Pop

Beyonce Kicked Off The 2022 Oscars By Performing ‘Be Alive’ From ‘King Richard’ At The Compton Tennis Courts

by
Beyonce Oscars 2022 Performance
Getty Image

Even before the trailer for King Richard dropped, the Beyhive was buzzing about a potential new Beyonce song in the Venus and Serena Williams biopic. “Be Alive” ended up being pretty much the only new music we got from Bey last year, but it did not disappoint. Like the title suggests, the powerful track glories in the simple pleasure of being alive, and how satisfying it feels to confound expectations when the world is against you.

The song picked up a 2022 nomination from the Oscars for Best Original Song after initially being shortlisted by the selection committee, and rumors were swirling last week that Bey would actually perform the song during the awards show tonight, but would do so from the Compton tennis courts named after the Williams sisters.

And that’s exactly how the show’s planners chose to open tonight, with a glowing Beyonce clad all in yellow, surrounded by plenty of other dancers — some even rocking the signature hair beads that defined Venus and Serena’s early looks as players. Blue Ivy showed up to perform alongside her mother too, making this moment feel very full circle. This is the first time Beyonce has performed at an awards show in almost five years, and she nailed it with an over-the-top spectacle as she always does. Check out clips from her performance below.

Latto Reveals Mariah Carey Will Feature On The ‘Big Energy’ Remix With An Easily Decoded Tweet

by
latto big energy.jpeg
Getty Image

Latto has been having a huge 2022 so far, and it sounds like it’s about to get a lot bigger. The rising rap star is coming off the release of her 777 album today, her second full-length project and follow-up to her 2020 debut Queen Of Da Souf. But a mystery feature on the tracklist has been generating a lot of speculation, as the massive single off the project, “Big Energy,” has been quickly working its way up on the Billboard chart and is due for a remix.

The song samples a rather iconic song from the early ’80s, Tom Tom Club’s 1981 single, “Genius Of Love,” which most fans will recognize from Mariah Carey’s own iconic hit, “Fantasy.” And since the two stars share a sample on respective hits, it only makes sense they’d team up for the remix. While a lot of fans thought Latto would tap either Nicki Minaj or Cardi B for the new version, she made it clear that while she loves them both, she’s not getting into any drama by picking sides.

These tweets between Latto and Mariah today make it pretty clear that we’ll hear Mimi on Monday’s remix. Stay tuned for that, surely Mariah is going to bring a big verse and some signature vocal gymnastics for this one.

Snoop Dogg Promises A Collaboration With BTS is ‘Official Like A Referee With A Whistle’

by
Snoop Dogg BTS
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

BTS and Snoop Dogg have been linked to each other for quite some time… well, sort of. Back in 2014, when BTS was just beginning their world domination, the track “Hip Hop Phile” singled out Snoop as an inspiration. BTS’s RM starts reeling off the albums that made him “love” hip-hop and spits the lyric, “And of course the classic Illmatic and Doggystyle!” Now, in a full-circle moment eight years later, Snoop Dogg confirmed that he and the K-Pop supergroup are indeed set to collaborate on a track.

“The BTS experience you keep talking about. I’m going to let them tell you about it. It’s official like a referee with a whistle,” he told the A.V. Club on the red carpet for the premiere of his and Kelly Clarkson’s American Song Contest. “I make good music. They make good music. And we end up doing this. This is what it’s always about, bringing our worlds together.”

In January, Snoop said on a Clubhouse chat hosted by the Mogul Talk podcast that BTS had reached out to him about possibly collaborating, but he wasn’t all that familiar with them yet. He explained that his nephew illuminated him to the finer points of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, and then likened them to the “Asian New Edition. ”

So there you have it, the D-O-Double-G and the Bangtan Boys will be together on a track soon enough. Stay tuned.

J Balvin And Ed Sheeran Party Hard And Jam Out In Their Videos For ‘Sigue’ And ‘Forever My Love’

by

J Balvin and Ed Sheeran are both not too far removed from their latest bodies of work. Last fall, J Balvin released his fifth album Jose with help from Skrillex, Yandel, Ozuna, Khalid, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, and more. Three months later, he dropped a deluxe reissue that added eight more songs to the project. As for Ed Sheeran, he released his fifth album = just a month after Balvin originally released Jose. Unlike Jose, Sheeran’s = was a completely solo body of work that also marked his first album in two months. Following an unexpected meeting at the gym, Sheeran and Balvin reconnected to make two songs which we’ve received today.

The two singers arrive with their new tracks, “Sigue” and “Forever My Love.” As if the songs themselves weren’t enough, the duo also released matching videos for the tracks. “Sigue” captures Sheeran and Balvin partying hard together with a festive visual while “Forever My Love” calms things down with a black-and-white video that sees them jam out in the studio.

Balvin and Sheeran’s collaborations come after the former flaunted his softer side in a video for “Nino Sonador” while Sheeran recently joined Camila Cabello for their heartfelt track, “Bam Bam.”

You can watch the videos for “Sigue” and “Forever My Love” above.

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

Foo Fighters, Nas, And More Were Added To The List Of 2022 Grammys Performers

by
dave-grohl-foo-fighters-getty-full.jpg
Getty Image

Last week, The Recording Academy and CBS revealed the first set of artists set to perform at this year’s Grammy Awards: BTS, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow, Brandi Carlile, and Brothers Osbourne. Now, they’ve added onto that list with another set of artist reveals today. So, also performing at this year’s show (on April 3 at 8 p.m. ET) are Foo Fighters, Nas, HER, Jon Batiste, Chris Stapleton, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., and Rachel Zegler.

