Pop

Who Will Win And Who Should Win At The 2021 Grammys

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Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

The 2021 Grammys are less than a week away (airing on March 14), and the nominations are a reflection of 2020’s whirlwind. In a year that was riddled by heartache and isolation, artists either dug deep into quarantine-induced loneliness that birthed relatable tunes or went the opposite route to provide cheerful music to give fans some temporary relief.

This time around, Beyoncé leads the charge with nine nominations. This brings the most nominated artist in history’s career total to 62. She’s up both as a solo artist (among others, “Black Parade” is up for four categories including Record Of The Year) as well as her “Savage” collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion (also up for Record Of The Year).

Following Beyoncé are Taylor Swift (whose total now rises to 41), Dua Lipa, and Roddy Rich, with six nods each. But there are still other artists who could walk away with some trophies, including Fiona Apple, Phoebe Bridgers, and Nas. While there are a few deserving names missing from this year’s nominations (The Weeknd, Summer Walker, and The Chicks were among the most shocking), the Grammys continue to make improvements on its diversity efforts. BTS made history as the first K-pop act to be nominated and women rightfully dominated the country and rock categories.

Check out our predictions below for how the biggest and most coveted categories could play out.

Best Rap Album

D Smoke – Black Habits
Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo
Jay Electronica – A Written Testimony
Nas – King’s Disease
Royce Da 5’9″ – The Allegory

Who Will Win? Nas

Who Should Win? Freddie Gibbs

With all the standout rap albums released last year, it was quite surprising when The Recording Academy opted to nominate more traditional, older artists instead of highlighting the genre’s newcomers. Nevertheless, this category is filled with decades of remarkable talent. While D Smoke, Jay Electronica, and Nas were all favorites for the “rappity rap” sector of music lovers, it’s Freddie Gibbs’ Alfredo that is an immediate standout. Linking up with esteemed producer The Alchemist, Gibbs doesn’t waste a single breath on his tight bars while dishing out a rap master class.

Best Rap Performance

Big Sean Featuring Nipsey Hussle – “Deep Reverence”
DaBaby – “Bop”
Jack Harlow – “What’s Poppin”
Lil Baby – “The Bigger Picture”
Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Beyoncé – “Savage”
Pop Smoke – “Dior”

Who Will Win? Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé

Who Should Win? Lil Baby

This category features all strong contenders, from the late Pop Smoke’s “Dior” continuing his posthumous reign to Jack Harlow’s “What’s Poppin” showcasing just how effortless his flow is. And of course there’s “Savage,” which finds Megan Thee Stallion teaming with her idol Beyoncé. The latter seems like the promising win here based on how massive it was, but Lil Baby shouldn’t be ignored. The rapper is at his most vulnerable on “The Bigger Picture,” as he sheds light on police brutality occurring both in his native Atlanta and across America. But what makes this protest anthem so insightful is that Lil Baby turns the mirror on himself and tries to correct the wrongs he’s done with his own violent lyrics.

Best Alternative Music Album

Fiona Apple – Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Beck – Hyperspace
Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher
Brittany Howard – Jaime
Tame Impala – The Slow Rush

Who Will Win? Fiona Apple

Who Should Win? Fiona Apple

2020 proved that alternative music still has a deserved place in mainstream music, with all five artists in this category creating some of the strongest tunes of their esteemed careers. The Slow Rush is Kevin Parker at his most refined as he imagines lush soundscapes, and both Brittany Howard’s Jaime and Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher are graciously intimate. But not much else compares to the shocking rawness of Fiona Apple’s Fetch The Bolt Cutters. Of course, honesty has been Apple’s M.O. since her 1996 debut, but she turns the volume on max on her latest record. The most beautiful moments of Fetch The Bolt Cutters are its messiness, from Apple’s crackled, unedited vocals to the clamoring production. That kind of “zero f*cks given” energy should be commended.

