
Kendrick Lamar says it means everything to be first hip-hop act to headline a Super Bowl halftime show

All eyes will be on Kendrick Lamar when he takes the field for his Super Bowl halftime show Sunday, but in an interview with Apple Music, he admits the Super Bowl stage was not something he had his sights set on.
"I wasn’t thinking about no Super Bowl ... we was thinking the best verse, how we gonna split this $5 at Church's Chicken," he tells Ebro Darden and Nadeska Alexis. "What I know is the passion I have now is the passion I had then and I think it carried on to the Super Bowl. Being present and not foreseeing everything kept me in a grounded state of mind in order to be on big stages like [the Super Bowl]."
As for what fans can expect from his performance, K. Dot says there will be some storytelling. "I think I've always been very open about storytelling through all my catalog and my history of music, and I've always had a passion about bringing it on whatever stage I'm on. ... I like to always carry on that sense of, you know, make people listen, but also see and think a little," he says.
He also notes he's honored to be sharing the stage with SZA, whose success he says has been "amazing to see."
Kendrick performed as part of the halftime show for Super Bowl 56, which was headlined by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige. His performance Sunday, however, will make him the first solo hip-hop artist to headline a Super Bowl halftime show.
"For me, it mean everything because it puts the culture on the forefront where it needs to be, and not minimized to just a catchy song or verse," he says of the feat. "This is a true art form, so to represent it on this type of stage, it's like everything that I've worked for and everything that I believe in as far as the culture, like, I live and die by."
Super Bowl 59 kicks off Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
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Lady Gaga's new album, 'Mayhem,' coming March 7

We no longer have to call it LG7 — Lady Gaga's new album has a title.
The album, Mayhem, arrives March 7, and will include the singles "Disease" and "Die With a Smile." The full album will be 14 tracks; a track list will be released at a later date. The project was executive produced by Gaga and Andrew Watt, as well as Gaga's fiancé, Michael Polansky.
“The album started as me facing my fear of returning to the pop music my earliest fans loved,” Gaga said in a statement. She describes the creative process as “reassembling a shattered mirror," noting, "Even if you can’t put the pieces back together perfectly, you can create something beautiful and whole in its own new way.”
You can see and hear a teaser montage on Gaga's Instagram.
On Feb. 2, during a commercial break during the Grammy Awards, Gaga will debut the music video for the album's third single.
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Kendrick Lamar announces SZA as guest for his Super Bowl LIX halftime show

Kendrick Lamar is bringing SZA along with him to the Super Bowl LIX halftime stage.
He shared the news on his socials Thursday via a clip that captures him on his phone while on a football field. “I’ve been thinking about a guest performer,” he's heard saying, before SZA runs up behind him and spills a cooler of blue drink onto him in slow motion.
The Super Bowl halftime performance will take place Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, giving fans a preview of what's to come during SZA and Lamar's upcoming Grand National Tour.
The two recently teamed on Kendrick's GNX cuts "Luther" and "Gloria," as well as on "30 for 30" from SZA's SOS deluxe, Lana.
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JENNIE to release debut album, 'Ruby,' in March

We've got another addition to the parade of BLACKPINK member solo albums.
Following the release of ROSÉ's debut album, rosie, in December and the news that LISA's debut, Alter Ego, is dropping Feb. 28 comes word that JENNIE's album will be coming out in March.
The project, Ruby, is due out March 7 and is now available for preorder. In addition to the single "Mantra," the album features collaborations with Dua Lipa, Dominic Fike, Doechii and Childish Gambino. All physical versions of the album will include the "JENNIE Only Audio" version of the album, without any of those featured artists.
You may recall that Dua Lipa first collaborated with BLACKPINK all the way back in 2018, on a song called "Kiss and Make Up."
Meanwhile, JENNIE will also perform at this year's Coachella festival, as will LISA.
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'Beyoncé Bowl' is now available as a standalone on Netflix

Forget the "Alligator Tears"! There's an announcement for those who cried real tears over missing Beyoncé's NFL halftime show on Christmas Day. The performance is now available to watch on Netflix as a standalone special titled Beyoncé Bowl.
"We’re screaming YA YA YA YA YA because BEYONCÉ BOWL, a standalone special, is now on netflix," read an announcement shared by Strong Black Lead and Netflix, which delivered on the promise that it would be available to stream "later this week."
The performance took place during the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans game, with appearances from Shaboozey, Post Malone, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer and Beyonce's daughter Blue Ivy, one of the dancers onstage. Songs including “16 Carriages," “Texas Hold ‘Em,” “Levii’s Jeans" and "Jolene” were on the set list, played with help from the Texas Southern University's Ocean of Soul marching band.
According to Nielsen, both the Ravens-Texans and Kansas City Chiefs-Philadelphia Steelers games garnered a total of 65 million U.S. streams, with U.S. viewership acquiring more than 27 million viewers during the Beyoncé Bowl. They're now the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history, per Nielsen. The Ravens-Texans matchup was also the most-watched game on Christmas Day by those ages 18 to 34, earning 5.1 million U.S. viewers from that demographic.
"Bringing our members this record-breaking day of two NFL games was the best Christmas gift we could have delivered," said Netflix's chief content officer, Bela Bajaria. "We're thankful for our partnership with the NFL, all of our wonderful on-air talent, and let's please not forget the electrifying Beyoncé and the brilliant Mariah Carey.”
Hans Schroeder, the executive vice president of media distribution at NFL, added he's "thrilled with our first Christmas Gameday on Netflix with NFL games being streamed to a global audience."
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Bad Bunny announces new album title and release date

