Month: October 2022

Dua Lipa and Trevor Noah made headlines at the end of September when they were spotted appearing to share a kiss during a one-on-one hangout in New York City, but it might not be time to start shipping the pair just yet. While speaking with Charli XCX on her podcast Dua Lipa: At Your Service, the 27-year-old pop star revealed on the Friday (Oct. 7) episode that — contrary to how it may look — she’s spent this year flying solo.

“For me, this is the first year I’ve not been in a relationship for a very long time,” Dua shared. “It’s been really great to just be alone and only think about myself and kind of be quite selfish, which I’ve never really had the opportunity to do.”

Though it’s uncertain as to when exactly the episode was recorded, it was released a full eight days after the “Levitating” singer was photographed walking shoulder to shoulder with Noah in Manhattan Sept. 29. The timing of her conversation with Charli seems to indicate that the rumored couple are actually just friends, though that’s not what the internet thought when one photo from the night seeming to show Dua kissing The Daily Show host began circulating on social media.

Dua did admit, however, that it can be nice to have a significant other when pop-star life gets overwhelming after Charli spoke about how her boyfriend grounds her. “When you find someone that really softens you and calms you down,” Dua said, “It makes a big difference!” 

Listen to Dua Lipa chat about her relationship with Charli XCX on Dua Lipa: At Your Service below:

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Joey Park decided to get out of the karaoke business altogether. The co-owner of Baby Grand — a renowned New York karaoke institution for nearly a decade, with locations in both lower Manhattan and the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn — Park was forced to close both locations at the height of the city’s 2020 shutdown-induced inactivity.

“I sold my condo and moved to Bloomington, Indiana, to retire early, essentially,” he explains. “I started this woodworking career. I bought all my shop tools. I had a 4,500-square-foot shop, and I started to build fine furniture, like learning how to build… I just went all-in on this.”

But upon a return visit to New York a year and a half later, he felt karaoke calling back to him. “I realized there were so many of these commercial spaces that were available or vacated, and I thought, ‘Well, these landlords must be hurting, so let me see if I can get any kind of a deal.’” His instincts proved correct, and he was able to locate a space near Manhattan’s Union Square — the previous site of a different karaoke venue, Karaoke One7 — that he and his partners believed could work for a new Baby Grand site.

Despite the setbacks and discouragement of years earlier, Park was convinced that interest was still there in what Baby Grand could offer New York’s karaoke community. “I saw so many of my customers trying to desperately hold onto the feeling of karaoke by doing Zoom karaoke or YouTube karaoke or whatever the hell they were doing,” he recalls. “It was just so sad. I thought, ‘If there’s ever an opportunity to rebuild Baby Grand or the karaoke community at large, I’m gonna do it.’”

Baby Grand reopened at its new location in June, with a Tribeca Film Festival afterparty kicked off by a performance from Glee alum Dianna Agron. It was another encouraging sign that after a devastating year for the industry — few businesses were as COVID-unfriendly as one offering an activity built around drunk people gathering into tight enclosed spaces to essentially shout at one another — karaoke was finally fully back in America.

“I think once people got over the general fear of COVID — and once more people, you know, got vaccinated — then everything’s pretty much back to normal,” says Jason Adkins, karaoke host at Lipstick Lounge in Nashville.

It’s a return to normalcy that’s happened slowly over the course of the past two years — rather hesitantly at first. Joe Zara, GM of karaoke bar Hula Hula in Seattle, remembers tiptoeing back into the karaoke waters he did upon reopening in February 2021: “We could open at 25% seating. The tables all had to be 6 feet apart. We had no tables within 10 feet of the stage. Had to wear a mask to sing. And I was the only employee. I had a door guy that checked vax cards and IDs, a kitchen guy that cooked the food, and I bartended and ran all the tables.”

Old habits died hard with his customers at that point, who were not ready to extend social distancing to their karaoke routines. “People were just so excited to be not at home — I had to stop people from going up to each other,” Zara says. “It was a strange way to run a bar, because you couldn’t go up to somebody’s table and tell them, ‘Hey, I loved you guys.’ I had to say, ‘You can’t do that.’”

And in those early days of reopening, KJs (karaoke jockeys) had to be particularly strict about observing protocols when it came to masking and sanitation. “When I first started doing karaoke again after COVID, I made sure I sanitized the mics between every single person, and I always wore a mask while hosting,” says KJ Danny, veteran of Melody Bar in Westchester, Calif. and The Shack in Playa del Rey, Calif. “I always had a huge thing of Clorox wipes.”

A year or two later, most KJs are still diligent about sanitation — “Honestly, [the microphones] should be sanitized anyways,” Danny says, “[since] people are putting them near their mouth, spitting on them…” — but masking has gotten admittedly lax for many. “All the waitresses and myself were wearing one when we first reopened,” says KJ Shane, karaoke host at Backstage Bar in Culver City, Calif. “But now, there’s nothing.”

