GoneTrending

When was the last time pop failed to stimulate? Spoiler: Never. This week, Madison Beer delivered a Jennifer’s Body homage, Lauv honored his sexuality, and Myke Towers name-checked Zendaya.

And there are seven more songs where that came from.

Check out the rest of Uproxx’s Best New Pop Music roundup below.

Lauv — “Potential”

“I just can’t keep my hands to myself,” Lauv sings on the bridge of “Potential,” but the song’s more significant triumph is its existence signifying that Lauv can’t and won’t keep the truth to himself any longer. Lauv teased his latest single last month as “the first one I’m gonna put out about a boy,” and, around the same time, posted an Instagram video in which he opened up about realizing and accepting that he’s “into men.” The caption notes, “idk where it goes or what I really am, but that doesn’t really matter cause labels aren’t always necessary.” Hopefully, he doesn’t mind my labeling “Potential” as magical.

Cat Burns — “End Game”

Cat Burns’ “End Game” is ripe for placement during a devastating scene in a rom-com. The guitar ballad’s pace, sparsely swelling in all the right places, mirrors the immensely relatable indecisiveness when grappling with whether to stay or go in a relationship because “we could have been end game.” Burns’ debut studio album, Early Twenties, is due out on July 12, and “End Game” joins the melodically existential “Alone” as singles.

Jxdn — “STRAY”

Jxdn is preparing to release When The Music Stops, his sophomore studio album, on June 28. “STRAY” and “SAD OCTOBER,” which were co-written and produced by Travis Barker, arrived together as singles from the album. “STRAY” is a rock-charged, vulnerable vignette into how Jxdn experiences quiet moments alone and the guilt associated with perceiving himself as coming up short. “I would say I hate myself,” he sings, “But there’s nothing left to hate.” Oof.

Madison Beer — “Make You Mine”

The best songs supply a dopamine hit. What’s better than dopamine? Nostalgia! Madison Beer checked off both with “Make You Mine,” a pulsating song about crushing and lusting. The Beer- and Aerin Moreno-directed video is an expertly executed recreation of the 2009 cult classic Jennifer’s Body. Megan Fox should be proud.

Luke Hemmings — “I’m Still Your Boy”

5 Seconds Of Summer lead singer Luke Hemmings released Boy, his second solo project. The EP’s opener is “I’m Still Your Boy,” and Hemmings’ hushed, wistful vocals accentuate his lyrical romantic gestures (“I wish I was younger, so I knew the end / I’d move to Orlando and I’d be your friend”) and admissions of fallibility (“I can’t have tequila without half a gram”) — punctuated with the promise that, through it all, “I’m still your boy.”

Dominic Fike — 14 Minutes

I’m breaking the rules of this songs-only column in honor of Dominic Fike breaking the rules. He surprise-dropped 14 Minutes, a batch of, as he said, “eight of those songs that I really can’t stop listening to, and I can’t live without.” Those sounds soundtrack a simplistic yet cinematic 14-minute video. “I just get tired of holding it back,” Fike added. “I think that sh*t is wack. […] And so, here’s this. It’s just me running, and it’s just me making music, and that’s it.” It sounds like something Elliot would say on Euphoria.

The Chainsmokers Feat. Fridayy — “Friday”

So, The Chainsmokers still know how to make a banger. Plainly, listening to “Friday” featuring Fridayy feels like waking up on a Friday morning and remembering it’s Friday. “Friday” is not a sister song to “Closer,” but it does feel like maybe a cousin twice removed (and eight years apart) — indulging in the ephemerality of youth and giving over to impulse in the name of feeling good. Plus, it arrived with a video starring Alex Pall, Drew Taggart, and Fridayy absolutely vibing during an idyllic, snowy mountain getaway.

