to be more instrumental and I felt more comfortable in the studio, so I kind of went in and gave my two cents on what I would want the production to sound like, which wasn’t something that I did on my first record.»
With songs that scream «You don’t need him,» like «New Rules,» «IDGAF» and, most recently, «Don’t Start Now,» it’s no surprise that Lipa takes every opportunity to stand up for her fellow women. «I spoke about like women in Saudi Arabia and the rights and the things that happen or like if I’m supporting different charities and talking about certain things, especially women protesting about women’s rights…It does wind people up. I think that the whole abortion rights as well, that definitely kicked up a fuss…I’m never going to shy away from that and I feel like I have to be a voice for my audience as well because they gave me that platform for that reason.»
One of the songs on her album, which she calls «lyrically» her favorite, is «about being a woman in general.»
«What it’s like walking home at night, what it’s like different things that as a gal I feel like we have to kind of live through and go through and that people don’t necessarily think is a struggle for us,» she said. «It’s really kind of like cutting really straight to the point kind of lyrics, which is something like, as an example, when I’d walk home from school and it would be dark and there’d be boys in the streets on their bicycles or whatever. I would walk down the street like Wolverine with my keys through my knuckles and just run up to my house.
Miley Cyrus brought some music to her Happy Hippie Foundation holiday party at My Friend’s Place in Los Angeles. Accompanied by Cody Simpson, family members Billy Ray, Tish and Noah Cyrus and more, the singer took part in a little jam session.
The group sang Billy Ray and Lil Nas X’s «Old Town Road» together and got festive with a rendition of «Silent Night.»
«@happyhippiefdn holiday party @myfriendsplace was a success once again!» Cyrus wrote on Instagram, where she shared videos Friday night (Dec. 13). «always blown away by the young people I meet at MFP! There is always so much love and talent! Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating this special time of year with HH!»
The Happy Hippie Foundation is Miley’s organization that fights injustice facing homeless youth, LGBTQ youth and other vulnerable populations, and My Friend’s Place provides assistance to homeless youth.
For as long as he has been making music, Harry Styles has had his sexuality questioned by fans at every turn. Whether it’s in the lyrics to his songs, the cover art for his albums or his proclivity to hoist up Pride flags when performing live, fans have found «evidence» online that they believe points to the star being bisexual.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Styles finally spoke up about the online rumors. During a conversation about his decision to occasionally wear stereotypically-feminine clothing, and what he sees as the «freeing» time we’re living in, interviewer Tom Lamont steered the conversation toward his sexuality, asking if he’d ever been asked about it. «Um. I guess I haaaaave been asked?» he responded. «But, I dunno. Why?”
When Lamont asked if he was wondering why people ask the question, Styles confirmed, saying that he wasn’t hiding anything from anyone. «It’s not like I’m sitting on an answer, and protecting it, and holding it back,» he said. «It’s not a case of ‘I’m not telling you cos I don’t want to tell you’. It’s not ‘Ooh this is mine and it’s not yours’ … It’s: ‘Who cares?’ Does that make sense? It’s just: ‘Who cares?’”
Lamont presented Styles with the observations his fans made about his Fine Line album cover, comparing it to the bisexual and transgender Pride flags. But Styles quickly shut down any speculation that he may be queerbaiting his fans. «Am I sprinkling in nuggets of sexual ambiguity to try and be more interesting? No,» he said, before saying that ultimately, he’s just trying to do what he thinks looks cool. «I want things to look a certain way. Not because it makes me look gay, or it makes me look straight, or it makes me look bisexual, but because I think it looks cool. And more than that, I dunno, I just think sexuality’s something that’s fun. Honestly? I can’t say I’ve given it any more thought than that.”
Later on in the interview, Styles made it clear that he actually doesn’t mind being asked about his sexuality, but that he gets bothered when people demand him to answer those questions. «What I would say, about the whole being-asked-about-my-sexuality thing — this is a job where you might get asked,» he said. «And to complain about it, to say you hate it, and still do the job, that’s just silly. You respect that someone’s gonna ask. And you hope that they respect they might not get an answer.»
Read Styles’ full intertview with The Guardian here.
This article was originally published by: Billboard
