bts

Anderson .Paak Performs Live With BTS Months After Offering To Join The Group

by

Just earlier this morning, BTS delivered their Proof Live livestream performance, playing a set consisting of three songs and some banter, which in total ran for about 25 minutes. A highlight from the brief set was an appearance from Anderson .Paak, who played drums on the performance of the band’s newest song, “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment).”

There’s some context here: .Paak met up with the band as they performed at SoFi Stadium in November and shared a photo, writing, “lmk if you need another member! I work well in groups!!!” In an early 2021 interview, he also noted of trying to link up with BTS, “I’m working on trying to get that plug, man. If you know of any way, let me know, bro.” He also said of conversations with his son, “I tell him, ‘Yeah, K-pop is where it’s at, man. Make sure you keep up with your Korean because you could be rapping in Korean one day, and we’ll fly your ass out there, and you won’t got to worry about sh*t.’”

Aside from mutual musical interest, .Paak and BTS have a shared connection via their Korean heritage: BTS is of course from South Korea while .Paak’s mother is Korean (as is his wife, Jae Lin).

Check out the full performance above.

Anderson .Paak is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

BTS Hung Out With H.E.R. At Dave & Busters After Their White House Visit

by
bts
Getty Image

It’s been a busy week for the Bangtan Boys as they visited the White House to close out Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. The visit with Joe Biden was to discuss the rise of anti-Asian hate in the US and the importance of Asian representation in business, media, politics, and pop culture. And while the visit drew some predictable derision from conservative circles, BTS themselves were far too busy doing more important things to notice — things like taking R&B star and fellow Asian heritage representer H.E.R. on a group outing to Dave & Busters.

J-Hope caught much of the fun on his Instagram Story, which found the group shooting hoops — H.E.R. and Jungkook tied, according to the R&B star’s own Instagram Story — and Jungkook giving H.E.R. some friendly advice on protecting her wrist on the arcade’s boxing machine. It looks like everybody had a blast, even with the language barrier.

The outing was also likely a chance for H.E.R. to get a much-needed break from her day job opening for Coldplay on their Music Of The Spheres Tour. Considering how much effort she puts into her live performances — playing multiple instruments while belting out virtuoso vocals on songs like “We Made It” — the chance to relax and unwind appears to have been much appreciated. Having great company is just icing on the cake.

2022 Billboard Music Awards Finalists Announced: The Weeknd, Doja Cat, Kanye, and More

by
Image via Getty/Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Snoop Dogg Promises A Collaboration With BTS is ‘Official Like A Referee With A Whistle’

by
Snoop Dogg BTS
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

BTS and Snoop Dogg have been linked to each other for quite some time… well, sort of. Back in 2014, when BTS was just beginning their world domination, the track “Hip Hop Phile” singled out Snoop as an inspiration. BTS’s RM starts reeling off the albums that made him “love” hip-hop and spits the lyric, “And of course the classic Illmatic and Doggystyle!” Now, in a full-circle moment eight years later, Snoop Dogg confirmed that he and the K-Pop supergroup are indeed set to collaborate on a track.

“The BTS experience you keep talking about. I’m going to let them tell you about it. It’s official like a referee with a whistle,” he told the A.V. Club on the red carpet for the premiere of his and Kelly Clarkson’s American Song Contest. “I make good music. They make good music. And we end up doing this. This is what it’s always about, bringing our worlds together.”

In January, Snoop said on a Clubhouse chat hosted by the Mogul Talk podcast that BTS had reached out to him about possibly collaborating, but he wasn’t all that familiar with them yet. He explained that his nephew illuminated him to the finer points of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, and then likened them to the “Asian New Edition. ”

So there you have it, the D-O-Double-G and the Bangtan Boys will be together on a track soon enough. Stay tuned.

Lizzo Plays A Sample Of A New Disco-Inspired Song Called ‘About Damn Time’ On ‘The Late Late Show’

by

A few days ago, Lizzo declared her new album is finished, writing on Instagram, “Oh yeah b*tch… I just mastered my album and turns out its 100% DONE ! YOU THINK U KNOW BUT U HAVE NO IDEA. BABY HOW YOU HEALING? HEALING GOOD AS HELL.” Last night, she guested on The Late Late Show With James Corden and offered a taste of a new song called “About Damn Time” by sharing a sample of it on the show.

