Month: January 2023

Sam Smith has pretty much seen and done it all. With a fourth studio album arriving later this month, the singer and songwriter already boasts four Grammys, three BRITs, an Oscar and a Golden Globe, No. 1s around the globe and a James Bond theme.

Though Smith still feels star struck when a pop diva walks into the room.

“If I see Rihanna or Madonna, I fall to the floor,” Smith tells Jimmy Fallon, during an interview that aired Thursday night (Jan. 19).

Add Lady Gaga to that starry list. Smith recounts the story of when they skipped school to watch Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour. They forged a letter from dad, and landed detention for, maybe, a week. Did the punishment fit the crime? Doesn’t matter. “It was so worth it,” Smith says.

Smith’s life has moved on from playing hooky. Last month, they were invited to the White House for a performance and a meet-and-greet following the signing of the historic Respect for Marriage Act into law, protecting same-sex and interracial marriages across the country.

On the day, Smith performed “Stay With Me,” and met with top brass. Kamala Harris “loved” their handbag, “they were all very sweet and kind to me and my team and everyone.”

As a Brit, Smith never dreamed of being in playing that particular venue. “It was such a beautiful day, such a beautiful step in the right direction for our community and I was just very honored.”

Smith was, of course, on the Tonight Show couch to talk about their new album Gloria, due out Jan. 27 via Capitol. Its title and title song, Smith explains, is about “a spirit inside of me that says to me, ‘you keep going. You’ve got this. Carry on’. It’s like a fighter spirit within me.”

Several songs from it have already dropped, including the hit “Unholy” with Kim Petras, and “Gimme,” with Koffee and Jessie Reyez. One more song with an “amazing” music video is coming soon. “I explode into glitter,” Smith quips.

Smith will hit the road this April for the start of a major tour in support of Gloria. More dates were added this week. But first, SNL this weekend – Smith’s first appearance as musical guest on the show in eight years. “I’m not as nervous. I was s—ing myself the first time,” they admit. “It’s the fourth time I’ve been there. I’m a bit more calm.”

Watch the late-night interview below.

Miley Cyrus flourishes on Australia’s singles chart with “Flowers” (Columbia/Sony), which debuts at No. 1.

“Flowers” is, surprisingly, the U.S. pop star’s first leader in the land Down Under. Her previous best on the ARIA Singles Chart was No. 2 for 2013’s “Wrecking Ball,” though she has led the national albums chart with two titles — Bangerz in 2013 and Breakout in 2008.

Cyrus has a deep connection with Australia, which extends beyond music. She and Aussie actor Liam Hemsworth dated on and off for years after meeting on the set of the 2010 film movie The Last Song. The couple married in December 2018, but separated the following year. Later, Cyrus briefly dated another Aussie singer, Cody Simpson.  

Raye is enjoying the best-possible start to 2023. First, she crashed the Official U.K. Singles Chart with “Escapism” (via RCA/Sony), the British singer’s first No. 1 in her homeland. Now, the single climbs to a new high in Australia. “Escapism,” featuring U.S. rapper 070 Shake, lifts 4-3 on the ARIA Singles Chart, published Friday (Jan. 20).

Also bringing a fresh vibe to the ARIA Chart is “Vibe” (Interscope/Universal), the new collaboration from BigBang member Taeyang and BTS member Jimin. It’s new at No. 48. “Vibe” should get a shot in the arm from the release this week of a new live performance of the song, accompanied with a full backing band.

Over on the ARIA Albums Chart, also published Jan. 20, Taylor Swift locks-up another No. 1 with Midnights (Universal). Swift’s tenth and latest studio album has led the Australian survey for 11 non-consecutive weeks, her longest-running leader in these parts.

Meanwhile, SZA’s SOS (RCA/Sony) holds at No. 2 for a third week, while British acts Arctic Monkeys and Elton John enjoy sales spikes following their recent, respective live runs. Arctic Monkeys’ The Car (Domino/EMI) freewheels 46-3, and Elton’s Diamonds (Universal) shines at No. 5.

