Are we living in the golden age of Las Vegas residencies? It’s a lot more than just Celine Dion headlining evenings in Sin City these days. Adele’s Weekends With Adele residency has been wildly popular (she even disappears in a prime Vegas magic trick fashion), Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak set up camp in Vegas for a residency earlier this year, and if you ask Usher, he’ll most certainly tell you that it is, in fact, prime time for Vegas concerts. That’s because his Usher: My Way The Vegas Residency is selling out like hot cakes. But rest assured, he’s added a few more dates.
This past August, Usher announced that Usher: My Way The Vegas Residency would be returning for 2023 at Dolby Live at Park MGM. Those dates quickly soon sold out and today, Usher added three more residency dates for 2023. The three additional dates that Usher added are February 24, 25, and March 1. In a sly move, he promoted fans in a tweet to, “Text (404) 737-1821 and you will receive a text with the presale password.”
VEGAS! By popular demand I’ve added new shows to my Vegas Residency this Feb 24, 25 & Mar 1 at Dolby Live at Park MGM! Get your tickets this Fri at 10 AM PT. Fan presale starts this Wed Dec 21 at 10 AM PT. Text (404) 737-1821 and you will receive a text with the presale password. pic.twitter.com/acM5CF1AuR
The groundswell of interest for the Vegas residency coincided with a 25th Anniversary Edition release of My Way this past September.
Check out the full list of shows for Usher’s Las Vegas residency here. A pre-sale for the new dates begins on Wednesday, December 21 at 10am PT. General on-sale is on Friday, December 23 at 10 a.m. PT at the above link as well.
Beyoncé’s cultural impact has spanned nearly two decades, but it has never been more evident than in 2022. The multi-hyphenate brought the world to a screeching halt after releasing her seventh studio album, Reinassance, this past July, sparking national debates about topics like the “Great Resignation,” the Black roots of House music, and more.
2022 has been quite the year for Queen Bey. Aside from releasing her highly anticipated album, the singer starred in a new campaign with Tiffany & Co. earlier this year. She also achieved the record for having the most Grammy nominations ever — tieing with her Jay-Z for 88 nominations. Here are the three biggest moments from Beyoncé for 2022.
Beyoncé Releases Her Seventh Album, Renaissance
Beyoncé brought the world to a screeching halt with her latest album, Renaissance, an ode to House music, which was heavily influenced by Black and queer artists. The album sparked national debates about burnout in the workplace and the Great Resignation, making everyone want to “release their jobs.” The pop singer has yet to release the visuals for the project, causing considerable frustration within the “Hive.”
She is also rumored to be gearing up for a tour in 2023, guess we’ll have to wait and see.
2022 Oscars Performance
For her Oscar performance of King Richard‘s “Be Alive,” Beyoncé hit the streets of Compton, performing at a local tennis court. Surrounded by dancers with glowing, yellow ensembles and the signature hair beads that defined Venus and Serena’s early careers, the singer brings the song to life. It had been the first performance from Beyoncé in over five years, and the singer got to have her daughter, Blue Ivy, right alongside her, bringing the moment full circle.
The over-the-top performance was peak Beyoncé, which means sheer perfection, and we should expect nothing less.
Queen Bey Celebrates The Big 4-0
Along with dropping an album and racking up several nominations, Beyoncé hit another milestone this year — turning 40. The pop singer celebrated her 40th birthday this past September and in this new stage in he life, Beyoncé said she is working to “obliterate old boundaries” as she heads into uncharted territory.
“My wish is for my 40s to be fun and full of freedom,” she told Harper’s Bazaar last month. “I want this next decade to be about celebration, joy, and giving and receiving love. I want to give all the love I have to the people who love me back.”
Every year, Mariah Carey decides when it’s time for holiday music season to begin. It’s kinda true, but hey, no matter what the Billboard Hot 100 chart tells us, it’s not all about Mariah Carey at Christmastime (right?) There is in fact other new holiday music from artists who have never had children with Nick Cannon (shocking!) and many of them you’ll actually want to listen to. So check out our picks for the best new holiday music from the 2022 season below (And we promise, there’s only one Wham! cover in the mix)
The Linda Lindas – “Groovy Xmas”
Is there anything these kids can’t do? Teenage punks The Linda Lindas were inspired by holiday songs from some of their classic punk faves like Alice Bag, Redd Kross, and Shonen Knife, and “Groovy Xmas” definitely doesn’t take itself seriously. They hop around generational yuletide pop culture references from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, to PSL’s and yes, even Mariah Carey for a song that does its best to assure that the holidays are fun. (They even played it on Kimmel!)
