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Dua Lipa plans sit-down with Drew Barrymore to talk 'Radical Optimism'

Dua Lipa plans sit-down with Drew Barrymore to talk 'Radical Optimism'

Tyrone Lebon/Warner Records

Dua Lipa is going to have a heart-to-heart with Drew Barrymore.

She sent a message to members of her mailing list announcing that she's going to sit down with the talk show host on April 26 to chat "through all things Radical Optimism." It's not clear when the chat will air.

The Drew Barrymore Show records in New York City, where Dua is currently ensconced to do promotion for the new album and prepare to host and perform on Saturday Night Live on May 4.

Dua, who was chosen by TIME as one of the World's Most Influential People for 2024, will also perform at the TIME100 Gala, hosted by Taraji P. Henson.

TIME will celebrate the 2024 TIME100 list of the World’s Most Influential People at the TIME100 Summit on April 24 and the TIME100 Gala on April 25 in New York City; the gala will air as an ABC special on May 12. Other performers and attendees include Fantasia Barrino, Michael J. Fox and Patrick Mahomes

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Artists mentioned by Taylor Swift get streaming boosts — but should Charlie Puth's be bigger?

Artists mentioned by Taylor Swift get streaming boosts — but should Charlie Puth's be bigger?

Beth Garrabrant

After Taylor Swift mentioned a bar called The Black Dog in her new song of the same name on The Tortured Poets Department, fans started flocking to a pub of that name in London. And there's real-time data showing how Taylor's mention of certain musicians on her new album is sending fans to streaming services to check them out.

Taylor mentioned the song "Downtown Lights" by the Scottish band The Blue Nile in her TTPD song "Guilty as Sin. According to Billboardstreams of the 1989 song experienced a 1,400% increase in four days. The song had 3,000 streams from April 12 to April 15, but from April 19 — TTPD release day — to April 22, streams rose to more than 48,000.

Along the same lines, Taylor mentions the Philadelphia pop-punk band The Starting Line in the song "The Black Dog." According to Billboard, the band's catalog experienced a 55% increase after the album came out.

But despite Taylor singing about how "Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist" in the album's title track, his streams didn't increase as much as you might think. According to Billboard, his entire catalog got a bump of slightly less than 4% in the four days after the album came out.

However, Billboard points out that Charlie was already getting millions of streams every week, so the mention didn't have as big of an impact as the more obscure acts.

So far there's no data on whether the music or book sales of poet and artist Patti Smith, also mentioned in the title track, have increased.

 

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Watch her dance the charts: Dua Lipa makes history with top three spots

Watch her dance the charts: Dua Lipa makes history with top three spots

Tyrone Lebon

Dua Lipa may have said that her new album, Radical Optimism, is a departure from her signature disco sound, but try telling that to Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart — where she currently holds the top three spots.

Dua's latest single, "Illusion," is #1 on the chart, followed by her previous two singles: "Houdini" is #2 and "Training Season" is #3. That makes her the first woman ever to have the top three spots on that particular chart. The only other artists who've done it are The Chainsmokers and Drake.

In addition, Dua is now tied with Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga for the most number ones on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart by a female artist since its inception in 2013.

Plus, "Illusion" has set a record: last week it entered the chart at #42, and now it's #1. That's the biggest jump to the top in the history of the chart, breaking the previous record of #22 to #1 for "Rain On Me" by Gaga and Ariana.

Radical Optimism comes out May 3; the following day, Dua will host and perform on Saturday Night Live.

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Music notes: Selena Gomez, Charlie Puth and more

Music notes: Selena Gomez, Charlie Puth and more

Selena Gomez spoke about her cosmetics brand Rare Beauty while at the annual TIME100 Summit in New York City on Wednesday, April 24. “I didn't want to really enter the cosmetics world without a mission. It was actually a dream that kind of happened within this brand, and on top of it we were able to make hopefully decent products.” Despite rumors she'll sell the company now that its worth $2 billion, Selena said she has no plans to do so. “I don't think I'm going anywhere. I am enjoying this a little too much,” Selena said.

According to Taylor Swift, Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist, but he's decided his house will have a smaller price tag. The singer's home has been on the market for almost $17 million for more than five months without any takers. It's now up for sale again, this time with different agents and a reduced ask of $14 million.

