Hot AC

Who could take issue with kids singing an empowering anthem like "Golden"? Some British parents, apparently.

The BBC reports that Lilliput Church of England Infant School in Poole, Dorset, where students range in age from 4 to 8, has banned the singing of KPop Demon Hunters songs because some parents are "deeply uncomfortable" with some of the songs' references to demons. 

In a message to parents, the school said some parents are concerned that the songs don't fit with the school's "Christian ethos," because demons are associated with "spiritual forces opposed to God and goodness." The parents were instructed to ask the kids not to sing the songs "out of respect for those who find the themes at odds with their faith."

But one student father told the BBC, "I thought it was ridiculous. My daughter is very into K-pop and her and all of her little friends love it." The father noted that the kids at the school sang the songs at "after-school clubs," adding, "It's just a harmless ... nice little thing for them to do to get their confidence up."

According to the BBC, the school's head teacher sent a follow-up message saying that even though some parents had responded by highlighting the positive messages in the songs, the school is trying to be sensitive to those who found the songs' themes "challenging."

He added that he wasn't telling parents that it's wrong to watch the hit Netflix film or listen to the songs at home. "Our role will simply be to help children understand that some of their peers may hold different views and to explore how we can respect and support those peers in upholding their faith," he wrote.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

For quite some time, Kesha has been performing an updated version of her signature song "Tik Tok" with changed lyrics that reflect the downfall of Sean Combs, formerly known as P. Diddy. But if you're wondering why she hasn't put that new version out on streaming services, it's because she can't.

Speaking to the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, Kesha explained, "I am not allowed to release it yet. But at my shows, just so everybody knows, the lyrics have officially changed to ‘wake up in the morning like, "f*** P. Diddy."’ And that stands for all that I can’t say.”

In the interview, Kesha talks about "Tik Tok" and her debut album, Animal, which is marking its 15th anniversary. Because of her protracted legal action against Dr. Luke, the producer of Animal, Kesha said it's only now that she feels comfortable looking back on the album.

“I love that I was so playful and that I just didn’t give a fuck," she said. "What a fearless bad b****. I have so much love for her. She had no idea how painful that was gonna be, to be so imperfect in front of the whole world."

As for "Tik Tok," Kesha notes, "I’m so grateful for that silly f****** little song, ’cause I’m like the dopamine doula to the drunk people on the dance floor," Kesha said.

However, her self-described "stupid" lyrics on that song, as well as the vocal effects used on Animal, led to one big regret.

"I kind of pride myself in being smart and being able to sing, and for the whole world to think I couldn’t sing and I was stupid ... like, that was hard for me," she shared.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ariana Grande did the most during her appearance Tuesday on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Ari and Jimmy teamed up for the "History of Duets" segment of the show, running through pop, movie and Broadway numbers like Wicked's "For Good," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)," "Shallow," "The Boy Is Mine," "APT.," "A Whole New World," "Suddenly Seymour" and the Dirty Dancing hit "(I've Had) The Time of My Life." They also pretended to do the famous lift from the 1987 movie, but instead of picking up the real Ariana, Jimmy hoisted an Ariana doll.

Ariana was there to promote Wicked: For Good, but she also talked about her upcoming Saturday Night Live hosting gig, featuring Cher as musical guest. “I’m so excited,” she said. "I didn't know it was gonna be her until, like, two days before and I found out it was gonna be her and I almost passed out. I had no idea what to do. What an honor.”

With both her and Cher on the show, Ari then joked of the Dec. 20 installment, "This is one of the gayest SNL episodes, right? I would guess!"

When it came to Wicked: For Good, Ariana noted that both movies were completed over three years ago because they were filmed back to back. "It was interesting to watch it so many years after we had finished," she told Jimmy. "Because in my head, they're both one story and one experience."

After noting Ariana's "crazy wand skills" in the film, Jimmy then pulled out a replica of Glinda's wand and asked for a demonstration. She took the wand and impressively twirled it at high speed, like a majorette with a baton.

Wicked: For Good is in theaters Friday.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Russell Dickerson is best known as a country star, but he's had a few songs cross over to the pop charts, including "I Remember," his collaboration with Cheat Codes. Now, he's got his biggest pop hit yet with "Happen to Me," thanks to it going viral on TikTok. Russell says he's not sure why, but he's just riding the wave.

"I don't know, bro. I'm just, I always just want to do big things ... We're just following the song, really. Like, it's just kind of taken off by itself," he says. "And it started in country, yes. I just made a stupid dance on TikTok and now ... I get tagged in it all the time, which is amazing."

He shares that he's "got a version with the Jonas Brothers now," noting, "It's wild."

Russell released the new studio version of the song with JoBros on Oct. 31. The collab came about when Russell appeared onstage with the brothers in Detroit in August.

"They asked me to be one of their special guests. You know, they have a special guest every night. They've had everybody, I mean, so many people, so ... [I'm] honored to be that," Russell tells ABC Audio. "And I brought a girl on my team, Daniella, she grew up with them."

"And I was like, "Yo, what if while we're there, we just float the idea of a feature on 'Happen To Me?'" he continues. "And so she kinda, she was dropping a couple [hints], I was [too] ... and they were just like, they were all about it. 'Cause like, [the song] was -- it still is -- just, like, going."

"So, why would they not just hop on?" Russell asks. "It's like a free ride to the top for them!" 