Phoebe Bridgers – “So Much Wine”
Another year and another wonderful holiday cover to benefit a nonprofit by Phoebe Bridgers. This time, Bridgers takes on “So Much Wine” by alt-country duo The Handsome Family and is donating proceeds to the Los Angeles LGBT Center. It’s a sad song about having a loved one with a drinking problem, and trying your best to talk some sense into them around holiday time. A gentle acoustic guitar nestles up to a violin, and if that whistling sounds familiar, it’s because Andrew Bird joins Bridgers on this one.
David Byrne – “Fat Man’s Comin’”
After more than 50 years in the business, this is somehow the former Talking Heads leader’s first-ever holiday song. The horns sound like the opening to a sinister holiday villain flick. And Byrne said he had a different type of…err…villain, in mind for this one. “I wouldn’t call it a Christmas song, as the visitation of Santa (formerly known as St. Nicholas, who mainly did punishing) seems to have evolved to be a more secular consumer moment than a religious or spiritual affair.” Funny enough, Byrne actually wrote this song around the time when he was working with St. Vincent on Love This Giant, but thought it wasn’t right for that project (even though horns feel very much of that era.) The song is also a benefit for Byrne’s mental health-focused non-profit publication, Reasons To Be Cheerful.
Kurt Vile – “Must Be Santa”
It’s a Vile family Christmas! Kurt Vile was joined by his two young daughters for this cover of Bob Dylan’s cover (you following along?) of “Must Be Santa.” Gone is Dylan’s punk party accordion and in its place is a balmy, upbeat synth with the wee Viles joining pops on the hook.
Tkay Maidza – “Nights In December”
On “Nights In December,” the Zimbabwe-born, Aussie electro rapper shoots to recreate the feeling of wintertime in New York City (see: beautiful, but cold as heck!) The best part about this one is how it doesn’t really sound much like your typical holiday song, as much as an uptempo love song about capturing a year-end moment. She does it well.
Los Bitchos – “Los Chrismos”
The London instrumental foursome’s new internationally-inspired holiday tune is a blend of South American cumbia with Turkish psych and wavy Dick Dale-style guitars. And while it’s a largely lyricless tune (besides a “Christmas time! Sexy times!” chant), it feels decidedly of the holiday period; like what Santa might be playing in his sleigh as he races to deliver presents around the world.
Kadhja Bonet – “California Holiday”
Part of the new California Holiday EP of mostly covers that Bonet calls “a modern take on the typical magical Christmas story,” the title track represents the elegant singer’s first original holiday tune. This represents a milestone for her, as Bonet’s never been much of a fan of the holidays until recently. But with its warm strings, retro soul drums, and choral backing vocals, “California Holiday” shows that she’s very much on the other side of the Ebenezer Scrooge transformation.
Future Islands – “Last Christmas”
We promised you a Wham! cover and now you’ve got it. And look, there are once again a lot of covers of “Last Christmas” this year, but it’s Future Islands’ spin that does it best this time around. Maybe it’s because they don’t try to mess with George Michael timeless formula too much? Because it truly sounds like the soundtrack to an ’80s teen holiday movie. But perhaps it’s because Samuel T. Herring is one of the most engaging singers on the planet. And it’s not just an homage to the classic, it’s one that’s very much in the shape of the original.
Sam Smith – “Night Before Christmas”
Sam Smith can do no wrong. The LGBTQ+ icon just melted hearts with their subtle-but-powerful lyric tweak to “Stay With Me” at a Respect For Marriage Act celebratory performance on the wintery White House lawn. Now on this original holiday tune, Smith sings over a lush guitar and peaceful organ about a romantic evening in a fireplace-warmed living room. “Night Before Christmas” is also a part of Smith’s ongoing The Holly And The Ivy holiday compilation series, so we can expect more gems like this for years to come.
Remi Wolf – “Winter Wonderland”
Remi Wolf actually put out two holiday singles this year. But since we’ve already filled our quota of covers of Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” it’s her take on “Winter Wonderland” that we’ll highlight here. Wolf is clearly having a grand ol’ time on this classic, letting her vocal punctuations fly in elated space as she turns your speakers into a very cool holiday cabaret.