Best Pop Solo Performance

Justin Bieber – “Yummy”
Doja Cat – “Say So”
Billie Eilish – “Everything I Wanted”
Dua Lipa – “Don’t Start Now”
Harry Styles – “Watermelon Sugar”
Taylor Swift – “Cardigan”

Who Will Win? Dua Lipa

Who Should Win? Doja Cat

This entire category is filled with fun pop moments, with Harry Styles inviting us to blissful paradise on “Watermelon Sugar” to Billie Eilish giving another dose of relatability on “Everything I Wanted.” Dua Lipa’s catchy earworm “Don’t Start Now” seems to be the biggest contender here, but Doja Cat’s “Say So” was just as inescapable. 2020 was a major year for the triple-threat, and it was partly due to the virality of “Say So.” After it dominated TikTok (whose dance challenge creator Haley Sharpe was featured in the video), the single literally soared onto the charts. Tacking on remix queen Nicki Minaj, “Say So” became both rappers’ first No. 1 single and also made history as the first collaboration by two female rappers to top the Hot 100. Doja Cat’s genre-bending talents combined with this song’s sheer ubiquity are surely worthy of that golden gramophone.

Best Pop Vocal Album

Justin Bieber – Changes
Lady Gaga – Chromatica
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Harry Styles – Fine Line
Taylor Swift – Folklore

Who Will Win? Taylor Swift

Who Should Win? Dua Lipa

Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, and Harry Styles arguably gifted us with the best albums of their career in 2020, but something’s telling me that The Recording Academy will award Swift’s beloved Folklore. But let’s not rule out Lipa, who was one of the few artists in recent memory who perfectly executed a proper album era. Not only did Future Nostalgia redefine what ‘80s and ‘90s pop mean in a millennial age, but the promotion — from the visually stunning videos to the accompanying remix album that was just as good as the original — took the compelling songs to new heights.

Best Progressive R&B Album

Jhené Aiko – Chilombo
Chloe x Halle – Ungodly Hour
Free Nationals – Free Nationals
Robert Glasper – F*** Yo Feelings
Thundercat – It Is What It Is

Who Will Win? Jhené Aiko

Who Should Win? Chloe x Halle

R&B has been in the shadows of rap for the past few years, but the genre surpassed its sibling in 2020. That hasn’t been made more clear than with this category, whose name changed from Best Urban Contemporary Album to Best Progressive R&B Album to dismiss the negative connotations the word “urban” brings. Jhené Aiko’s Chilombo being an industry favorite makes it a predicted winner here, but the brilliance of Chloe x Halle’s Ungodly Hour is too hard to surpass. The duo’s sophomore album is a journey of their grown womanhood, as they explore sexuality, rising above failed relationships, feeling petty in the moment, and embracing their imperfections. And it’s all tied together with heaven-sent harmonies, otherwordly production that continues the Afro-Futurism conversation, and smart songwriting. Now, who dared to question if R&B is dead again?

Record Of The Year

Beyoncé – “Black Parade”
Black Pumas – “Colors”
DaBaby Featuring Roddy Ricch – “Rockstar”
Doja Cat – “Say So”
Billie Eilish – “Everything I Wanted”
Dua Lipa – “Don’t Start Now”
Post Malone – “Circles”
Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Beyoncé – “Savage”

Who Will Win? Dua Lipa

Who Should Win? Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé

As Record Of The Year is awarded for the final recorded product of a single, it’ll be fair for Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé’s “Savage” remix to take the win. The teamwork is between not only the two artists but also the producer and engineer, and it gave way to the catchiest song of 2020. “Savage” was already a standout from Megan’s Suga EP, which was followed by a massively viral moment once TikTok got hold of it and a new dance craze was born. So when Beyoncé decided to hop on the remix months later, the world was stopped once again. What’s better than the two biggest mainstream artists from Houston reveling in all things classy, bougie, and ratchet? But as we bring up catchiness, Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” also deserves a major hat tip.