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Taylor Swift's "The Fate of Ophelia" is #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the sixth straight week. Meanwhile, sombr has scored his first top 10 hit with "back to friends." The song first entered the Hot 100 in April, making it, at 33 weeks, the longest climb to the top 10 by a solo male artist's debut single since Sean Paul's "Gimme the Light" in 2002.

Tate McRae will release the video for "Nobody's Girl" on Friday. It's one of the five new songs on the deluxe version of her album So Close to What, which will also be coming out on Friday.

Now that the red carpet premieres for Wicked: For Good are over, Ariana Grande posted a special shoutout on her Instagram Story to the people responsible for making sure she looked fabulous at every one, including stylist Law Roach. "My glam family. i love you. thank you for this marvelous ride and for your beautiful work and care and friendship," she wrote.

Chappell Roan has posted footage on Instagram of her performance of "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl" at the Corona Capital Festival in Mexico City on Nov. 15. She had previously written of the experience, "I was quite nervous for mexico city because I wasn’t sure if the crowd would vibe with me because it’s such a rock leaning festival and I was like will ppl still like me if I’m pop? but omg the crowd was so wonderful and I felt so loved and supported!"

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Like his friend Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi is a big Lego lover, so he was in his element on Tuesday when he visited a Lego "Chalet of Play" pop-up event in London — and was presented with a massive Lego statue of himself.

The statue, which took 207 hours to create, was made of 41,000 Lego bricks. Lewis posted a video of himself unwrapping the statue on his Instagram Story. In a separate video, Lewis reminisced about building Legos with his brother and also showed off a mini-figure of himself. 

Lewis, who's struggled with his mental health, said in a statement, "Having LEGO around helps take my mind off stuff, I'm so focused on putting it all together that I’m able to put other stuff that’s going on to the back of my mind. There’s also a nice nostalgia tied into it, it’s a lovely feeling.”

During his visit Lewis also received a replica of his new EP, Survive, completely made of Legos. 

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

ABC's Dancing with the Stars has often cast beloved Gen X and millennial celebrities, but there's one who you aren't ever going to see compete for that Mirror Ball trophy.

While answering fan mail for InStyle with his brothers, Kevin Jonas read one that urged him to appear on the show, prompting brother Nick Jonas to reveal, "They've asked you pretty much every season, for the last 20 years, is that the deal?"

Kevin replied, "For a long time." He added, "I have said no. It's not just for me."

"Can't afford him," Joe Jonas joked.

"I will say, we watch the show. It's very fun," Kevin said. "I feel like it's really back. Like Dancing with the Stars is fully back."

Nick added that he's "pulling for Mr. Irwin" — that would be Robert Irwin, son of the late Steve Irwin, who's on the show this season, while Kevin also gave props to contestant Dylan Efron.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sabrina Carpenter has received six Grammy nominations for her album Man's Best Friend, but it turns out her non-musical activities also bring her awards love.

Sabrina's been honored at the fifth annual Anthem Awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences. The Anthem Awards, an offshoot of the Webby Awards, celebrate social impact. 

Sabrina got a Gold award by partnering with PLUS1, a nonprofit that helps artists support various causes, to launch the Sabrina Carpenter Fund. Through that fund, she then turned her Short n' Sweet tour into a "vehicle for impact," according to the Anthem Awards. She used one dollar from each ticket sold, plus money from her brand collaborations, to raise funds for LGBTQ+ rights, mental health and animal welfare.

In less than a year the Sabrina Carpenter Fund raised $1 million, making it PLUS1's fastest-growing fund.

The Anthem Award winners are selected from over 2,000 submissions in 42 countries.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

If you feel like Taylor Swift is your friend despite the fact that you've never met her, then the Cambridge Dictionary's word of the year is for you.

The word is "parasocial" and, according to the dictionary's publisher Cambridge University Press & Assessment, refers to "a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know, a character in a book, film, TV series, etc. or an artificial intelligence."

A press release explains that "millions of fans related to Taylor Swift’s confessional lyrics about dating, heartbreak and desire," so when Taylor and Travis Kelce announced their engagement, many fans celebrated the news as though it came from their best friends.

The Taylor/Travis moment helped drive spikes in lookups for "parasocial" on the Cambridge Dictionary website, which led to it being crowned word of the year. 

But the dictionary also notes that millions of people have formed parasocial relationships with other singers or celebrities, podcast hosts and even ChatGPT.

Colin McIntosh, of the Cambridge Dictionary, said, "Parasocial captures the 2025 zeitgeist. It's a great example of how language changes. What was once a specialist academic term has become mainstream."

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Teddy Swims is throwing his 12th annual hometown benefit in Atlanta in December — and if you happen to be a musician from that city, you could share the stage with him.

The benefit is called The Nightmare Before Kegsmas and takes place Dec. 11 at Atlanta's Coca-Cola Roxy. Teddy is headlining, and all proceeds will go to support the Atlanta Community Food Bank. 

"We have always kept this event local to Atlanta from local Atlanta artists and bands," Teddy writes on Instagram. "We are doing something a bit different this time around and looking for some new local talent to come and open up the evening!"

"Submit yourself and/or band now! We will choose one band/artist to perform the show with us!" he writes. "Can’t wait to hear all the amazing talent coming out of our beautiful city!"

"We're gonna have a helluva night," Teddy promises in an Instagram video.

You have until Nov. 26 to submit your music at the link in Teddy's Instagram bio.

Meanwhile, if you want to buy tickets for the event, a presale starts Wednesday at 9 a.m. ET; the general sale starts Friday at 9 a.m. ET.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.