Emily King – “This Year”
If there were a theme to King’s new year-end tune, it’d be “treat yo-self!” The indie pop singer says that she, “…Wrote ‘This Year’ last New Year’s Eve after realizing I’d spent most of my time vying for the attention of someone who couldn’t love me back.” It celebrates getting comfortable with yourself and unapologetically thinking about your psyche first and foremost. It has a killer bridge as King sings, “This year gonna hit my stride, I’m livin in my best life, this year.”
The first song of Grohl & Kurstin’s yearly “The Hanukkah Sessions” for 2022 sees them being led by Apatow in a cover of Blood, Sweat & Tears’ 1968 flower child jam, “Spinning Wheel.” This was a live performance that took place at a full-on The Hanukkah Sessions event in Los Angeles earlier this month that’ll yield collabs with Beck, Pink, Karen O, and others for each of Hanukkah’s eight nights. Apatow was a gregarious vocalist, coming across like the beloved Krusty the Klown kicking off a holiday special. It’s a swell way to once again begin the delightful annual series.
Greeensleeves – “This Could Be Christmas (Slow)”
Back for its second year, Slow Xmas is a holiday comp produced by Blank Check with Griffin and David podcast producer Ben Hosley, where the prompt for the compilation had one demand: “Gotta be slow.” The artists take a range of interpretations on those directions: From Electric Santa’s krampus-slowcore “We Three Slow Kings,” or a very slowed-down Christmas tale by 99% Invisible podcast host Roman Mars, “A Slow Visit From St. Nicholas.” But it’s Greeensleeves’ “This Could Be Christmas” that drives slowly without feeling altered. A buzzing synth and heartbeat-like thump make the song feel like snuggling on a couch with a mulled wine in hand after a big meal.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
It’s a big, dramatic, epic song, full of tribal chants and drums, soaring strings, and emotive, uplifting lyrics — as befits the centerpiece song of the big, dramatic, epic comeback sequel of a big, dramatic, epic hit movie from visionary director James Cameron. Thematically, it follows what we know of the movie’s plot so far, emphasizing loyalty, togetherness, and faith in the connections between people to overcome any obstacle. That appears to be what the film’s protagonists will be relying on as militaristic factions pursue the Na’vi implant Jake Sully and his family across the surface of Pandora — and apparently, into its oceans.
As for Abel himself, he recently wrapped the North American leg of his world tour after avoiding disaster when his voice gave out during his Los Angeles show. He’ll be headed overseas for the European swing next summer. Meanwhile, he said he’s been contemplating pulling his 2012 compilation Trilogy from streamers, citing a desire to replace it with the breakout mixtapes (House Of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes Of Silence) of which it was comprised. Certainly, it’d be a fun way to get fans of his over-the-top pop-leaning output from the past few years familiar with the drugged-out, ominous vibes he once embraced. Who’d ever have thought that guy would be contributing to an Avatar soundtrack (or that Avatar would have a sequel)?
Check out “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” above.
In recent years, it has paid off to land the leading role in a musician biopic. Rami Malek won his first Oscar for playing the late Freddie Mercury in 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Jennifer Hudson was hand-selected by the late Aretha Franklin to portray her in last year’s Respect. Austin Butler is enjoying a career breakthrough in 2022 because of his titular star turn in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. Naomi Ackie is next up.
It’s been two years since Ackie was cast as Whitney Houston for I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the long-gestated Houston biopic. The first official trailer was released by Sony in mid-September, showing Ackie as Houston wowing Clive Davis (Stanley Tucci) and ascending as the voice of a generation. The two-minute teaser ends with Houston’s famed 1991 performance of the national anthem at Super Bowl XXV. A second trailer arrived in early November, which spotlighted Houston standing against unjust criticism for not being “Black enough” and meeting resistance after starting her tumultuous relationship with Bobby Brown (Ashton Sanders). But when and where will we be able to watch the Kasi Lemmons-directed film in its full glory?
I Wanna Dance With Somebody will almost undoubtedly be available to stream at some point, but to start, it’s set for an exclusive theatrical release beginning on December 23. Tickets are available here.
The world premiere happened on Tuesday, December 13, in New York City.
“When I first found out I got the part, I think this was actually the scariest part for me, knowing that everyone would see it at some point,” Ackie told Vogueahead of the premiere. “But I’ve been with it long enough now that I’m really ready to share it with the world. I’m so proud of what we achieved with it, and there’s a lot of love in there. It’s a lot of pressure, and you can’t help but feel slightly stressed by the magnitude of it, but this is the last piece of the puzzle, in a way.”
