Pop

Lizzo Did The Thing And Recreated Ariana DeBose’s Viral BAFTAs Rap Live On Stage

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Lizzo Barclay Center Concert 2023
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Apparently, Lizzo concerts are the best show on Earth, as SZA declared. As the “Special” singer embarks on the international stretch of her Special Tour, she is finding little ways to insert pops of fun outside of her festive bops. The songwriter’s animated personality isn’t just limited to her upcoming appearance on The Simpsons, but to her ticket-holding fans as well.

Yesterday (February 23), while performing in Amsterdam, the Grammy winner took a moment in between her original songs to sing a snippet of the internet’s new favorite jingle. Lizzo is not a stranger to covering songs she likes, having recently performed Sam Smith’s song “Unholy” featuring Kim Petras for BBC Radio 1. But who would’ve thought West Side Story actress Ariana DeBose’s viral opening number at this year’s BAFTA Awards would be next on the agenda?

In the song, DeBose sang the lyrics, “Angela Bassett did the thing / Viola Davis my Woman King/ Blanchett, Cate, you’re a genius/ Jamie Lee, you are all of us,” to honor the evening’s women nominees. Well, DeBose’s pronunciation of Angela Bassett’s name, along with the subsequent choreography, became an instant viral moment. Eventually, DeBose deactivated her social media account because of the unexpected attention. However, that didn’t stop Lizzo from showing love to the number will on stage, shimming her shoulders while singing, “Angela Bassett did the thing.”

When Lizzo returns to the States for the Special 2Tour in April, who knows what other viral track she’ll include in her repertoire.

Watch the fun clip above.

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

Gorillaz And Bad Bunny’s ‘Tormenta’ Is A Brewing Storm Of Emotion On ‘Cracker Island’

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Cracker Island, the eighth studio from Gorillaz, is out now. Although leader Damon Albarn is open to the idea of eventually stepping down from the mantle for the right person, for the time being, the group is going to celebrate its latest release by dropping a new single, “Tormenta.”

The reggaeton and indie fusion track, whose title translates to “storm,” features one of Latin music’s biggest stars in Bad Bunny. On the outside, the credit for the crossover track belongs to Albarn’s daughter Missy and her friend Salima who introduced him to reggaeton. During an interview with The Sun’s Simon Cosyns, Albarn shared, “[Missy and Salima] grew up together and went to the Spanish school at the top of our road. So they’re attuned to Latin music and into reggaeton.”

The song chronicles the pre- and post-emotional dealings of deep romantic love. Bunny is a fierce rapper, but on “Tormenta,” his vocal abilities are the central focus as he sings, roughly translated roughly translates to, “And make the most of me today, because tomorrow I’m gone / And I don’t know when I’ll get back, if I get lost in your eyes / And make the most of mе today, because tomorrow I’m gone / And I don’t know whеn I’ll get back, if I get lost in your eyes.”

Albarn was overwhelmingly impressed by the music star’s talents, saying in the aforementioned interview, “Bad Bunny’s the real deal. He’s got one of those annoying voices, which is exactly right every time. So accurate and so consistent, it’s amazing,” before jokingly adding, “If I could sing like that, I would be the biggest artist in the world, but I can’t, so I’m not!’”

Take a listen for yourself. The full track is embedded above.

Cracker Island is out now via Parlophone. Get it here.

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

Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Was Apparently Porn-Like, According To Some Of The 103 FFC Complaints It Received

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Rihanna Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show 2023 getty
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Like the passage of time and Pusha T dropping a Cocaine Bear remix, FCC (Federal Communications Commission) complaints about major TV events are an inevitability. So, it turns out that some people out there didn’t particularly care for Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show earlier this month, so much so that they let the FCC know about it (as TMZ reports).

The publication notes that of the 103 FCC complaints made about the Super Bowl broadcast on February 12, “almost all of them” were about Rihanna’s performance. One viewer wrote in their complaint, “This year the halftime show was so indecent I had to turn off the TV because of the pornographic content.” Another compared it to Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” performance at the 2023 Grammys, writing, “I don’t care what someone worships but children shouldn’t be exposed to pornography and as an adult I don’t wish to see it. […] Where has decency gone? How about respect for others and self?”

Others made note of “overtly sexual dancing” in the performance, with one person saying Rihanna’s background dancers had moves that “were patently offensive and completely inappropriate for children.” Another person noted of Rihanna, “She spread her ass cheek at the crack. She rubbed her pants where her labia were three times.”

As TMZ notes, though, this is nothing to the infamous Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake wardrobe malfunction at the 2004 Super Bowl, which drew 540,000 complaints at the time.

Ariana Grande Gives The Weeknd’s Timeless ‘Die For You’ A Saccharine Update

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Nearly seven years after its original release, The Weeknd‘s “Die For You” is getting the remix treatment. The song was originally released in 2016 as part of The Weeknd’s Starboy album, however, saw a resurgence on the charts after it went viral on TikTok. Since then, “Die For You” has peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

On the remix of “Die For You,” The Weeknd is joined by his frequent collaborator, Ariana Grande, who blesses the song with a new verse.

