If you’ve ever heard even one note from Fantasia Barrino‘s mouth, you know that the American Idol season three winner and The Color Purple star is a force to be reckoned with. That explains why in her essay celebrating Fantasia […]
Taylor Swift announced Tuesday night (April 16) that her new music video is set to drop shortly after her 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department arrives later this week — but she didn’t stop there. The pop star also posted a cryptic video on Instagram filled with what appears to be Easter eggs about her new era, leaving Swifties scrambling to decipher them in time.
The mysterious clip begins with an animated, first-person view of a room full of crumpled papers, colorful vinyls, photos and more items alluding to Swift’s most recent album, Midnights. It then simulates the viewer exiting the room, walking down a stark hallway and entering another wing labeled “The Tortured Poets Department,” in which a wall-hanging calendar reveals that the singer’s new visual will drop at 8 p.m. ET Friday (April 19), 20 hours after Tortured Poets arrives on streaming services.
The calendar doesn’t specify which of the 16 songs on Swift’s new record is getting the music video treatment, but it does provide a possible clue. Toward the bottom, someone jotted down 14 tally marks, potentially indicating that the song in question comes 14th on the tracklist, aka “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.”
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Or, it could be a reference to track one, “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone. (How many days are in a fortnight? That’s right, 14.)
The video comes as Swifties continue to pore over clues hidden at Spotify’s Tortured Poets library pop-up in Los Angeles, which is adorned with texts, dried flowers, figurines and more. Most enticing is a book of stationary on display in a clear case, the pages of which are turned on an unknown schedule to reveal one new lyric at a time. Recently, it bore the message, “One less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen.”
But fans may be remiss not to search for Easter eggs in Swift’s new animation, too, especially when it comes to what gets left behind in the Midnights room. Swiftie sleuths online have already begun concocting theories about the sunshine streaming in through the windows, the time displayed by a wall clock and the gel pens littered on the table (which tie back to something the pop star once said about how she mentally categorizes her songs).
See the clip, as well as a few Swiftie theories it’s inspired, below.
all the crumpled papers in the midnights room… I can’t decide if it’s the hundreds of thrown out speeches she almost said to him or the representation of her feeling like she couldn’t express herself like she wished she could pic.twitter.com/bzyufaHuQS— Fany (Taylor’s Version) 🤍✍️ (@repsgrammy) April 17, 2024
it is fascinating that we enter the TTPD room through the key hole and not the door itself…..why is it locked….why don’t we have the key….is it because the album isn’t out yet OR is there something more…..or is it just a fun little visual that means nothing pic.twitter.com/2vc2BgDkE8— hannah (tortured poet 🪶) (@hantalkstaylor) April 17, 2024
the tortured poets department room is so stark and boring because she used her best colors for his portrait & he tolerated it. I feel like the lack of color and character in this room means something🥲 #TSTTPD pic.twitter.com/XYDygHG0Xn— morgan⸆⸉ (@morgan13TV) April 17, 2024
🔍 The new “Tortured Poets Department” room also features TWO desks PLUS a second timetable on the desk that has not yet been shown up close. pic.twitter.com/8CJ7n7rXW0— SpotifySwiftie (@SpotifySwiftie) April 17, 2024
SZA is always going to make her voice heard. During her last of three shows at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, as a part of her long-running SOS Tour, the Grammy-winning “Kill Bill” singer threw vocal support behind the Palestinian people.
In fan-captured footage from the Tuesday (April 16) concert, she proclaims, “Free Palestine!” while holding what appears to be the Palestinian flag. As soon as SZA completed the phrase, the crowd cheered uproariously as the superstar continued her onstage banter.
SZA joins a growing list of musicians expressing their support for a free Palestine, including fellow Grammy nominees Kehlani, Macklemore and Kid Cudi. During the first weekend of the 2024 edition of Coachella, several artists shared similar sentiments. Headliner Tyler, the Creator donned a pin of the Palestinian flag during his performance, “On My Mama” singer Victoria Monét called to “stop the genocide” during her performance and Jerusalem-born, Gaza-raised Palestinian rapper Saint Levant paused his set to remind the crowd of the “brutal occupation” his people are currently facing.
