Pop

Janelle Monáe Had A Completely Topless Birthday Party And Has Now Explained The NSFW Video On ‘Kimmel’

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Janelle Monáe dropped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! to dish on their appearance in Netflix’s upcoming blockbuster, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery… as well as the backstory behind a video of them posing topless at a friend’s birthday party.

Much like the mystery in the movie, this friend takes Monáe on a secret vacation destination each year, with past places including Jamaica and Las Vegas. This year’s party spot was Mexico — and each night of the trip had a different theme.

The first night of Monáe’s birthday trip was “Intergalactic,” where they channeled an extraterrestrial in a pink wig and lots of fluorescent sparkles. From there, the friends organized a “hot sexy tea party” (with a lingerie dress code) and a murder mystery party night. (It’s unclear if Monáe won this game, considering their recent experience in the genre.)

However, Monáe decided to let their creativity shine when the friends organized a “wine night where […] your clothes need to match your favorite white wine or your favorite red wine.” They opted for neither.

“Earlier in the day they had told me the theme and I was like, you know what, it’s my birthday, I just want to be free!” they explained. “I want to be, like, so free and I want to let it all hang out. So they were all dressed and I was topless.”

Monáe uploaded a video from that night to Instagram, where they are dancing around in just a skirt as a band plays and fireworks set off from the beach. “Still floating. Thank you all for the bday love. This is just a small glimpse of how I spent it,” the caption read. “Fully honoring the present. Thank you to my loved ones for planning such a magical experience + each of them adorning my body with temp tats so I could have a bday suit that matched how i felt.”

Music’s Biggest 2022 People’s Choice Awards Winners Include Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Lizzo, And BTS

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Taylor Swift NSAI 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards
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The People’s Choice Awards went down yesterday (December 6) at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, and the evening’s winner should come as no surprise. Hosted by comedian Kenan Thompson, the biggest winner at this year’s annual fan-voted ceremony was singer Taylor Swift.

Despite being notably absent, the “Anti-Hero” singer claimed a whooping three awards, including the Female Artist Of 2022, the Music Video OF 2022, and the Album Of 2022, thanks to her devoted Swifties.

“About Damn Time” singer Lizzo won for Song Of The Year and was honored with the People’s Champion award. K-pop icons BTS won both the Group Of 2022 and the Concert Tour Of 2022. “Big Energy” rapper Latto won Best New Artist of 2022. Shockingly, Becky G beat out Bad Bunny for Latin Artist Of 2022. In contrast, Selena Gomez won the Comedy TV Star Of 2022 award (for her role in Hulu’s Only Murders In The Building) and the Social Celebrity Of 2022.

The evening also featured an exceptional performance by country legend Shania Twain, who was honored with the Music Icon Award. Twain, sporting a fierce hot pink bodysuit with contrasting bubblegum pink hair, sang a medley of her greatest hits. During the set, Twain gave a nod to actor Ryan Reynolds (honored with The People’s Icon Award) as she swapped out Brad Pitt’s name for his as she sang “That Don’t Impress Me Much.”

To re-watch the 2022 People’s Choice Awards, click here.

View the complete list of music category winners below.

The Male Artist Of 2022
Harry Styles (winner)
Bad Bunny
Charlie Puth
Drake
Jack Harlow
Kendrick Lamar
Luke Combs
The Weeknd

The Female Artist of 2022
Taylor Swift (winner)
Beyoncé
Camila Cabello
Doja Cat
Lady Gaga
Lizzo
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj

The Group Of 2022
BTS (winner)
5 Seconds of Summer
Blackpink
Coldplay
Imagine Dragons
Måneskin
OneRepublic
Panic! At The Disco

The Song Of 2022
“About Damn Time” – Lizzo (winner)
“As It Was” – Harry Styles
“Break My Soul” – Beyoncé
“First Class” – Jack Harlow
“Hold My Hand” – Lady Gaga
“Me Porto Bonito” – Bad Bunny and Chencho Corleone
“Super Freaky Girl” – Nicki Minaj
“Wait For U” – Future Featuring Drake and Tems

The Album Of 2022
Midnights – Taylor Swift (winner)
Dawn FM – The Weeknd
Growin’ Up – Luke Combs
Harry’s House – Harry Styles
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers – Kendrick Lamar
Renaissance – Beyoncé
Special – Lizzo
Un Verano Sin Ti – Bad Bunny

The Country Artist Of 2022
Carrie Underwood (winner)
Kane Brown
Kelsea Ballerini
Luke Combs
Maren Morris
Miranda Lambert
Morgan Wallen
Thomas Rhett

