Pop

The Weeknd Is ‘Loving’ The (Not-So-Great) Response To ‘The Idol,’ His Controversial New HBO Show

by
the weeknd the idol
Eddy Chen/HBO

The Weeknd and Sam Levinson’s new HBO series The Idol is here, and so far, the response has been… not great: It has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score for any HBO show ever, currently at 26 percent (with a 58 percent audience score). The Weeknd doesn’t seem fazed by this, though. In fact, it looks like he’s happy with how things are going, as he indicated in a new GQ interview.

At the top of the conversation, he was asked how he’s feeling about the response to the show after the first two episodes, and he responded, “I’m loving it. It’s definitely shaken up the culture for sure [laughs]. We knew we were making something dark and controversial but true to what we want to say.” When asked if he thinks “the audience is engaging with it in the way” he intended, he replied, “I just think discussion is healthy, no matter what. To me it’s like, I’m just happy that there’s conversation. That’s important for anything I do, especially this new medium that I’m in.”

Meanwhile, The Weeknd continues busting out new music as new episodes premiere. The fresh tracks that followed this past weekend’s episode were “Family” by The Weeknd with Suzanna Son and “Devil’s Paradise” by Mike Dean.

SZA Is Outraged By All The Online Harassment Lizzo Faces And Wonders Why People Don’t Stand Up For Her More

by
sza kill bill
Getty Image

A couple weeks ago, Lizzo saw a rude comment about her body on Twitter and justifiably launched into a tweetstorm, writing in part, “Y’all don’t know how close I be to giving up on everyone and quitting and enjoying my money and my man on a F*CKING FARM…”

SZA was apparently an onlooker of this saga and today, she got heated as she shared her perspective.

In a tweet from earlier today, she started, “I be wondering where all the virtue signaling ,well spoken sh*t talking , internet warriors are when someone genuine needs defending . Where the f*ck do y’all be at for lizzo ? Do y’all actually know how to support others or only tear them down [thinking emoji].”

Somebody responded, “So people don’t go to war for Lizzo in this app?” SZA replied, “NOT EF*CKINGNUFF . For as much free love, encouragement and positivity she embodies n shares on every app daily ? The ratios’s don’t add up .” She continued in another tweet, “I also dgaf who don’t agree . It’s been on my mind for a minute .. makes me upset. jus want everyone to practice kindness and shutting tf up more often cause G*DDAMN ITS UGLY OUTSIDE ALREADY . Why add ?”

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

What Is Doja Cat’s New Single’s Release Date

by
Doja Cat 2023 Time100 Gala
Getty Image

After weeks of constant talks about Doja Cat’s forthcoming album, the project’s release just may be on the horizon. Last night, the Grammy Award-winning musician’s record label mistakenly spilled the beans about Doja’s lead single. Although the entertainer has walked back the title of the project’s title and its classified genre, based on the marketing error, fans learned the song’s name and release date.

So, what is Doja Cat’s new single’s official release date? After her record company deactivated the rapper’s pre-save link, Doja Cat took to Twitter to share the track’s cover art. The artwork was captioned, “6.16.23 [blood drop emoji],” essentially confirming the label’s initial campaign blast.

When she first shared that a new album was in the works during interviews, her sonic influences changed from rave-influenced, rap, R&B, punk, to simply not pop. At the time the only concrete thing about the album was its title, Hellmouth, but Doja Cat later walked that back, saying, “The whole album is no longer rap yall its rock/spoken word, and the album title is not Hellmouth anymore.” The musician later sarcastically announced it would be called Moist Holes.

Outside of Doja sharing the single’s cover art and pending release date, nothing further is known about the single at this time.

Here Is The Bonnaroo Festival Weather Forecast For 2023

by
2018 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival Stage
Getty Image

Things are heating up in Manchester, Tennessee, as the Bonnaroo Festival 2023 sets down its roots. The musical portion of the festival officially kicks off on Thursday, June 15, and will run until Sunday, June 18. Last week, due to the Canadian wildfires, Governors Ball 2023 ticket holders grew concerned with the weather conditions. Although there haven’t been any freak incidents in nature looming over the Volunteer State, as Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, Odesza, Zeds Dead, and Liquid Stranger are scheduled to headline, festivalgoers want to know the weather forecast for Bonnaroo 2023.

Other notable names slated to perform at the festival include Lil Nas X, Paramore, JID, Baby Keem, Vulfpeck, Three 6 Mafia, Korn, Fleet Foxes, Sylvan Esso, Rina Sawayama, Alex G, Muna, Black MIDI, 070 Shake, Big Freedia, Yung Gravy, and The Beths.

Here’s a day-by-day forecast of the area, courtesy of the Tennessean. For the most up-to-date forecast for Manchester, check weather.com or your preferred weather platform.