Houston tragically passed away on February 11, 2012, at 48. Her official cause of death was an accidental drowning in a Los Angeles hotel bathtub. The beloved icon was in LA ahead of that year’s Grammys and had been expected to attend Davis’ annual pre-Grammys party that night.
In recent years, Trevor Noah has become pretty much as big a part of the Grammy Awards as the gramophone trophy. He first hosted the program in 2021, then he returned in 2022. Now, the Recording Academy has decided to not fix what isn’t broken: Noah will host for the third year in a row at the 2023 Grammys. The 65th Annual Grammy Awards are set to go down on February 5, 2023.
“First of all, I listen to absolutely everything that’s going to be on the show, just to get a sense of the vibe. I want to get into the feeling of what’s going to be happening on the night. I spend a lot of time writing and preparing for what will or won’t happen. I try to think about what’s happening in music and pop culture. Then obviously I’m paying attention to what’s happening on the night. I try to craft my performance so that it is most complementary for what is happening from one performance to the next. We rehearse a lot, and we need to because it’s live and, as I said, anything can happen.”
Read the full interview here and find the full list of 2023 Grammy nominees here.
According to The Guardian, Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is so invested in the situation that he brought it up during a morning news conference, asking Bad Bunny to give a free concert at the capital’s central Zócalo plaza. He said, “I ask Bad Bunny, I know he is overworked and tired because he works a lot, but I ask him to consider the possibility of coming to Mexico, to the Zócalo. Hopefully he comes.”
“It made us very emotional to see sad young people who couldn’t enter because their tickets were cloned, because they were cheated, some crying,” he added. “They saved for a long time to be able to buy their tickets.”
It was also previously revealed that Mexico’s Federal Attorney’s Office For Consumers (PROFECO) launched an investigation into Ticketmaster. “As we are a fiscal authority, if they don’t want to pay of their own will, we will seize their accounts then, and they will pay because they have to,” said Ricardo Sheffield, the head of PROFECO.
When it comes to Halloween, Janelle Monáe is one of the best to ever put on a costume. Her high-effort looks wow every year, like when she came through with a Fifth Element-inspired get-up this past October. Monáe sat down for an interview on Late Night yesterday (December 14) and Seth Meyers went through some of her best costumes, including her pitch-perfect The Grinch from 2021. Here’s that in case you need a refresher:
Meyers brought that up and Monáe referred to it as “Johnny Grinch,” then revealing that she had an idea for a Grinch reboot movie. After Meyers’ prompting, she explained, “If you go on my page, you’ll see the Johnny Grinch is, like, this sort of hipster. Like, you know, vegan and green eggs and ham… or wait, not really a good vegan. Anyway, forget that, forget that, forget that, I’m off course. But the pitch is: What if the Grinch had an illegitimate child? Like, he didn’t know that he had Johnny and she somehow brings him back.”
The host, ever the writer, had some valid concerns about plot logistics, like when he noted, “I also want to hear this story about how he’s like, ‘I had no idea.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, Grinch. You lived alone in a cave and you’re like, ‘I don’t know how I’m a dad.’ You know.”
Let’s admire Jay-Z’s early sequencing for a moment: The playlist begins with Beyonce’s “Plastic Off The Sofa,” and then Drake and 21 Savage’s “Jimmy Cooks,” Lil Yachty’s “Poland” and then SZA’s “Shirt.” He really sets a chill vibe at the top of this playlist and it keeps going for a while. It isn’t until the playlist shifts over to Burna Boy’s “Last Last,” Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó,” and Rosalia’s “Bizcochito” that the party turns up.
But for the most part, Hov plays it safe. There’s a lot of certified hits from 2022 and not a lot of new discoveries. Not that that’s a bad thing, just know that you’re not coming to Jay-Z to find about who’s “next up” in hip-hop. Most every artist in his 40 tracks is well-established, including his wife, Beyoncé, who claims three spots in the mix off of Renaissance (also including “America Has A Problem” and “I’m That Girl.”) Save your nepotism claims though, because 2022 might very well go down as the year of our Queen Bey come Grammy time.
One gripe though. There’s no rock and roll. Like, not even a casual Phoebe Bridgers nod my dude? That’s cool though, you don’t get to become one of the most influential people in hip-hop, by bigging up rock music I suppose. Hov clearly did his thing on this one and it’s a solid collection of this year’s most ubiquitous hip-hop joints.
(@JanelleMonae) 