Best New Artist

Ingrid Andress
Phoebe Bridgers
Chika
Noah Cyrus
D Smoke
Doja Cat
Kaytranada
Megan Thee Stallion

Who Will Win? Phoebe Bridgers

Who Should Win? Megan Thee Stallion

There are so many deserving artists in this category, including Kaytranada, Chika, and Doja Cat. But Phoebe Bridgers growing into such a major indie darling may give her the win here, and The Recording Academy has a history of shocking the audience when it comes to Best New Artist wins. Still, Megan Thee Stallion’s unwavering dominance in 2020 cannot be ignored. She’s grown into more than just a rapper: she is an advocate for Black women, a businesswoman who has scored multiple partnerships, a philanthropist who gives back to her community, and is leading the charge of unapologetic new-gen women rappers.

Song Of The Year

Beyoncé – “Black Parade”
Roddy Ricch – “The Box”
Taylor Swift – “Cardigan”
Post Malone – “Circles”
Dua Lipa – “Don’t Start Now”
Billie Eilish – “Everything I Wanted”
H.E.R. – “I Can’t Breathe”
JP Saxe Featuring Julia Michaels – “If The World Was Ending”

Who Will Win? Taylor Swift

Who Should Win? Dua Lipa

Like Record Of The Year, this category is also overflowing with strong contenders that range from timely matters of racial inequality to heartbreaking ballads. Seeing as this win is for songwriters though, Taylor Swift getting a gramophone for “Cardigan” makes the most sense. But let’s not knock out Dua Lipa too quickly; the sheer pop perfection of “Don’t Start Now” should get the recognition here. An unofficial sequel to 2017’s “New Rules,” the lead single to Future Nostalgia captures the album’s nu-disco spirit while elevating Lipa to new pop star territory.

Album Of The Year

Jhené Aiko – Chilombo
Black Pumas – Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition)
Coldplay – Everyday Life
Jacob Collier – Djesse Vol. 3
Haim – Women In Music Pt. III
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Post Malone – Hollywood’s Bleeding
Taylor Swift – Folklore
Who Will Win? Taylor Swift

Who Should Win? Taylor Swift

Ah, Album Of The Year, the coveted Grammy that nearly every artist vies for at some point in their career. It’s also one of the most unpredictable categories as it can either go to the year’s most popular artist (see Adele in 2017 and Bruno Mars in 2018) or the year’s underdog (Kacey Musgraves in 2019 and Billie Eilish in 2020). Taylor Swift is often seen as both, with her likability swaying from overhyped to not credited enough. But there’s a reason why UPROXX chose Folklore as 2020’s best album. Jacob Collier, Haim, and Dua Lipa are all strong contenders here, yet Swift’s effort finds her at her most vulnerable. The singer-songwriter’s pen has always been sharp, and on Folklore she strengths her storytelling while also providing comfort (for herself and other listeners) in the wake of 2020’s darkness.

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

The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ Is The First Song To Spend A Full Year In The Top 10 Of The Hot 100

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As it stands now, it seems to be Olivia Rodrigo’s world: It was just revealed that “Drivers License” is the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for an eight consecutive week. Looking at the charts a different way, though, the world may actually belong to The Weeknd, as he just pulled off a spectacular feat that has never been done before.

“Blinding Lights” (which, as a reminder, was released as a single way back in November 2019), is No. 3 on the latest Hot 100, dated March 13. This is the song’s 52nd week in the top 10 of the chart, making it the first tune to ever spend a full year in the top 10. If the track can somehow remain in the top 5 spots for another 9 weeks (which doesn’t seem outlandish at this point), it’ll become the first song to spend a year in the top 5 as well. As of now, it has 43 top-5 weeks (which is a record), 52 weeks in the top 10, 58 weeks in the top 20 (which is second all-time), 61 weeks in the top 40 (tied for third all-time), and 65 weeks on the chart overall (tied for seventh-most all-time.)

Simply put, no song has ever dominated the Hot 100 quite like “Blinding Lights” has. On a bafflingly unrelated note, the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony is this weekend, where The Weeknd managed to secure exactly 0 nominations.

