Candidness is encouraged in today’s day and age. However, it can also cause chaos – just ask Halsey.

The newcomer rose to prominence on The Chainsmokers smash ‘Closer’ and hit #1 recently with her album ‘Hopeless Fountain Kingdom.’

During a promo interview with The Guardian (who also secured “that” controversial Tinashe feature), the singer made notable comments about Migos star Quavo (who features on her LP).

Having caught flack for his homophobic comments, Halsey (who is bisexual herself) took up for him and defended his intent. She said:

“I think he’s misunderstood. Just because I choose to be a socially conscious artist, and I’m pretty good at it, that doesn’t mean every artist is going to be equipped to be politically correct. I don’t think he’s inherently homophobic, I think he’s in a tough place of trying to explain what he means. I agree his apology was bullshit but I can’t police everybody.”

When the interviewer suggests that her album is one space she can police, the biracial 22-year-old  used her response to take an unexpected jab at Iggy Azalea:

 “Yes, I can. and there’s a lot of people I wouldn’t put on my record. Iggy Azalea: absolutely not. She had a complete disregard for black culture. Fucking moron. I watched her career dissolve and it fascinated me.”

As her words begun doing the rounds, it became clear that folk were not here for either of her comments. So much so that #HalseyIsCancelled begun to trend on Twitter.

Responding to the backlash, she took to Twitter to say…

Honestly? I didn’t know that Quavo had made homophobic comments when I collaborated him. We’ve never spoken a word to each other and +

— h (@halsey) June 23, 2017

+ I have no intention of pursuing a friendship there, unless he wants to make a legitimate apology.

— h (@halsey) June 23, 2017

I work tirelessly to represent & support marginalized communities I love & am a part of. I’m sorry if my actions have ever seemed otherwise.

— h (@halsey) June 23, 2017

I only meant to say that people can struggle being socially conscious if they don’t have the information/vocabulary. So we must educate them

— h (@halsey) June 23, 2017

And I’m proud to watch the young people around me work hard to educate themselves and others to stay woke every day.

— h (@halsey) June 23, 2017

I think thats an important point. I AM queer & I TRY to be understanding & want people to be educated. But im truly sorry for my misjudgment https://t.co/ESomRyiyBh

— h (@halsey) June 23, 2017

She was oddly unapologetic in regards to Iggy, tweeting and subsequently deleting the following…

“The quavo comments taken out of an off record convo about music industry homophobia. NOT a defense. Don’t regret the Iggy comments sorry.”

****************

Who put salt in her cereal?

Dragging Iggy is the definition of tired at this point and while she’s entitled to her views, they kinda feel catty for catty sake if she can’t be bothered to elaborate on why.

As for Migos, she’d have been better off manoeuvring away from the topic rather than that sloppy rationale.

Needless to say, someone clearly needs to sign up for Media Training 101.

Your thoughts?

Camila Cabello is leaving no stone unturned in the press run for debut solo single ‘Crying In The Club.’

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon was the latest stage she graced and she made it count.

Doing away with the high-octane routines, the former Fifth Harmony singer instead teamed with a guitarist and jazzed up her vocal.

Check out the performance below…

Decent.

It’s cool to see her injecting some of her now-trademark vocal runs and isms into her delivery.

It’s a given that Camila will continue to push the song in earnest (as it gains traction slowly but surely); but having heard a preview of her album ‘The Hurting. The Healing. The Loving’ in London recently, we’re keen for her to show the masses more of what she’s working with.

Your thoughts?

Justin Bieber has been written off many times over the course of his 7 year career, but each time – much to the chagrin of respectable music lovers – the Canadian crooner keeps finding his name penciled in Billboard’s top spots (and history books).

Now, in addition to a plethora of historic achievements on charts including…

• Youngest artist to debut at #1 on the Hot 100
• Youngest artist to replace himself at #1 on the Hot 100
• Youngest male artist to earn three #1 singles from one album
• Most concurrent titles on the Hot 100 for a vocalist (17)

…Beliebers have helped the chart-topper nab another historic achievement (one we foresaw here).

Get the deets below:

According to Billboard:

“…Bieber, meanwhile, becomes the first act with the top three best-selling digital downloads in a single week [thanks to Luis Fonsi’s ‘Despacito,’ rapper DJ Khaled’s ‘I’m the One,’ and David Guetta’s ‘2 U’].

Bieber further makes history, becoming the first artist to rank at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 concurrently on Digital Song Sales, as David Guetta‘s “2U,” featuring Bieber, launches at No. 3 on the sales tally with 72,000 first-week downloads sold (following its June 9 release)…

Bieber, meanwhile, doubles his longest Hot 100 reign. Of his four prior No. 1s, he had ruled the longest with “Sorry,” for three weeks in early 2016.”

