Many artists have written songs about being jealous of their partner's ex-lovers, but on Dua Lipa's new album, Radical Optimism, she's thanking the woman her boyfriend dated before her.
Speaking to Zach Sang for the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, Dua explains that the song "Maria" is about expressing gratitude for whoever had your significant other before you did.
"I think this way: When you go through a breakup, that person's gonna go and be so much better for someone else now," she explains. "Because I feel like, whatever happened here, they've learnt, and they're gonna put it into action in the next relationship."
"I think everyone has done that for someone, or someone has done that for them," she continues. "With every relationship, you grow and you become, hopefully, a better version of yourself from the experiences that you've had."
She concludes, "So 'Maria' is really about being grateful to the ex, and being like, 'Thank you for doing that,' because we all grow. We all learn. And now I have this person who's just, like, meant for me in that way."
Dua also agrees with Sang that the theme of the album is about "losing one person but then finding the person who's right." She doesn't indicate who "Mr. Right" is, though lately, she's been seen getting cozy with actor Callum Turner.
In the same interview, Dua describes Radical Optimism, which comes out May 3, as "psychedelic," "very vulnerable and honest," "organic," "dancy and personal" and "experimental."
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreDua Lipa's new album includes a song thanking her boyfriend's ex
Singer Mandisa, who reached the top 10 on American Idol season 5 and later became a Grammy-winning Christian artist, has died, ABC Audio has confirmed. She was 47.
“We can confirm that yesterday [April 18] Mandisa was found in her home deceased," her rep said in a statement to ABC Audio. "At this time we do not know the cause of death or any further details. We ask for your prayers for her family and close knit circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time.”
Mandisa finished ninth on the American Idol season that was won by Taylor Hicks and also gave us Katharine McPhee, Chris Daughtry and Kellie Pickler. During her time on the show, Simon Cowell made cruel comments to her about her weight. She told him she forgave him, adding, "If Jesus could die so that all of my wrongs could be forgiven, I can certainly extend that same grace to you." Cowell then apologized to her.
After her time on Idol, Mandisa released her debut album, True Beauty, in 2007. It debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart and received a Grammy nomination — one of five nods she'd eventually receive. In 2014, her album Overcomer won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album. Her most recent album, Out of the Dark, came out in 2017.
In 2022, she released a memoir, also called Out of the Dark, in which she detailed her past trauma and mental health struggles.
In a statement, David Pierce, the chief media officer of K-Love, a Christian radio network, wrote on social media, "Mandisa struggled, and she was vulnerable enough to share that with us, which helped us talk about our own struggles. Mandisa’s struggles are over, she is with the God she sang about now."
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreGrammy-winning 'American Idol' season 5 star Mandisa dead at 47
- Updated
In one of her new songs, "Clara Bow," Taylor Swift mentions Stevie Nicks, and the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has actually penned a poem that's included in Taylor's new album.
The poem is titled, "For T - and me ..." and it's noted that it was written "September 13 at 8:50 p.m." It starts, "He was in love with her / Or at least she thought so / She was broken hearted / Maybe he was too / Neither of them knew."
“She was way too hot to handle / He was way too high to try ... she was on her way to the stars / he didn't say goodbye," she continues.
The middle part of the poem reads, in part, "She brings joy / She brings Shakespeare -- / It's almost a tragedy -- / says she / "Don't endanger me -- (pause) / Don't endanger me."
Later, Stevie writes, "He really can’t answer her / He’s afraid of her / He’s hiding from her / And he knows that he’s hurting her / She tells the truth / She writes about it / She’s an informer / He’s an ex-lover / There's nothing there for her / she's already gone / there's nothing that can stop her."
The poem ends, "She was just flying / through the clouds / When he saw her / She was just making her way / to the stars / When he lost her…”
It's not clear which of Taylor's ex-lovers the poem is about. In her own lengthy prologue to the album, Taylor describes being involved with two men who both let her down in different ways.