Lizzo Trolls An Instagram User With A Taste Of Their Own Medicine After They Questioned Her Weight

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Despite all the awards and commercial success she’s attained in her career, Lizzo still faces harmful comments from fans throughout the music world. Unfortunately, another instance of this occurred this past weekend during an Instagram Live session. While chatting with her followers, the singer was asked how she deals “with being obese every day.” Upon reading the message, Lizzo cracked a smile and delivered a response that saw her get the last laugh.

“I wake up into my obese bed — I have to get a king bed because I’m so obese — and I put on my I put on my obese Louis Vuitton house slippers,” she said. “I walk into my massive, obese bathroom and I just stare into my wall-to-wall, obese mirror and lather myself in the most obese, expensive oils and creams, and — oh, god — I walk into my obese, gorgeous, mid-century modern kitchen, and by the time I’ve made it into my kitchen, I’ve already made another obese million dollars.”

She continued by shedding some fake tears and adding, “My bank account is so fat. My bank account is so obese, and, like, I tried to put it on a diet but she’s just so stubborn, like, she won’t listen.”

You can watch the video from the Instagram Live above.

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

SZA Praised Doja Cat Saying Her Music ‘Touched My Inner Mind And Spirit’

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Doja Cat was the subject of a new cover story by V Magazine today, and as Complex points out, she had a pretty amazing conversation with SZA, who interviewed her for the piece. You should really read the whole thing, but my favorite part is in a question that leads into whether or not Doja finds herself in the hip-hop conversation, SZA reveals that Doja actually inspired her and made Solana feel more comfortable with herself.

I really feel like I relate the most to you because between the pre-TDE sh*t and crossing that path, I always felt like I couldn’t fit into anything. That my music isn’t “Black enough” with “Drew Barrymore.” Or I’m doing sh*t that’s strange. I never felt that as a Black girl, I could make music and be in these realms. You make music in all these other realms and make it sound like it touched my inner mind and spirit. It’s like, you’re exactly who I needed when I was in high school [and] college. I just wanted to feel like it’s ok to be an individual that isn’t really planted but is highly mutable and superfluid. Working with you was literally my dream.

SZA also shares their collaboration is reportedly called “Kiss Me More.” And the interview ends with SZA comparing Doja to Britney Spears, which doesn’t seem that far off anymore. Look for Doja’s new album Planet Her dropping sometime later this year.

Stefflon Don Hops On Saweetie And Doja Cat’s ‘Best Friend’ Remix

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Even though the early accidental leak of “Best Friend” had Saweetie upset one night, now that the song is actually out, fans are giving it the love it deserves. Aside from launching the “Bestie In A Tessie” contest to give away Teslas, Saweetie and Doja Cat’s ode to female friendship is popping off like it should. In fact, the song is so catchy that another rising female rapper, Stefflon Don, wanted to hop on a remix to add another character to the friend group, giving her a verse early in the track.

The British rapper is quickly earning fans on this side of the pond, adding bars to the song that flex with the best of them. Strangely enough, Stefflon isn’t the only other woman concerned with the “Best Friend” collaboration — Roc Nation duo Ceraadi also accused Saweetie and Doja of plagiarizing the videos concept for their track “BFF.” Well, at least having a third female rapper on the song makes those accusations less sticky. Check out the new version above and stay tuned for more from all three of these artists — any one of them could take over 2021 with the right hit. And it just might be “Best Friend.”

Let’s Enjoy Some Of The Most Adorable Pets In The Music Industry

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Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

Lady Gaga recently had to endure a pet owner’s worst nightmare: Her dog walker was shot and two of her beloved dogs were kidnapped. Fortunately, in a matter of days, the dogs were recovered and everything was in its right place. Gaga offered a $500,000 reward for whoever brought the dogs back, which just goes to show how much some people care about their pets. That got us thinking about other famous artists and their four-legged friends who we see pop up from time to time on social media and whatnot.

