Music

The internet is ablaze with rumors that Taylor Swift has another collaboration in the works — this time with “Hotline Bling” rapper Drake.

The reports surfaced Monday night when Drizzy shared a carousel of photos along with the caption, “They too soft to understand the meaning of hard work.”   For Taylor’s Easter-egg-loving fans, they were quick to note the last snap in the slide is a throwback photo of Drake hugging her.

“Drake wouldn’t randomly post a photo with Taylor Swift just like that… Looks like the collaboration is really coming,” one fan speculated. 

Others pointed out that, perhaps, this is related to Taylor’s re-recorded 1989 album, with one fan declaring, “He posted this as the 5th photo and 1989 is her 5th album and she has a 1989 era haircut!!”

Speculation is also swirling that Drake will appear on a “From the Vault” track, doubling down that there were rumors about a possible collab during the 1989 era. 

Fans also cited the hilarious Apple commercials each filmed in 2016, which saw them working out to each others’ hits before having disasters at the gym.

It’s currently unknown when Taylor will drop her new and improved 1989 album, but most believe it’s coming soon, especially since she’s already released her version of “Wildest Dreams.”  Some fans also think she subtly revealed its release date during her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert a year ago last week, when Taylor displayed a “Mood board” decorated with eight hearts and nine stars, which can be read as “89.”  Based on other numerical Easter eggs fans fans believe they spotted in the interview, it’s believed the album drops on Friday, May 14.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Of Monsters and Men has premiered a new song called “This Happiness.”

Despite its title, the slow-burning track isn’t exactly of the uplifting sort. That’s reflected in the accompanying video, which shows vocalist Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson dressed as a sad clown.

You can listen to “This Happiness” now via digital outlets, and watch its video streaming now on YouTube.

“This Happiness” follows Of Monsters and Men’s recent singles “Visitor” and “Destroyer.” All three songs will be included in an upcoming EP titled Tíu, due out June 10. The five-track set also includes another new track called “Lonely Weather,” as well as an alternate recording of “This Happiness” dubbed “The Saddest Version.”

Tíu is also the title of an upcoming Of Monsters and Men documentary, which will premiere this June at New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival.

Of Monsters and Men’s most recent album is 2019’s Fever Dream. Last fall, they released a 10th anniversary reissue of their 2011 debut album, My Head Is an Animal.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Lizzo is feeling “Good As Hell” thanks to several things. There’s her new shapewear line, YITTY, her upcoming album, Special, her hit Watch Out for the Big Grrrls reality series, and her just recently confirmed new boyfriend.

Speaking with Andy Cohen on Monday, the singer was asked if she and the “mystery man” she was photographed with in February were still together.  With a laugh, Lizzo confirmed she’s kept him around, adding, “Whatever!  Yeah.”

Cohen pressed Lizzo further, asking if her fame has been an obstacle in her new relationship, especially since no one knows who her new beau is.  “If you have the right person, no… Not at all. It’s not even a factor,” the Grammy winner insisted. “It should be mutually supportive, no matter what that person does.”

On the topic of being “supportive,” Andy pried even more by asking if Lizzo’s mystery man was present in the audience and cheering her on during her Saturday Night Live stint over the weekend.  “Damn, you’re really good at this… You get the scoop, don’t you?,” she cracked before confirming with a quick, “Yeah.”

Lizzo did not drop any clues about who her mystery man is, nor did she reveal when the two became exclusive.  

The singer admitted back in February during an interview with Variety that she was “a little bit” in love and teased that, perhaps, we will know more about her new flame in her upcoming Special album.  “It is a love album,” she confirmed at the time, adding that it is a “personal” record for her.

Special arrives July 15 and is available to pre-save/pre-order now.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Get ready to do a little dance and drink a little water at the Billboard Music Awards.

Red Hot Chili Peppers are set to perform at the 2022 edition of the ceremony, airing May 15 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. The set will mark the “Give It Away” outfit’s first BBMA performance in 23 years.

The Peppers have certainly made an impression on the Billboard charts this year: their new album, Unlimited Love, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with the biggest week for a rock record in over a year, while lead single “Black Summer” is the number-one song on the Alternative Airplay chart, and is number three on the Mainstream Rock Airplay ranking.

