Pop

Dua Lipa’s Shimmering Grammys Medley Spanned ‘Levitating,’ ‘Don’t Start Now’ And Three Outfit Changes

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Dua Lipa’s 2020 record Future Nostalgia was a beacon of light in what shaped up to be a pretty dark year, and the songs off her sophomore album are still echoing through pop music even a year later. One of the album’s early singles, “Levitating” got an upbeat, rollicking verse from North Carolina rapper DaBaby on a worthy remix, and tonight the pair united on the Grammys stage to deliver a live rendition.

Although another remixed version of the track includes Madonna and Missy Elliott, as part of Dua’s Club Nostalgia remix album that doubles as a love letter to the classic electronic music and club scene, DaBaby’s version is still the one that fans gravitate toward the most. She’s up for six nominations this year, including Album Of The Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Solo Performance and Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year for “Don’t Start Now.”

For tonight’s performance she sported a massive, fluffy pink princess dress replete with sparkles and massive sleeves, matched with pink eyeshadow and a pink mic, before ditching it for a sparkling pink blazer when DaBaby casually strolled back onstage to deliver his verse. After rejoining him, she pulled off yet another outfit change, stripping down to a pink sparkling bikini to launch into “Don’t Start Now.” A fitting medley for a star who should’ve been performing in arenas all year, Dua proved she earned that Best New Artist Grammy last year over and over again. Watch below.

Jennifer Lopez And Alex Rodriguez Have Reportedly Canceled Their Wedding And Broken Up

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Popstar and actress Jennifer Lopez has reportedly broken up with Major League Baseball player Alex Rodriguez, according to Page Six. The gossip site’s sources say that the former couple has canceled their wedding as Rodriguez prepares for spring training and Lopez shoots her next movie — ironically titled Shotgun Wedding. The former couple previously postponed the wedding twice, apparently got things back on track, but ultimately decided that a split was for the best. They originally announced their engagement in 2019, after dating for two years.

J-Lo told Access Hollywood about the postponements in December, telling the show, “We had to cancel the wedding because of COVID, because of the quarantine. And we actually did it twice, which people don’t know.”

At the time, she said the goal was to “wait it out,” insisting “everything’s cool and it’ll happen when the time is right. I feel like it’s not a huge priority to go and have a big wedding right now, that’s not what life is about.” Page Six posits that the breaking point was a rumor of infidelity between Rodriguez and reality-show star Madison LeCroy. LeCroy appears on Bravo’s Southern Charm.

Lopez, meanwhile, has been shooting Shotgun Wedding in the Dominican Republic. The film has undergone some controversy of its own after previous lead Armie Hammer was replaced in the wake of a scandal involving some untoward text messages.

The Weeknd Is Boycotting The Grammys And Will No Longer Submit His Music For Consideration

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The Weeknd has been abundantly clear and forthcoming about his displeasure with the Grammy Awards and the Recording Academy after his critical and commercial hit After Hours and its popular singles somehow earned no nominations for the 2021 awards. Now it looks like anything else The Weeknd makes won’t be up for consideration at future Grammy ceremonies either, but this time, it’s his choice: The Weeknd has declared that he is boycotting the Grammys.

In a statement made to The New York Times, The Weeknd said, “Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys.”

In response to The Weeknd’s statement, interim Recording Academy president/CEO Harvey Mason Jr. told the publication, “We’re all disappointed when anyone is upset. But I will say that we are constantly evolving. And this year, as in past years, we are going to take a hard look at how to improve our awards process, including the nomination review committees.”

In an email interview with the publication, The Weeknd’s manager, Wassim Slaiby, said he was unclear why his client didn’t earn any nominations and noted, “We were many weeks and dozens of calls in with the Grammy team around Abel’s performance right up to the day of nominations being announced. We were scratching our heads in confusion and wanted answers.”

He also said, “The Grammys should handle their legacy and clean it up to raise the bar to a level where everyone could be proud to hold up that award. This is Harvey’s chance to step up and have his legacy be the guy who got the Grammys finally right.”

Read the full New York Times feature here.

