Month: April 2023

BTS’s Suga shared the release date for his new Disney+ documentary Suga: Road to D-Day, set to debut on April 21st.  Suga’s album D-Day (which will be released under his name Agust D) will also debut on April 21 in conjunction with the documentary; and he has already released the first single, “People Pt. 2.”

Suga will chronicle his life on the road as he pursues a solo career while the South Korean band is on hiatus. The documentary will cover his work with Coldplay, The Chainsmokers, Halsey and Steve Aoki. In the documentary, the 30-year-old will talk about how his writer’s block impacted him and the life experiences he poured into his music.

Suga was also announced as an NBA ambassador last week, posting a video showing him with NBA stars Steph Curry, Luka Dončić and Klay Thompson. Per an NBA press release, Suga will be a visible presence for the game throughout the world, attending games and using the power of his social media channels to amplify the league. The NBA will partner with Suga on his album release and on his upcoming tour. Said Suga: “Music and basketball have been shared passions of mine since my youth, and it’s a dream to be named an NBA Ambassador. I’m excited to formalize my relationship with the NBA, and I can’t wait to share some exciting collaborations I have planned with the league over the coming months.”

Editorial credit: Silvia Elizabeth Pangaro / Shutterstock.com

Multiple outlets reported over the weekend that Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn have split after six years together. Entertainment Tonight was first to report the news, which comes as Swift is traveling the country for her sold-out Eras tour.

Swift, 33, and Alwyn, 32, were first linked in 2016, and have kept their relationship private over the years. Sources previously said that Swift “is very happy” in their relationship: “He is her rock. Their relationship is mature and wonderful.” 

The pair collaborated on music together over the pandemic, with Swift’s 2020 albums Folklore and Evermore.  Each album included collaborations with Alwyn, who wrote several songs under the pseudonym William Bowery. Alwyn is credited as a co-writer on “Betty” and “Exile” from Folklore and on “Champagne Problems,” “Coney Island,” and “Evermore” on Evermore. Folklore won the Grammy Award in 2021 for “Album of the Year,’ and during her acceptance speech, Swift gave a shout-out to the actor: “Joe is the first person that I play every single song that I write, and I had the best time writing songs with you in quarantine.”

Prior to her relationship with Alwyn, Swift dated Joe Jonas, John Mayer, Harry Styles, Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston.

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BTS’ Jimin has become the first Korean soloist to hit No.1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 with his track “Like Crazy,” taken from Jimin’s debut solo album FACE. ‘Like Crazy’ has racked up 254,000 downloads and CD single sales, and has been streamed over 10 million times. It received 64,000 radio airplay audience impressions in its first week of release. In addition to the original Korean and English versions of “Like Crazy,” two remixes reimagining the track were also released, alongside an instrumental version. The only other Korean act to score a No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 is BTS themselves, with their hit song “Dynamite.”

The achievement makes Jimin the first member of BTS to score a No.1 single in the U.S.; he had also scored the highest-charting solo single with his pre-release track “Set Me Free Pt.2,” which charted at No.30 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Other BTS members, Jungkook and Suga, have both also entered the Top 30 — but with collaborations (Jungkook teamed up with Charlie Puth for “Left And Right” which charted at No.22, and Suga appeared on Juice WRLD’s “Girl Of My Dreams,” which peaked at No.29).

“Like Crazy” has also claimed the top spot on the Digital Song Sales chart and landed at No.35 on the Streaming Songs chart. The album FACE entered the Billboard 200 at No.2.

Editorial credit: Silvia Elizabeth Pangaro / Shutterstock.com

Ellie Goulding has shared her new single “By the End of the Night” off her fifth studio album Higher Than Heaven, due for release April 7. ‘By the End of the Night’ follows Ellie’s recent release of “Miracle” with Calvin Harris.

Ellie says of the new song: “I feel like we’ve all been through such a lot over the last few years, we’re still processing everything. I don’t know if it’s just me but I feel like we need music that uplifts us and makes us feel good and that’s exactly how I feel about “By The End Of The Night.” It gives me a sense of euphoric, sensual escape, like being on a dancefloor on another planet…something that was definitely appealing back in the late 80’s… where this track could have easily come from!”

Speaking about her forthcoming album Higher Than Heaven, Ellie says: “There was definitely a darkness about [the past two years] that was palpable in the studio, with everyone having gone through it differently. I think for that reason, nobody wanted to sit and agonize over some relationship or some drama. So that’s how this album came together. [Higher Than Heaven is] about being passionately in love. But it’s a hyper form of love, almost like a drug induced feeling. It feels almost artificial and there’s the potential for a crash.”

Take a listen to “By the End of the Night”– here.
Pre-order the album Higher Than Heaven – here.

Ellie Goulding releases ‘By the End of the Night’

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Lizzo and Jack Black are among the latest guest stars on the Disney+ series ‘The Mandalorian’. The duo will appear in the sixth episode of season 3 of the series.

Black wrote on Instagram: “So fun working with @lizzobeeating on @themandalorian as the king and queen of Plazir-15!!!,” alongside two photos of himself and Lizzo. In the pics, Black sports an extravagant beard while Lizzo dons a headdress and elegant plaits.According to Entertainment Weekly, the duo plays Duchess and Captain Bombardier, rulers of Plazir-15, which operates partly as a democracy. Din Djarin and Bo-Katan can be seen exploring the planet Plazir-15, and immediately upon arrival are greeted by the planet’s leadership, Bombadier (played by Jack Black) and Lizzo’s Duchess character.

An official synopsis of the current season of The Mandalorian reads: “The journeys of the Mandalorian through the Star Wars galaxy continue,” with formerly lonely bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) reuniting with Grogu, a.k.a. Baby Yoda/The Child. Meanwhile, the New Republic struggles to lead the galaxy away from its dark history. The Mandalorian will cross paths with old allies and make new enemies as he and Grogu continue their journey together.

The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+. Check out the cameo from Lizzo and Jack Black – here.

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