The Latin Artist Of 2022
Becky G (winner)
Anitta
Bad Bunny
Shakira
Karol G
Rauw Alejandro
Rosalía
Sebastián Yatra

The New Artist Of 2022
Latto (winner)
Chlöe
Dove Cameron
Gayle
Lauren Spencer-Smith
Muni Long
Saucy Santana
Steve Lacy

The Music Video Of 2022
“Anti-Hero” – Taylor Swift (winner)
“As It Was” – Harry Styles
“Left And Right” Feat. Jung Kook of BTS – Charlie Puth
“Let Somebody Go” – Coldplay and Selena Gomez
“Oh My God” – Adele
“Pink Venom” – Blackpink
“Provenza” – Karol G
“Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment) Official” – BTS

The Collaboration Song of 2022
“Left And Right” Feat. Jung Kook of BTS – Charlie Puth (winner)
“Bam Bam” – Camila Cabello Featuring Ed Sheeran
“Do We Have a Problem?” – Nicki Minaj X Lil Baby
“Freaky Deaky” – Tyga X Doja Cat
“Hold Me Closer” – Elton John & Britney Spears
“Jimmy Cooks” – Drake Featuring 21 Savage
“Party” – Bad Bunny & Rauw Alejandro
“Sweetest Pie” – Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa

The Concert Tour of 2022
BTS — Permission To Dance On Stage (winner)
Bad Bunny — World’s Hottest Tour
Billie Eilish — Happier Than Ever, The World Tour
Dua Lipa — Future Nostalgia Tour
Ed Sheeran — Mathematics Tour
Harry Styles — Love on Tour
Lady Gaga — The Chromatica Ball
Luke Combs — The Middle of Somewhere Tour

The Social Celebrity Of 2022
Selena Gomez (winner)
Bad Bunny
Charlie Puth
Doja Cat
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Reese Witherspoon
Snoop Dogg

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

Lizzo Used Her People’s Choice Awards Speech To Bring Breonna Taylor’s Mom And Other Female Activists On Stage

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During last night’s People’s Choice Awards, Lizzo won Song Of The Year (“About Damn Time”) and People’s Champion — with her speech for the second award making significant news today. The fan-voted event found Lizzo’s Champion award being introduced by her mom, making it all the more special of a moment.

“I’ma be honest, when I first heard about this award, I was on the fence about whether I should accept,” she said. “Because, if I’m the people’s champ, I don’t need a trophy for championing people, you know what I’m saying?”

“I’m here tonight because to be an icon isn’t about how long you’ve had your platform,” Lizzo continued. “Being an icon is what you do with that platform. And ever since the beginning of my career, I’ve used my platform to amplify marginalized voices. I am sharing this honor. Make some noise for the people, y’all. These are all activists and people that I think deserve the spotlight.”

Lizzo greeted a handful of activists, naming each person and their causes, from fighting for Flint, Michingan to have clean drinking water to advocating for indigenous communities. As the introduction progressed, Lizzo and the guests were both brought to tears. She hugged a woman who lost her sister, a teacher who protected students in Uvalde. And, at the end of the lineup, she also included Breonna Taylor’s mother, giving space to women across all fields of champion work.

Watch Lizzo’s full People’s Champion award speech above.

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

2022: Complex UK’s Highlights From The World Of Music Journalism

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  • Image via Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson

    Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson, EIC

  • Image via James Keith

    James Keith, Contributing Editor

  • Image via Claudia Valentina Cagna

    Claudia Valentina Cagna, Social Media Manager

  • Image via Olivia Rose

    Chantelle Fiddy, Contributor

  • Image via Yemi Abiade

    Yemi Abiade, Contributor

  • Image via Robert Kazandjian

    Robert Kazandjian, Contributor

SZA, Paramore, Red Hot Chili Peppers, And Calvin Harris Are Headlining The Hangout Festival 2023 Lineup

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Paramore 2018
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In its over a decade of existence, Hangout Festival has risen among the most notable mega music festivals in the South. Taking place on the glistening beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama, it’s a quintessential summer starter fest (they even have a stageside swimming pool) boasting a loaded lineup year in and year out. For 2023, Hangout Fest is coming in hot with the newly announced headlining slate of SZA, Paramore, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Calvin Harris. Both SZA and Paramore will be riding the high off of their new albums, S.O.S. and This Is Why, respectively. But the buck doesn’t stop there.