“I’m finding ways to stay concentrated on what I gotta do / But baby boy it’s so hard round you / Yes I’m blaming you,” she sings, delivering her signature soft-tinged vocals.

This marks the fourth collaboration between The Weeknd and Grande — others including, 2014’s “Love Me Harder” from Grande’s sophomore album, My Everything, 2020’s “Off The Table” from Grande’s sixth studio album, Positions, and a 2021 remix of “Save Your Tears” from The Weeknd’s fourth studio album, After Hours.

In a TikTok shared by Grande earlier this week, she revealed that she produced and recorded her verse following a 14-hour day on set shooting Wicked.

@arianagrande

⭐🌙

♬ original sound – arianagrande

“This certain exception had to be made…” read text over the video clip.

You can check out the “Die For You” remix above.

Rihanna Is Following The Super Bowl With Another Major Live Performance At The 2023 Oscars

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Rihanna Super Bowl Halftime Show 2023
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The 95th Academy Awards are going down on March 12, and it was revealed today (February 23) that there’s going to be a major reason for music fans to tune in: Rihanna will be performing her Black Panther: Wakanda Forever song “Lift Me Up” during the Oscars broadcast.

This of course comes shortly after Rihanna’s beloved recent performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

“Lift Me Up” is nominated for Best Original Song at the 2023 ceremony (her first-ever Oscars nomination), as are Lady Gaga and Bloodpop’s “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick; Diane Warren’s “Applause” from Tell It Like A Woman; M.M. Keeravaani and Chandrabose’s “Naatu Naatu” from RRR; and Ryan Lott, David Byrne, and Mitski’s “This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All At Once. “Naatu Naatu” already has one win this awards season, at it was named Best Original Song, Motion Picture at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards over nominees by Rihanna, Gaga, and others.

“Lift Me Up” co-writer Tems previously said of the song, “After speaking with [director Ryan Coogler] and hearing his direction for the film and the song, I wanted to write something that portrays a warm embrace from all the people that I’ve lost in my life. I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them. Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honor.”

Iggy Azalea Thinks Britney Spears Doesn’t Get Enough Credit For A Major Aspect Of Her Artistry

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Iggy Azalea Britney Spears Pretty Girls Video 2015
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Back in 2015, Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea linked up on the collaborative single “Pretty Girls.” Now, Azalea has shared some thoughts on her former song partner, saying that there’s one thing about Spears that she doesn’t think gets enough attention.

On Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Azalea was asked if she’s kept in touch with Spears and if she’s like to work together again. She responded affirmatively, saying in part, “Now that she has the ability to do it her way, 100 percent… I love Britney and she’s so much more creative than what people give her credit for; What she did with Elton was amazing, and I would love to be part of more of anything that she had to do, especially when they’re 100-percent her own ideas.”

Andrew Watt backed up Azalea’s stance in a 2022 interview, when he said of working with Spears on her and Elton John’s “Hold Me Closer,” “She came up with her own ideas. She wanted to speed up the record a little bit, and we did that. She’s such a pro with dance music and understanding that kind of stuff and what works for her. […] She knew exactly what she wanted to do. She had spent tons of time with the record; she knew all the lyrics; it was, like, her thing. And it was really awesome to witness and see her be so powerful and crush it. She sounds incredible on the record, and she was involved all the way up until the final mix.”

The Weeknd And Ariana Grande Will Work Their Magic Once Again On An Upcoming ‘Die For You’ Remix

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ariana grande and the weeknd
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After Ariana Grande teased her remix of The Weeknd’s Starboy anthem “Die For You,” the two artists have revealed the song’s release date: Friday, February 24.

The remix is coming nearly seven years after the single’s original release because it returned to the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to TikTok users, who have apparently discovered it and set to streaming it all the way to the top 10. After climbing all the way to No. 8 in January, it actually gained a spot this week, landing at No. 7, overtaking Taylor Swift’s megahit “Anti-Hero” (also a TikTok fave).

It’ll likely climb even higher after the release of the remix, just in time to help plug The Weeknd’s upcoming HBO Max special The Weeknd: Live At SoFi Stadium. The special is set to make up for the singer’s September tour stop in LA when he lost his voice mid-song. Not a bad fumble recovery at all, there, Abel.

The song will be the latest in a long string of collaborations between the two megastars. They most recently teamed up in 2021 for a remix of The Weeknd’s single “Save Your Tears” from After Hours, which followed their prior joint effort from Ariana Grande’s album Positions, “Off The Table,” in 2020. They’ve developed a reputation for fan-favorite chemistry and their “Die For You” remix should live up to that standard, temporarily filling the void in Grande fans’ hearts as they wait for her to finish filming Wicked before she starts working on new music of her own.