The only new title to debut this week on the ARIA Albums Chart is Duncan Toomb’s Steel On Steel (Compass Brothers Records/Universal), the Australian country artist’s solo debut. It’s new at No. 30.

In 2021 TWICE released their first-ever English single, “The Feels,” which soared into the Billboard Hot 100 and made them the fourth K-pop group to enter America’s main singles chart. To kick off 2023, the Korean troupe is eyeing another chart smash with their second English-language track “Moonlight Sunrise.”

The slinky dance track aligns with TWICE’s brand of peppy pop numbers but boasts an additional mysterious and underlying synth groove. The ladies describe an overwhelming love affair, singing, “I don’t know how to say this, I hope this song’s on your playlist/ This feeling’s so hard to explain.”

While “The Feels” recalled TWICE’s early bubblegum-pop days, there’s a noted maturity in “Moonlight Sunrise.” The girl group delivers flirty and fun lyrics like, “Moonlight, sunrise / Baby, let’s do it all night” and “I got the moonlight, tequila sunrise / Come take a shot on me, I gotcha” — the latter of which could be a wink to the group’s excellent K-pop single “Alcohol-Free.”

TWICE also launched the music video for “Moonlight Sunrise” alongside the song release via a live premiere on YouTube.

After “The Feels” bowed at No. 83 on the Hot 100 in October 2021, TWICE nearly scored another entry with their 2022 K-pop single “Talk That Talk,” which missed the Hot 100 but managed to peak at No. 16 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. As the group’s new globally focused single, “Moonlight Sunrise” is being touted by TWICE as a “pre-release track,” indicating a larger project will soon be on the way and priming TWICE not just for exciting chart feats but the K-pop queens’ biggest year yet.

Watch TWICE’s “Moonlight Sunrise” video here:

From one leading lady to another, Pink has paid tribute to outgoing New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern as a one-of-a-kind.

On Thursday (Jan. 19), Ardern dropped a political bombshell with the announcement of her resignation — citing burnout — twinned with confirmation of a national election in October.

Ardern became the world’s youngest female head of government when, in 2017, she was elected to lead the country, aged 37. In the years since, she has navigated the Land of the Long White Cloud through an obstacle course of challenges, and reportedly faced an escalation of abuse and threats for her efforts.

“There will never be another like you. I wish there were,” writes Pink, the Philadelphia native who is recognized in Australia and New Zealand as an honorary citizen, thanks to her rigorous touring of these parts.

“You have my admiration, my respect, my well wishes for you + your beautiful family,” the message continues. “I have watched you shine uniquely + bravely from afar. Thank you 4showing the rest of the world what’s possible.”

The admiration is mutual. According to local entertainment and news title Stuff, the pair met in September 2019 at one of Pink’s performance at Spark Arena, and organized a “play date” for their kids.

Arden also holds the portfolio for Arts, Culture and Heritage and has a stronger connection with the local music industry. When Anthony Albanese was elected as prime minister of Australia in 2022, the two leaders swapped vinyl records for the cameras. The NZ chief is a sometimes-DJ and she has twice delivered keynote addresses at the Going Global music industry powwow in Auckland, the nation’s most populous city.

“This has been the most fulfilling five and a half years of my life,” she said during a press conference in Wellington, the capital. “But it’s also had its challenges – among an agenda focused on housing, child poverty and climate change, we encountered a … domestic terror event, a major natural disaster, a global pandemic, and an economic crisis.”

The Labour leader will step aside no later than Feb. 7.

Pink has no such plans to get out at the very top. She teased the Jan. 27 release of “Trustfall,” the title track from her forthcoming ninth studio album.  The album proper is due out Feb. 17, and is the follow to 2019’s Hurts 2B Human, which logged a week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and is one of her three leaders on the chart.