Hailey Knox — “What Do You Need”

Hailey Knox spoke with Uproxx last month and defined a great song as one in which “you could feel whatever the artist is telling you.” Mission accomplished with the acoustic “What Do You Need.” The delicate sonic palette perfectly contrasts Knox’s sharp lyricism about feeling disposable (“Two-two-three-two, I still know your password / Or did you trade it in like you did me?”) and harnessing that to redefine her worth (“It seems like you need a reminder that you’re not the best, you’re not the best I can do”).

Myke Towers, Bad Bunny — “ADIVINO”

April 26 had long been circled as International Zendaya Day due to the theatrical release of Challengers, but Zendaya was also name-checked in “ADIVINO” by Myke Towers and Bad Bunny. The reggaetón single is the first from Towers’ upcoming album and Bad Bunny’s first release of any kind in 2024.

Teddy Swims — “Growing Up Is Getting Old”

Teddy Swims’ I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1.5) already housed his Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Lose Control,” but he sweetened the pot by adding four new tracks to the project: “Apple Juice,” “Growing Up Is Getting Old,” “Hammer To The Heart,” and “Tell Me.” Each one captures Swims in his usual soulful bag, but “Growing Up Is Getting Old” is particularly visceral because who can’t relate to having the metaphorical wind knocked out of them when reminded of inevitable aging and mortality? And who would disagree that looking into a lover’s eyes is perhaps the only antidote?

Ever since PartyNextDoor announced the release of his fourth album P4, fans have anticipated a possible tour. Today, he announced the dates for his long-awaited Sorry, I’m Outside Tour. The tour will be the Canadian singer’s first since 2018 and kicks off on June 19 in Phoenix, Arizona. Party announced the tour with a scintillating trailer, which you can watch above.

Tickets will be available starting today, with presales running through to the general sale beginning on Friday, May 3 at 10 AM local time. You can find more info here.

PartyNextDoor: Sorry, I’m Outside 2024 Tour Dates

06/19 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
06/21 – San Diego, CA @ SOMA
06/23 – Las Vegas, NV @ LIV Nightclub Las Vegas^
06/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
07/1 – Oakland, CA @ The Fox Theater
07/3 – Seattle, WA @ The Paramount Theatre
07/5 – Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum
07/7 – Calgary, AB @ Cowboys Music Festival*
07/9 – Edmonton, AB @ Midway Music Hall
07/12 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
07/14 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
07/15 – Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
07/18 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
07/20 – Miami, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach
07/23 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
07/25 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
07/27 – Washington, D.C. @ Broccoli City Festival*
07/30 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
08/6 – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS
08/8 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
08/11 – Wallingford, CT @ The Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theatre
08/13 – Philadelphia, PA -@The Fillmore
08/15 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed
08/18 – Detroit, MI @ Afro Nation Detroit*
^ Hosting date
* Festival date

The 2024 Tony Awards are set to go down on June 16, at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater in New York City. Before then, though, organizers have unveiled the list of nominees today (April 31), and the music world (the part of it not traditionally or primarily associated with musicals, specifically) is well represented.

Nominated for Best Musical are Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen and the Sufjan Stevens-inspired Illinoise, along with The Outsiders, Suffs, and Water For Elephants. The Who’s Tommy is also nominated for Best Revival Of A Musical.

Maleah Joi Moon is nominated for Best Performance By A Leading Actress In A Musical for her role in Hell’s Kitchen, while Brandon Victor Dixon is up for Best Performance By An Actor In A Featured Role In A Musical also for Hell’s Kitchen. The musical also spawned Best Performance By An Actress In A Featured Role In A Musical nominations for Shoshana Bean and Kecia Lewis, and a Best Book Of A Musical nod for Kristtoffer Diaz.

Stereophonic, which has music by Will Butler, is also well-represented, including consideration for Best Play and Best Original Score.

As People notes, musicals that didn’t get a Best Musical nomination this year include Barry Manilow’s Harmony, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s Here Lies Love (although it is up for Best Original Score), the Britney Spears-inspired Once Upon A One More Time, and Huey Lewis’ The Heart Of Rock And Roll.

