Pop

Spain’s Mad Cool Festival Is Making Its Return In 2022 With A Rock-Heavy Lineup

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Like many festivals, Madrid’s Mad Cool took a couple years off, as its 2020 and 2021 editions were a no-go. Now, though, organizers are preparing for 2022, when they’ll host the next Mad Cool between July 6 and 9. Ahead of then, they’ve shared the stacked lineup.

It’s a big one for rock fans: Headlining the four-day festival are Metallica, Twenty One Pilots, Placebo, Imagine Dragons, The Killers, Muse, Faith No More, Kings Of Leon, and Pixies. Additionally, more headliners are set to be announced. Elsewhere on the poster as it stands now are Carly Rae Jepsen, Wolf Alice, Deftones, St. Vincent, Foals, Sigrid, Tove Lo, Beabadoobee, Cherry Glazerr, Alt-J, The War On Drugs, Mø, Phoebe Bridgers, Black Pumas, Shura, Royal Blood, Zara Larsson, Editors, Leon Bridges, Sylvan Esso, Princess Nokia, Gang Of Youths, Marika Hackman, and Bartees Strange.

Tickets for the 2020 and 2021 festivals are valid for the 2022 festival, for which tickets are currently on sale.

A lot of the 2022 lineup is made up of artists who were set to perform in 2021. Some notable ones who aren’t on the new poster, though, include Cardi B, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Anderson .Paak.

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

Amazon Teases A Cinematic ‘Prime Day Show’ With Billie Eilish, Kid Cudi, And HER

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A couple weeks ago, Amazon announced that they had recruited Billie Eilish, Kid Cudi, and HER for their “Prime Day Show,” a trio of exclusive performances set to drop on Prime Video on June 17. That’s just a few days away, and now, Amazon has shared a trailer for the program. Included in the video are snippets of each performance, all of which look more cinematic and narrative-based than most livestream or online-only concerts.

Amazon previously offered descriptions of each performance, saying of Eilish’s, “Billie brings a timeless, Parisian neighborhood to life with a series of cinematic performances. Set in the city known as the birthplace of cinema, it was directed by Billie Eilish and Sam Wrench, and features new music from Billie’s upcoming album, Happier Than Ever. This breathtaking musical tribute was inspired by Billie’s long-time admiration of a long gone era.”

They noted of Cudi’s show, “As he embarks on his biggest mission to date, Kid Cudi departs Earth to establish a new community on the moon in this intercosmic performance. Featuring music from his album Man On The Moon III, Cudi collaborates with the International Space Orchestra, the world’s first orchestra composed of space scientists from NASA Ames Research Center, the SETI Institute, and the International Space University as his backing band, in a musical collision defying sight, sound, and space.”

They also said of HER’s performance, “Once known as the hub of Los Angeles Black culture in the 1930’s and ’40s, the iconic Dunbar Hotel hosted some of the most prominent figures of its time, including musicians Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, Billie Holiday, and many more. In a modern day musical tribute to this legendary and important piece of history and culture, HER imagines what The Dunbar Hotel would be like if it existed in 2021 featuring new music from her album, Back Of My Mind.”

Watch the trailer above.

Megan Thee Stallion Said She Thinks Dua Lipa Is ‘Fire’ And She Wants To Do A Song With Her

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Like most of the world, Megan Thee Stallion is a fan of Dua Lipa. But unlike the rest of us, Megan actually has a shot at collaborating with Dua if she wants to. Today Megan dropped her latest incredibly subversive, misandrist new single “Thot Sh*t”, in which she and her crew of thots terrorize the would-be holier-than-thou white, male senators who are constantly criticizing them for owning their sexuality. This new video is sure to turn a few heads in the senate, as it’s a direct rebuttal to Conservative outrage over Megan, or her collaboration with Cardi B, “WAP.”

And when it comes to collaborations, it’s very likely that Dua will be next on the list. Speaking in an interview about artists she likes, Megan mentions that she thinks Dua is “fire” and that she’d love to work with her. “Somebody asked me about Dua Lipa, I love Dua Lipa, she’s so fire,” Megan said. “I really do want to do a song with Dua Lipa. I saw this like, mashup on Twitter and it was fire.”

For her part, Dua is thrilled that Megan feels that way. After a fan account tagged the snippet from Megan, the Albanian pop star shared it on her own story with an enthusiastic response: “I love you @TheeStallion let’s get it!!!!”

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So we’ll all be looking forward to that pairing hopefully coming our way soon.

Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Doja Cat Teased Another New Single, ‘Need To Know,’ With A Space Age Clip

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Fans have been waiting patiently for Doja Cat’s new full-length album, Planet Her to drop, the follow-up to her 2019 project Hot Pink. One of the clearest signs that the record was going to be dropping soon is her new collaboration with SZA, “Kiss Me More,” — which the pair performed at this year’s Billboard Awards — but that song came out over two months ago now, and no album. But we’ve got another sign that Planet Her is going to be coming soon with a clip of a new track that Doja shared on Instagram today.

