Category: Music & Entertainment

Taylor Swift debuts clip of “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” exclusively on ‘GMA’

Posted on by ABC Audio

Beth GarrabrantTaylor Swift fans eager to hear her more new music just had their wish granted!

On Thursday, the superstar shared exclusively on Good Morning America a clip of the song “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” a re-recording of the title track of her hit 2008 album.

“I just wanted to say, first of all, you guys have been so supportive at Good Morning America since day one of this entire process of me re-recording my music,” Taylor said in a recorded message. “I’m so ecstatic that my album, Fearless (Taylor’s Version), will be out tonight.”

“It’s crazy that it’s finally here and I wanted to give you guys, as a thank you, an exclusive first glimpse at one of the songs on my album,” she added ahead of the tune playing.

The drop of “Fearless” comes a day after Taylor shared “Mr. Perfectly Fine,” a song she wrote in 2008 and that will appear as one of the never-released “From the Vault” tracks on Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

Swift told GMA in November she was “having a really good time” re-recording her old music amid drama over her old masters.

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) comes out Friday.

By GMA Team
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dua Lipa unveils first look at her new global PUMA campaign

Posted on by ABC Audio

Mario Sorrenti for PUMADua Lipa has finally unveiled the first look at her long-teased solo campaign with PUMA.  The “Levitating” singer first mentioned the partnership during her November “Studio 2054” livestream concert.

In the first official images of her new PUMA campaign, which she recently shared to Instagram, Dua is wearing the brand’s new “Mayze” sneaker.  The shoe, which features the brand’s logo, is a creeper-style sneaker fitted with a chunky platform sole.

The first image depicts the “Don’t Start Now” hitmaker hanging out in a theater’s green room, where she’s perched on a black equipment box.

In the second snap, Dua’s hanging out on a flight of stairs leading up to a stage that’s doused in fog and blue lighting.  It accentuates what PUMA promises about the new shoe: It’s “made for those who embrace the spotlight, on stage and off.”

“The Mayze is the perfect fit, it works for me on stage and off. The classic stacked sole is so versatile, I can work it into any look,” says Dua in a statement.

Famed fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti shot the new PUMA ads. The new “Mayze” sneaker will be available fo April 16 and will retail for $90.

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Demi Lovato opens up on her struggle with “survivor’s guilt” for surviving overdose

Posted on by ABC Audio

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicDemi Lovato, like many, is praying for famed rapper DMX.  The “Party Up (Up in Here)” artist was rushed to the hospital Friday, where he remains on life support, after suffering a heart attack brought on by an apparent drug overdose.  

Lovato says the headlines brought her right back to 2018, the year when her own drug addiction nearly killed her.

Speaking Wednesday with TMZ Live, the “Anyone” singer admitted that she continues to struggle with survivor’s guilt.

“Anytime that I see somebody OD or even pass away that’s in the public eye, I immediately think, ‘That could’ve been you had you not been putting all this work in the last couple of years of your life,'” the 28-year-old confessed.

Lovato continued, “There’s times where I’ve even talked about feeling survivor’s guilt because you do ask yourself, ‘Why am I still here, and why are others not?'”

The Grammy nominee admits it has been “challenging” to overcome those intrusive thoughts, but she has found a way to acknowledge them without harming her mental health.

“Ultimately I had to realize that every day is a day that someone else doesn’t get,” she said. “Every day that I’m here on this earth is a day that I need to be counting my blessings for and just being appreciative and grateful for.”

Framing her thoughts like that, she says, “Makes me want to live the best life I can possibly live knowing that others didn’t get the same chance that I did.”

Lovato, who is working on her own sobriety, confronts her near-fatal overdose in the YouTube docuseries Dancing With the Devil, which is streaming now.