Much of the policy precautions remaining at karaoke establishments this deep into the COVID era are centered around what the industry refers to as “microphone condoms”: disposable covers that go over the microphone for each use, supposedly protecting the mic from the germs of individual performers. Some KJs are skeptical how much they really help — “It’s made of mesh, so I don’t see how much protection they can do,” KJ Danny offers — especially because patrons often end up reusing them anyway, or not asking for them in the first place.

But the fact of the matter is, most in the karaoke industry report that patrons are not nearly as concerned about COVID as they were a year or two ago. “It was very hard to get a room full of people to do karaoke in the beginning,” says Darran Mosley, KJ of Misfit Toy Karaoke, Bloomington, Ind. “But now, I think we’re down to a 1 percent mortality rate in the United States. Your driving to karaoke might be more dangerous now than actually singing karaoke, as far as COVID is concerned… people are approaching it from that angle, that the worst part is you have to miss work.”

Part of the current return to normalcy in karaoke establishments may also have to do with the inherent normalizing impact of simply being around a bunch of other karaoke people. “There’s probably some endogeneity when it comes to the people who show up to karaoke,” says Mike Cortes, another of Baby Grand’s co-owners. “Obviously, the ones who show up are the ones who are extroverts to begin with, and they have a real ‘f–k it’ attitude. So, they’re most likely also like, ‘If I get it, I get it,’ or, ‘I already got it. Maybe my antibodies are strong enough to resist the next thing.’”

Which isn’t to say all karaoke patrons share the confidence of Baby Grand’s core constituency. Maricela Olivas, karaoke animator at karaoke bar and restaurant El Güacalito, says that the health risks inherent in COVID-era karaoke have resulted in a demographic shift at his establishment. “Before the pandemic, a lot of older people would show up to karaoke to sing — I would see the same older men and women at the restaurant,” he says. “But after the pandemic, that crowd has disappeared. Now, it’s a younger crowd, who’s probably not that afraid of COVID.”

And it’s not just some of the patrons who are wary. Liz Lewis, who used to run karaoke at The Shack in the pre-pandemic years, has since left her post to return behind the bar — with concerns about her own health being one of the primary reasons why: “When you’re behind the bar, you’re five, six feet away from people — but when you’re signing someone up for karaoke, they’re, like, in your lap. So for me, I don’t know if it was mental or what, but it was a little scary.”

Anxieties about close customer proximity have forced some KJs to get creative with their policy changes. Kiki Park, owner of Kiki Karaoke in Los Angeles, developed an app with a friend of hers that allowed patrons to submit their karaoke choices remotely, rather than delivering them personally. “Not having someone breathe down on you and have a long conversation when you’re trying to run a show… has been a big game-changer for me,” she explains.

But whatever it’s taken for karaoke bars to adjust to the new normal, everyone interviewed for this article seems to agree: Karaoke is back, at levels equal to if not superior to where they were pre-pandemic. What’s more, KJ Shane says, patrons’ outlooks — and their karaoke picks — are generally more upbeat and positive than ever. “Everybody seems to be more happy,” he offers. “And the song selections, everybody seems to be doing more of the dancey stuff… In the past, I would notice people would want to be noticed more, and they’ll sing really long ballads. Long, drawn-out ballads. And now everybody’s singing really upbeat, fun dance stuff.”

And not only is Baby Grand fully open and thriving again after disappearing in 2020, but they just opened a private event space for the first time. “In time for corporate holiday parties,” Cortes notes.

When Elton John and Britney Spears first announced they would be collaborating on “Hold Me Closer,” fans were besides themselves with excitement. Now, fans get to experience the excitement all over again, as the duo released the first remix version of “Hold Me Closer” on Friday (Oct. 7).

The new version of the track — remixed by English DJ and producer Joel Corry — starts off with a slow, piano build to the chorus, as John and Spears’ vocals are isolated. As the song progresses to its guiding hook (“Hold me closer tiny dancer/ Count the headlights on the highway”), the beat progresses to a euphoric tropical house, dance-ready groove.

“@EltonJohn @BritneySpears what a banger,” Corry wrote on Instagram following the release of the track. “Was unreal to have a phone call from Sir Elton & appreciate the kind words. Look forward to meeting up soon! Thanks for the opportunity @EltonJohn.”

John issued his own thank you to the dance artist on Instagram, writing, “Thank you, Joel, for adding your sound to our song – I love this track!!”

“Hold Me Closer” has been a hit for John and Spears. The track spent five weeks on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at No. 6. Over on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, the upbeat track enjoyed even more success, also spending five weeks on the chart and hitting the top spot on the tally.

Whether this remix will experience the same success as the John and Dua Lipa “Cold Heart (PNAU) Remix,” only time will tell. The “Cold Heart” remix was a smash for the John and Lipa, charting at No. 1 Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and holding the top spot for 39 weeks. Over on the Hot 100, the remix hit No. 7 and spent 52 weeks on the chart.