We’ve rounded up a handful of my favorites below, but this is by no means a comprehensive list of celebrity pets, so our sincerest apologies if your preferred artist’s furry/scaly/otherwise textured friend isn’t included. Now, if you’re recently found yourself asking, ‘Who’s a good boy,’ you can find some answers to that question below.

Coco, Toulouse, Cinnamon, Strauss, Lafayette, Pignoli, Myron, Snape, Lily, and Piggy Smallz (owned by Ariana Grande)

Grande’s dogs make social media appearances pretty often, but fans may not realize just how many puppers she actually has: According to Ariana Grande Wiki (which is surely the authoritative source on such matters), she currently owns nine dogs. That’s enough for 5-on-5 basketball if they let Grande’s pig Piggy Smallz play. As if that wasn’t enough, Grande is also working on an animal rescue center in Los Angeles, which indicates that she is perhaps the best friend to animals in the biz.

Lavender (owned by Dylan Baldi of Cloud Nothings and Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz and Sad13)

Towards the end of last year, indie-rock power couple Baldi and Dupuis decided to adopt Lavender, a pitbull with atypical facial features. In a recent interview with MTV News, Baldi said of Lavender, “She’s a one-of-a-kind dog. People will just stop and be like, ‘Look at this dog,’ and want to be with this dog in a way like no other dog I’ve seen. It’s like having a rare Pokémon.” He doubled down on his admiration of the unique pet with a Twitter follow-up: “if we did a tour, charged $50 for tickets, and all that happened was this dog came out onstage and walked around for a bit? you would still feel like you spent $50 correctly. incredible dog.”

Trappy S. Goyard (owned by 2 Chainz)

Like other famous pets, Trappy S. Goyard (which is easily the best name on this list) has his own Instagram account. Goyard probably also has a SAG card by now based on all the appearances they’d made. In addition to popping up on 2 Chainz’s Most Expensivest, Goyard also co-starred in the “Grey Area” video from earlier this year, in which Goyard and their human swapped heads.

Calippo and Dorito (owned by Ed Sheeran)

Sheeran stayed mostly out of the public eye during 2020 as he decided to take a break. What he didn’t stop doing, though, was posting about his cats on their dedicated Instagram page, which boasts over 300,000 followers. Calippo and Dorito are doing well, although Dorito could apparently stand to lose a bit of weight: In October, Sheeran shared a photo of the cats accompanied by a note that reads, “Don’t feed the cats!!! Even if Dorito gives you ‘the eyes’… She has a bad tum… naughty puss…”

Shark (owned by Billie Eilish)

About a month ago, Eilish celebrated the first birthday of Shark, the rescue dog she adopted in April. She wrote in a now-unavailable Instagram post, “My sweet rescue baby boy was born a year ago today. You have made my life 1000x better happy birfday little shark.” While the two share a special bond, the journey to today wasn’t without (expensive) complications: In August, Eilish shared that Shark left some unwanted presents in and around some pricey sneakers.

Foe Thee Frenchie (owned by Megan Thee Stallion)

Not many pets win awards, but Megan Thee Stallion’s has: Foe Thee Frenchie (who has nearly half a million Instagram followers and is coming after Trappy S. Goyard’s best-name-of-this-feature crown) was Paper‘s Celebrity Pet Of The Year for 2019. Meg recently shared a progress pic showing off how much Foe has grown over the course of five months, and understandably, in the more recent photo, Meg has a hard time carrying her increasingly large pet.

Alf (owned by Hayley Williams)

Hayley Williams’ dog Alf has been an important figure in her life and has helped her through some difficult times. She told EW, “I got Alf when he was, like, 11 weeks old. I raised him, but I feel like he raised me. I was 23 or 24 when I got him. He keeps me present because he’s present all the time: He’s so happy and very in tune with me when I’ve gone through life-altering changes or moments.”

On “Cinnamon,” from the 2020 album Petals For Armor, Williams sings, “On the walls of my home / There are signs that I’m alone / I keep on every light / Talk to my dog, he don’t mind.” She explained that lyric to Pitchfork, saying, “He was my first therapist. And he’s still my favorite therapist.” Around this time last year, she also told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, “My dog is the reason I’m alive, because he would’ve been waiting on me to get home, no matter what. You know how little sweet little puppies sit and they wait? I couldn’t think about it.”