Maroon 5 And Megan Thee Stallion’s Psychedelic ‘Beautiful Mistakes’ Video Is A Technicolor Fantasy

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Just a week after releasing the charming “Beautiful Mistakes,” Maroon 5 and Megan Thee Stallion take a technicolor tour of LA in the song’s video, which they released today. The video revolves around M5 lead singer Adam Levine driving a pink convertible through a drab CGI cityscape modeled on the streets of Los Angeles. Slowly, the saturation of his surroundings turns up as he cruises, until he finds his car flying over an eye-popping candy-colored coastline, passing historical landmarks like Griffith Observatory and the Theme Building at LAX.

Eventually, Megan flies by in her own floating car to deliver the first half of her verse to the camera before jumping from her convertible into Adam’s to share the rest of their relaxing flight/drive over Randy’s Donuts as the sky fills with multicolored donuts.

The same day as Maroon 5 released “Beautiful Mistakes,” Levine drew attention online for a quote from his interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in which he remarked that he feels like “there aren’t any bands anymore.” Although he quickly acknowledged that “there still are plenty of bands,” he expressed his wish that they got more attention.

That being said, Adam and his band seem to have a pretty good handle on the direction music has taken, collaborating with pop-rap stars who are in the limelight like Megan and Cardi B, with whom the band collaborated on “Girls Like You.”

Watch the “Beautiful Mistakes” video above.

Justin Bieber Shares A Tracklist For ‘Justice’ And Fans Are Intrigued By One Song In Particular

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Justin Bieber’s tracklist for Justice, which he shared on Instagram last night, has fans buzzing with excitement. In part, it’s because the album is just a week and some change away from its March 19 release date, but many fans took note of some of the notable guests, who include R&B singers Daniel Caesar, Giveon, and Khalid, as well as Chance The Rapper. Juice WRLD protege The Kid Laroi appeared on Justin’s corkboard as well, inviting some pretty apt comparisons between the two artists despite their generation gap.

While fans had previously deciphered some of Justin’s collaborators via the synopsis on the Walmart pre-order page for the album, this is the first glimpse we’ve had at who all’s on which tracks — and seeing Daniel Caesar and Giveon’s smooth baritones grouped together on “Peaches” has prompted its share of enthusiastic reactions. Both Caesar and Giveon’s names trended on Twitter as fans expressed their anticipation to hear that particular melange of voices together for the first time.

One fan, however, was skeptical of Caesar’s placement, demanding an “apology” before they’ll grudgingly give the song a listen. Caesar was the subject of some controversy a couple of years ago after he dared fans to “cancel” him for defending influencer YesJulz from accusations of cultural appropriation. However, others seemed sanguine, pointing out his continued popularity in the years since.

One thing is for sure, though: Fans are ready to hear Justice when it releases 3/19 on Def Jam.

Instead Of Retiring, Cardi B Thinks Selena Gomez Should Enter ‘A Bad B*tch Era’

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A new Vogue cover story about Selena Gomez features a disheartening quote from Gomez, in which she suggests that she’s thinking about retiring from music due to a lack of respect. Gomez said, “It’s hard to keep doing music when people don’t necessarily take you seriously. […] I think there are a lot of people who enjoy my music, and for that I’m so thankful, for that I keep going, but I think the next time I do an album it’ll be different. I want to give it one last try before I maybe retire music.”

Given that Gomez has been one of the most successful pop stars of the past decade, there are plenty of people who’d rather she stay in the music game. One of those folks is Cardi B, with whom Gomez collaborated on DJ Snake’s “Taki Taki.” Instead of retiring, Cardi thinks that Gomez should try entering “a bad b*tch era.”

Last night, Cardi tweeted, “I don’t think Selena should retire .She makes good music & her fans love her .I think she needs one more Era. A edgy one that no one ever seen her as .I would love to give her some ideas.” She continued, “I like Selena tho .I defend her cause she is such a sweetheart in person.Us celebs get picked apart all the time but she is just to sweet to go thru that.If she wants to leave ,leave cause you want too not cause of these f*ckers.” Cardi then concluded, “A bad b*tch era is needed tho ‘A b*tch I’m nice sweet girl but I’m a rich bad b*tch too.’”