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Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, a devastating war has been raging across Gaza and the West Bank, killing and injuring untold thousands of civilians.
The “Saturn” singer’s support of Palestine comes a few years after she opened up about her Muslim roots to Muslim Girl’s TikTok live series in commemoration of Muslim Women’s Day.
“For me, Islamophobia really kicked in fresh after 9/11. I am from a small suburban town where people have good intentions, but they’re inherently maybe closed-minded and it’s not their fault,” shared SZA, who grew up Muslim. “I think that it’s a privilege to exemplify modesty in its forms and in a closeness to God and to explore different avenues of connection with the human form, with yourself and others. And I feel like it’s very bizarre, sometimes, the general misconceptions that come and go about Islam. Violence has no connection whatsoever.”
Tuesday’s show marked the first of four mini-residencies that comprise the Australian leg of SZA’s SOS Tour. The “Snooze” singer is set for two nights at Brisbane’s Entertainment Center (April 19-20), three nights at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena (April 23-26) and three final nights at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena (April 29-May 2). SZA launched the tour back in Feb. 2023 in support of SOS — her sophomore studio album which won three Grammys, spent ten weeks atop the Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits “Kill Bill” (No. 1), “Snooze” (No. 2), “Good Days” (No. 9), “I Hate U” (No. 7) and “Nobody Gets Me” (No. 10).
Watch the fan-captured footage of SZA shouting “Free Palestine” below.
Jack Antonoff is bringing his distaste for Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) to national television. Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel Tuesday night (April 16), the producer took shots at the rapper while indulging in a mock-therapy session with the late-night host, likening the “Donda” musician to a fussy baby with an overly full diaper.
“There’s two people that I think are too oversensitive to even function, and it’s men and members of the music industry,” the Bleachers frontman explained on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, lying back in his chair while role-playing a patient in therapy. “The amount of sensitivity — it’s sort of like watching Kanye. If I saw Kanye, I’d run up to him and be like, ‘Your diaper is so full, we have to change your diaper. Your diaper needs to be changed, it’s a huge problem.’”
“The truth is, I’m not that offended,” Antonoff added, touching on Ye’s history of antisemitism, which last year cost the rapper multiple brand partnerships and led to the loss of his billionaire status. “I’m offended, but I’m not that offended, so I don’t like to play this character of overly offended. I prefer to sort of up the trolling.”
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It’s not the first time Antonoff, who is Jewish, has poked fun at Ye. In fact, it’s not even the first time he’s implied that the controversial figure is suffering from a loaded pull-up. In a February interview with the Los Angeles Times, the “Don’t Take the Money” singer quipped that the rapper “just needs his diaper changed so badly.”
“It’s been a long time since I would’ve taken Kanye’s call,” he added at the time when asked whether he’d ever work with Ye in the future. “I’m so incredibly bored when someone doesn’t have the sauce anymore, so they go elsewhere to shock. It’s just a remarkable waste of space.”
Aside from Ye’s hate speech, Antonoff has another big reason to oppose the hip-hop titan. The former Fun band member is a longtime friend and collaborator to Taylor Swift, whose tumultuous feud with Ye has been highly publicized over the years.
In January, Antonoff also called the “Gold Digger” artist a “little cry baby b—h“in a tweet upon finding out that Ye’s album Vultures 2 was slated to arrive on March 8, the same day Bleachers dropped its self-titled record. Bleachers debuted at No. 62 on the Billboard 200, while the Yeezy founder’s project was delayed.
Antonoff is fresh off his performance with Bleachers at the opening weekend of Coachella 2024, which was attended by Swift and Travis Kelce. The guitarist will take the Mojave Stage once again Saturday (April 20), when the festival resumes for a second weekend.
Watch Antonoff’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! interview above.
Zendaya might have two Emmys to her name, but she may have received her highest honor at the Challengers premiere in Los Angeles Tuesday (April 16) — and it came from Ms. Tina Knowles.
During a conversation with Variety on the red carpet, Knowles — who recently appeared in an Essence cover shoot in support of Beyoncé‘s Cécred haircare line — gushed over the Euphoria actress and her evolution from child star to leading lady.