The festival takes place from May 19th – 21st and joining the headliners on the Hangout Fest 2023 lineup are gigantic acts in hip-hop, rock, EDM, and more. Lil Nas X, Skrillex, Flume, and the Kid LaRoi are damn near headliners themselves. While the rest of the thoroughly-curated lineup also includes Russ, Thundercat, GloRilla, Sabrina Carpenter, Kevin Gates, Tove Lo, Alison Wonderland, and more.

Ticketing pre-sale begins Friday, 12/09 at 10 am CT here. You can register for the pre-sale leading up to then. Check out the complete Hangout fest 2023 lineup poster below.

Hangout Festival 2023
Hangout Fest

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

Apple Announced ‘Apple Music Sing,’ A Song-Altering Karaoke Feature That Will Be Out Soon

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After nearly two weeks of Spotify dominating social media’s media algorithm, thanks to their annual Wrapped reveal and the third-party Instafest mock concert lineups, streaming platform Apple Music is looking to snatch back users’ attention.

In an announcement, Apple unveiled a new feature that would be headed to the platform later this month: Apple Music users will experience karaoke re-imagined thanks to the new feature Apple Music Sing. For avid music lovers, the recent subscription uptick may finally be paying off. Apple Music Sing will allow users an immersive experience with their favorite songs’ lyrics and instrumentals across Apple devices. The volume of the song’s lyrics can even be adjusted.

Apple’s Vice President of Apple Music and Beats, Oliver Schusser, spoke about the new feature in a statement, saying, “Apple Music’s lyrics experience is consistently one of the most popular features on our service. We already know our users all over the world love to follow along to their favorite songs, so we wanted to evolve this offering even further to enable even more engagement around music through singing. It’s really a lot of fun, our customers are going to love it.”

Apple Music Sing will allow fans to take the lead or backup to their favorite song and perform duets with their friends. In addition, Apple Music will launch 50 curated playlists featuring the platform’s most popular songs, duets, choruses, and anthems.

Halle Bailey, Wiz Khalifa, Tomorrow x Together, And More Will Ring In 2023 On ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’

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Halle Bailey 2022
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Although some of us may still be living in 2019, you can’t deny that 2022 is about to be over and a new year is upon us. With Christmas and New Year’s Eve festivities just weeks away, ABC and Dick Clark Productions announced the lineup to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest on Monday (December 5). And boy, it’s jam-packed.

Continuing its annual tradition of holding celebrations across the country, Rockin’ Eve will take place in Los Angeles’ Disneyland, New Orleans, and New York’s Time Square simultaneously.

Halle Bailey, Fitz And The Tantrums, Maddie & Tae, Shaggy, Ben Platt, Aly & AJ, Bailey Zimmerman, Lauren Spencer Smith and K-pop favorites TOMORROW X TOGETHER will perform at the Disneyland Resort for a pre-recording of the show with Ciara as co-host. D-Nice will host the Los Angeles party with Wiz Khalifa, Finneas, Armani White, Betty Who, Dove Cameron and Nicky Youre performing. Billy Porter is set to perform and host down in New Orleans, Louisiana.

And last, but not least, Ryan Seacrest will take the Rockin’ Eve show in Time Square for the 18th time and will be joined by Liza Koshy.

The live broadcast for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest will begin at 8 p.m. ET on December 31 on ABC.

BTS’ RM Moves Through Imaginative Visuals In His Video For The Anderson .Paak Collab ‘Still Life’

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BTS may be on hiatus, but that’s not stopping the highly-anticipated solo projects coming through. Over the summer, we got J-Hope and his EP Jack In The Box. In October, we got Jin and his hit single “The Astronaut,” co-written with Coldplay. Now, we have RM with his first full studio album Indigo.

As last Friday marked the album’s release, promotions for tracks on the solo project are well underway. After the release of the “Wild Flower” music video, the BTS leader unveils the video to Indigo‘s second track, the Anderson .Paak-featuring “Still Life.”

In his Tiny Desk Concert on NPR last Friday, RM revealed the inspiration behind the track was based on a trip to a museum and coming across a painting of the same name.

“When I see ‘Still Life,’ like the canvas,” RM said on the series. “My life is like a canvas. I’m exhibiting my life to the whole world, everywhere.”

Throughout the music video RM moves and grooves through various still scenes. At one point, he’s stuck in time inside of a train and the other he’s in a blank space moving graphics with his magic hands.

The concept of “Still Life” follows the overall theme of Indigo, where the album acts as an art exhibit curated by RM.

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