Find the full list of nominations here.

Is it too early to declare “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter the Song of the Summer? At the very least, the part where she sings “that’s that me espresso” is the song lyric that’s going to be stuck in my head all summer.

Carpenter has never been more popular than she is right now, after releasing Emails I Can’t Send, touring with Taylor Swift, and waving to boyfriend Barry Keoghan during her Coachella set, and people are learning more about her — including that she’s related to the voice of Bart Simpson.

Back in 2021, Carpenter told Capital FM that Nancy Cartwright, who also voices Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, and Todd Flanders on The Simpsons, is her aunt. “By relation, I am also a legend,” the “Nonsense” singer (seen here posing with a Kwik-E-Mart sign) joked. She added, “My whole life, that was just like the coolest thing in the world to me. I wasn’t even really allowed to watch the show until I was a little bit older. But the woman is a woman of many talents, not just Bart.” Nancy is Sabrina’s dad’s sister, and presumably a much better aunt than Patty and Selma.

Cartwright is also a fan of her famous niece. “This video made my day! Love you @SabrinaAnnLynn! Proud to be your aunt!” she tweeted in 2021.

Sabrina Carpenter needs to cameo on The Simpsons… as long as it’s better than the last time a pop star took over the show, leading to the worst. episode. ever.

For the last 20 years, the Honda Battle Of The Bands (HBOB), an invitational showcase that spotlight some of the best HBCU marching bands across the country, made its home on the East Coast. Annual showcases from its launch in 2003 to 2020 (except for a one-year hiatus in 2019) were held in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. After a three-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the HBOB returned in 2023 and Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama was selected as the first HBCU to host the invitational. Another break came in 2024, but now the HBOB is back as they confirmed a showcase will take place in 2025. Here’s the twist: They’re going west for the first time ever.

The HBOB will take over SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Saturday, February 1, 2025 for the 19th showcase in its history. Six bands will receive the honor of participating in the invitational for its West Coast debut. The bands for the showcase will be selected through a voting process that includes HBOB fans, HBCU band directors and students, and Honda representatives. Voting begins on July 15 and fans can cast their vote on the HBOB website. Tickets for HBOB 2025 go on sale on May 15 on the HBOB website.

“Honda continues its commitment to powering the dreams and success of HBCU students by providing experiences and opportunities like Honda Battle of the Bands,” said Yvette Hunsicker, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility and Inclusion & Diversity at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Bringing Honda Battle of the Bands to California will provide a platform for these young musicians while expanding awareness of the rich legacy of HBCU schools.”

Ahead of HBOB 2025, Honda showed its commitment to HBCU music education with a $50,000 grant to Thurgood Marshall College Fund. The grant is dedicated to “awarding scholarships that will power the academic ambitions of HBCU student-musicians across the country,” according to a Honda press release. More information about the scholarship program can be found on the Thurgood Marshall College Fund website.

At the moment, it looks like we may be in the final years of Mary J. Blige’s music career, and this is coming from Blige herself.

In an interview with Extra, Blige said, “Right now, I’m definitely gonna do some more acting and I’m definitely gonna retire in, like, five or six years.”

She also noted, “Right now, I’m still doing what I’m doing but not as often as I was doing it because I don’t have to now.” As for what she’s singing about these days, she said, “Mary is singing about life. Life… love… being stable and understanding you can have things like love. You can have a good life.”

Blige has remained relatively active in recent years: Her latest album is 2022’s Good Morning Gorgeous, which followed 2017’s Strength Of A Woman. Notably, she was part of the all-star 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show performance that also included Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Kendrick Lamar.

It was also just announced that she’ll be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as part of the 2024 class. After the news was announced, she wrote on Instagram, “Beyond Grateful!!!!!! This is incredible!!! God always has the final say!!!! Thank you to my fans all over the world!!!! Tears of Joy!!!!”