In celebration of the release of Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville opened a new display honoring the 2023 run of Taylor's Eras Tour shows. Among the featured artwork are posters dedicated to specific concert dates and hundreds of friendship bracelets Taylor was gifted by concertgoers, People reports.

Speaking of Taylor, it seems her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, listened to her new album early. Multiple sources confirmed to People that Travis listened to songs from The Tortured Poets Department before it dropped on April 19. "He is always in awe of her," one of the sources said of Travis' reaction to the new music.
 

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Fans think Beyoncé may perform at Stagecoach Festival

Fans think Beyoncé may perform at Stagecoach Festival

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio

Stagecoach Festival will be taking place April 26-28 in Indio, California, and fans seem to think Beyoncé may show up. 

Billboard reports those in the Beyhive have noticed several clues that suggest Bey's possible appearance at the festival. For one, Cowboy Carter collaborators Brittney SpencerPost MaloneTanner AdellWillie Jones and Willie Nelson have sets at the event.

Another potential clue: A name, Backwoods Barbie, is featured in the lineup and the website, where a link connects to an Instagram account with 15 pictures, and several mentions of Beyoncé and Cowboy Carter.

Posts include photos of Beyoncé in Western attire, and pictures of Dolly Parton and Grace Jones, who respectively appeared on Cowboy Carter and Renaissance. The most recent post displays a map of the Stagecoach Festival grounds. “Catch me on Saturday night at 7pm out in Diplo’s Honky Tonk!” the caption reads.

If that's not all, the account only follows Beyoncé, Parton, Wallen, Diplo, the Stagecoach Festival and restauranteur Guy Fieri. A banner and hauler promoting Cowboy Carter were also seen during Coachella weekend.

"Dj Backwoods Barbie on Ig is def giving very much Beyonce lol we see you gworl," one fan wrote on social media.

Another asked the question, "Hive we at Stagecoach this weekend or nah?!?"

In other Bey news, she sent out another set of flowers, this time to a young fan named Tyler who was captured on video asking his mother questions like, “Where’s Beyoncé?” and “Can I visit Beyoncé?” He also insisted, “Beyoncé is our friend!” 

Tyler's mom shared the news, adding the flowers were sent with a stuffed animal and a note that read, "I see your halo, Tyler." In a DM exchange between the mom and Bey's publicist, Yvette Noel-schure, she was told Bey "loved the video."

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New Kids on the Block release new song to celebrate NKOTB Day, offer ticket deal

New Kids on the Block release new song to celebrate NKOTB Day, offer ticket deal

ABC/Paula Lobo

April 24 was declared New Kids on the Block Day by then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis back in 1989, and the group and the fans still celebrate it. This year, the 35th anniversary of NKOTB Day, the group has released a new song to mark the occasion.

The song, "A Love Like This," is now available on all streaming platforms. It'll also appear on the guys' new album, Still Kids, due out May 17. In a statement, Donnie Wahlberg says the track is "truly a love letter to our fans." He adds, "We’ve written and recorded a song that speaks to the enduring, evolving and magical relationship that we’ve shared over the past 35 years.”

“There is no us without them, and certainly would be no NKOTB Day without their unconditional love and support," he adds. "This is our special way of giving back to them.”

NKOTB Day also brings an opportunity to get a special deal on four tickets to the group's upcoming Magic Summer 2024 tour at certain venues: it'll cost you $89 plus fees. You can get the Magic Pack of tickets at livenation.com.

The tour, featuring special guests Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff, launches June 14 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. It's scheduled to wrap up August 25 in Noblesville, Indiana.

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Lauv releases new song and video for

Lauv releases new song and video for "Potential," his first song "about a boy"

Daniel Prakopcyk

Lauv's first new song and video of 2024, "Potential," shows him coming to terms with his sexuality.

Ahead of the release of the song, Lauv wrote on Instagram, "it’s genuinely a big deal to me, i’ve been writing songs for so long and have always seen myself as someone who was only allowed to be into girls. and then i started opening that up and now i feel just so so so much. and this song is the first one im gonna put out about a boy. so yeah, hope u love."

In the video, Lauv is pulled this way and that by both male and female dancers, until finally he and a male dancer end up embracing. 

Lauv says in an official statement, "'Potential’ is about realizing you have feelings for someone and dreaming about the potential of what it could be. It’s the beginning of my next, most authentic chapter, and I can’t wait to share this and everything that’s coming next.”