Thursday, June 15

On the festival’s opening day (Thursday, June 15), headlined by Zeds Dead and Liquid Stranger is estimated to reach a high of 85 but fall to 62 later in the evening. There is a possibility of scattered thunderstorms (a 30 percent chance of rain during the day and a 20 percent chance in the evening).

Friday, June 16

The second day (June 16), headlined by Kendrick Lamar, mirrors the previous day, with a high of 85 and a low of 64, with a constant 30 percent chance of rain throughout the day.

Saturday, June 17

On Saturday (June 17), headlined by Odesza, the temperatures will rise. The high will come at about 86, with a low of 65. However, the likelihood of rain is at its highest. The chance of rain on Saturday is measured at 60 percent during the day and 50 percent at night.

Sunday, June 18

The weather on the festival’s final day, Sunday, June 18, headlined by Foo Fighters, should reach a high of 86 and a low of 61 at night. Unfortunately, the chance of rain remains at 50 percent throughout the day.

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

How To Buy Tickets For Coachella 2024

by
2023 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival
Getty Image

It feels like this year’s Coachella festival just ended: It’s been less than two months, as the second weekend wrapped up on April 23. The 2023 festival is indeed still fresh in many attendees’ minds, but Goldenvoice is already looking ahead: Today (June 12), they revealed the dates for next year’s festival (April 12 to 14 and 19 to 21) and shared ticketing info.

So, here’s how to buy tickets for Coachella 2023: Starting June 16 (this Friday) at 11 a.m. PT, the 2024 Advance Sale will launch on the Coachella website. Interested parties can register for this sale right now.

While it’ll be a minute before you can secure actual festival passes, there are other logistics to consider that can be taken care of ahead of then. Most notably, hotel packages, shuttle services, and safari camping are currently available to book via Coachella and Valley Music Travel. There are plenty of options: La Quinta Hotel Packages, Indio Hotel Packages, Indian Wells Hotel Packages, Palm Desert Hotel Packages, and Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage Hotel Packages. The bad-but-expected news is that none of them are cheap, with prices ranging from range from $3,099 to $10,999 (and neither of those figures include additional fees).

The good news, at least in terms of festival passes, is that payment plans are available.

When Will Tickets For Coachella 2024 Go On Sale?

by
Coachella wheel 2023
Getty Image

“Largely, Coachella has become the place to put on the best show of your life,” Uproxx’s Philip Cosores surmised after attending Coachella 2023.

Excitement for this April’s edition of the annual festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California began in earnest when Coachella revealed the lineup in January, and the anticipatory cycle for Coachella 2024 started over again today, June 12.

“Wherever you are, the desert isn’t far,” Coachella tweeted. “Coachella returns April 12-14 and April 19-21.”

The tweet includes a video of a magical, mirror-like door appearing in several recognizable metropolises worldwide to transport music fans back to Coachella. It announces that registration is now open for access to the 2024 Advance Sale, which is scheduled to begin this Friday, June 16, at 11 a.m. PT.

It just takes one click to Coachella’s official website to arrive at the “Register Now” portal, and while there, fans can go ahead and purchase hotel packages and Safari Campground reservations here. Accompanying shuttle passes will become available this Friday, June 16, and registration for access to those is available now.

There are several hotel package options: La Quinta Hotel Packages, Indio Hotel Packages, Indian Wells Hotel Packages, Palm Desert Hotel Packages, and Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage Hotel Packages. Prices range from $3,099 (plus fees) to $10,999 (plus fees).

Information about payment plan options is also available here.

What Are The Coachella Festival Dates For 2024?

by
Coachella 2023 crowd
Getty Image

Coachella was a rousing success in April, Frank Ocean’s unfortunate ankle injury and subsequent canceled Weekend 2 headlining set that reportedly cost the iconic annual festival millions of dollars notwithstanding.

Coachella 2023 made history with headliners Bad Bunny and Blackpink, and the Coachella powers that be are surely already brainstorming how to one-up itself in 2024. We won’t know who next year’s headliners for a while still, but today (June 12), we at least learned the dates to circle on the calendar.

“Wherever you are, the desert isn’t far,” Coachella tweeted. “Coachella returns April 12-14 and April 19-21. Register now to access the 2024 Advance Sale beginning Friday, June 16 at 11 am PT at coachella.com.”

The official website provides loads of ticketing information, including the chosen platform (AXS). “Festival passes are valid for the full weekend (and only the weekend) you purchased,” it reads, additionally noting a payment plan option of $99 down at the initial checkout this week while the remaining balance can be paid off over six equally divided payments through this December.

There are also hotel packages and Safari Campground available to reserve now here. The accompanying shuttle passes will go on sale beginning this Friday, June 16 at 10 a.m. PT, but registration for access is available now.