“I love Zendaya!” she said. “The first time I saw her, I used to watch her in the Disney series with my grandson [Solange‘s son Julez Smith] and she just reeked of stardom. She is just the most gracious, beautiful girl, and she reminds me of my daughter — she’s a Virgo like my daughter [Beyoncé]!”
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Zendaya, of course, is a card-carrying member of the Beyhive. She appeared in Queen Bey’s 2016 Lemonade film, paid tribute to her iconic “Crazy In Love” Versace look at the 2021 BET Awards and attended her blockbuster 2023 Renaissance World Tour alongside boyfriend Tom Holland.
Challengers, helmed by Academy Award nominee Luca Guadagnino, finds Zendaya starring as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach who must balance both a love triangle and the quest to break her husband’s losing streak as he prepares to play against his former best friend (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend). Co-starring award-winning actors Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, Challengers opens in theaters April 26 with a score crafted by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
The film’s tennis themes also offer another bridge between Beyoncé and Zendaya. In 2022, the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer earned her first Oscar nomination for “Be Alive,” an original song she co-wrote with DIXSON for King Richard, the Will Smith-starring biopic of Venus and Serena Williams‘ father and coach, Richard Williams.
No stranger to the music world, Zendaya has landed several entries across the Billboard charts. On the Billboard Hot 100, the thespian has logged six entries including 2013’s “Replay” (No. 40), 2016’s Chris Brown-assisted “Something New” (No. 93) and 2022’s “I’m Tired” (No. 53, with Labrinth). Over on the Billboard 200, Zendaya’s 2013 self-titled debut album debut and peaked No. 51.
Watch a clip of Ms. Tina Knowles praising Zendaya below.
Tina Knowles on watching Zendaya’s evolution: “She is just the most gracious, beautiful girl, and she reminds me of my daughter — she’s a Virgo like my daughter [Beyoncé].” pic.twitter.com/MMB1hrSVlO— Variety (@Variety) April 17, 2024
They took you back to “1999” and flung you forward to “2099.” Now, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan want to make you sweat in the present tense.
On Wednesday (April 17), the pop star duo announced their co-headlining arena tour, Charli XCX & Troye Sivan Present: Sweat, set to kick off this fall. The 21-date excursion will start at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., on Sept. 14, with the pair heading through Toronto, New York City, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Dallas and plenty more stops, before wrapping up with a final show at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Oct. 23.
Sharing the stage with special guest Shygirl, Charli and Sivan will transform arenas into raves throughout the Sweat tour, with a press release adding that the show will be “not only a celebration of their individual successes, but it is also a testament to their commitment to inclusivity and diversity within the music industry.” Fans can sign up for the advance presale until April 25 at the tour’s official website.
The news comes on the heels of Charli announcing the official dates for her own international arena tour in support of her forthcoming album Brat (due out June 7 via Atlantic), with shows set to start on June 1 in Barcelona. Sivan, meanwhile, will embark on his long-awaited European tour supporting his 2023 LP Something to Give Each Other starting in May.
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In an interview with Billboard in March, Charli teased that fans can expect her new album to sound “aggresive and confrontational,” while also remaining “conversational and personal.” Speaking about the writing, she said, “I’m over the idea of metaphor and flowery lyricism and not saying exactly what I think, the way I would say it to a friend in a text message. This record is all the things I would talk about with my friends, said exactly how I would say them.”
Artist presale for Charli XCX & Troye Sivan Present: Sweat begins Thursday, April 25, at 10 a.m. local time, with the general on-sale beginning Friday, April 26, at 10 a.m local time on Live Nation’s website. Check out the official dates for the tour below:
Troye Sivan and Charli XCX
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YoungBoy Never Broke Again (aka NBA YoungBoy) was arrested Tuesday (April 16) in Utah, where he has been under house arrest for more than two years while awaiting trial on federal gun charges. The rapper (real name Kentrell Gaulden) was […]
The 2024 Tribeca Festival is just around the corner and this year’s selections feature a number of anticipated documentaries about musical luminaries from the rock, pop, country and EDM worlds.
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The festivities will kick-off on June 5 with the world premiere of Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, a profile of the life of the fashion designer and cultural icon directed by Tribeca alum Trish Dalton and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
Over the course of nearly two weeks (June 5-16) the fest will feature screenings of a number of important music docs, including They All Came Out to Montreux, a look at the half century-old annual jazz festival in Switzerland featuring Prince, Carlos Santana, Sting, Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards.
