It’s safe to say that we’ll remember this week as the one where artists dropped one earth-shattering collaboration after another. Beyonce and Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj and Doja Cat, Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande all released or announced new duets — can you handle it?
There were also some major viral moments courtesy of our fave K-pop stars: Blackpink’s Lisa inadvertently started one of the year’s best memes (yes, it’s only May, but we feel comfortable saying that), while BTS’s J-Hope showed off some sweet moves to Drake’s “Toosie Slide.”
Speaking of Drake, he made sure to drop off a surprise mixtape before the week was out. Phew!
Take a look at some of the week’s biggest music happenings below.
Miley Cyrus covered a classic
Cyrus was the musical guest on the April 25 at-home episode of Saturday Night Live, and she took on Pink Floyd’s 1975 classic “Wish You Were Here.” Cyrus performed the track by a fire pit alongside singer and producer Andrew Watt on acoustic guitar, hitting every note perfectly.
Country artists continued to climb the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard‘s Melinda Newman did a deep dive on the recent resurgence of country on the Hot 100, led by Maren Morris’ hit “The Bones.” So what’s the deal? One theory: “Country is cool now — even among pop listeners who used to dismiss it,” Newman reports. Seth England, partner in Big Loud Records, explains, “I used to hear a lot of folks say, ‘I don’t really care for country except for…’ and they’d name one artist. Now they still say that, but name three or four artists.”
Post Malone broke a Hot 100 record
This week, Posty’s “Circles” broke the record for most weeks spent in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with 34 weeks under its belt. He actually surpassed his own record, albeit a shared one with Swae Lee (for “Sunflower”).
Billboard celebrated Minivan Rock songs
What’s Minivan Rock, you ask? Experts define it as “the music that served as the glue for top 40 radio” around the turn of the millennium — “accessible, catchy, cleanly produced rock music built on sonic foundations of processed guitars and/or driving piano.”
We won’t spoil the whole top 10 of our 50 Greatest Minivan Rock Songs list, but as a teaser, there’s Matchbox Twenty, John Mayer and Vanessa Carlton. We also interviewed our No. 1 artist on the list, as well as a bona fide Minivan Rock parent.
More celebs took on Drake’s “Toosie Slide” dance
BTS’ J-Hope and Justin Bieber are the latest stars to dance to “Toosie Slide,” which made a historic debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart dated April 18). Bieber recruited his wife Hailey, stepsister Allie Rebelo, and sisters Jazmyn and Bay for his take on the challenge, while J-Hope showed off his move livestream. See more of the best celeb “Toosie Slide” dance videos here.
Post Malone called on fans to help him donate one million dollars
Yes, that’s two items for Post Malone, but we simply can’t ignore that the rapper announced that he’s offering up $1,000,000 for fans to donate to charity. Simply text him at 817-270-6440, and Posty will read through the submissions and donate the funds to different causes. “Not everyone has the ability to financially support causes that may be close to them or that have helped them in the past,” the rapper says. “The fans are the absolute best and I want to give them the chance to give to charities that mean something to them.”
Beyonce broke the internet
Beyonce generated countless headlines when she hopped on a new remix of Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage,” surprising fans in the best possible way. “Like I know, they say manifest it, but b–ch that’s a real thing. That is a real thang. Manifestation is a real word,” Megan said on social media after the remix dropped. “I heard it for the first time, and I called my grandma, said an emotional Megan. “I was like in f—king shambles. I was really crying. I really got a f–king song with Beyonce,” she said.
Blackpink’s Lisa showed some leg and made some waves
A new meme is making the rounds, thanks to Blackpink’s Lisa. A dance performance video featuring Lisa wearing thigh-high boots inspired a Twitter user to crop the K-pop star’s legs out of a screenshot, and photoshopped them onto Spock’s torso to make “it work.” It’s sort of hard to explain in words just how glorious this is, so go see the best variations on the meme for yourself here.
Will Smith reunited The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air cast
During the latest episode of Will Smith’s Snapchat Discover series Will From Home, Fresh Prince fans were in for a treat when he got the whole gang back together for a virtual reunion. Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton Banks), Tatyana Ali (Ashley Banks), Karyn Parsons (Hilary Banks), Daphne Maxwell Reid (Aunt Vin), Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey) and, of course, DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jazz) all made appearances, and some Aunt Viv tea was also spilled…
Gigi Hadid confirmed she’s pregnant
The supermodel confirmed during a remote episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that she’s pregnant, and longtime love Zayn Malik is the dad! “Obviously, we wish we could have announced it on our own terms,” Hadid told Fallon after TMZ first reported the news. “We’re very excited and happy and grateful for everyone’s well wishes and support.” Congrats, you two!
Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande had some big news
Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande are teaming up for a good cause: the two popstars announced that they’re releasing a collaboration called “Stuck with U” to benefit the First Responders Children’s Foundation.
“I’m so excited to announce that my friend Justin Bieber and I have partnered with SB Projects and First Responders Children’s Foundation on this little project here,” Grande said. “We’re very excited about this for so many reasons. We hope we make a big difference with this and we hope it uplifts you and makes you feel happy and that you love it as much as we do. We’ve had a really great time working on this and we’re so excited for you to hear it.” See when it’s dropping here.
Artists didn’t hold back during Billboard Live At Home performances
Jason Mraz, Vanessa Carlton, Jesse McCartney, Chloe x Halle and many more brought joy to our screens Billboard‘s Facebook page. The Billboard Live At-Home series thus far has helped charities such as Meals on Wheels America, Downtown Women’s Center, My Friend’s Place, Feeding America and more — check out this week’s performances all in one place here.
Drake, Nicki Minaj, Dixie Chicks and (many) more dropped new music
Drake debuted a new mixtape called Dark Lane Demo Tapes, Nicki Minaj joined Doja Cat’s “Say So,” Glass Animals announced their new album Dreamland and dropped the title track, and so much more. Billboard has rounded up all of the releases you need to know about this week here!
