Music

It’s new music Friday, so let’s see who’s out with new tunes!

After months of teasing, Ariana Grande dropped “Just Look Up,” the single she performed with Kid Cudi for the Netflix movie, Don’t Look Up.  The character she plays in the apocalyptic drama is charged with writing a song that tells the world a planet-killing meteor is hurtling toward Earth.  “Just Look Up” contains the blunt message, “You’re about to die soon, everybody!”

Jennifer Lopez released the music video for “On My Way,” a song she sings in the upcoming Marry Me movie.  Jennifer shows off an array of fabulous outfits in the music video, which also includes small movie clip teasers.  The song is ultra-romantic and also demonstrates Jennifer’s vocal range as she belts out a series of high notes. Marry Me arrives in theaters on Valentine’s Day.

Five Seconds of Summer has released their tribute single, “2011,” which honors the year they came together as a band.  The reflective track marks their 10th anniversary by examining how much their lives have changed since that pivotal year.  Don’t miss 5S0S performing it live this afternoon when they kick off their global livestream event at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET on their YouTube page.

The holidays are here and BTS has turned their summer smash, “Butter,” into a carol-pop Christmas song. The lyrics are the same, but the music in the background has been replaced with sleigh bells, piano riffs and other elements that make any Christmas song sparkle.

Lastly, Ed Sheeran and Elton John have released their holiday collab, “Merry Christmas.”  The two co-wrote the song, the proceeds from which will benefit The Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation and The Elton John AIDS Foundation.

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New year, new Billie Eilish.  The singer has undergone another transformation, trading in her platinum blonde hair for a shaggy brunette chop.  

She teased the makeover on Thursday by taking to her Instagram story to share a selfie of just her eyes and a peek at her new, darker fringe.  “Guess what,” she captioned the post, before taking to her profile to share the big update. 

Unveiling her dramatic, new look, Billie simply captioned the post, “Miss me?”  

Fellow Grammy-nominee Olivia Rodrigo approved of the new ‘do and raved in the comment section, “omg.”

This is the second time in a year the “bad guy” singer underwent a radical transformation.  In March, she ditched her signature black and green hair she sported for two years and showed off her platinum bob.  At the time, Billie revealed it took her six weeks to get the color right and wore a wig until her hair was ready.

This new look comes as Billie announces a new partnership with Gucci, which will release a limited-edition vinyl version of her Grammy-nominated album, Happier Than Ever.  “The vinyl is made from recycled vinyl scraps from all the colors of the original pressing of the record and each piece is completely unique!!” Billie raved when announcing the new venture on Thursday, adding, “[T]he set is available starting today at the following boutiques!!!”

The shiny-looking record, which is now being sold worldwide, also treats fans to some nail stickers bearing the Gucci brand.

 

 

 

 

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While the story of Annie is a classic one, NBC’s Annie Live! was able to add their own pizazz and create some very memorable moments on Thursday.

The beloved story about an orphan who is adopted by a billionaire saw newcomer Celina Smith bring the titular role to life, and you can bet your bottom dollar fans were blown away by her performance.

“Celina Smith as Annie is giving ACTINGGG she full on dropped tears live on tv she is a star and she is the moment,” one viewer raved on Twitter. 

Likewise, Taraiji P. Henson‘s Miss Hannigan received lots of praise, with one fan writing, “Taraji p Henson is killing this live annie role the vocals on point.” 

In addition to nailing the casting, NBC’s live version also paid tribute to late Broadway legend Ann Reinking, who portrayed Grace Farrell in the 1982 film, by including the epic dance number “We Got Annie” that had previously been omitted from stage versions of the show. Taking things up a notch, Nicole Scherzinger as Farrell, belted out the jazzy hit with a dance number complete with upside-down singing and a somersault.

The show also included its familiar songs “It’s The Hard Knock Life,” “Easy Street,” and, of course, “Tomorrow.”

While fans were overall impressed with the production, there was one aspect that couldn’t be ignored — the bald head that Harry Connick Jr. donned as Daddy Warbucks.

“His bald head is unsettling, but his performance is absolutely crazy good,” one social media user noted.

Annie Live! also starred Tituss Burgess as Rooster Hannigan and Megan Hilty as Lily St. Regis — a.k.a. Annie’s fake parents. 

If you missed Annie Live! or simply can’t get enough, it’s available for streaming now on Hulu, Peacock, and NBC.com.

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Juice Wrld and Justin Bieber join forces for their new track “Wandered to LA,” released at the stroke of midnight. 

On the new single, the two artists candidly sing about their experiences since wandering to Los Angeles.

“I wandered to LA hoping to explore / Little did I’d know I’d find a little more,” Juice sings in the chorus, before adding in his opening verse, “Maybe it’s the love / Maybe it’s the drugs.”

Justin, who has also previously opened up about his past drug use, sings about how his relationship was affected but is “Thankful that we worked it out / We come so far.”