While the Chilis aren’t BBMA nominees themselves this year — Unlimited Love was released after the 2022 eligibility period — those competing for the Top Rock Artist prize include Machine Gun Kelly, Twenty One Pilots, Måneskin, Imagine Dragons and Glass Animals.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tattoos often hold special meaning, and that rings true for Kelsea Ballerini.  

The Knoxville native signed her record deal when she was 19, and admits that she soon “panicked,” thinking that if she were ever to get a tattoo one day, that people would assume that she was out of control. But rather than letting others’ preconceived notions get the best of her, Kelsea took matters into her own hands and got her first tattoo in 2014, the line “how sweet the sound” from the classic hymn, “How Great Thou Art,” on her left forearm. 

“I had this whole thing in my head and I went to the tattoo shop and I got a tattoo the day before my first ever photo shoot. It was my way of going ‘I need to find a way to be consistent. I need to find a way to keep it as real as I can from day one of this public facing journey that I’m hopefully going to be on,'” she explains to Aerie about the rationale behind getting the special tat.  

Kelsea’s ink collection has since expanded to three tattoos, one on her ribcage that features the word “love” written twice in her mother and father’s handwriting, and a square inside a circle placed just below her wrist in honor of her song, “Square Pegs.” 

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Billboard has announced the first wave of performers who will take the stage at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards next month. Megan Thee Stallion and Latto will make their BBMA performance debut. They’re also both finalists for Top Female Rap Artist, alongside Cardi B. 

Also set to perform for the first time on the broadcast is Nigerian superstar Burna Boy, who’s currently headlining his “2022 Space Drift” world tour. 

As previously announced, Mary J. Blige will grace the stage with a special career-spanning performance. The 10-time BBMA winner will be honored with this year’s Icon Award. She’s one of only 10 other artists to receive the prestigious award, which recognizes outstanding artists for their Billboard charts excellence and contributions to music. Past recipients include Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Prince and Stevie Wonder.

More major reveals about the upcoming award show — including who’s hosting and who’s set to receive this years Change Maker Award — are expected in the coming weeks.

The 2022 Billboard Music Awards will air Sunday, May 15, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Toni Cornell, daughter of the late Chris Cornell, performed her cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U” during Monday night’s episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden.

The 17-year-old delivered a stirring rendition of the Prince-written track, which Sinéad O’Connor turned into a hit in the early ’90s. Toni previously performed “Nothing Compares 2 U” last December on The Tonight Show. In 2018, Toni released a duet version of the song that she recorded with her dad ahead of his death in 2017.

Proceeds from the duet version will be donated to the International Rescue Committee humanitarian aid organization, for which Toni is an ambassador.

Chris, of course, covered “Nothing Compares 2 U” several times throughout his career. A recording of the cover is featured on the posthumous compilation No One Sings Like You Anymore Vol. 1, which was released in 2020. Both No One Sings Like You Anymore and the “Nothing Compares 2 U” cover were nominated for Grammys this year.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Camila Cabello rose to fame the same way Harry Styles did — by trying out for The X Factor and becoming part of a major pop group. But the former Fifth Harmony singer hinted Harry can take some credit for her success story.

“This is really embarrassing and I can only say this because, obviously, that was, like, 10 years ago but I literally was like, ‘I’m auditioning for X Factor because I will marry Harry Styles. Like, I will.’ I really believed that at the time,” the 25-year-old singer confessed to James Corden during an edition of “Carpool Karaoke” Monday.

Camila added her then-15-year-old self hoped she’d meet the former One Direction singer and they would “fall in love.”

“That’s the first time I’ve ever confessed the real intention behind me auditioning for X Factor,” she deadpanned.

While Camila said she was excited to join Fifth Harmony at first, she revealed she enjoys her solo career because “I don’t miss splitting creative decisions five ways.” She added, “There’s no hard feelings… We were so young. I’m such a different person.”

The “Havana” singer also recalled how she came to America, revealing she and her mother, who did not speak English, crossed the Mexican border when she was a child. Camila revealed her father later “swam… across the border” to be with them.

“I remember my family was like, ‘You’re going to Disney World!’ I had no idea what was happening,” she recalled. “I just had my little diary and… My Monsters Inc. doll. And that was it.”

Camila and Corden performed her hits “Havana,” “Don’t Go Yet” and “Bam Bam,” and a cover of The Killers‘ “Mr. Brightside.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.