james corden

SZA Turned Down James Corden’s ‘Carpool Karaoke’ Because She Was ‘Scared’

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SZA James Corden
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Thanks to the gargantuan success of SZA’s new album SOS, the New Jersey singer has been everywhere lately, including the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for 10 weeks. Despite not believing that fans would enjoy the album as much as they clearly are, SZA has embraced the attention this time around — which could mean we’ll see her in new places she avoided before.

One of those new places we might be seeing SZA is on James Corden’s popular series, Carpool Karaoke. In a new interview with Alternative Press magazine, SZA explained why she turned the show down the first time around, as well as why she might take a different route if she’s asked again. She says she rejected the prior offer to appear on the show because she was “scared of being on camera, looking bad, sounding bad and being perceived.”

However, she’s since come to terms with all of the above, saying, “I really have to remind myself this is my moment in the sun, and I have to take every opportunity because this sh*t may never happen again.”

She isn’t wrong; Corden’s late-night show, The Late Late Show, will end after nearly 30 years when the host leaves this year. Meanwhile, the fifth season of Carpool Karaoke has returned to Apple+ with guests Chelsea Clinton, Duran Duran, Method Man, and Russell and Ciara Wilson.

Lizzo Does ‘Carpool Karaoke’ To Sing Beyoncé And Reflect On Her Influence: ‘She’s Been My North Star’

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Weeks away from her upcoming second major-label album, Special, Lizzo stopped by The Late Late Show With James Corden for the show’s “Carpool Karaoke” segment.

Lizzo and Corden kicked off the karaoke session with a performance of her hit single, “Good As Hell,” which was released in 2016 but reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019. Later, the two sang “Juice” from Lizzo’s 2019 major-label debut album, Cuz I Love You. Corden then surprised Lizzo, a well-trained flautist, by pulling out a flute from the back seat. Lizzo, who has been playing flute since she was 12, then shows off her flute skills. Lizzo that she calls her own flute “Sasha Floot,” named after her fellow Houstonian Beyoncé’s alter-ego, Sasha Fierce.

“When I was shy, or when I didn’t think I was cool, and when I was getting picked on, I would listen to Beyoncé in my bedroom, and it would transport me,” Lizzo said. “I would feel something. I would feel like my life is going to be better. There’s hope for me. When I dropped out of college and I was really depressed, I listened to [Beyoncé’s sophomore album] B’day on repeat. I would just sing B’day all the time, and I was like, ‘I’m gonna be a singer, I’m gonna be a singer.’ The way she makes people is how I want to make people feel with music. She’s been my north star.”

The two then sing Beyoncé’s hit single, “Crazy In Love.”

Other high points in the episode include Lizzo previewing the album’s title track, before she revealed that she grew up in The Church Of God In Christ and wasn’t allowed to listen to secular music growing up.

“Would you have been allowed to listen to Lizzo’s music?” asked Corden

“Early on Lizzo, yes,” Lizzo replied. “But when Lizzo started cussing, no. I’ve pissed a few family members off.”

Toward the end of the episode, the two perform Lizzo’s most recent hit single, “About Damn Time.” They are later joined in the park by Jaeden Gomez, who created the song’s TikTok dance, as well as a large group of people, creating a flash mob.

Check out the full segment above.

Special is out 7/15 via Atlantic. Pre-save it here.

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

Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Ed Sheeran, And Joe Biden Will Appear On Upcoming ‘Corden’ Episodes From London

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Corden Biden Eilish Lizzo
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With James Corden announcing in April that he will be leaving The Late Late Show in 2023, the talk show host is pulling out all the stops in his final season. For a slate of episodes filmed in the UK that will air next week, guests on the show include Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Ed Sheeran, and President Joe Biden (as Variety notes). The shows will be broadcast from London’s Freemason’s Hall and these aren’t just your typical “sit down and chat” type of appearances for the illustrious guests.