A frontrunner to become Donald Trump‘s running mate may have committed “political suicide” when she admitted to killing her dog.

Last week, the Guardian published an excerpt from far right South Dakota governor Kristi Noem‘s upcoming book, No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward. In it, she writes about Cricket, a 14-month-old wirehaired pointer with an “aggressive” personality. Noem took the pup on a pheasant hunt, hoping it would calm her down, but she was “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.” Instead of training Cricket or, y’know, leaving her at home during hunts, Noem resorted to more drastic — and violent — measures.

“I hated that dog,” Noem writes, adding that Cricket had proved herself “untrainable,” “dangerous to anyone she came in contact with” and “less than worthless… as a hunting dog.”

“At that moment,” Noem says, “I realised I had to put her down.”

Noem, who also represented her state in Congress for eight years, got her gun, then led Cricket to a gravel pit.

How did The Late Show with Stephen Colbert handle the controversy, which has even Noem’s fellow Republicans up in arms? By permanently ruining Bluey for everyone. Do not show the video above to your kids.

(Via Guardian)

Justin Timberlake just launched his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour with a show in Vancouver last night (April 29). Those planning to check out future stops of the trek might be interested in what the evening’s setlist looked like.

Per user-reported data from setlist.fm, the most-represented album in the setlist was naturally Timberlake’s latest, Everything I Thought It Was. After that, Timberlake most prominently pulled from the albums FutureSex/LoveSounds, Justified, and The 20/20 Experience. Timberlake stuck primarily to his own songs, but he did work a cover of Chic’s “Good Times” into the mix.

All in all, Timberlake played a whopping 29 songs, opening with “No Angels” and “LoveStoned.” The setlist also featured acoustic versions of “Selfish” and “What Goes Around… Comes Around.”

Find the full setlist below and check out Timberlake’s upcoming tour dates here.

Justin Timberlake’s The Forget Tomorrow World Tour Setlist

1. “No Angels”
2. “LoveStoned”
3. “Like I Love You”
4. “My Love”
5. “Technicolor”
6. “Sanctified”
7. “Infinity Sex”
8. “FutureSex/LoveSound”
9. “Imagination”
10. “Drown”
11. “Cry Me A River”
12. “Let The Groove Get In”
13. “My Favorite Drug”
14. “Señorita”
15. “Summer Love”
16. “F**kin’ Up The Disco”
17. “Play”
18. “Suit & Tie”
19. “Flame”
20. “Say Something”
21. “Pusher Love Girl”
22. “Until The End Of Time”
23. “Selfish” (acoustic)
24. “What Goes Around… Comes Around” (acoustic)
25. “Can’t Stop The Feeling!”
26. “Good Times” (Chic cover)
27. “Rock Your Body”
28. “SexyBack”
29. “Mirrors “

Jamal Murray’s status entering Monday night’s Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers was up in the air, as he was dealing with a calf injury. Ultimately, Murray got cleared to play, and the Denver Nuggets could not be happier, as he put forth a monster effort that included his second game-winning basket of the series to give Denver a 108-106 win that clinched a 4-1 series victory.

The teams went into the locker room at halftime with the Lakers holding onto a 53-50 lead, and unsurprisingly, Anthony Davis and LeBron James did most of the heavy lifting. Davis imposed himself on the Denver frontcourt, going for 16 points and nine boards on 8-for-10 shooting, while James did a little bit of everything, going for 10 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and three steals.

This was just enough to give the team an edge in the first half despite a hobbled Murray (16 points) and Michael Porter Jr. (11 points) providing the primary scoring punch, while Nikola Jokic nearly had a first half double-double — 8 points, 11 rebounds, four assists.

Despite the fact that Anthony Davis hurt his left arm, the Lakers were able to open up an 9-point lead early on in the third quarter. And then, the Nuggets did that thing they do where an avalanche starts and you have to hope you don’t get caught up in it, going on a 14-2 run that featured a big Porter three in which he got fouled (he did miss the free throw to tie the game).

