Music

She’s one half of the Grammy-nominated R&B duo Chloe x Halle, but Chloe Bailey‘s next project is hers alone.

On Thursday, the “Have Mercy” singer teased her new single, “Treat Me,” which is expected to drop next Friday. 

“TREAT ME DROPS 4/8 y’all ready? make sure you pre-save, link in bio,” Bailey said in the announcement.

The 23-year-old Atlanta native shared the update on Instagram along with a half-naked, sexy photo of herself. The revealing image, which gives off ’97 Missy Elliot “Supa Dupa Fly” vibes, serves as a statement maker for the young star.

Chloe recently spoke about the social media body-shaming she’s received in the past, opening up to Taraji P. Henson about her struggle with confidence in an interview on the Facebook Watch show Peace of Mind with Taraji.

“I’ve been like, really insecure for a long time, and I’m finally at that place where I have self-confidence,” she told Henson.

Bailey said that since developing more confidence, she started to post more body-conscious photos of herself. 

The cover art of the upcoming single “Treat Me” falls in the line with all the other appealing images.

The new track is available for pre-save now.

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Ariana Grande is fed up with what she says are “disgraceful bills” targeting transgender youth.  To mark International Transgender Day of Visibility on Thursday, the singer unveiled a new initiative aimed at helping those who would be impacted by such legislation.

Called the Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund, Ariana announced, “Please join me in donating to this fund i’ve created with @pledge.to to support organizations providing direct services and advocating for the rights of trans youth.”

“Right now there are hundreds of disgraceful bills pending in state legislature that target trans youth and aim to curb their rights,” she continued. “This will provide critical funds to organizations advocating for the rights of trans youth.”

Ariana explained, “All funds will be split evenly between benefiting organizations… I will be matching all funds raised up to $1,500,000.”

Among the programs her initiative will fund are Gendernexus, House of Tulip, Black Trans Advocacy Coalition, JASMYN, and organizations centered in Florida, Iowa, Arizona, Tennessee, Texas and other states that have put forth anti-LGBT legislation. 

The “Positions” singer has raised close to $100,000 as of Thursday afternoon, with more donations coming in every minute.  Those interested in donating to Ariana’s cause can do so by visiting pledge.to/protect-defend-trans-youth-fund. 

The news comes as Oklahoma and Arizona both signed laws banning transgender youth from participating in school sports that align with their gender identity.  Other states imposing similar bans include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.

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Dove Cameron‘s queer anthem “Boyfriend” has been given the music video treatment, and fans are fanning themselves over how steamy it is.

The song is about Dove falling in love with a girl already attached to someone else, so she lists all the ways she would make a better boyfriend. Now, the Descendants star turned up the heat with her stunning visualizer, which starts with her locking eyes with a girl, played by TikTok star Charlene Lefever, on a dance floor filled with faceless partygoers.

The two ladies seductively size each other up from opposite sides of the room before fantasizing about what would happen should they meet in the middle.  Steamy scenarios include them making out in a phone booth, to locking lips on top of a car racing through a tunnel.

“Boyfriend” has been blowing up the streaming charts, amassing more than 100 million listens on Spotify.  It’s also climbing the Billboard charts and is currently at number 20 on the Pop Airplay chart.

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It’s been a world-rocking couple of years for Maren Morris: Not only did the COVID-19 pandemic halt her tour plans and completely change her day-to-day life, but she also became a first-time mom to baby Hayes.

“I’ve done things that have scared the ever-loving hell out of me, and I made it through it,” Maren tells CBS Sunday Mornings’ Anthony Mason in an interview that will air in full this weekend.

Specifically, Maren is speaking about her difficult labor and delivery during Hayes’ birth, and the emotional challenges that followed.

“Having my son and having a really rough labor and birth with him,” she details. “I had an emergency C-section, and both our heart rates were dropping, and it had been, like, 31 hours and he still wasn’t coming.”

After Hayes finally arrived safe and sound, Maren had to face more challenges during her matrescence — that is, her transition into motherhood.

“Postpartum depression, that was another surprise,” she continues. “It’s just, like, a lot of reality checks, and knowing that I wasn’t in control, and I probably never was.”

But the end result of all those ups and downs have been a newfound sense of power and freedom. “I feel like I’m becoming fearless again,” Maren says. “I just don’t know what there is to be afraid of after the last couple of years.”

You can catch the singer’s full interview on the next episode of CBS Sunday Mornings, which airs April 3.

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Is Rihanna‘s baby due in May?  Some fans think so after noticing an interesting birth stone included in the “Umbrella” singer’s new bling.

People reports that A$AP Rocky purchased a sentimental but pricey charm bracelet for his girlfriend ahead of her 34th birthday.  The bauble is adorned with 10 special charms that relate directly to their relationship, revealed luxury jewelry designer Annoushka Ducas.  

“He was so sweet and he was very specific that the charms had to be in the order that he had arranged them,” said Ducas. “He wanted to know how each one worked, because all my charms move and open and do what you might expect and he was bowled over by that — I just think it’s the most romantic gift.”

The 18-karat gold bracelet is valued at $51,991.  Among the 10 diamond-encrusted charms is an evil eye to ward of bad energy, a tulip to symbolize new life, an Alice in Wonderland-inspired mushroom, a love letter, and — what fans found the most telling — a “love locket” with an emerald in the middle.

