Category: Pop Daypop

BTS’s band members—who include RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook—announced they are taking a hiatus in a video posted to social media on June 14.  The K-pop stars didn’t note how long the hiatus will last, but expressed their desire to explore solo projects.

The band said: “.. BTS was different from other groups, but the problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don’t give you time to mature. You have to keep producing music and keep doing something.  We can’t help but think of our fans no matter what, we want to be the kind of artists that are remembered by our fans. I think now we’re starting to think about what kind of artists we each want to be remembered by our fansI think that’s why we’re going through a rough patch right now, we’re trying to find our identity and that’s an exhausting and long process.” 

As other members teared up as they discussed the break, RM said: “I want BTS to go on for a long time. We have to go through this to do that. I want it to last long and for BTS to last long, I think I have to retain who I am.” 

Jungkook said: “We’re each going to take some time to have fun and experience lots of things. We promise we will return someday, even more mature than we are now.  There’s so much more to come.”

BTS started forming in 2010 after Big Hit Entertainment founder Bang Si-hyuk recruited RM followed by Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, with the band officially debuting in 2013. BTS experienced a surge of popularity in 2015 and had become a global phenomenon by 2017, earning two Grammy nominations, six no. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and an ARMY of fans.

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Bad Bunny’s album Un Verano Sin Ti is back at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for a second week, following its debut at No. 1 on May 21. The album has held the No. 2 slot for the last three weeks.

Un Verano Sin Ti is the first album released in 2022 to exceed 100,000 equivalent album units earned in each of its first five weeks.  Notably, Un Verano Sin Ti marks the first all-Spanish-language album to spend multiple weeks at No. 1 in the Billboard 200’s 66-year history.

Post Malone’s new album Twelve Carat Toothache debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The LP was released June 3 as a standard 14-track album; a deluxe version of the set, with two additional tracks, arrived June 7 via streamers and digital retail. A cassette edition of the album is due on June 24, while a vinyl edition of the standard album is scheduled for release on Feb. 10, 2023.

Harry Styles’ Harry’s House falls from the summit to No. 3 in its third week on the list, after spending its first two weeks at No. 1. Future’s I Never Liked You stayed at No. 4; and Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers dropped to No. 5.

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Post Malone has announced a 33-city North American tour this fall, in support of his recently released fourth studio album Twelve Carat Toothache. Malone will be joined on the road by Roddy Ricch, who will serve as the special guest opener for all but seven of the scheduled tour dates.

The Twelve Carat tour kicks-off on Sept. 10 with a show at the Chi Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska. From there, Malone will make stops in Chicago, Columbus, Toronto, Boston, Detroit, Newark, New York, Nashville, Atlanta, Houston, Denver, Portland, Vancouver, and more. The tour will wrap on Nov. 15 with a final show at the Cryto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.

The tour announcement also comes as Malone confirmed that he welcomed his first child with his girlfriend.  Malone told TMZ: “I’m excited for this next chapter in my life, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, and for since I could remember I was sad. Time to take care of my body and my family and friends, and spread as much love as we can every day.”

General sale for the Twelve Carat tour begins on Friday, June 17 at 10 a.m. local time via Live Nation.

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Halsey’s new single “So Good” has arrived, alongside a music video directed by Halsey’s partner, Alev Aydin. The two actors starring in the video -being shot within the video – bear an uncanny resemblance to Halsey and Aydin. Later in the video, real-life footage of Halsey and Aydin  intercepts the storyline as they sing: “I know it’s bad, but we could be so good.”

Halsey explained in a statement:  “The film we created for ‘So Good’ really tells the full story of the song in the way I intended. Samsung helped us share our vision, giving us the creative freedom we needed to make something we are really proud of.  Using the Freestyle, Alev and I were able to share a glimpse of the way that we fell in love: watching romantic films together. But this time, the Freestyle is playing real home movies from our life together. For us, this makes ‘So Good’ come to life in a really special way that we’re so excited to share with fans.”

“So Good” (which can be streamed or purchased here) marks Halsey’s first single since their Grammy Award-nominated studio album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power was released in 2021.  Check out the video for ‘So Good’ – here.

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BTS is back with new music, releasing the anthology album Proof along with a music video for the song “Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)”.  The “Yet to Come” video shows the members of BTS in the desert as they sing about looking forward to the future.

BTS appeared together in a promo for the album Proof for YouTube Music, marking BTS’ first new music of 2022.  Proof is a three-disc album featuring past recordings, demos and three new songs: “Yet to Come,” “Run BTS” and “For Youth.”

BTS released Proof ahead of its ninth anniversary as a group, which falls June 13.  The K-pop group will mark the anniversary with its annual BTS Festa celebration; and the group shared a family portrait on social media in honor of BTS Festa last week.