For his “Take A Break” segment, Corden is going to fill in as an assistant of sorts to Biden, Lizzo is set to do a new “Carpool Karaoke” segment, and hilarity will surely ensue. Other guests on the upcoming slate of episodes include Star Wars actor John Boyega, singers Sam Smith and Alanis Morissette, Thor’s Tessa Thompson, David Harbour from Stranger Things, and Vin freakin’ Diesel.

It’s all set to air from Tuesday, June 28th to Friday, July 1st in its normal 12:37 a.m. timeslot on CBS (or on the Sky Comedy channel if you find yourself in the UK).

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

Nicki Minaj Had To Explain Some ‘Blick Blick’ Slang To James Corden During ‘Carpool Karaoke’

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The long-awaited return of James Corden’s bonafide hit segment, Carpool Karaoke, is finally here — and Nicki Minaj brought the show back with a bang. Finally getting around to returning the favor for Adele’s epic impression of her “Monster” verse from years ago, Nicki did a spot on Adele impression too, and the show even managed to splice them both rapping the verse side by side. This is as full circle as it gets with internet memes, people.

But because it’s Nicki and James, don’t worry, the hilarious moments didn’t stop there. While rapping along to her new collaboration with Coi Leray, “Blick Blick,” Nicki suddenly realized that James had no idea what “opps” meant. “James, if you’re going to hang out with me, you have to at least understand the lingo,” Nicki asserted, when James offered “opportunities?” as a weak guess for the slang phrase around the 5:30 minute mark. She followed up by getting him to name an opposition in his life (his neighbor’s dog ended up being the example), and explaining how they would roll up on Graeme and Brenda to let them know when it’s time to put that dog inside.

It’s a pretty hilarious moment, and a great example of how applying rap lingo to IRL, mundane situations is… never not funny. Watch up top starting around 5:30.

Years After Adele’s Legendary Cover, Nicki Minaj Finally Returns The Favor On ‘Carpool Karaoke’

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Last night, James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” segment returned to The Late Late Show after a two-year hiatus. Fans were elated to see Nicki Minaj as the first guest upon the segment’s return. During her slot, Minaj and Corden ran through her hits, including “Anaconda,” “Super Bass,” and “Starships.”

In true Minaj fashion, the rapper at one point spoke to Corden in a British accent, explaining that her music is “motivational speaking for the world.”

Corden tells her she sounds like Adele and asks if she’s seen the “Easy On Me” singer’s episode of “Carpool Karaoke” in which she raps Minaj’s verse of her Kanye West collaboration, “Monster.”

“I just loved it,” Minaj said of Adele’s 2016 segment. “She made me so, so happy. She embodied Nicki Minaj.”

The screen then cuts to Minaj rapping along to “Monster” as Adele’s 2016 clip appears on a split-screen. Corden and Minaj then proceed to sing Adele’s “Someone Like You,” Minaj showing off her vocal chops.

After bringing Adele’s “Monster” recreation full circle six years after the fact, Corden and Minaj rap along to Minaj’s collaboration with Coi Leray, “Blick Blick.”

“Pop up on an opp and watch it blick blick,” the two rap, before Minaj asks Corden “You have opps?” Corden replies “I don’t know what we’re talking about… what does opps mean? Opportunities?”

“Opposition,” Minaj explains. “Anybody that is opposing you in the world.”

Speaking of opps, Minaj revealed her struggles with anxiety, which, in part, is linked to criticism from her “opps” in real life.

“I don’t think it’s natural,” Minaj said. It’s not natural for a human being to always feel like everyone’s critiquing them. When I first came into the industry, I had this amazing sense of freedom, because nobody gave a sh*t about what I was doing. I could get away with doing anything and they’re just like, ‘Oh, haha! Nicki Minaj.’ And then it goes from that to the complete opposite where it’s like, if I blink my eye wrong, they’ll have a story made up about why I’ve blinked my eye that way.”