Taylor and Stevie performed together in 2010 at the Grammy Awards. In June of 2023, Stevie said that she was grateful to Taylor for her song "You're On Your Own, Kid," which she said helped her come to terms with the death of her Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreStevie Nicks writes heartfelt poem for Taylor Swift's new album
Taylor Swift's new album, The Tortured Poets Department, is here and it's a double album.
The singer's 11th studio album arrived at midnight on April 19, and it was swiftly followed up two hours later with a drop of 15 additional songs.
"It’s a 2am surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album," the singer said in a social media post. "I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here’s the second installment of TTPD: The Anthology. 15 extra songs. And now the story isn’t mine anymore… it’s all yours."
The album features the songs "The Manuscript," "The Bolter," "The Albatross" and "The Black Dog." There are two guests: Post Malone, on the song "Fortnight," and Florence & the Machine, on "Florida!!!" Taylor's co-writers include Post, Florence, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, though two songs were solely written by Taylor.
A music video for "Fortnight" will be released at 8 p.m. ET on April 19. This was hinted in a video posted on Taylor Nation announcing the video: It shows a white board with 14 tally marks on it. "Fortnight" means 14 days.
The intense anticipation for the album, which has been building since Taylor announced it on February 4, is reflected in the fact that the Spotify countdown page became the most presaved page in Spotify history. The page included video snippets of Taylor revealing song lyrics: "As she was leaving it felt like breathing," "Lost the game of chance, what are the chances?" and "One less temptress. One less dagger to sharpen."
Here are the titles of the songs on The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology:
"Fortnight" (featuring Post Malone)
"The Tortured Poets Department"
"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"
"Down Bad"
"So Long, London"
"But Daddy I Love Him"
"Fresh Out the Slammer"
"Florida!!!" (featuring Florence & the Machine)
"Guilty as Sin?"
"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"
"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)"
"Loml"
"I Can Do It With a Broken Heart"
"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived"
"The Alchemy"
"Clara Bow"
"The Black Dog"
"imgonnagetyouback"
"The Albatross"
"Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus"
"How Did It End?"
"So High School"
"I Hate It Here"
"thanK you aIMee"
"I Look in People's Windows"
"The Prophecy"
"Cassandra"
"Peter"
"The Bolter"
"Robin"
Bonus Track: "The Manuscript"
(This story has been updated from a previous version.)
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreTaylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' is a surprise double album
The board meeting has begun: Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department has arrived.
A post on the official Taylor Nation Instagram includes the "agenda" for the board meeting: "Department members will stream The Chairman's manuscript ... press play simultaneously so all members can review the evidence together. Relaxed poets, consult your tortured muse before attending."
The agenda lists what you'll need for the meeting, including a "department-issued uniform," "talismans, charms + snacks" and — because it's Taylor — a "dictionary."
The album features 16 songs plus four bonus tracks available on various iterations: "The Manuscript," "The Bolter," "The Albatross" and "The Black Dog." There are two guests: Post Malone, on the song "Fortnight," and Florence & the Machine, on "Florida!!!" Taylor's co-writers include Post, Florence, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, though two songs were solely written by Taylor.
A music video for "Fortnight" will be released at 8 p.m. ET on April 19. This was hinted in a video posted on Taylor Nation announcing the video: It shows a white board with 14 tally marks on it. "Fortnight" means 14 days.
The intense anticipation for the album, which has been building since Taylor announced it on February 4, is reflected in the fact that the Spotify countdown page became the most presaved page in Spotify history. The page includes video snippets of Taylor revealing song lyrics: "As she was leaving it felt like breathing," "Lost the game of chance, what are the chances?" and "One less temptress. One less dagger to sharpen."
Here are the intriguing titles of the songs on The Tortured Poets Department:
"Fortnight" (featuring Post Malone)
"The Tortured Poets Department"
"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"
"Down Bad"
"So Long, London"
"But Daddy I Love Him"
"Fresh Out the Slammer"
"Florida!!!" (featuring Florence & the Machine)
"Guilty as Sin?"
"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"
"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)"
"Loml"
"I Can Do It With a Broken Heart"
"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived"
"The Alchemy"
"Clara Bow"
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreBoard meeting's in session: Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' has arrived
Billie Eilish has released the track list for her new album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, which is coming out May 17.