Attendees will also be able to check out Linda Perry: Let It Die Here, a look at the mega-successful former 4 Non Blondes singer-turned-songwriter-producer featuring Dolly Parton, Brandi Carlile and Christina Aguilera, as well as a film about late EDM superstar Avicci, Avicii – I’m Tim, featuring Coldplay’s Chris Martin and David Guetta. In addition to screening the doc Satisfied about actress/singer Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton, Girls5eva), Goldsberry (and Perry) will perform after the world premieres of their respective films.
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Other music films will look at the careers of techno producer Carl Craig (Desire: The Carl Craig Story), civil rights activist/singer Harry Belafonte (Following Harry), Bruce Springsteen guitarist and actor “Little” Steven Van Zandt (Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple), performance artist/singer Genesis P-Orridge (S/He Is Still Her/e – The Official Genesis P-Orridge Doc) and 1990s alternative goddess Ani DiFranco (1-800-ON-HER-OWN), as well as a doc about the the new crop of country insurgents, Rebel Country, featuring Blanco Brown, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and BRELAND.
“Each year, the Tribeca Festival reflects our culture, capturing the essence of the present moment. We’re thrilled to showcase our 23rd edition, delving into captivating explorations of artificial intelligence with Demis Hassabis, thought-provoking discussions on the future of democracy, and so much more,” said Tribeca CEO/co-founder Jane Rosenthal in a statement. “Storytelling possesses a remarkable ability to bring us together, offering hope in these challenging times. We eagerly anticipate engaging with audiences on difficult yet timely subjects.”
Among the features on tap this year are a film about a young woman growing up on the Oglala Lakota reservation in South Dakota, Jazzy (Lily Gladstone), Daddio (Dakota Johnson, Sean Penn), the Brat Pack doc Brats (directed by Andrew McCarthy and featuring Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Rob Lowe, Molly Ringwald and Lea Thompson), Sacramento (Michael Cera, Kristen Stewart, Maya Erskine) and Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story featuring archival footage of Liza Minnelli.
Other films on tap include Group Therapy (Neil Patrick Harris, Mike Birbiglia, Tig Notaro), All That We Love (Margaret Cho, Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and a deep dive into the world of queer stand-up, Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution (Lily Tomlin, Wanda Sykes, Rosie O’Donnell, Hannah Gadsby and Joel Kim Booster).
According to a release, this year’s films “speak to today’s political moment and inform voters ahead of the upcoming election,” including the screening of Hacking Hate, a Simon Klose film that “questions the role of social media in amplifying hate speech and extremism.” Among the other politically charged films are McVeigh, an exploration of chilling modern implications of right-wing extremism directed by Mike Ott and America’s Burning, in which Michael Douglas narrates director David Smick’s look at the roots of hate and division.
The Cranes Call is a profile of war crimes investigators for the Clooney Foundation For Justice in which director Laura Warner gives a look at the brave staffers for the organization founded by George and Amal Clooney as they risk their lives traversing war-torn Ukraine to gather evidence for cases against Russian soldiers and commanders. There will also be a look into Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s deadly, repressive regime (Antidote) and a doc about the daring rescue of animals trapped behind enemy lines in Ukraine, Checkpoint Zoo.
This year’s sprawling program will include 103 features from 114 filmmakers from 48 countries — out of a record 13,016 submissions — including 86 world premieres, two international premieres, six North American premieres and eight New York premieres; in addition, half of the films in competition were directed by women and 35% (36) were directed by BIPOC filmmakers.
Check out a 2024 Tribeca sizzle reel below.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift‘s presence at the opening weekend of Coachella 2024 has been one of the buzziest parts of the festival so far, with fans online going wild over clips of the couple laughing, kissing, holding hands and dancing while enjoying the star-studded lineup together from the pit. And in the Wednesday (April 17) episode of his New Heights podcast, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end debriefed the outing for his older brother and co-host, retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
“I absolutely love live music,” began Travis, who is also set to host of Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity. “I don’t get enough of it in my life. It was fun getting out there and seeing a few new bands that I really wasn’t that familiar with but became an absolute lover of their music because of how they performed and captivated the crowd. The Bleachers — our guy Jack Antonoff — absolutely ripped it. I had so much fun seeing him go nuts with his guitar and all his boys.”