Emerald is the birth stone for May, leading fans to believe that may be the month Rihanna is due.  The Grammy winner previously told ELLE she’s in her third trimester.  We’ve got two months to wait to see whether the fan speculation is correct. 

Rihanna announced her pregnancy in January.

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Cole Swindell’s fourth studio album, Stereotype, isn’t even out yet, but it’s already produced a hit: “Never Say Never,” the singer’s duet with Lainey Wilson, is top-five and rising at country radio.

Now, the singer’s sharing another new Stereotype song, and this time, it’s the title track. Romantic and vividly descriptive, “Stereotype” turns the idea of cliche on its head, describing a love interest who’s a classic country girl — but there’s nothing hackneyed or stereotypical about it.

“Just when you think you got her figured out / That’s when you learn you don’t know nothing ‘bout…” Cole sings.

“Saying, ‘Don’t be a girl, boy, let’s take another shot’ / Then slippin’ out, makin’ out in the parking lot / Down home angel with a whole ‘nother side / She’s the oh no, there she goes turning up my stereo type,” he continues in the chorus.

When he teased the song on Twitter, Cole shared a picture of his very own “stereo type”: His girlfriend Courtney Little, who is a former NBA dancer.

Stereotype arrives in full on April 8.

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Lamb of God and Megadeth will be heading out on the Metal Tour of the Year starting next weekend, but the two acts have come together for a new track to create a new track to whet fans’ appetites.

“Ahead of the @metaltouroftheyear kicking off next weekend, we’ve joined forces with @Megadeth to record a cover of the Megadeth classic “Wake Up Dead”, featuring @DaveMustaine with appearances from all 4 members of Megadeth,” Lamb of God writes on Instagram. “We hope everybody enjoys this one and we can’t wait to see everyone on the road soon!”

The song will be released digitally on Friday. The Metal Tour of the Year, which also features Trivium and In Flames, gets underway April 9 in Las Vegas and is set to wrap up May 19 in Quebec City, Canada.

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As Trevor Noah is suiting up to host the upcoming Grammy Awards on Sunday night, he shared the songs that he’s been putting on repeat.

To hype music’s biggest night, Noah listed the songs that soundtrack his showers, workouts and more.  “When I shower, I think the best song to listen to is ‘Peaches.’ Clean them, and then you gotta sing about it, you know what I mean?,” he cheekily revealed in reference to Justin Bieber‘s hit. 

Noah revealed Silk Sonic is also a big part of his day, adding, “When I work out, I know this may be controversial, but I love ‘Leave the Door Open.’ You can control the moves as you do it. Don’t knock it ’til you try it.”

“When I’m celebrating anything, ‘Montero,’ definitely,” he said of Lil Nas X’s smash.  The host of The Daily Show also said whenever he needs “to do an interpretive dance,” which he admits happens “maybe maximum twice a week,” he picks Brandi Carlisle‘s “Right on Time.”

The 64th Annual Grammy Awards are this Sunday, starting at  8 p.m. ET on CBS.

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“Industry Baby” rapper Jack Harlow is officially adding another awards show performance to his growing resume.  He, alongside Ariana Grande‘s Don’t Look Up co-star Kid Cudi, have been tapped to entertain the audience at the upcoming Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

Harlow will not only dazzle on the stage, he is also up to win Favorite Breakout Artist when the show airs on April 9.  The 23-year-old artist is very excited about his upcoming gig, and said in a press release, “I grew up on Nickelodeon so to be nominated AND perform at the Kids’ Choice Awards is crazy. Here’s to hoping I get slimed!”

Harlow is also set to perform at the upcoming Grammy Awards alongside Lil Nas X on April 3, where he is also up for an award — Best Melodic Rap Performance for being a featured artist on “Industry Baby.”

With two high-octane performances set just six days apart — on top of rehearsing two acceptance speeches should he win — it appears it’ll be a busy week of prep work for the “Nail Tech” artist.

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It’s no surprise that Grammy-winner Rihanna is currently sporting one of the most fashionable pregnancies in music.

Since sharing the exciting news of her pregnancy with boyfriend A$AP Rocky in January, the superstar has constantly showed off her growing belly bump in some of the most fashionable looks.

In the latest edition of Rihanna’s preggo looks catalog, the “Umbrella” singer shared her show-stopping ensemble for Jay Z’s Oscar Gold Party.  The all-black, couture Valentino dress featured a just-about fully sheer, long sleeve top and a long sparkly bottom. She paired it with a black strapless bandeau and a slick-back-behind-the-ears, long, straight hairdo. 

Though it was suggested who her plus one was for the event, she confirmed on Instagram saying, “me and my date for Oscar Gold Party #bump22.” 

Rih’s preggo fashion all started with the reveal. She and dad-to-be A$AP shocked the world when they dropped the news by way of a sweet, chic NY photo shoot. Draped in a gold jewel-encrusted cross, Rihanna’s toe-length pink jacket was left open just enough to show off the growing bump. 

It’s clear Rihanna loves her all black and was again ready to show off the bump, along with some cleavage, when captured out and about back in February. In a March all-black look, she paired her leather thigh-high boots with a matching miniskirt and silver sparkly bra.  

From fur with animal prints to blue cut-out bodysuits, Rihanna just keeps on bumpin’ around in style. 

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