Georgia (owned by Tegan Quin of Tegan And Sara)

Dogs dominated Tegan And Sara’s “100x” video from 2016, and recently, Tegan got a pup of her own, named Georgia. Since then, she has documented the joys and struggles of raising a dog and there have been plenty of both. In November 2020, she tweeted, “Is there an umbrella for people who have a new puppy and have to take it out to pee 700 times a day and need both hands to pick up poo? *must cover human and dog.” While a lot of her Georgia tweets are scatological, there’s clearly a ton of love there and Georgia has essentially become Tegan’s everything. She tweeted in December, “All I dream about is my dog. She’s literally taken over every inch of my life including all dream real estate. It will make ZERO sense that she is in a dream situation, but inevitably she appears regardless. Is this normal?”

Kane Songz (owned by Trey Songz)

Trey Songz goes full method while running his dog’s Instagram account, which is presented entirely from the Frenchton’s perspective. On Father’s Day in 2018, for example, “Kane” posted a photo of him and his father playing basketball and “wrote,” “Happy Father’s day Pops!! Thanks for showing me how to break canine ankles out here in these streets!!” He even did what many others have failed to do when he saw John Cena one time.

Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson, and Benjamin Button (owned by Taylor Swift)

Yes, of course Taylor Swift is on this list. After all, Swift has proven to be perhaps the biggest cat person out there (heck, she portrayed a literal cat person in Cats). Thousands of words could be written about Swift’s cats and her love for them, so for this space, let’s just focus on Benjamin Button, the latest addition to the Swift family. Swift actually decided to adopt the cat on the set of her “Me!” video and described how that came to be, saying on Instagram Live in 2019, “[A cat handler handed me this tiny cat and he just starts purring and […] he looks at me like, ‘You’re my mom, and we’re going to live together.’ I fell in love. I looked at Brendon [Urie] and he’s like, ‘You’re going to get the cat aren’t you?’”

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

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Will Allow Music Venues To Reopen In April

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had some measured good news for the state’s music fans: arts, entertainment, and events venues will be allowed to reopen in April, according to The New York Times. However, there will be limitations, of course, in the interest of public safety. Venues will be capped at 33% capacity, with a maximum of 100 people for indoor and 200 people for outdoor venues. Venues that can administer COVID-19 tests to all attendees can increase that number to 150 people indoors and 500 outdoors. The new rules are set to go into effect on April 2.

However, the Times does note that the limits won’t make it feasible for many venues to open; unless attendees get absolutely loaded, venues likely won’t be able to cover the costs of re-opening, keeping some — or most — effectively closed down until restrictions are lifted further. For instance, Broadway shows won’t be coming back until Labor Day, considering how much cost goes into production — shows that only get 33% attendance generally close within a season. Further complicating the issue is social distancing; many venues would require even lower numbers than that to accommodate six feet of distance between attendees.

But having outdoor shows back could be a good look, especially for indie performers and smaller, lower-production shows. Meanwhile, with something like an average of 65,500 new cases per week and over 517,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, it might be better to be safe than sorry. With the vaccine rollout expected to allow more venues to reopen in the fall according to Presidential chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, fans may appreciate waiting just a few more months.

Nick Jonas Reckons He Might Start Charging Athletes For The ‘Jonas Blessing’

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Last year, Nick Jonas pointed out that while Drake has the “Drake curse,” which apparently causes teams and athletes that associate with him to do poorly, Jonas has an opposite sort of thing going on. He noticed what he dubbed the “Jonas blessing,” a trend of athletes — Patrick Mahomes, Cody Bellinger, and Lewis Hamilton — going on to have great success after having some sort of involvement with him and the Jonas Brothers.