Billie had already given us a sneak peek of one of the tracks, "CHIHIRO," during an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music. It's named after the main character in the anime film Spirited Away. Billie also revealed another track name, "LUNCH," during the interview.
There are 10 tracks on the record, Billie's third. One of them is called "L'AMOUR DE MA VIE," which means "the love of my life" in French. Another one is called "BITTERSUITE," with the "SUITE" part spelled like a hotel suite, not a sweet candy.
Here's the track list in full:
"SKINNY"
"LUNCH"
"CHIHIRO"
"BIRDS OF A FEATHER"
"WILDFLOWER"
"THE GREATEST"
"L'AMOUR DE MA VIE"
"THE DINER"
"BITTERSUITE"
"BLUE"
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreBillie Eilish reveals track list for 'HIT ME HARD AND SOFT'
Billie Eilish has declared her 2024 Coachella experience "the greatest weekend of my life" in an Instagram post. She shared photos and video from the weekend, which included duets with Lana Del Rey of her song "ocean eyes" and Lana's song "Video Games." In her Instagram Story, Billie posted video of Lana singing "ocean eyes" and wrote, "this song wouldn't even exist without her. literally a hallucination."
Kelly Clarkson has confirmed the April 19 release of "From the Jump," a duet with English singer James Arthur. She wrote on Instagram, "I love singing with artists that inspire me and vocalists that I adore! So when @jamesarthur23 sent me this song, I quite literally jumped to be on it (see what I did there). I hope you enjoy this beautiful song." James replied in the comments, "Can't believe this is happening. thanks for blessing this song Kelly!"
Not only has Taylor Swift revealed that the first single from her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, is "Fortnight," she also revealed a mysterious #ForaFortnightChallenge on YouTube Shorts. A fortnight is a period of 14 days, in case you don't know. Oh, and that Taylor Swift Apple Music lyrics search has revealed the sentence, "We hereby conduct this post mortem." But of what? Her relationship? We'll know in a few hours.
A BTS pop-up shop called Monochrome is coming to Los Angeles on May 16 and will stay until May 27. There's also a website called MNCRlogistics.com, where fans can get more info on the pop-up by entering dates and words related to BTS and their fans. According to a Korean newspaper, the theme of the pop-up is "clouds containing memories of the time that BTS and ARMY spent together."
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreMusic notes: Billie Eilish, Kelly Clarkson and more
Taylor Swift isn't in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — yet — but the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland is celebrating the release of her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19 with a day full of activities.
Taylor Swift Fan Day at the museum will include her music playing all day, as well as photo ops for Swifties in front of the giant letters that spell out "Long Live Rock" on the museum's outside plaza.
In addition, fans can check out some of the Taylor memorabilia at the museum, including the cardigan she wore in the music video of the same name and the outfit she wore in the video for "willow."
There will also be friendship bracelet making, music videos being shown in the museum's theater, a trivia contest and a playback of the new album at 2:30 p.m., plus Taylor merch in the on-site store.
By the way, Taylor becomes eligible for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2031.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreRock & Roll Hall of Fame celebrating 'The Tortured Poets Department' with Taylor Swift Fan Day
A woman who allegedly sent Harry Styles 8,000 cards in less than a month has been jailed and forbidden from seeing him perform, The Western Telegraph reports.
Myra Carvalho, 35, was sentenced to 14 weeks in jail after she pleaded guilty April 16 to the charge of "stalking involving serious alarm or distress." She's also under a 10-year restraining order and isn't allowed to attend any live Harry performance.
In addition, she's forbidden from contacting Harry, either "directly or indirectly," and can't go to a particular area of London.
According to the BBC, when Caravalho first appeared in court in London back in February, prosecutors said that she also sent Harry handwritten letters, two of which were delivered to his home. The 8,000 cards, some of which were "wedding cards," were e-cards delivered online.
Caravalho, a Brazilian citizen, had traveled to the U.K. in December 2023; her family did not know she was in the country, prosecutors said.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreHarry Styles stalker who sent him 8,000 cards in a month jailed