Though there’s very little actual music in the clip, the camera is whooshing through space to double down on the intergalactic feel for the record. Finally zooming in on a room decorated with art, where the long, pink nails give away Doja herself. Dubbed “Need To Know” in the video and in the pop star’s caption, the song is scheduled to drop this Friday, June 11. It’s too early to tell if this song will get caught up in a TikTok craze like her past singles “Say So” and “Streets” have, but it seems like it’s definitely going to have a space age theme. Check out the clip above and keep out an eye for Planet Her hopefully lifting off some day soon.

Charli XCX And Beyonce’s Mom Will Appear On The New Season Of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’

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For the upcoming sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, the show will have a new home on the Paramount Plus streaming platform. The season is set to premiere on June 24, and ahead of then, Paramount Plus has shared a new trailer. Aside from teasing the upcoming season, the clip also offers a brief look at some of the upcoming guests on the show, including Charli XCX and Tina Knowles, aka Beyonce’s mother.

Towards the end of the trailer, we see Knowles talking to a contestant off-camera, saying, “It was right on point.” The video then cuts to a similar shot of Charli, who says, “I am obsessed with your outfit.”

Charli’s love for both RuPaul and the Drag Race franchise runs deep. Way back in 2013, she tweeted, “Current mood = RuPaul.” Then, in 2017, Charli solicited Netflix viewing recommendations from her fans, and in response to the suggestion that she watch Drag Race, she replied, “i want to be a judgeeeee!!!!!!!” In a 2019 interview, she revisited that tweet and was asked if she has gotten involved in the show yet, to which she responded, “I haven’t! But RuPaul: hit me up. I would love to be a part of it.” She also offered her recommendation for the song of hers that the show’s contestants should “Lip Sync For Your Lives” to: “I have a song called ‘Vroom Vroom,’ which I think would be really amazing for anyone to lip sync to.”

Check out the trailer above.

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

MTV VMAs Plan A Live Audience Return To NYC’s Barclays Center In 2021

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It was looking hopeful last June when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gave the MTV VMAs the go-ahead to take place at the Barclays Center in 2020 with a “limited” audience. However, following an uptick in COVID cases, the VMAs instead opted to host the event at an outdoor space, invite only a virtual audience, and have just a handful of in-person performances. But now as large-scale events eye a late summer return, the VMAs are looking to host their 2021 event indoors.

The VMAs announced Tuesday that the awards show will make an in-person return this year. It’s slated to take place September 12 at the Barclays Center once again, and organizers say they plan to allow fans to attend. According to press materials, the event will “feature epic performances from the biggest names in music and bring fans together from across the globe to celebrate the return of live entertainment.”

Though organizers are feeling confident about gathering indoors, they are still making sure to take safety protocols seriously. “The health and safety of artists, fans, staff, and partners remain the number one priority, and MTV and Barclays Center are working closely with state and local officials to implement best practices in order to safely bring together music fans from around the globe,” organizers wrote in a statement.

The VMAs have yet to announce which artists are set to take the stage in September. Last year’s ceremony saw some showstopping performances by The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, BTS, and Lady Gaga, whose various eye-catching masks stole the show.

One Of T-Pain’s Biggest Hits Actually Started Out As A Joke

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In the mid-2000s, T-Pain was an absolute hit machine, with one of his biggest and most memorable being “I’m N Luv (Wit A Stripper).” During a recent appearance on Mike Tyson’s Hotboxin’ podcast, he spoke about how that song actually began its life as a joke among friends.

He told Tyson of the single, “My homeboy was tryna save strippers in the club. The song was a joke. I was literally making fun of him. We was just in the studio f*cking around and Big Boi [was] saying it was dope and I said, ‘Yep.’”

T-Pain has actually told this origin story before. In a 2015 interview with USA Today, for example, he went into greater detail:

“We got one girl to dance on him and he was just automatically trying to take her out of the club, pay for her tuition and do everything. The next couple days in the studio, everybody was still laughing about it. I started playing with GarageBand on my Mac and singing, ‘I’m in love with a stripper,’ and everybody was like, ‘Yo, lay that down and we’ll give it to (him) as a joke.’ Then the label came in and we were going through some songs I had recorded. They heard the ‘joke’ and were like, ‘This is the furthest thing from a joke. We’re putting this out next week.’ [The fact that it became a hit] threw me off. I was literally trying to make a bad song but it didn’t work.”

Watch the full Hotboxin’ episode below.

