Pop

Doja Cat Insists She Didn’t Curve Jack Harlow Back In 2020

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Doja Cat Billboard Awards 2022
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Before winning the Billboard Music Awards for Top R&B Album, Top R&B Artist, Top R&B Female Artist, and Top Viral Song this past weekend, Doja Cat was asked about an online chat with Jack Harlow from 2020.

During an Instagram livestream, Harlow and Doja exchanged pleasantries before Harlow explained that both of their fan bases thought they were dating, as Harlow looked like the person Doja was dating at the time. The two continued to ask each other questions, before Doja shouted “What the f*ck? My wig is coming off, I gotta go, bye.”

After she signed off, Harlow said, still on stream, “Oh man, I’ve had a crush on her for months,” however, fans took Doja’s abrupt sign-off as the “Kiss Me More” singer’s way of curving Harlow.

Two years later, Doja has since clarified that this wasn’t the case.

“My wig was peeling off and I noticed that and I was like, ‘Oh, gotta go, bye,’” she said to E! News on the BBMAs red carpet. “Not that I care about that thing usually.”

Harlow was asked by ET about the infamous livestream, to which he responded, “I’ve become cool with Doja. That was early in our friendship, now we know each other pretty well. So I ain’t gonna do nothing too silly. I think I’m playing it cool today.”

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

Spotify Is Testing Out NFTs On Artist Profiles And Folks Are Very Unsure Of The Consequences

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Spotify
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As Spotify continues to add bells and whistles to the streaming service’s artist profiles like the ability to buy concert tickets and merch, they’re beginning to test out NFTs, too. As Music Ally and Billboard report, artists like Steve Aoki and The Wombats present two of the early test cases, where artists can promote their NFT’s on their profiles and people can click through to purchase them on NFT marketplaces. The test is currently available to select US users via Spotify’s the Android app.

At first glance, this does seem like a slippery slope of sorts, as artists have turned to NFTs as a way to control 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of their music and publishing rights. Considering Spotify pays artists a paltry sum that lies somewhere between $0.003 to $0.005 per stream, it’s understandable to think that there might be an ulterior motive at play from the Swedish streaming giant.

“Spotify is running a test in which it will help a small group of artists promote their existing third-party NFT offerings via their artist profiles,” a spokesperson from Spotify told Music Ally. “We routinely conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve artist and fan experiences. Some of those tests end up paving the way for a broader experience and others serve only as an important learning.”

Music Ally also reported that Spotify isn’t taking a cut of any NFT sales in this test. But one has to wonder if they’ll take a cut of whatever the NFT marketplace makes? Or if when the testing period is over and the feature is fully implemented, that they’ll indeed work their way into taking a cut of the direct sale of the NFT. Promoting an NFT on Spotify does not seem like a good proposition for smaller artists who count on the sale of their NFTs as a main source of income. But for artists like Aoki, or The Wombats, who have a comfortable pipeline of income sources and are looking to spread the word about their new blockchain ventures, then this might make sense.

The responses from people on social media have shown the inherent distrust that Spotify has built among users and non-users alike. “Just feels like they’ll find a way take the power from artist’s again,” one Twitter user said. “Work on your established problems first,” another user suggested, while another user issued the ultimatum that, “If Spotify goes in this direction im gonna cancel my subscription.”

Portola Music Festival’s Loaded Inaugural Lineup Features Flume, MIA, And Jamie xx

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Coachella 2017 Music Festival Concert Crown Audience
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Just when you thought that we had enough music festivals announced for 2022, San Francisco’s brand new Portola Music Festival has splashed onto the circuit with an incredibly diverse lineup of marquee electronic-leaning dance, pop, and hip-hop crossover acts. This is a seriously stacked lineup with big names at the top like Flume, The Chemical Brothers, Jamie xx, and a #rare performance from MIA.

Pier 80 is the grounds for the inaugural edition of the Goldenvoice-produced two-day festival on September 24th and 25th. Also appearing on the very well-curated bill are acts like Kaytranada, Jungle, Charli XCX, The Avalanches, Caribou, Toro y Moi, James Blake, Four Tet + Floating Points, Caroline Polachek, PinkPantheress, DJ Shadow, Lane 8, Yaeji, Slowthai, The Blessed Madonna, Justin Martin, and more. While late to the party, this is a legit unbelievable lineup.

And while the festival takes place nowhere near San Francisco’s Garden District known as the “Portola,” it’s actually named after the short-lived Portola Festival of 1909, which celebrated San Francisco’s re-opening following the great fire of 1906. Back then, the festival was built around a parade down Market Street. It then disappeared in 1913 for 35 years before re-establishing itself as a series of Mardi Gras-style parades in 1948, and then fading into the abyss in 1950. Now we have a full-on dance party in a refurbished warehouse and tents on a historic pier. Sure.

Check out the lineup poster below and tickets go on sale on Friday, May 20th, here.

Portola Music Fest Lineup
Portola Music Fest

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

Cara Delevingne Gets Roasted For Her High-Effort, Low-Quality BBMA Photo Of Doja Cat, DJ Khaled, And Fat Joe

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Fat Joe Doja Cat DJ Khaled 2022 Billboard Music Awards BBMA
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The 2022 Billboard Music Awards went down last night and if you had to pick one non-musician in attendance who stole the show, it’s probably Cara Delevingne. It seemed like she was all over the place last night, including the floor when she laid down to snap a photo of Doja Cat, Fat Joe, and DJ Khaled.

Since that photo started making the rounds after Joe shared it, fans took to Twitter to poke fun at the low quality of the photo despite all the trouble Delevingne went through to snap the pic.