Bad Bunny is back: The Puerto Rican superstar has announced a new album.
DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOTos will be released on Jan. 5. The title translates to English as "I Should Have Taken More Pictures." Along with the news of the album, Bad Bunny also released a single titled "PIToRRO DE COCO" as a "belated Christmas gift," according to the announcement on Thursday.
The announcement came along with a teaser video shared on Instagram by Bad Bunny, featuring Puerto Rican director Jacobo Morales.
In the short clip, Morales discusses, in Spanish, his wish to have lived more and taken more pictures in life. Eventually, it's revealed Morales is talking to a tiny animal animation named Concho.
Next, the video flashes the name of the album and release date next month.
DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOTos will follow the massively popular singer’s 2023 album Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana.
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Beyoncé has something coming for fans on Jan. 14

Following her halftime show performance at the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans game on Dec. 25, Beyoncé revealed she has something else in store for her fans.
In a video shared to social media, Bey is pictured on a white stallion, swinging an American flag over her head to a Western-themed beat played on a trumpet. She then stops and looks toward the camera, before the video cuts off and reads, “1.14.25.”
"Look at that horse," Bey writes in the caption, quoting lyrics from her song "SWEET ★ HONEY ★ BUCKIIN." The song, featuring Shaboozey, was one of the several Cowboy Carter tracks she performed at the halftime game Wednesday.
No further information about this mystery date has been revealed, but Live Nation's repost of the teaser has many believing she'll be announcing the dates for a Cowboy Carter tour.
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Beyoncé sends 'big joy and love' ahead of Netflix NFL halftime show, pokes fun at concerns about buffering

Beyoncé has shared a message ahead of her NFL halftime show performance on Wednesday.
Alongside a video of her on a football field playing "Texas Hold 'Em" on a banjo, she writes, "I’m sending you big joy and love on this Cowboy Christmas Eve. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, in my city HTX." But the clip doesn't end without a glitch, as it pauses to buffer -- Bey's way of poking fun at concerns Netflix will have buffering issues during the live stream.
Bey's mother, Tina Knowles, previously told Variety she had "no worries" about technical problems, noting, “God is going to be in control and everything is going to go smooth. No glitches. It’s going to be great. We got some prayer going on. We got some connections.”
Business Insider has since reported Netflix said they learned and fixed all streaming issues that occurred in the past, including in November's boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.
Beyoncé's Christmas performance will take place during halftime of the the Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans game at Houston's NRG Stadium. It will air live on Netflix, featuring the debut performances of some Cowboy Carter songs as well as a few special guests.
Those who can't tune in the U.S. will have three hours after the live stream to watch the performance on Netflix before it expires. Those outside the country have 24 hours after the end of the livestream to rewatch the halftime show on the streaming platform.
In addition, the NFL Network will re-air the Ravens-Texans game on Wednesday at 11:30 p.m. ET and Thursday at 5 a.m. ET. A replay will also be available via NFL+ Premium in the U.S. and DAZN across the globe.
The Ravens-Texans game starts at 4:30 p.m. ET.
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Beyoncé earns the most certified titles for a female artist in RIAA history

Beyoncé's latest record-breaking moment is all thanks to recent accomplishments highlighted by the Recording Industry Association of America. The organization announced Tuesday that Bey has earned a few more certifications, bringing her to a total of 103. She now has the most certified titles for a female artist of all time.
"We are so excited to recognize the incredible talent, hard work and creative spirit reflected across diverse genres. Beyoncé's iconic catalogue has earned the achievement of most certified titles for a female artist in RIAA's history. Congratulations on this crowning milestone, Beyoncé, Parkwood Entertainment, Columbia Records — and we see you, BeyHive, streaming on repeat!” said RIAA President & COO Michele Ballantyne.
Earning Platinum certification were Bey's Renaissance cuts "Alien Superstar" and "America Has a Problem"; "Don't Hurt Yourself," "Freedom" and "Daddy Lessons" from Lemonade; and her Cowboy Carter album.
Songs "Thique," "16 Carriages" and "Plastic Off the Sofa" were some of the tracks that have been certified Gold. "Break My Soul," "Baby Boy," "Best Thing I Never Had," the Renaissance album and more are now multi-Platinum hits.
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Gigi Perez announces 2025 headlining dates

"Sailor Song" artist Gigi Perez has announced a run of headlining shows for 2025.
The U.S. leg begins April 23 in New York City and wraps up May 7 in Los Angeles. Presales begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time.
For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit GigiPerezMusic.com.
"Sailor Song" was released in July and has racked up tens of millions of views on YouTube. It sits in the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and top 20 on the Alternative Airplay chart.
Perez's most recent release is the single "Fable."
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