During the interview, Corden pulled out a vinyl record with a simple sleeve that said, “TOP SECRET Lizzo New Music 2022.” He then popped the record on a portable turntable and played about 30 seconds of the track as Lizzo, fellow Late Late Show guest Gabrielle Union, and the studio audience danced and clapped along to the beat. Indeed, it’s a song to dance to and the soulful, funky, disco-inspired tune sounds like a hit.

Lizzo also noted the song is set to be released on April 14. That’s just two days before her upcoming appearance on Saturday Night Live, so it seems likely she’ll end up performing the track on the show.

Elsewhere in the show, Lizzo popped up after Corden declared ’80s music is the best for dancing to. They then had a “riff-off,” with Corden singing ’80s tune while Lizzo sang Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar,” BTS’ “Butter,” and her own “Juice.”

Watch clips from Lizzo’s Late Late Show appearance above and below.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Performing At The 2022 Grammys Are Billie Eilish, BTS, Lil Nas X, And Others

by
Billie Eilish 2022
Getty Image

Slowly but surely, this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony is starting to come together. At the top of the year, the event was postponed, and not long after that, organizers revealed the show would be taking place on April 3 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, not its original venue, Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. Now, we’re getting an idea of who’s going to be there: The Recording Academy and CBS revealed some of this year’s performers, a list that so far includes BTS, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow, Brandi Carlile, and Brothers Osbourne.

Those artists have a storied history with the Grammys. Eilish, for instance, won all four major awards at the 2020 show and had a major presence the next year, winning Record Of The Year for “Everything I Wanted,” which she also performed. As for BTS, this is their second year both being nominated for a Grammy and performing at the ceremony. Rodrigo had a huge Grammy year in 2021 as she was nominated for a whopping seven awards, which she called “probably the most meaningful” of her dreams that came true that year.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Suga Of BTS Has Tested Positive For Covid-19 Following The Group’s LA Performances

by
Suga
Getty Image

In the age of Covid-19, attending a massive concert — even outdoors — is a risky prospect. But it’s even more so for the performers themselves, who are repeatedly exposed to thousands of fans. So it’s not that surprising that one of the members of BTS, Suga, tested positive for Covid-19 following the group’s recent string of performances in Los Angeles. Suga, real name Min Yoon-gi, was already self-quarantined in Korea when his PCR test returned a positive result today. Luckily, he is asymptomatic and seems to be fine so far.

A statement from BigHit Music let fans know that Suga is vaccinated and received his positive result while under quarantine, so none of the other members have been in contact with him. Check out the full statement below.

“Hello. This is BIGHIT Music. BTS member Suga was confirmed with Covid-19 on Friday, December 24 during his self-quarantine after taking the PCR test immediately upon his return to Korean on Thursday, December 23.

Sugar completed his second round of the Covid-19 vaccination in late August and is not presenting any symptoms as of today. He is currently administering self-care at home per the guidelines of the healthcare authorities.

Suga, who has had a number of personal engagements in the US during BTS’ official time off, had tested negative for the PCR test taken before traveling to the US, and began his self-quarantine after taking the PCR test upon his return to Korea. He received positive results during quarantine, and there was no contact with other members.”

Get well soon Suga!

Basically Every Popular Musician Performed On ‘The Voice’ Season Finale, Like Kid Cudi, Ed Sheeran, And Coldplay

by
Kid Cudi Ariana Grande The Voice Finale 2021
Getty Image

Usually, your best bet to see a bunch of well-known artists performing on TV in rapid succession is to catch an awards show like the Grammys. Well, the next Grammy ceremony is set for late January, but ahead of then, last night offered a different kind of opportunity to watch a ton of musical firepower taking the stage on the same broadcast: The Voice aired the live finale episode of its 21st season last night and pretty much every musician you’ve ever heard of took the stage.

Aside from the show’s contestants, artists who performed included Coldplay and BTS; Walker Hayes; Tori Kelly, Keke Palmer, and some contestants; Ed Sheeran; Jennifer Lopez and Lukas Nelson; Carrie Underwood and John Legend; Alicia Keys; Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi; Kelly Clarkson; Blake Shelton; and John Legend.

Of particular note was Kid Cudi and Ariana Grande giving their Don’t Look Up single “Just Look Up” its live debut. Meanwhile, Coldplay opened the show with “My Universe,” and while BTS couldn’t be there in person, they did show up on stage as holograms. Later, Ed Sheeran, who was a Mega Mentor on the show this season, stopped by to play “Shivers.”

By the way, Ohio sibling trio Girl Named Tom ended up winning the season, making them the first group to do so.

Check out the other performances from The Voice finale below.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.