Batiste was a no-brainer selection, as he has a whopping 11 nominations this year, which is the most this year and the second-most in a single year of all time: Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Best Traditional R&B Performance, Best R&B Album, Best Improvised Jazz Solo, Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Best American Roots Performance, Best American Roots Song, Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media, Best Contemporary Classical Composition, and Best Music Video.

Foo Fighters is a headlining act in the rock categories, as they’re up for Best Rock Performance (for “Making A Fire”), Best Rock Song (“Waiting On A War”), and Best Rock Album (Medicine At Midnight). As for Nas, King’s Disease II is up for Best Rap Album and DMX’s “Bath Salts” (featuring Jay-Z and Nas) is nominated for Best Rap Song.

Find the full list of 2022 Grammy nominations here.

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

Roc Nation Is Partnering With Time Studios On A Multi-Part Documentary About Megan Thee Stallion

by
Megan Thee Stallion Roc Nation Documentary
Marcello Cantu

Megan Thee Stallion never stops. The rapper is coming off the success of her new collaboration with Dua Lipa, “Sweetest Pie,” which made a pretty significant chart debut at No. 15. Though she’s still dealing with embarrassingly misogynistic fallout from Tory Lanez shooting her, Thee Stallion is still steady rising.

On that note, today Roc Nation and Time Studios announced they’ve partnered on a documentary telling Megan’s story. The upcoming multi-part documentary will be directed by Nneka Onuorah, and includes a mix of archival footage and new material. A press release stated that “beyond amplifying the Houston native’s journey to success, the project will also touch on how Megan overcame various personal hurdles to thrive in her professional career.”

“We are thrilled to be able to work with Roc Nation to share Megan’s story with the world,” said Loren Hammonds, the Co-Head of Documentary at Time Studios, in a press release. “Millions of people are familiar with her as an entertainer, but this series will give her a chance to share her truth as never before. Her story is a powerful one, and the accomplishments that she continues to achieve are remarkable. We feel lucky to have this opportunity to capture her at a crucial moment in her life and career, as she continues to grow exponentially in both her artistry and global impact.”

Roc Nation echoed those sentiments, specifically noting this artist’s resilience. “Megan has quickly blossomed into one of the pre-eminent entertainers in the world and it’s a testament to her perseverance, resilience and professionalism,” said Desiree Perez, the CEO of Roc Nation, in a press release. “Her journey is inspirational and we’re proud to have partnered with Time Studios to highlight her personal and professional trajectory over the years. Our hope is that this documentary will inspire viewers to stay the course and pursue their passions through the ups and downs.”

Executive producers on the project include Time Studios’ Ian Orefice, Loren Hammonds, Alexa Conway and Mike Beck, and Roc Nation’s Desiree Perez and Lori York, along with the director Nneka Onuorah. No release date for the project has been shared yet, but keep an eye out for more information.

Omar Apollo Drops The Smooth, Pharrell-Produced Single ‘Tamagotchi’

by

Omar Apollo turned some eyeballs in his direction with his 2020 debut full-length project Apolonio, and now he’s getting ready to generate even more attention with Ivory, a new album that’s set to drop in early April. Fans have actually already heard a decent portion of the album, as Apollo has now shared five singles from it. That includes the new one from today, “Tamagotchi.”

If the production style of this one sounds familiar, that because The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) produced the song. On the smooth and sensual tune, sung in both English and Spanish, Apollo sings, “You with somebody, or are you cool? / I want your body, you want me too / I see you coming, I come for you / Need you around me, I know you do.”

Preceding “Tamagotchi” as Ivory singles are “Go Away,” “Bad Life,” “Invincible,” and “Killing Me.” Speaking of “Killing Me,” Apollo actually performed the track on The Tonight Show on March 11, the day of its release. He’s also got tour dates coming up this spring and summer.

Listen to “Tamagotchi” above.

Ivory is out 4/8 via Warner Records. Pre-order it here.

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

Tinashe Reminisces About Working With Britney Spears: ‘I Was In Heaven’

by

Tinashe had a big moment in 2016 when she and Britney Spears linked up on a remix of the latter’s “Slumber Party.” They also performed the song together at 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball later that year. Now, Tinashe has revisited that time in a new conversation on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Tinashe told the host, “…Baby One More Time was the very first CD, like, of mine that I owned, and I ended up working with her, which is crazy. Crazy!” She added of working with Spears, “I’m telling you, it was… I was, like, in heaven. It still feels really surreal just to be able to work with somebody that, you know, you’ve idolized your entire life. [It] was really, really, really crazy. Still to this day, I’m like, ‘I can’t believe that happened.’”

Tinashe also noted, “Totally authentic, like, she’s Britney a hundred percent, and to see her star power on stage as well. When you’re actually on the stage with her, like, filming a music video with her, the camera’s rolling, you just see that character come out of her and you’re like, ‘Oh wow, that’s Britney Spears!’”

“Slumber Party” has actually come up a lot lately, as Charli XCX recently said, “I don’t know if I was the first choice, but I did get asked to feature on the ‘Slumber Party’ remix. Unfortunately, it just couldn’t work out with the timings and everything.”

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