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Olivia Rodrigo spills “Deja Vu” secrets: “I’ve never watched ‘Glee'”

Posted on by ABC Audio

Stefan KohliThe lyrics of Olivia Rodrigo‘s new single “Deja Vu” are so specific, you really believe that she and her ex-boyfriend actually did do all those things she sings about in the song, before her ex went on to do them with his current girlfriend. But surprise — most of it was completely made up.

Take that line “Watching reruns of Glee/Bein’ annoying, singin’ in harmony” — super-specific, right?  Yes, but completely not true.

As Olivia and her co-writer and producer Dan Nigro admit in Rolling Stone’s The Breakdown video series, “Neither of us have ever, like, watched Glee! But [when we were writing the song], we were like, ‘Watching reruns of Glee‘ — heck yeah!”

And if you thought Olivia was a huge fan of Billy Joel because of that line “Play her piano, but she doesn’t know/That I was the one who taught you Billy Joel” — think again.

“Dan actually came up with the Billy Joel lyric…which is probably my favorite lyric,” Olivia admits. 

“Just trying to make Long Island represent as much as possible in this,” confesses Dan — who, like Billy Joel, is from Long Island, NY.

But there is some truth to the lyrics: Olivia’s favorite ice cream flavor is, indeed, strawberry.

So if Olivia didn’t live “Deja Vu,” what inspired it?  She says she simply had the line “when she’s with you/do you get deja vu” written down in her phone.

“I get deja vu all the time, and I think it’s a really interesting phenomenon,” she explains. “And so I thought it would be a cool way to talk about when you break up with someone and they move on — sometimes you watch them on social media or whatever, and they’re living the same life that you lived, with another partner.”

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Come play in his “Arcade”: Dutch star Duncan Laurence’s single isn’t a losing game

Posted on by ABC Audio

Paul BellaartDutch artist Duncan Laurence is moving up the charts with his cinematic song “Arcade,” with its memorable chorus, “Loving you is a losing game.”  He recently performed it on NBC’s Today show and on Ellen DeGeneres, and tells ABC Audio he’s delighted that American fans are just now discovering the track, which won the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.

“To see all the reactions from new people hearing it in the U.S., but also people who knew it already from things like Eurovision and stuff here in Europe and say, ‘Finally it’s happening!- it’s just a mix of all sorts of reactions,” Duncan tells ABC Audio. “It’s just so much fun to read them. It’s really encouraging.”

Duncan, who was also on the Dutch version of The Voice, is actually surprised that “Arcade” has hung around long enough to become a hit in the U.S. — but it’s partly due to TikTok.

“After doing Eurovision…I kind of thought, like, that was the peak — that was the function of ‘Arcade,'” he recalls. “Like, ‘It’s done its part in my career, and now we can move on and make some new music.’ And then all of a sudden out of the blue, there it was on TikTok! And it was shared so many times.”

To Duncan, that means that he’s done something important.

“It just showed that it resonates with people…people want to connect to it, want to share it, want to talk about it,” he gushes. “And especially in these times where…it’s not possible for me to do concerts…it’s so encouraging to see everyone love the song and just share it. And it makes me feel like what I’m doing is right.” 

“Arcade” is on Duncan’s debut album Small Town Boy, out now.

By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ariana Grande’s wedding: “Small & intimate,” not “massive” after all?

Posted on by ABC Audio

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicDepending on which tabloid you believe, Ariana Grande is either planning a “massive” fairy-tale wedding to her fiancé, Dalton Gomez, or something “small and intimate.”

Following reports by OK! magazine that the couple is planning a huge wedding, Us Weekly now claims the opposite. That publication’s “insider” dishes that the two, who got engaged in December, want “a very small and intimate affair” that will take place in the next few months.

“Ariana and Dalton’s wedding will happen early summer,” the insider says. “They have been looking at venues in a few different cities but are most likely choosing California.”

However, the insider insists, “Nothing will officially happen until it’s safe,” referring to COVID-19 restrictions.

Meanwhile, the two lovebirds are “beyond obsessed with each other,” the insider gushes, claiming that they spent “almost all their time together.”