Listen to Corry’s remix of “Hold Me Closer” below.

Right Said Fred seemed fired up that Beyoncé didn’t hit them up beforehand to see how the buff, bald dance pop duo felt about her sampling their iconic 1992 hit “I’m Too Sexy” for her Renaissance album rack “Alien Superstar.” The British brother duo of Richard and Fred Fairbrass reportedly told UK tabloid The Sun this week that “normally the artist approaches us but Beyoncé didn’t because she’s such an arrogant person.”

The comments seemed like revisionist history, though, to Bey, anyway, who adamantly denied their claims that she did an end-around when securing the clearance. “Permission was not only granted for its use, but they publicly spoke of their gratitude for being on the album,” Beyoncé told E! News in a statement on Thursday (Oct. 7). “For their song, there was no sound recording use, only the composition was utilized. Permission was asked of their publisher on May 11, 2022 and the publisher approved the use on June 15, 2022. They were paid for the usage in August, 2022.”

Queen B also noted that the brothers have a “co-writer credit” on the song from the album released in July. For further context, days before the album dropped, the Freds tweeted that “it’s nice to get a writing credit on the new ‘Beyonce’ album. ‘Renaissance’ Credits: Drake, A.G. Cook, Syd, Right Said Fred, & More.”

The Fairbrass’ made it sound like they are not considering legal action — which would seem unlikely, since they were given proper credit — and even if they were, they realize it would be against an immovable object. “We can’t stop it. There is nothing we can do. It is s–t,” they reportedly told the tabloid. “You are going to get into a conversation with someone who has a lot more presence and power and money than we do. And that won’t go well. It’s best to let it go. If you’re not careful you spend your life looking back. We keep looking forward the whole time.”

For the record, the brothers said, when other artists such as Drake and Taylor Swift “came to us” about using “I’m Too Sexy” on, respectively, “Way 2 Sexy” and “Look What You Made Me Do,” it was no problem. “To use our melody, they need our permission so they send us the demo and we approve it and if so, we get a co-write credit,” they said. “With this Beyoncé thing, there are 22 writers. It’s ridiculous, so we would get about 40 [pounds].”

At press time a spokespeople for Beyoncé and RSF had not returned requests for comment.

Lizzo‘s crystal flute toot heard ’round the world has landed her a presidential invite. No, President Biden didn’t slip into her DMs to see if she’s free to drop by the White House. The “About Damn Time” rapper has gotten an offer to perform at the 2,650-acre Virginia estate of fourth U.S. President James Madison, Montpelier, after she impressively played the 200-year-old translucent woodwind that was gifted to No. 4 for his second inauguration in 1813.

There’s just one problem: Nobody told Lizzo. Though Billboard confirmed the invite earlier this week, when SiriusXM’s Nicole Ryan asked Lizzo about the invite on “The Morning Mash-Up” prior to the rapper’s Small Stage show at Saint Andrew’s Hall in her hometown of Detroit on Thursday night, the initial reaction was disbelief.

Saying she was not aware that there had been backlash to her performance — “I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Lizzo said about the pearl-clutching from some commentators on the right about the viral moment — she seemed even more clued-out about the special opportunity. “I didn’t know that I got invited to James Madison’s estate,” she told Ryan, who asked if the reply was a joke.

“No, for real. I don’t know,” Lizzo said. “I don’t look at stuff.”

“The talented and classically trained Lizzo brought history to life last week when she played President James Madison’s crystal flute at a packed arena in Washington, D.C.,” a spokesperson for James Madison’s Montpelier told Billboard about Monday’s performance in the nation’s capital during which Lizzo became the first person to play the flute. “The three-time Grammy Award winner’s songs exemplify how music is a universal language that brings people together. Whatever genre, music helps people connect, express emotions, and create deep, lasting bonds. As Lizzo continues her concert tour in the coming weeks, we’re crossing our fingers that she would consider adding a stop at James Madison’s Montpelier, once home to Madison, father of the U.S. Constitution.”

And while she appreciates the offer of a command performance, Lizzo said she’d have to think on it before RSVPing. “I’m gonna have to process that alone and I’ll come back with an answer cuz that’s wild,” she said. “It is a complicated, very nuance[d] thing because the person, James Madison, I don’t think would’ve liked the fact that me was, a Black woman, was playing his flute. Especially in the way I was doing it.”

She didn’t specifically lay it out, but to add some context to the performance, Lizzo was playing an instrument that belonged to a slave owner. In fact, by the early 1800s, Madison held more than 100 men, women and children as slaves on the grounds of Montpelier. Also, she twerked after playing the flute, so that may not have gone over that well with the 19th century crowd either.

“That’s the … that’s the positive side of it. You know, it’s a reclamation of history and, and owning the future, but it’s very nuanced,” Lizzo said. “I don’t know if I will go up in his house, you know what I’m saying? He might still be in that home, I don’t know. I think he might be waiting for me.”