Hillary Duff announces new album, Childish Gambino suffers stroke
Plus: Olivia Dean is pissed at Ticketmaster
Happy Monday! Today: Hillary Duff’s new album, Childish Gambino’s stroke, Olivia Dean vs. Ticketmaster, Wicked box office numbers, Megan Thee Stallion’s startling court appearance, and more.
Hillary Duff will release first album in 11 years
This is what dreams are made of.
Hillary Duff announced last Friday that she is releasing her sixth studio album, luck … or something, on Feb. 20, adding: “So much love, late night anxiety and a little chaos went into making this album - hoping to see yourself in here the way I have. I love you and excited is the largest understatement.”
Of course, we already heard the first single ‘Mature.’ She sounds good, it feels nostalgic, and well, the lyrics of course are very revealing. She is singing about dating an older man in reference to her relationship with Joel Madden in the mid-2000s. He was 25. She was 16.
Some people might kill me for this, but sonically this song reminded me a lot of something someone like Kylie Minogue would put out. I’m not talking in the lane of the more dance-heavy songs she’s known for, but definitely the lighter-rock-leaning pop. Am I crazy? Yes, but still … let me know if I make sense. Ha!
I’m hoping we get yet another taste of her new album before it comes out. I think a single near Christmas time would be great. I also hope we get more tour dates. She’s currently scheduled to do a limited amount of very intimate shows in January in London, Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles. They are all sold out!
Please Don’t Stop The Music
I can’t get enough of Robyn’s new song ‘Dopamine.’ She may not release music often these days, but when she does, she doesn’t miss. She always gives us Euro-dance pop perfection, and for that we should be grateful this Thanksgiving.
That is why it is my song choice for this week’s Please Don’t Stop The Music. It also happens that the 15th anniversary of her flawless 2010 album Body Talk was two days ago. ‘Dancing On My Own’ is still, in my humble opinion, the greatest pop song of all time.
Donald Glover reveals he suffered a stroke
During his headlining set at Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival on Saturday, Donald Glover - aka Childish Gambino - revealed that he suffered a stroke last year, which is why he canceled his New World Tour.
He told fans that he was experiencing a severe headache and couldn’t see well during his show in New Orleans on Sept. 7, 2024. He proceeded to finish the show anyway but then went to see a doctor when they made it to Houston. After some tests, a doctor told him, ‘You had a stroke.’
Shortly after, doctors also found a hole in his heart. This prompted more medical care including surgeries - which is why he scrapped the remainder of the tour altogether. He was scheduled to perform more shows in North America, Europe, and Australia through the end of last year and the beginning of this year.
His appearance at Camp Flog Gnaw was his first performance since that show in New Orleans last year.
Olivia Dean calls out Ticketmaster over concert prices
Olivia Dean didn’t hold back and called out Ticketmaster, Live Nation, and AEG Live for the outrageous ticket prices her fans encountered when her North American tour went on sale last week.
» On the Wednesday edition of The Banger Brief last week, I shared with you that Dean’s US + Canada summer tour had gotten big fast. Just from pre-sale numbers alone, there was enough demand for her to add several new dates, including four at Madison Square Garden in NYC.
» During the general on-sale, there were crazy ticket prices — and many were bought by resellers — who listed them for thousands of dollars.
» Ticketmaster even messed up the original listings on some of the dates, marking $53.45 tickets at $753.45 and later issuing an apology. LOL.
» All of this prompted Olivia to take to her Instagram Story, posting, “I’m sorry that there seems to be an issue with ticket re-selling and pricing. My team are currently looking into it. It is extremely frustrating as the last thing I want is for anyone to be scammed or overcharged for our show :( Please be wary of buying tickets in the comment sections as it is most likely a scam.”
» She then went after Ticketmaster and the two tour promoter giants, writing: “@ticketmaster @livenation @aegpresents you are providing a disgusting service. The prices at which you’re allowing tickets to be re-sold is vile and completely against our wishes. Live music should be affordable and accessible, and we need to find a new way of making that possible. BE BETTER.”
Good for her. Will anything be done though? Probably not.
What’s Going On?
Wicked: For Good earned the biggest debut for a Broadway musical adaptation this weekend grossing $226 million globally beating … beating a record set by part one just last year - according to the AP.
In Wicked-related news, the man that ran up to Ariana Grande at the Singapore premiere of the movie two weeks ago has been deported and banned from the country. It turns out he is from Australia. Good.
Last Thursday, Megan Thee Stallion testified in her ongoing defamation case against a blogger she says spread rumors and fueled hate campaigns against her after the Tory Lanez shooting incident, in which Lanez shot her in the foot. Megan told the court she “just wanted to die” because of the things being published about her. So sad.
Taylor Swift was spotted at the Chiefs vs. Colts game to support her man Travis Kelce yesterday. She seemed very happy.
Music video roundup! We got new music videos out: Stray Kids for ‘Do It,’ Charli XCX for ‘Chains Of Love,’ and Leigh-Anne for ‘Friends.’
SEVENTEEN will premiere their NPR Tiny Desk performance today!
Look What You Made Me Watch
RAYE has been performing her new single ‘Where Is My Husband!’ literally everywhere. It’s not even my favorite of her songs, but I’m obsessed with her performances. I’ve probably watched every single one of these promotional performances. Are they mostly the same? Yes. Will I keep watching them if she keeps doing them? Also yes. Don’t let her find her husband yet! Hehe.
The latest one? Her appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show. Watch it below.
Read All About It
Madison Beer on Making ‘Bittersweet,’ Fan Feedback and Casting Sean Kaufman From ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ in the Music Video by Tiana DeNicola (Variety)
P.S.
Happy Monday!
Are you all ready for Thanksgiving this week? I was planning on not sending out this Friday’s edition of the newsletter but then thought that was lazy of me. I just launched it, haha, so do expect it every day this week. I’m also working on the holiday playlist - hope to have that out by next Monday just in time for December. We did one for Bops and Bangers a few years ago, but it definitely needs to be updated!
Also, our end-of-year lists are coming soon. Top songs, top albums, top tours, and everything else in pop music. Stay tuned for that.
Have a great week.
-Peter Stavros