BTS Share Stylish New Video Alongside Anthology LP ‘Proof’

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Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially married.  The couple tied the knot on Thursday, June 9 at Spears’ residence in Thousand Oaks, Calif., at approximately 8:30 p.m.  The couple’s nuptials were performed by Reverend Clint Hufft, who also officiated Paris Hilton‘s 2021 wedding. The 40-year-old Spears and 28-year-old Asghari were engaged in September 2021 after nearly five years of dating.

According to People, there were approximately 60 guests in attendance with famous friends including Madonna, Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore and Paris Hilton. Spears’ sons Sean and Jayden, did not attend the wedding, but wished the happy couple the best, according to a statement. Spears’ father Jamie Spears, mother Lynn Spears and sister Jamie Lynn Spears were also not in attendance. Reportedly, Spears walked down the aisle to Elvis’ classic “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and wore a Versace gown.

Spears and Asghari’s wedding comes seven months after Spears was freed from her 13-year conservatorship. The couple announced in April that Spears was pregnant, however shared in May they had suffered a miscarriage. Spears wrote on Instagram at the time: “Our love for each other is our strength. We will continue trying to expand our beautiful family. We are grateful for all the support. We kindly ask for privacy during this difficult moment.”

This is Spears’ third marriage. She was previously married to childhood friend Jason Alexander for 55 hours in 2004, and married to Kevin Federline from 2004 to 2007, with whom she shares sons Sean Preston, 16, and Jayden, 15.

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The Recording Academy announced five new Grammy Awards categories that will be introduced in 2023. Among them are Songwriter of the Year, Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media, Best Spoken Word Album, Best Alternative Music Performance and Best Americana Performance. In addition, the Recording Academy will present a Special Merit Award for Best Song for Social Change, which will be determined by a Blue Ribbon Committee and celebrate music that addresses timely social issues.

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement: “We’re so excited to honor these diverse communities of music creators through the newly established awards and amendments, and to continue cultivating an environment that inspires change, progress and collaboration. The Academy’s top priority is to effectively represent the music people that we serve, and each year, that entails listening to our members and ensuring our rules and guidelines reflect our ever-evolving industry.”

There will be a total of 91 trophies at next year’s Grammy Awards ceremony including the new categories. The Songwriter of the Year award will honor musicians who have written a minimum of five songs in which they are credited only as a songwriter or co-writer, and not as the artist or producer.

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Machine Gun Kelly has announced his new song, “More Than Life (Feat. Glaive),” will be released on Friday, June 10.   The new track will appear as the one new song on the vinyl edition of MGK’s album ‘Mainstream Sellout,’ which will arrive June 24.

In addition to the new song and vinyl announcement, MGK will kick-off the Mainstream Sellout Tour this week in Austin, TX. The U.S. leg spans 41 dates from June through August, including MGK’s appearance at the 2022 Lollapalooza festival, and then heads to Europe for 15 stops in September-October. Supporting acts include Avril Lavigne, Travis Barker, WILLOW, blackbear, Trippie Redd, iann dior, and more.

Mainstream Sellout is MGK’s second consecutive No.1 album on the Billboard 200.  You can pre-order “More Than Life (Feat. Glaive)” – here.

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Avril Lavigne is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her debut album, Let Go, with a new deluxe edition, featuring six bonus tracks. One of the additions to the album is Lavigne’s “Breakaway,” a song she originally wrote for Let Go but ultimately went to Kelly Clarkson, whose version became a hit in 2004. For the new version of “Breakaway,” Lavigne restored some of the original lyrics, which reference her childhood in Canada.   You can take a listen – here.

The rest of the bonus material on the Deluxe Edition of Let Go comprises five b-sides and other rare tracks, including “Why” — the b-side to Lavigne’s breakout hit “Complicated” — and “Get Over It,” the b-side to “Sk8er Boi”.   Along with the digital release of the Let Go 20th anniversary edition, a special double-LP vinyl version is expected to arrive Jan. 27, 2023.

Lavigne released her seventh studio album Love Sux in February, which was co-produced by Travis Barker and Lavigne’s fiancé, Mod Sun and features contributions from Machine Gun Kelly, Blackbear, and Barker’s Blink-182 bandmate Mark Hoppus.

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Following the release last week of his fourth studio album, Twelve Carat Toothache, Post Malone has dropped a deluxe edition of the LP featuring two additional tracks.

New to the deluxe edition are the songs “Waiting For Never” and “Hateful,” both produced by J. Lauryn and Malone’s longtime collaborator Louis Bell.  The original 14-track album (which runs for a total of just 43 minutes), features guest appearances from Doja Cat on “I Like You (A Happier Song),” Gunna on “I Cannot Be (A Sadder Song),” The Kid LAROI on “Wasting Angels” and Fleet Foxes on “Love/Hate Letter To Alcohol,” as well as the pre-released tracks with Roddy Ricch (“Cooped Up”), and The Weeknd (“One Right Now).”

Twelve Carat Toothache (Deluxe) is out now; take a listen here.

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