The Weeknd And Mike Dean Released More Eerie ‘The Idol’ Music After The HBO Show’s Second Episode

by

The Idol aired its second episode on Sunday, June 11, and while many viewers were focused on the increasing role of Blackpink’s Jennie Kim, The Weeknd is committed to releasing singles from the HBO series’ soundtrack.

“World Class Sinner” and “The Lure” arrived ahead of Sunday’s episode — joining the previously released “Double Fantasy” featuring Future and “Popular” featuring Madonna and Playboi Carti — and two new singles joined the mounting batch after the episode: “Family” by The Weeknd with Suzanna Son and “Devil’s Paradise” by Mike Dean.

Tesfaye was particularly excited about Son’s The Idol character, Chloe, as evidenced by his Instagram activity, including a clip of Chloe playing “Family” at the piano.

The Weekend (real name Abel Tesfaye) shared his The Idol music plan last Wednesday, June 7.

“I was planning on dropping the whole soundtrack for [The Idol] by the finale, but I’m too hyped… instead, I wanna drop new music from the show every week with each episode,” Tesfaye captioned an Instagram post. “I’m excited for you guys to hear what we’ve been cooking and all these incredible artists that are a part of this show… this week… Jocelyn’s pop song ‘world class sinner’ and ‘the lure’ (theme score)… episode 2 this Sunday [purple devil emoji].”

The Idol was co-created by Tesfaye, Sam Levinson (Euphoria), and Reza Fahim.

“After a nervous breakdown derailed Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) last tour, she’s determined to claim her rightful status as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America,” HBO’s official synopsis reads. “Her passions are reignited by Tedros (Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye), a nightclub impresario with a sordid past. Will her romantic awakening take her to glorious new heights or the deepest and darkest depths of her soul?”

Listen to the latest offerings from The Idol soundtrack below.

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

Janelle Monáe Owned The LA Pride Parade By Performing On Her Own Float And Giving A Moving Speech

by
janelle monae la pride parade 2023
Getty Image

In the heart of Pride Month, the LA Pride Festival & Parade went down in Los Angeles this past weekend. Janelle Monáe made sure to put her stamp on proceedings with their own float, from which they sang some songs from their new album, The Age Of Pleasure. She also took a minute to deliver a rousing speech about celebrating and protecting the LGBTQIA+ community.

They said, “We are here, we are queer! We are trans! We are the LGBTQIA+ community and we celebrate us right now! We celebrate all that we are from all different walks of life. We protect each other. We use our privilege to protect those who don’t have any. We use our voice. We use and exercise our right to vote to protect our trans family! […] We protect Black folks here. We protect brown and Black. All of us protect each other. We love each other and we create safe spaces for each other, ’cause there’s no pleasure without safety. So thank you for this safe space right now. I love you so much!”

This follows a recent interview in which Monáe said, “You respond by fighting back, by speaking out against, standing with our trans community, my siblings. As a nonbinary, queer, pansexual person, I am proud to be in this community. I will never sit back and be silent about the injustices that are happening against our trans community.”

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

‘The Idol’ Viewers Were Here For One Character’s Change In Demeanor While Being Scandalized By The Rest Of Episode 2

by
The Idol Jennie
HBO

Few people would ever accuse (or praise) the The Idol of being anything less than an intentionally controversial hot mess. The second episode more than doubled down on the softcore-porn vibe with nudity galore and a particularly unsettling sex scene (a followup on the confusing counterpart of the pilot) between Lily-Rose Depp’s Jocelyn and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye’s Tedros. (I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say that a different kind of choking was involved.) As viewers learned about the latter, he is apparently leading some kind of sex cult, and he’s succeeding at getting Jocelyn into his clutches. By the end of this week’s edition, he’s arranged to move into her mansion as her career is falling into tatters around her.

And that’s where the character of Dyanne comes back into focus. The back-up dancer character, who is portrayed by K-pop star Jennie Kim from Blackpink, already captured more YouTube views for one scene than the premiere initially racked up for HBO. Jennie later revealed that the choreography came pretty naturally, and it seems that everything that Jocelyn can do (dancing, singing, and “f*ck”-ing), Dyanne can do better.

In retrospect, this HBO tweet had some fun with what was to come: “Everyone needs a Dyanne.”

As it turns out, Dyanne was the reason why Jocelyn ended up at Tedros’ club. She’s also apparently coming for Jocelyn’s career, and by the end of the episode, she’s laid down a track for a record executive (played by Jane Adams) who sent Jocelyn home after her on-set meltdown.

Here’s a budding theory (about that leaked photo) that actually might not be too far-fetched, considering all that we are learning about this cult.

Amid all of the well-founded tweets complaining about the Jocelyn-Tedros sex scene, another refrain is becoming clear: people are enjoying the revelation that Jennie is portraying a villain. So, I imagine that a great deal of people who continue to tune in will do so solely for the Blackpink star.

HBO’s The Idol airs on Sunday nights at 9:00pm EST.