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Cameras captured Swift adorably kissing and dancing with Travis in what appeared to be a backstage area during her frequent collaborator’s set on Saturday (April 13). The couple also spent time with Antonoff and his band before their set and snapped a photo with some of the guys, which drummer Sean Hutchinson posted on Instagram a few days later.
When it came to Ice Spice’s showcase later that night, however, the athlete and his superstar girlfriend opted to watch with the rest of the crowd from the pit. “I like to see it from the fans’ perspective, ‘cause I am, I’m a fan of music,” Travis explained. “I want to see it from the front of the stage.”
“We probably could’ve finessed it that way,” he continued, referring to the more secluded locations from which he and Swift could’ve viewed the rapper’s performance. “But I think it’s that much more of an experience if you’re in the pit, if you’re in the madness with all the fans.”
Travis isn’t kidding when he says he’s a big live music guy — the Ohio native is set to host his second-ever Kelce Jam festival in May, featuring a self-curated lineup led by Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz and Diplo. “Live music is something I never pass up on,” he told Billboard earlier this month. “The list just goes on, and the genres vary everywhere. I’m a real music lover.”
The brothers also took a moment to thank Swift for supporting their podcast with her Coachella outfit, which featured a baseball cap from the Kelces’ New Heights merch store. “Sold out of the green hat real quick,” Jason said, noting that the accessory has since been restocked on their website.
“It’s a good color, green,” mused Travis. “She’s supporting the New Heights!”
Watch Travis talk about Coachella on New Heights below.
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More than six decades into her storied career, Barbra Streisand is still finding ways to challenge herself. The legend has recorded a new song, “Love Will Survive,” for the upcoming Sky/Peacock original series The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
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The track recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra (conducted by William Ross) was composed by two-time Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer in collaboration with Emmy-nominee Kara Talve (Prehistoric Planet) and Grammy-winning producer/songwriter Walter Afanasieff (Mariah Carey); the song’s lyrics were penned by Grammy and Golden Globe nominee Charlie Midnight; Afanasieff and Peter Asher produced the track.
“Because of the rise in antisemitism around the world today, I wanted to sing ‘Love Will Survive’ in the context of this series, as a way of remembering the six-million souls who were lost less than 80 years ago,” Streisand said in a statement. “And also to say that even in the darkest of times, the power of love can triumph and endure.”
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The song, Streisand’s first-ever recording for a TV series, will be released by Columbia Records on April 25, a week before the series launches globally on streaming on May 2. Zimmer also composed the original score for the six-part limited series starring Harvey Keitel, Melanie Lynskey, Jonah Hauer-King, Anna Próchniak and Jonas Nay.
The series tells the story of a Slovakian Jewish man, Lali (Hauer-King), who in 1942 was deported to the Nazi death camp where more than one million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. According to a summary, the drama series follows Lali as he is made one of the camp’s Tätowierer (tattooist), whose job it is to ink identification numbers on the arms of fellow prisoners. It then follows Lali as he falls for fellow prisoner, Gita (Próchniak), “leading to a love that defied the horrors around them.”
The story shifts 60 years into the future to find the now 80-something recently widowed Lali meeting an aspiring writer, Heather Morris (Lynskey) to whom he tells his improbable story of finding love in the “darkest of places.”
“Barbra Streisand is one of the most renowned artists in the world, and we are deeply honoured to be working with her,” Synchronicity Films executive producer Claire Mundell said in a statement. “Barbra and her team have crafted the most beautiful song, based on Hans’ and Kara’s main theme for the show, and it sums up the key message of the series – love will survive. Recording the song with Barbra’s iconic vocals and William Ross conducting the LSO at Abbey Road Studios was an unforgettable moment and a memory I will treasure forever. We are thrilled to be able to honour the memory of Lali and Gita in this way, with this beautiful original piece of music.”
The series will be available beginning May 2nd on Sky Atlantic and the NOW streaming service in the UK and Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as Peacock in the U.S. and Stan in Australia.
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