Prior to the song’s drop, a teaser trailer was released, which featured interviews from those in Juice’s camp discussing how the rapper had agreed to go to rehab before he died of an accidental overdose in December 2019. Bieber also shared his experiences with drugs in an attempt to encourage others who may be struggling to seek help. 

“Wandered to LA” is the latest single released from Juice’s forthcoming posthumous album, Fighting Demons, due out December 10.

On December 9, before the album’s release, Chicago will host the first-ever Juice Wrld Day. According to a press release, “the event will bring together a number of his closest family, friends, collaborators and fans for an immersive experience celebrating his life and music.” Attendees will also get a first look at Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss, a documentary film focused on Juice’s life and death, which hits HBO Max December 16.  

Tickets to Juice WRLD Day range from $35 to $99 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.

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Mariah Carey‘s new Apple TV+ holiday special, Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues,  starts streaming today, and just like her Apple TV+ special last year, it includes music, amazing costumes and special guests. Mariah says it’s all part of her quest to make the holiday season magical for everyone.

“We can’t control what’s going on in this world…but Christmas is its own special sacred time of the year,” she explains. “Everybody can agree that the holiday season can be magical, and I think it just really starts inside. You’re spreading that joy to the next person. And, that’s what I try to do.”

She laughs, “Y’know, I can only do so much. I really do care, and I really do try.”

This year’s special, Mariah says, will feature her and her guests “feeling the vibe of the spirit of Christmas.” They include Apple Music host Zane Lowe, Khalid and Kirk Franklin — her collaborators on her new single, “Fall In Love at Christmas” — and, of course, her 10-year-old twins, Roc and Roe.

“Having the kids there is always amazing,” Mariah says. “They were great, and they were very patient, because, y’know, it’s 2021, almost 2022 — kids don’t really have the patience to sit around and wait. But…they hung out and they waited until it was their time to come on and talk, and they were so good.”

For her own Christmas celebration, Mariah says she and the twins will head to Aspen, Colorado.

“I have so much fun. It’s the only time I relax fully, I think, and when it snows, it’s the most beautiful thing,” raves Mariah. “I tend to like to sleep when I’m not working, and I’m like, ‘If it even flurries, you have to wake me up!'”

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The premise of two women singing together about being caught loving the same man isn’t a new one for country music: Reba McEntire and Linda Davis explored the idea in 1993 with their duet, “Does He Love You.”

But when Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde teamed up to write their song, “Never Wanted to Be That Girl,” they immediately knew they wanted to approach the topic in a different way.

“We didn’t want to just try to reboot ‘Does He Love You.’ We didn’t want to try to do anything that had already been done so well,” Ashley explains. “So in this one, these women don’t confront each other…nobody wants to be the other woman, and they’re both finding out at the same time that they are. And they’re just saying, ‘I just never wanted to be this girl.’”

For Carly, the song was an exciting chance to work with a singer with whom she’s long felt a kinship. “I feel like when I’ve performed next to Ashley in writers’ rounds, we sing the same,” she points out.

“She’s a little edgier than me, as far as, she’s got a slight bit of southern rock to her,” Carly goes on to say, “but on the country side, we anticipate each other’s voices in the same way. And I wanted to sing with that.”

Those similar vocal skills translated to the studio: “We’re swapping lines and then swapping who’s singing harmony,” agrees Ashley. “It happened organically in the writing room, so we wanted to make sure it got recorded that way.”

“Never Wanted to Be That Girl” comes off of Carly’s latest album, 29: Written in Stone.

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The late Juice WRLD would have turned 23 Thursday, and his mother remembered him with an emotional letter written to him.

“When you were born 23 years ago, I never expected that you would not be here today celebrating your birthday,” Carmela Wallace began the public note. “Although it has been nearly two years since you’ve been gone, I still think about you every day and losing you has changed my life forever. I’m glad that we always made sure that we said goodbye when we left each other because we didn’t know when we would see each other again.”

“You touched the world through your music with honesty and transparency. You shared a message of healing and sincerely desired to make a difference in the lives of others,” she continued. “I still receive messages from fans saying how your music helped them with anxiety and depression. I promise to continue your message of healing and use Live Free 999 as an avenue to normalize the conversation around mental health and substance dependency and help those who suffer in silence.”

Wallace closed the letter, writing, “Happy 23rd Birthday Jarad, I love you dearly. I’m thankful for the time that we had and will forever cherish every moment that we shared. Love, Mom.”

Juice WRLD, born Jared Higgins, will be remembered with the HBO documentary Into the Abyss, debuting December 16. A fourth studio album, Fighting Demons, will be released December 10, featuring Benny Blanco, Hit-Boy, Trippie Redd, The Kid Laroi and more.

Higgins died December 8, 2019 from an accidental drug overdose. He was 21 years old.

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