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

Life Is Beautiful Festival’s 2021 Lineup Includes Billie Eilish, ASAP Rocky, Tame Impala, And More

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It’s been over a year since the first music festival canceled in 2020, marking the beginning to the months-long shut down of the live music industry. But with the vaccine roll out ramping up, festivals are confident that they’ll be able to return by the fall. Life Is Beautiful is the latest to announce their 2021 lineup, and they’ve book some big-name acts like Billie Eilish, Tame Impala, ASAP Rocky, and many more.

The downtown Las Vegas festival, which aims to take place the weekend of September 17, unveiled more than 60 acts that have been booked. Along with Eilish, Tame Impala, and ASAP Rocky, the list includes notable musicians like Green Day, Haim, Young Thug, St. Vincent, 6lack, Modest Mouse, Ludacris, Don Toliver, Lany, Brittany Howard, Earthgang, Purity Ring, Ashnikko, Shaed, Trevor Daniel, Still Woozy, Noah Cyrus, Yaeji, Remi Wolf, and Jamila Woods.

The festival’s 2021 lineup differs from their 2019 event, excluding acts like Eilish, and that’s intentional. Life Is Beautiful partner Justin Weniger described what they had in mind while booking the festival. “When curating the lineup for Life is Beautiful this year, we challenged ourselves to stay grounded in the realities of the year that we just lived,” he said. “The way we discover artists changed, the places we listened to music evolved, and the meaning of music deepened as we listened in new ways. This year’s lineup isn’t our 2019 lineup in 2021. It’s our 2021 lineup, and celebrates the artists, both established and emerging, who were the shining lights during our darkest days.”

Echoing Weniger’s statement, Festival Director Lauren DelFrago said that safety is still their top priority: “We have always put the health, safety, and security of our community first. As we prepare to produce the 2021 festival, we feel a heightened sense of responsibility to our staff, partners, performers, and attendees, and continue to work closely with local and state officials to ensure a safe return to live music.”

See the list of artists slated to perform at Life Is Beautiful 2021 above.

Tickets to Life Is Beautiful go on sale 3/12 at 10 am PST. Get them here.

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

Janelle Monáe Performs Her Stacey Abrams Documentary Song ‘Turntables’ On ‘The Late Show’

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Back in September, Janelle Monáe dropped “Turntables,” which was written for All In: The Fight For Democracy, a documentary about Stacey Abrams. Last night, she brought the song to The Late Show for a stirring performance, for which Monáe was wielding a guitar and joined by a band in a shadowy room.

The song was recently included on the Oscars’ Best Original Song shortlist, which Monáe addressed in a pair of tweets last night, writing, “[All In] started out as a documentary that turned into a movement and I was blessed to be a part of it with ‘Turntables’. This song is for our people and part of a revolution that is still unfolding before our eyes. This song is not for me, but for We, WE THE PEOPLE. Thank you [Abrams], [Liz Garbus], & [Lisa Cortés] for all the incredible work you are doing to tell the truth about voter suppression. Thank you for calling & trusting me with this song. Thank you to [The Academy] for shortlisting both [All In] & ‘TurnTables.’”

Monáe also previously told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe of the song, “We are changing things. The tables are turning. The rooster has come home to roost. So, this song is capturing direction. And when you think about a record, when you think about a record spinning, when you think about the revolutions per minute, it’s all connected. And that is what this song means. This song doesn’t mean that I’m the leader, that I’m here to tell you what to do, how to fix things. I’m simply watching, examining and wanting to highlight all of the people who are on the front lines, fighting for our democracy, fighting against racial inequalities, fighting against white supremacy, fighting against systemic racism and systemic oppression. So, this song is to keep us motivated. This song is to lift up and keep us galvanized when we’re fatigued. And this song is really for the people.”

Watch Monáe perform “Turntables” above.

Beyonce Thanks Meghan Markle For Her ‘Courage And Leadership’ In A Message Of Support

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One of the few ways Beyonce directly communicates with her fans is through her website, Beyonce.com, where the queen of pop frequently posts updates and messages of support to friends and fellow celebrities. Today, she used that space to stand in solidarity with Meghan Markle, the American actress of the show Suits, mother of Archie, wife of Harry Mountbatten-Windsor, and once known as the Duchess Of Sussex. Markle was the first person of color to marry into the British monarchy when she wed Prince Harry in 2018, and as an exclusive interview with Oprah revealed this past weekend, the prejudicial treatment she faced because of this was nearly unbearable.