More broadly, a lot of attention was paid to how excitable Delevingne seemed to be throughout the evening, especially in her interactions with Doja and Megan Thee Stallion.

Elsewhere during the show, Doja had one of the biggest nights thanks to her 14 nominations. She managed to win four of those: Top R&B Artist, Top R&B Female Artist, Top R&B Album (for Planet Her), and Top Viral Song (for her and SZA’s “Kiss Me More”). Meanwhile, Megan picked up a win on her sole nomination of the evening, for Top Rap Female Artist.

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

Selena Gomez Gave Her Best Miley Cyrus Impersonation During Her Opening Monologue On ‘SNL’

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Selena Gomez is not unfamiliar with the Saturday Night Live stage. Back in 2016, the singer made her debut on the show where she served as the musical guest and performed “Hands To Myself,” “Same Old Love,” and “Good For You.” Six years later, the multi-talented act found herself back on the SNL, but this time, with different responsibilities. Gomez took over the latest SNL episode — which featured Post Malone as the musical guest — as the show’s host, and she wasted no time entertaining her audience. It began with her opening monologue where she gave her best Miley Cyrus impersonation.

The opening monologue began with Gomez explaining that her role as host for the show was “a big moment for me” as she grew up watching SNL every week with her mother. Gome also revealed that she asked one of her “oldest friends” Miley Cyrus, who’s hosted SNL several times, for hosting advice prior to the show. She then went into a full impersonation of the Plastic Hearts singer telling her to just be herself and “have fun.”

Elsewhere in the SNL episode, Post Malone performed “Cooped Up” and “Love/Hate Letter To Alcohol.” The first performance was done with Roddy Ricch on stage while the second was of a track that’s set to feature Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes.

You can watch Gomez’s full opening monologue in the video above.

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

Megan The Stallion, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, And So Many Others Sign A Pro-Roe V. Wade Ad

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Billie Eilish Olivia Rodrigo Variety's Hitmakers Brunch 2021
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As talk of an apparently impending overturn of Roe v. Wade spreads, people are using their influence to take action. Now, a bunch of musicians have come together to do just that, by attaching their names to a new full-page New York Times ad from Bans Off Our Bodies and Planned Parenthood.

The ad reads, “The Supreme Court is planning to overturn Roe v. Wade, taking away the constitutional right to abortion. Our power to plan our own futures and control our own bodies depends on our ability to access sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion. We are Artists. Creators. Storytellers. We are the new generation stepping into our power. Now we are being robbed of our power. WE WILL NOT GO BACK — AND WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN.”

Below that are the names of 160 young artists who signed the ad. Some of the musicians who appear include Angel Olsen, Ariana Grande, Ashe, Ashnikko, Bethany Cosentino, Billie Eilish, Blu DeTiger, Camila Cabello, Cautious Clay, Clairo, Dave Burd (Lil Dicky), Demi Lovato, Dorian Electra, Finneas, Gayle, Grandson, Halsey, Hayley Kiyoko, Holly Humberstone, Karlie Kloss, Kelsey Lu, King Princess, Lauren Jauregui, Lauv, Lykke Li, Madison Beer, Megan Thee Stallion, Meghan Trainor, Miley Cyrus, Mitski, Noah Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, Paramore, Phoebe Bridgers, Pink Sweats, Pom Pom Squad, Princess Nokia, Rebecca Black, The Regrettes, Rina Sawayama, Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendes, Snail Mail, Soccer Mommy, Sunflower Bean, Tate McRae, Tinashe, Weyes Blood, and X Ambassadors.

Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation Of America, also offered a statement, saying, “Should the Supreme Court take away the constitutional right to safe, legal abortion, young people stand to lose the most. So many of us — who grew up with the understanding that Roe was settled law — could have never imagined that our own children would have fewer rights and less freedom over their own bodies and futures. What we see in young people from all walks of life is that they aren’t backing down — not today, not ever. Like the artists who signed on to this ad, their resolve to keep bans off their bodies is a source of hope during a dark time, and we are determined to keep fighting alongside them, for them.”

Check out the ad below.

Bans Off Our Bodies Roe v. Wade Ad 2022
Bans Off Our Bodies

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

Post Malone Only Remembers How ‘Strange-Looking’ He Is After A Few Drinks

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Post Malone is an “ugly-ass motherf*cker,” according to himself in a 2020 GQ interview. While he’s currently admired by millions of fans, he may still feel some insecurity about his appearance: Malone was a guest on The Tonight Show yesterday and noted during his conversation with Jimmy Fallon that it is only in certain moments that he remembers how “strange-looking” (his words) he is.

While talking about Malone’s upcoming album Twelve Carat Toothache, Fallon asked Malone if he literally has twelve carats of metal and jewelry in his mouth. Malone didn’t have a definitive answer to that question but he did note after Fallon asked if he just stares at his mouth: “I’m such a strange-looking individual. Every time I look in the mirror, I don’t notice anything, but then I’ll have a couple Jägers or we’ll play [a drinking game] and I’ll look in the mirror and I’ll be like, ‘Dude, you’re such a weird guy!’”

Elsewhere during the conversation, Malone noted he has been corresponding with Bob Dylan. Fallon asked if they’ve met and Malone answered, “I have not met Bob Dylan but we have been… hmm, I don’t how much I’m at liberty to discuss. We’ve been chatting.” He added, “He’s always just been a voice in my head. Always just appreciated the music and appreciated the songwriting.

Check out the interview above. Malone, as he tends to do on The Tonight Show, played a drinking game with Fallon, so watch that below.