Look to see who joins Biebs in the top 25 on this week’s refreshed ‘Chart Check’:

Your thoughts?

“Only 14 songs have earned Diamond status to date, and Katy Perry owns three of them — what a remarkable achievement and testament to a groundbreaking artist,” said Cary Sherman, Chairman and CEO of the RIAA.

The statement above came just after news broke the Grammy-nominated singer, who is currently enjoying the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 with her latest album, ‘Witness’ – witnessed her name etched in history books for becoming the first artist ever to have three diamond singles.  That is, three singles that have respectively sold or streamed 10 million or more units.

To make the feat all the more impressive, the songs – ‘Firework’ (2010), ‘Dark Horse’ (2013), and now ‘Roar’ (2013) – were all released before the RIAA began incorporating streaming data into its certification calculations in early 2016.

The ‘Bon Appetit’ singer was previously tied with former rival Lady Gaga (“Bad Romance” and “Poker Face” ) and rapper Eminem (“Not Afraid” and “Love The Way You Lie”) who both – as of time reported – have two Diamond Song Awards each.

Congratulations to Katy!

The report comes as yet another milestone for the singer’s otherwise interesting 2017.

Her new album, ‘Witness,’ may be her first major label project to be released without a #1 single on the Hot 100 preceding it, but with over 187,000 sold its first week it has the best opening numbers of any female album released this year.

How did Katy respond to the news?  See below:

Your thoughts?

JoJo sprung a surprise on fans moments ago with the release of brand new song ‘Wonder Woman.’

The scintillating slow jam melts everything folk have come to love from the 26-year-old – vocals, soul, and lyrics exquisite.

Introduced to the masses as a child wonder, Ms. Levesque has matured into a Wonder Woman.

Take a listen below as she asserts exactly that…

Delicious!

The production is rich, layered, and arresting and JoJo garnishes it with a vocal performance that embodies each trait.

Last year’s long-awaited return ‘Mad Love’ delighted us in earnest; now this has us hungry for more.

Your thoughts?

Over the course of TLC‘s illustrious career, the group have never been afraid of saying their mind.

In recent times, while promoting their final album, the approach has raised eyebrows. Case in point, Chilli‘s “Black Lives Matter” drama.

Now, in an interview with Billboard, the candidness continues. And this time it’s in regard to their former label head LA Reid.

As widely reported, the industry icon was rocked by major sexual harassment allegations which ultimately saw him exit Epic Records in an abrupt manner.

When quizzed on the matter, T-Boz‘s stance was made crystal clear.

See the excerpt below:

There is, for one, their reaction to Reid’s exit from Epic amid sexual harassment allegations. “I hear more people are coming out saying stuff,” says Watkins, as Thomas buries her face in her hands. “I was surprised he was fired, but [the accusations] didn’t come as a surprise. I don’t wish him anything ill. But surprised? No.” [Source]

Damn.

For what it’s worth, TLC actually reunited with Reid at Epic upon the release of their VH1 biopic in 2013. Indeed, ‘Meant To Be,’ a new cut featured in the film, was issued by the label.

The re-teaming was brief though, with the entities “going their separate ways” after Pebbles – Reid’s ex wife and the group’s former manager – filed a lawsuit about her depiction in the movie.

In any case, TLC’s self-titled final album drops June 30th.

Your thoughts?

Azealia Banks and Iggy Azalea have decided to put their ugly past behind them and move towards the future as positive peers.

Banks, who was praised for her estimation of Azalea’s career in this unforgettable interview, recently took to Twitter to reveal that her feelings toward Iggy had changed and that she hoped to mark this by creating original music with her.

It wasn’t long before Iggy caught wind of the invitation.

Six years have passed since the birth of their beef, arguably fuelled by their respective ties to Interscope Records and talk of racism.

Fortunately, with the past behind them, the ladies now end what truly was a very ugly episode.

Here’s hoping this goes some way to inspire Remy Ma and Nicki Minaj, eh?

Your thoughts?

Drake‘s domination shows no ‘Signs’ of letting up.

The Canadian superstar generated quite the buzz when he announced the track with just 24 hours notice.

It’s presently unknown if the song is tied to a specific project of his, it was however unwrapped in partnership with fashion giant Louis Vuitton at their Mens Spring/Summer 2018 presentation today.