‘Friends’ Fans Think One Of Rihanna’s Recent ‘Vogue’ Looks Is A Joey Cosplay

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Rihanna doesn’t miss, ever. Especially when it comes to fashion, RiRi has long been ahead of the curve, and she is frequently a cover star due to that very aspect of her fame. In a recent shoot for Vogue Italy, though, one of the looks had fans thinking about a moment from the Friends sitcom that involved Joey pranking his roommate Chandler. Maybe everyone just has Friends on the brain after the long-awaited reunion racked up Marvel movie numbers, or maybe this layered look would’ve brought Joey’s own version to mind no matter what.

See if the above photo doesn’t remind you of the shot where Joey puts on all of Chandler’s clothes in the episode “The One Where No One’s Ready,” in retaliation for Chandler hiding all of his clothes. You can revisit his version of the layered look in the clip above. And though plenty of Rihanna’s celebrity friends praised the look without a second thought, one fan mentioning the comparison in a comment was all it took for the Joey cosplay idea to take hold:

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Of course, this wasn’t Rihanna’s only look in the shoot either, she had plenty of other high-fashion shots, including the epic cover. Check those out below.

Bruno Mars And Anderson .Paak Have Finally Released Another New Song — A Jingle For Rum

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Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak are still enjoying the success of their sole Silk Sonic single “Leave The Door Open”: The song recently returned to No. 1 on the charts for a second week, and on the latest Billboard Hot 100, it’s still in the top 5. Still, the song was released three months ago now and fans are craving more from the duo. Well, today, they’ve gotten more, albeit in a form they likely weren’t expecting: Mars and .Paak have collaborated on a new jingle for SelvaRey Rum, a rum brand that Mars co-owns.

The duo also got James Fauntleroy on the track, which was produced by “Leave The Door Open” producer Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II. As would be expected from a commercial jingle, it’s a brief and jaunty tune, although it ends with some smooth, Silk Sonic-style soul.

Mars says in a statement, “Rum is really synonymous with joy. Anyone holding a good rum cocktail is exactly where they want to be. That’s what I wanted people to feel with this campaign. And SelvaRey Coconut delivers the ultimate drink every time. It’s hands down the best coconut rum you’ve ever tasted. Who wouldn’t be happy with a SelvaRey Piña Colada in their hand?”

He also wrote on social media, “My friends and I are Co Owners of this delicious rum. Us being all musicians it’s only right that we put together the official jingle for @selvareyrum .This was fun!”

Check out the jingle above.

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

Billie Eilish, Kid Cudi, And HER Are Celebrating Prime Day With Exclusive Amazon Music Performances

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Kelia Anne MacCluskey

Today, Amazon revealed the dates for their annual Prime Day, which this year will take place on June 21 and 22. The day features significant Black Friday-like sales on items from across the website, but the Amazon Music wing of the site is getting in on the fun, too: Starting on June 17, a “Prime Day Show” will be streaming on Prime Video, and the three-part special will feature performances from Billie Eilish, Kid Cudi, and HER.

Amazon describes Eilish’s performance, “Billie brings a timeless, Parisian neighborhood to life with a series of cinematic performances. Set in the city known as the birthplace of cinema, it was directed by Billie Eilish and Sam Wrench, and features new music from Billie’s upcoming album, Happier Than Ever. This breathtaking musical tribute was inspired by Billie’s long-time admiration of a long gone era.”

Of Cudi’s show, they note, “As he embarks on his biggest mission to date, Kid Cudi departs Earth to establish a new community on the moon in this intercosmic performance. Featuring music from his album Man On The Moon III, Cudi collaborates with the International Space Orchestra, the world’s first orchestra composed of space scientists from NASA Ames Research Center, the SETI Institute, and the International Space University as his backing band, in a musical collision defying sight, sound, and space.”

They also say of HER’s performance, “Once known as the hub of Los Angeles Black culture in the 1930’s and ’40s, the iconic Dunbar Hotel hosted some of the most prominent figures of its time, including musicians Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, Billie Holiday, and many more. In a modern day musical tribute to this legendary and important piece of history and culture, HER imagines what The Dunbar Hotel would be like if it existed in 2021 featuring new music from her album, Back Of My Mind.”

All performances will run for about 25 minutes.

Ryan Redington, VP of Music Industry at Amazon Music, says of the shows, “Working with Billie Eilish, HER, and Kid Cudi to bring their music to life through these imaginative experiences has been incredible. Watching these globally renowned artists create three shows from the depths of their imagination has been unlike anything we’ve ever done before. We’re thrilled to bring fans along with us to celebrate these three remarkable artists and Prime Day.”

Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios, added, “These iconic artists have not only broken new ground in music but are inspired storytellers, culture creators, and visionaries. We’re thrilled to partner with Billie, HER, and Cudi to bring these authentic and deeply personal specials to fans around the world as we celebrate Prime Day.”