In March 2024, Lauv posted on Instagram, "i finally, around age 29 have reopened the door to the part of myself that feels…well…into men. and i don’t know where its gonna go but i think it’s important to talk about because i literally spent A LIFETIME blaming my anxiety & eventual really bad OCD for all my thoughts that had to do with being into men, always shoving it back down."

He added, "But here i am, a few kisses and some fun in, a lot of songs in, and confused as ever but at least so much happier and more comfortable and less anxious because i’ve started to embrace a part of myself that i ran away from for so long."

 

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Nick Jonas' new movie, 'The Good Half,' to get nationwide sneak preview screenings this summer

Nick Jonas' new movie, 'The Good Half,' to get nationwide sneak preview screenings this summer

Utopia/Fathom Events

In 2023, Nick Jonas' movie The Good Half premiered at the Tribeca Festival. Now it's finally hitting theaters.

The drama will have nationwide sneak preview screenings on July 23 and July 25 in over 900 theaters. Each screening will come with a virtual conversation between Nick and director Robert Schwartzman, moderated by Kiernan Shipka. You can sign up at FathomEvents.com to be notified when tickets become available.

The movie stars Nick as a struggling writer named Renn, who finally has to face his issues when he goes back home to Cleveland to attend the funeral of his mother, played in flashbacks by Elisabeth Shue

On the plane trip home, he starts a new relationship with a fellow passenger, played by Alexandra Shipp. But once he arrives, he has to interact with the family he's been avoiding for years: his dad, played by Matt Walsh; his sister, played by Brittany Snow; and his stepdad, played by David Arquette.

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Taylor Swift's 'TTPD' is now first album to hit 1 billion Spotify streams in one week

Taylor Swift's 'TTPD' is now first album to hit 1 billion Spotify streams in one week

Beth Garrabrant

It's hard to keep up with all the records that Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department album keeps breaking.

On April 22, the album became the most streamed in a single week in Spotify history; but as of April 24, it is the first album in Spotify history to hit 1 billion streams in a single week. It actually accomplished that in less than a week: the album's only been out for five days.

A few of the other records the album has broken include being the first in Spotify history to rack up 300 million streams in a single day and the most-streamed album in a single day. Meanwhile, Taylor is now the most-streamed artist in a single day.

Over on the Billboard side of thingsThe Tortured Poets Department now ranks #5 on the list of the biggest sales weeks for any album in the modern era, which Billboard dates back to 1991, the advent of electronic sales tracking.

Adele still holds the record, with 3.378 million copies in one week for 25, followed by *NSYNC's No Strings Attached with 2.416 million, *NSYNC's Celebrity with 1.878 million and Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP with 1.76 million. Taylor's album has now sold 1.6 million, but the week isn't over yet.

In addition, Billboard reports that the album's 31 tracks have racked up a combined 602.3 million streams, setting the record for highest single-week streams for an album by a female artist. The only other albums that have scored more streams in a week are both by Drake: 2018's Scorpion and 2021's Certified Lover Boy. 

But Billboard notes that Taylor could still surpass Drake, who called her the "biggest gangster in the music game right now" on his new song “Taylor Made Freestyle.” 

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Nick & Aaron Carter's troubled lives inspire Investigation Discovery docuseries 'Fallen Idols'

Nick & Aaron Carter's troubled lives inspire Investigation Discovery docuseries 'Fallen Idols'

Investigation Discovery

Nick Carter's little brother Aaron died in November 22 at the age of 34, and in recent years, Nick has been dogged by accusations of sexual assault. Now, both brothers' troubles are being examined in a new four-part docuseries on Investigation Discovery called Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter.

The main focus of the docuseries concerns the accusations against Nick, Aaron's struggles with substance abuse and what happened between the brothers when Aaron decided to publicly support Nick's accusers. The series includes interviews with Melissa Schuman, Ashley Repp and Shay Ruth, the three women who've made accusations against Nick, which he has denied. Among other things, they discuss the backlash they've faced from Nick's fans since they decided to come forward.

Also interviewed is Nick's former girlfriend Kaya Jones, Aaron's former fiancée, Melanie Martin, and members of the Carter family.

Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter premieres Monday, May 27, and Tuesday, May 28, from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT on Investigation Discovery; it'll also stream on Max.

If you are affected by abuse and needing support, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). You can also chat online at thehotline.org or online.rainn.org, respectively.

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