Take a listen below; the track starts at the 6.30 mark…

The #LouisVuitton #LVMenSS18 Show by @mrkimjones live from the Palais Royal in Paris, France#Periscope #PFWhttps://t.co/1pvxs6Cp6K

— Louis Vuitton (@LouisVuitton) June 22, 2017

Needless to say, Drizzy is continuing to ride the “tropical” Dancehall wave. The Noah “40” Shebib production sounds carved in the image of ‘One Dance,’ but that’s hardly a bad thing.

Stay tuned for the studio version. But, in the meantime, what are…

Your thoughts?

After making waves on The X Factor, newcomers 5 After Midnight look set to make an almighty splash with debut single ‘Up In Here.’

Unleashed last month, the track (which was penned by MNEK and samples DMX) has been gaining healthy traction. So much that it now looks poised to dominate this summer with the release of its hyper hot visual.

Choreographed by JaQuel Knight (Beyonce and many others), the clip showcases the trio’s dynamic dance moves and energetic group proposition.

Wonder what the buzz is all about? Watch the video for ‘Up In Here’ below…

Solid!

It’s been a minute since a boyband have come swinging with this ferocity and we’re here for it.

Your thoughts?

Remy Ma is determined to support women and families who have lost children to miscarriages.

Set to attend this year’s BET Awards, the rapper has announced plans to launch a charitable organisation designed to cover medical expenses for victims after she and her husband Papoose lost a child in the same way.

I was distraught, I was embarrassed, I was ashamed. I felt less than a woman and [the doctor] assured me that was no way to feel and that for a certain amount of thousands of dollars, it can be fixed. And because I have the finances, I never even thought twice about it. I was like, ‘Alright, how many thousand? Okay, no problem We’ll start doing it right now.’

It wasn’t until I publicly spoke about it that I realized how many women are in the same predicament as me where they actually can have children, they just need an assist from, you know, medical procedures and they can’t because they are not financially stable enough to do it. I think the percentage is actually 80 percent of women who can’t have children. It’s not because they can’t physically have children. It’s because they can’t afford to physically have children. It was just weird to me that if you wanted to terminate a pregnancy, you could use your health insurance. However, if you wanted to conceive, health insurance didn’t cover that. So I’m looking at all of these politicians that claim that they’re pro-life and they want to eradicate women having the choice to terminate their pregnancies, but if you’re pro-life, why would you not set up something so women who can conceive and women who want to be mothers and women who want to have children can do so? So that’s something that since I heard about and since I found out the details about it that I have been so passionate about and adamant about. I’m trying to start my own fund so that women who are like me or have similar situations to me but they can’t afford it, they can possibly get these procedures done and have children.

Your thoughts?

It’s here!

Rita Ora has unwrapped the video for her brand new single ‘Your Song.’

Directed by Michael Haussman, the clip is the first to be serviced from the chart-topper’s long-awaited second album. A set that will dub as her first international LP.

Long established as a multi-media maven, the Ed Sheeran penned track sees Ora re-affix the focus on her musical output.

Already rocking the charts – both home and away – could Atlantic Records’ newest signee be onto a global smash?

Watch Ora in action below and let us know…

Your thoughts?

Britney Spears may have earned a few side-eyes when she revealed interest in duetting with powerhouse divas Celine Dion and Mariah Carey, but the newest diva she’s added to her collaboration wishlist – Beyonce – would actually come as a redo as the two have shared space on a track before.

Fans of the record breaking beauties know they’ve long shared a mutual respect over the course of their careers, but now – as Spears alludes to in a recent sitdown in Thailand with Bangkok Post – it may be time they rejoin forces.

The revelation came just as the ‘Baby One More Time’ singer crushed hearts of her beloved #BritneyArmy by revealing no new music will be lifted from her 9th album, ‘Glory.’

Read this and much more inside:

Via Bangkok Post:

BP:  Can you name one artist/band who’s on your collaboration wishlist? Why do you want to work with him/her/them?

Spears: Beyonce. She’s so fierce and her music is amazing.

BP:  We’ve seen you as a judge on the American version of X Factor. Are you planning to do it again anytime soon? 

Spears:  I enjoyed my time on X Factor, but no, I don’t have plans to do anything like it again. 

*****

In addition to mentioning motherhood, her first time in Thailand, and her ‘Piece of Me’ Vegas residency (which kicks off its final leg this August), Spears also confirmed reports she is hard at work on new music.  The news comes as a double edged sword for fans as it suggests ‘Glory,’ one of her most critically acclaimed albums to date, has seen its last single lifted.

BP:  How’s working on the next album going? Any chance it will be released this year?

Spears:  I’m constantly working on music, but no plans to release anything this year.

Your thoughts?