But even with Davis in the locker room, the Lakers showed some major resolve and stayed within arm’s reach for the remainder of the period. Every effort the Nuggets made to try to create some separation was answered, and as a result, Denver only took an 81-79 lead into the final frame.

As the game got into the fourth quarter, the Lakers started to throw their best punch. Powered by James turning back the clock, the team was able to take the lead midway through the fourth thanks to a 10-2 run.

Everything from one team drew an answer from the other — even when Murray detonated on James to give Denver a lead, Austin Reaves came right back down and scored to level things again.

Denver looked like it threw its best haymaker with 1:06 left, after Aaron Gordon reeled in an offensive rebound, and got the ball out to Murray, who drilled a three to put the Nuggets up by two.

But the door did not get emphatically slammed, as James was able to tie things up at the free throw line. As it turns out, this just opened the door for Game 5 to end like Game 2, with Murray playing the hero and hitting a game-winner.

The Lakers did not have a timeout after this, which meant they had to rush into a final shot. And by the time Taurean Prince’s contested heave from midcourt hit the ground, the crowd at Ball Arena was already cheering.

Murray’s 32 points led all scorers, while Porter ended up going for 26. Jokic, despite having stretches where he was just a little off, went for 25 points, 20 rebounds, and nine assists on the evening. For the Lakers, James was brilliant, as he put up 30 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds, and four steals. Reaves had 19 points, and Davis had a 17-point, 15-rebound evening.

Denver now gets to move on to a highly-anticipated Western Conference Semifinal matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which secured a spot in the second round by sweeping the Phoenix Suns. The Nuggets and the Wolves split their season series, with each team winning two games, and Game 1 is scheduled to take place on Saturday.

The two most impressive teams in the 2024 Playoffs have been the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves, and on Monday night the Thunder joined the Wolves as the two teams to have punched their tickets to the conference semifinals, beating the Pelicans 97-89 in Game 4.

After back-to-back blowout wins, the Thunder and Pelicans played a game that felt much more like the Game 1 slugfest that saw OKC get the edge late. Both defenses led the way once again on Monday night, as the length and activity for both teams was spectacular. The two teams combined for 32 turnovers, as nothing came easy on the offensive end and the best offense for both teams was creating a turnover and pushing in transition.

Both teams stars had tough nights shooting the ball against the opposing pressure. Brandon Ingram was once again locked in the Dorture Chamber, going 2-of-13 from the floor and scoring eight points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was able to score 24 but went just 8-of-21 from the field. The supporting casts did provide some support for both from surprising sources, as Naji Marshall came off the bench to hit four threes for New Orleans and Josh Giddey did the same for the Thunder.

After playing to a near-stalemate in the first half, the Pelicans showed their fight to take a five-point lead in the second half as they traded tough buckets with OKC in the late third and early fourth quarters. .

However, after taking a 5-point lead in the fourth, the Pelicans offense went cold again and the Thunder showed their mettle, producing their best offensive stretch of the night when they needed it most. OKC went on an 18-2 run to effectively put the game to rest, with the biggest shots of that run coming from Jalen Williams, who hit a pair of huge threes to put the dagger in the Pelicans season.

Williams joined SGA with 24 points on the night, and all five Thunder starters finished in double figures scoring. On the other side, C.J. McCollum led the way with 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting and Jonas Valanciunas had 19 points and 13 rebounds, but they simply could not create enough offense in the fourth quarter to keep up with the Thunder as they kicked it into gear.

OKC will now await the winner of the Mavs-Clippers series, which is tied at 2-2 meaning the Thunder will have almost a week off before playing again. The Pelicans will look at Games 1 and 4 as positive showings, but recognize that there’s another level they need to reach in order to be a legitimate contender. The question they must answer is how much closer does a healthy Zion Williamson get them to that point, and what needs to change even with him back in the fold to take another step next season.