Later in the segment, Corden pulls out a clarinet from the backseat of the car. He asks Minaj, who played clarinet in middle school and high school, “Do you still got it?” Minaj then plays the theme to Jaws, and then the ad-libs to her 2018 hit “Chun Li.”

Check out the full video above.

Nicki Minaj Will Be The First Guest To Join James Corden For The Return Of ‘Carpool Karaoke’

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Twitter

Say what you want to about James Corden, but he’s got a winner in Carpool Karaoke. The late-night segment is an absolute delight, one of the few completely wholesome things to look forward to in our modern-day hellscape of the internet. Sure, it’s basically easy PR for celebrities, but watching the Stranger Things kids belt out Biggie Smalls or Cardi B struggle to parallel park are fun little ways of both bringing these people down to earth and commiserating in our common faults.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 safety protocols, the bit has been off the air for the past two years, as social distancing complicated the filming too much to make it a regular occurrence. Well, social distancing guidelines have relaxed — for better or worse — and it’s pretty obvious the world could use more joy, so Corden and the gang are bringing the beloved segment back. Beginning on April 6, Carpool Karaoke returns to The Late Late Show with first guest Nicki Minaj, according to the show’s Twitter:

Nicki’s appearance will be followed on April 18 with another segment featuring Camila Cabello. The announcement lends fuel to the rumors that Nicki Minaj is planning to release an album this year after sharing a slew of singles and feature verses including her own “Do We Have A Problem?” and Coi Leray’s “Blick Blick.” Cabello’s also got a new album coming, Familia, which will feature Ed Sheeran and Willow. Check out the teaser above.

Gunna Floats On Air In His Moody ‘Die Alone’ Performance On ‘The Late Late Show’

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Give Gunna credit for his ongoing DS4EVER rollout and the smooth way he’s been able to integrate his vision into his live performances. After delivering a pillowy performance of “Empire” on The Tonight Show, the Atlanta rapper employed a similar aesthetic for his appearance on The Late Late Show with James Cordon to perform the moody “Die Alone.”

This time, he hits the fog-covered stage standing up with an overhead mic and a massive fur coat, letting the stripped-down set highlight the somber sensibilities of the track itself. The cloud-shaped cutout in the wall behind him reveals a cloudy sunset, contributing to the overall reflective vibe and subtly suggesting that there’s always more going on beneath surface.

In addition to his live performances, Gunna has drawn considerable attention to his album with his campaign of littering social media with P emojis in conjunction with the single “Pushin P.” The new slang term has apparently caught on in a big way, filtering out to corporate accounts like IHOP, all to Gunna’s apparent approval — and no wonder, with the related streams driving his album all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart.

Watch Gunna’s Late Late Show performance of “Die Alone” above.

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

Rihanna Fires James Corden As Her Assistant On ‘The Late Late Show’

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Rihanna is gearing up for her upcoming Savage X Fenty fashion show, and during the lead-up, she took time to indulge James Corden, who took over as her assistant for a Late Late Show segment. Corden didn’t do much actual assisting, as he was more focused on doing gags and kind of just being a nuisance.

He did manage to gather some insight on the show, though, like when Rihanna told him it takes months to put it together. She continued, “I’m really impressed by what my team and I have been able to put together, especially off a pandemic. So many restrictions, so many rules and boundaries.” Rihanna then trailed off as she noticed a Corden headshot had been added to a board of the show’s models and broke out into laughter.

Corden later asked Rihanna about the inclusivity of the show, and Rihanna said, “That’s all that I ride on. That’s my bottom line. My foundation is built on inclusivity, not just because it’s a thing. That’s a thing because people are making it a thing, right? But I only know my household, my childhood, my mom. She’s a Black woman with curves: I don’t know anything else. So when I make something, I’d be an idiot to want to exclude anyone. I don’t care what size you are, what race you are, what religion you come from: I want you to feel like you’re represented here.”

Ultimately, at the end of the segment, Rihanna understandably fired Corden given the poor job he had done throughout the day.

Check out the clip above.