Luckily, Meghan and Harry’s bond was strong enough that the pair decided to step back from their roles within the royal family, and come to live in America, instead. But as Markle shared in Sunday’s bombshell interview, the environment was so toxic before reaching this decision that she was driven to the point of suicidal ideation. Given all that context, it is probably quite a balm to have a legendary figure like Beyonce stand with her. “Thank you Meghan for your courage and leadership,” Beyonce wrote alongside a photo of herself and Meghan at The Lion King premiere. “We are all strengthened and inspired by you.”

Beyonce.com

As always, Beyonce says it best. Then again, John Oliver’s predictions weren’t too far off either.

The Weeknd Isn’t Up For Any Grammys This Year, But He Just Got A Bunch Of Juno Award Nominations

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The Weeknd was somehow not nominated for any Grammy Awards this year, a fact from which he says he’s moved on. So while The Weeknd won’t get any wins this weekend, the ceremony was preceded by some good news for the Canadian artist: The Juno Awards, Canada’s biggest music awards ceremony, revealed their list of 2021 nominees today. Unlike the Grammys, The Weeknd leads the pack with six nominations.

The Weeknd and his work are up for Juno Fan Choice, Single Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, Songwriter Of The Year, and Contemporary R&B Recording Of The Year. Other artists to score big include Justin Bieber, Jessie Reyez, and JP Saxe, who each have five nominations.

The ceremony is set to take place on May 16. In the meantime, check out the nominees in the major categories below and find the full list of nominees here.

Juno Fan Choice
Ali Gatie
Curtis Waters
JP Saxe
Justin Bieber
Lennon Stella
Les Cowboys Fringants
Nav
Shawn Mendes
Tate McRae
The Weeknd

Single Of The Year
“Drink About Me” — Brett Kissel
“If The World Was Ending” Feat. Julia Michaels — JP Saxe
“Intentions” Feat. Quavo — Justin Bieber
“Kissing Other People” — Lennon Stella
“Blinding Lights” — The Weeknd

Album Of The Year
You — Ali Gatie
Courage — Céline Dion
Changes — Justin Bieber
Thanks For The Dance — Leonard Cohen
After Hours — The Weeknd

Artist Of The Year
Ali Gatie
Celine Dion
Jessie Reyez
Justin Bieber
The Weeknd

Group Of The Year
Arkells
Half Moon Run
Loud Luxury
The Glorious Sons
The Reklaws

Breakthrough Artist Of The Year
Curtis Waters
JP Saxe
Powfu
Ryland James
Tate McRae

Breakthrough Group Of The Year
2Freres
Crown Lands
Manila Grey
Peach Pit
Young Bombs

Songwriter Of The Year
Alanis Morissette — “Ablaze,” “Reasons I Drink,” “Smiling”
Alessia Cara — “Hell and High Water
Jessie Reyez — “Coffin,” “Before Love Came To Kill Us,”
“Far Away,” “No One’s In The Room”
JP Saxe — “A Little Bit Yours” “Golf On TV,” “If The World Was Ending”
The Weeknd — “After Hours,” “Blinding Lights,” “Save Your Tears”

French Language Album Of The Year
A tous les vents — 2Freres
Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs — Klo Pelgag
Les antipodes — Les Cowboys Fringants
Quand la nuit tombe — Louis-Jean Cormier
Pour dejouer l’ennui — Pierre Lapointe

Rap Recording Of The Year
New Mania — 88GLAM
Baby Gravy — 2 Bbno$ & Yung Gravy Baby
Cold World — Eric Reprid
Good Intentions — Nav
Elements Vol. 1 — Tobi

Indigenous Artist Or Group Of The Year
Kîyânaw
The Ridge
North Star Calling
Nunarjua Isulinginniani

Contemporary R&B Recording Of The Year
“Before Love Came To Kill Us” — Jessie Reyez
“Where You Are” — Savannah Ré
“After Hours” — The Weeknd
“Holiday” — Tobi

Producer Of The Year
Akeel Henry
Jordon Manswell
Kaytranada
Murda Beatz
WondaGurl

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