“He loves to dote on her [and] he just makes her really happy,” the source adds. “All of Ariana’s friends and family love him for her.”

Ari does seem like a woman in love: A few days ago, she posted a slideshow of herself cuddling with Dalton and wrote, “!!! my heart my person !!! thank u so much for being u.”

By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sia teams with NASA for “Floating Through Space” video

Posted on by ABC Audio

Stuart C. Wilson/Getty ImagesSia has teamed up with NASA for the music video to her appropriately titled song with David Guetta, “Floating Through Space.”

With the help of pop-up facts, the video highlights the upcoming launch of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which will be the first attempt at a powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet.

The helicopter has already landed on Mars, attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover, which successfully landed on the planet February 18. NASA is targeting no earlier than April 8 for the first flight attempt, but a series of factors, including wind patterns, will determine an exact time for the launch.

The video includes footage of the aircraft being tested and readied for launch, as well as from the joyous moment when Perseverance landed on Mars.

By Andrea Tuccillo
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Lady Gaga unveils limited-edition Dom Pérignon sculpture for charity

Posted on by ABC Audio

Dom Pérignon As part of her new deal with Champagne brand Dom Pérignon, Lady Gaga has created a limited-edition sculpture, with all proceeds going to a worthy cause.

“We designed my own custom Dom Pérignon bottle in collaboration with [fashion director] Nicola Formichetti, as well as a limited-edition sculpture,” Gaga explains in an Instagram video. “And the profits of this limited-edition piece will go to the Born This Way Foundation, my charity.”

“I can’t wait to toast with you to celebrate life and a world where everyone is seen, heard and loved,” she adds.

It’s hard to tell, but the sculpture appears to look like a customized bottle of the Champagne with “Lady Gaga Edition” written on the label and the neck, partially encased in shiny Mylar wrapping.

According to the Champagne’s website, only 110 sculptures are being produced and will be “sold in private sales and showcased in flagship Dom Pérignon locations.”

Prices are available on request from the website but you know what they say: If you have to ask…

By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sophie Turner praises Taylor Swift’s new song, while fans think it’s about Sophie’s husband

Posted on by ABC Audio

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty ImagesTaylor Swift’s new “From the Vault” release, “Mr. Perfectly Fine,” has a celebrity fan in Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner — even though fans are convinced the song’s about Sophie’s husband, Joe Jonas.

Posting the song on her Instagram stories, Sophie wrote, “It’s not NOT a bop.”  Taylor reposted her message, adding the caption, “forever bending the knee for the [queen] of the North,” in reference to Sophie’s Game of Thrones character, Sansa Stark.

Meanwhile, because “Mr. Perfectly Fine” was written in 2008 — around the time Taylor and Joe broke up — some are advancing the theory that she wrote it about Joe.  “sophie turner is a swiftie first and joe jonas’ wife second,” one Swiftie tweeted.  Another posted a picture of Sophie chugging wine in the stands of a sporting event while raising her hand, and captioned it, “sophie turner listening to taylor swift obliterate joe jonas with decade old songs.”

Of course, Taylor and Joe have long made up; in her song “Invisible String,” she alluded to this by singing about buying gifts for the babies of the boys who broke her heart.

“Mr. Perfectly Fine” is about how Taylor is heartbroken because a guy has dumped her, but he doesn’t seem to be affected by the split. “It takes everything in me just to get up each day/But it’s wonderful to see that you’re okay,” she sings.

But in another line, Taylor sings, “Hello Mr. Casually cruel, Mr. Everything revolves around you’ / I’ve been Miss Misery since your goodbye and you’re Mr. Perfectly Fine.”  Swifties know that she resurrected the line “casually cruel” for her 2012 song “All Too Well,” which many believe is about Jake Gyllenhaal.  That’s why some people think this song is actually about him, and not Joe Jonas — but Taylor will never tell.

By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.