He spoke about that on The Tonight Show yesterday, joking with Jimmy Fallon that he’s thinking about charging athletes to get blessed:

“It’s quite simple, you know? In reality, what happened is when the brothers back together — we went on tour, the Happiness Begins tour, back in 2019 — we had a number of athletes, high-performing athletes, come out to some shows. So the first was Cody Bellinger, who then went on to win the World Series with the Dodgers, right? We had Patrick Mahomes, who in the 2020 Super Bowl won the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. He came to a show in KC. And then Lewis Hamilton, who surpassed the all-time record, he went on to, after he came to a show, to do that. So basically, we established, and I think it was really me more than the brothers that… I saw the trend, I was saying, ‘We’re going to have to start charging these athletes.’ If they want the ‘Jonas blessing,’ to come to a show and then go on to win a championship, they’re going to have to pay up, you know?”

He then added, “Little-known fact, too, Jimmy, is that Tom Brady, we actually did a private COVID-safe show for Tom Brady before the Super Bowl and that’s why [he won].”

Watch the interview above.

Megan Thee Stallion Joins Maroon 5 For The Charming Single ‘Beautiful Mistakes’

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After nearly three decades in the business and three Grammy Awards to their name, Maroon 5 know how to craft a buoyant pop hit. Now teasing a new era of music, the group recruited Megan Thee Stallion for their latest offering, the shimmering single “Beautiful Mistakes.”

Over a trap-influenced beat, Maroon 5 and Megan Thee Stallion recount their regrets about an ending relationship. “I’m in love with the past / And now we liе awake, making beautiful mistakes,” they sing.

Speaking about the single in a conversation with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Maroon 5 vocalist Adam Levine said, “I’m absolutely obsessed with the song. We love how it came out.” Levine went on to praise Megan as “a superstar” for her role on the track. “The way she built her part was just, it couldn’t have been a more epic kind of climax for the song,” he added. “I mean, it really is absolutely perfect. So, I mean, what she did was just miraculous, and it brought the song to a whole new level.”

“Beautiful Mistakes” isn’t the only exciting project Megan released on Wednesday. The rapper also announced that she’ll be one of the new faces of Calvin Klein’s 2021 campaign alongside pop singer Rina Sawayama and actor Anthony Ramos.

Listen to Maroon 5 and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Beautiful Mistakes” above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Another 2021 Festival Has Been Canceled, And This Time, It’s Primavera Sound

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Last year’s festival season was a total wash thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, it’s starting to look like 2021 may face a similar fate. LiveNation’s CEO seems to think big concerts can return this summer, but others don’t seem as optimistic. Earlier this year, Glastonbury announced that it would not put on a 2021 festival. A week ago, Boston Calling also announced that they were canceling their 2021 event. Now, another festival has closed its doors for 2021: Primavera Sound.

In a post titled “We will dance in 2022,” organizers wrote today:

“It is with great sadness that we must announce that the 20th anniversary of Primavera Sound Barcelona is postponed until 2022 due to force majeure.

We have tried everything, but we have now made this very painful decision due to the uncertainty surrounding the legal framework for large events on the original dates of the festival — from June 2nd to 6th –, which, added to the restrictions that currently exist, mean that we cannot work normally on the preparation of the festival nor ensure that, once the date arrives, it can be celebrated.

Thank you to all the artists, agencies, sponsors, production companies and workers involved in everything necessary to hold Primavera Sound. And to the attendees, our family, thank you for your faith and love. We owe you the best edition of Primavera Sound, and we are already working on it.

Like last year, we are going to offer all ticket holders the possibility to keep their tickets for next year. It will also be possible to request a refund of the ticket from Wednesday, June 2nd, which is when the Primavera Sound Barcelona 2022 line-up will be revealed.

We will make it doubly good next year.

Until then, take good care of yourself. See you soon.”

This year’s lineup was set to include Pavement, The Strokes, Bad Bunny, Tyler The Creator, Charli XCX, Tame Impala, FKA Twigs, Jamie xx, and Gorillaz, among others.

Check out the announcement below.

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