It’s a big week for ARMY members, as BTS’ Map of the Soul: 7 arrived on Friday (Feb. 21).
But while BTS may be the only thing on some people’s minds, several other exciting things happened in the music world this week: Lizzo and Harry Styles’ love affair continued, Justin Bieber took over The Late Late Show With James Corden, and The Weeknd announced an album and a tour.
Amid the fun, though, the hip-hop world lost another rising star, as Pop Smoke was sadly killed in a home invasion on Wednesday. Our hearts go out to Pop Smoke and his loved ones.
Take a look at the week’s biggest music moments below.
Chance the Rapper paid tribute to Kobe Bryant at the NBA All-Star Game
This year’s NBA All-Star Game was bittersweet in the wake of Kobe Bryant’s and his daughter Gianna’s tragic deaths last month. But once again, music lifted spirits, as halftime performer Chance the Rapper delivered a touching rendition of his song “I Was a Rock” as footage of Bryant played in the background. Before Chance’s guest-filled 12-minute set (Lil Wayne, Quavo and DJ Khaled joined him on stage), Jennifer Hudson also paid tribute to Bryant with a moving performance of “For All We Know.”
Taylor Swift released a live version of “The Man”
Taylor Swift knows how to make an epic music video, but before we get an official vid for “The Man,” the singer decided to release an official live video first. Swift released “The Man (Live From Paris)” on Monday (Feb. 18), which was filmed during her concert at the iconic L’Olympia Bruno Coquatrix last September. The live rendition is also a fully acoustic version of “The Man,” as the performance takes Swift back to her beginnings with just her and her guitar.
Lizzo covered Harry Styles
It’s no secret that Lizzo loves Harry Styles’ rendition of “Juice” (and Harry himself), but now she has her own cover to prove it. Two months after Styles sang “Juice” in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, Lizzo used her Live Lounge turn to sing Styles’ Fine Line hit “Adore You” — flute and all. Then the next day, the two got to continue their love fest in person at the 2020 Brit Awards, where they each performed (their own songs, sadly).
Billie Eilish delivered the first live performance of “No Time to Die” at the Brit Awards
Just days after releasing her eagerly awaited James Bond theme “No Time to Die,” Billie Eilish brought it to the Brits stage in classic Billie fashion: next to her brother, Finneas, at the piano. To make the moment even more epic, the siblings were accompanied by an orchestra, which helped Eilish’s power note on the bridge soar. Later, she was awarded her first Brit (for international female solo artist), and admitted how much the crowd response meant to her. "I've felt very hated recently, and when I was on the stage, and I saw you guys all smiling at me, it genuinely made me wanna cry," she said. "And I wanna cry right now."
Lil Nas X received his own Ivy Park x Adidas collection from Beyoncé
Beyoncé’s season of giving apparently isn’t over, as Lil Nas X is the most recent star to receive a box of Ivy Park x Adidas goodies. He revealed one of the outfits he received in a hilarious 16-second video on Twitter, soundtracked by Soulja Boy’s “Turn My Swag On.” See for yourself:
beyoncé sent me a box pic.twitter.com/2rYxsM4dHt
— nope (@LilNasX) February 18, 2020
Becky G, Pitbull & more were announced for Selena tribute
March 31 marks the 25th anniversary of Selena’s tragic death, and some of Latin’s most beloved stars will honor her lasting legacy in a special concert on May 9 at the Alamodome in her native Texas. The Quintanilla family and Q Productions announced the tribute concert, dubbed as Selena XXV-Veinticinco Años, on Tuesday, as well as the artists who will be involved: Pitbull, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, A.B. Quintanilla III & Los Kumbia Allstarz, Becky G, Elida & Avante, Ruben Ramos, Pete Astudillo, Gilbert Velasquez, Ricardo Castillón, Ally Brooke, Isabel Marie, and The Lab.
Ms. Lauryn Hill, Ludacris & more were announced for Lovers & Friends Festival
Goldenvoice — the promoter behind Coachella — announced an insanely star-studded (and insanely nostalgic) lineup for its inaugural Lovers and Friends festival, which features Lauryn Hill, Usher, Ludacris, Lil Jon and TLC as headliners. The rest of the lineup includes several other classic R&B/hip-hop hitmakers like Nelly, Brandy, Lil Kim, Monica and Ginuwine, as well as hip-hop stars of today like Saweetie and Summer Walker. Though there was initial speculation after some artists claimed the fest’s jam-packed lineup was fake, Goldenvoice has confirmed that there will be no Fyre Festival part two in Los Angeles.
Justin Bieber did a 2020 rendition of Carpool Karaoke (and a lot more)
The week after Justin Bieber’s Changes arrived, the “Intentions” singer took over The Late Late Show With James Corden for some hilarious bits. He kicked things off with Carpool Karaoke (Bieber’s third time driving around with Corden), followed by “Toddlerography,” a “Yummy” food truck and "Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts" —the latter of which almost resulted in the Biebs tossing his marbles.
Jennifer Lopez joined the TikTok craze
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira fans are still reveling in their epic Super Bowl Halftime Show, and some are now even trying to recreate it. After a new challenge called #JLoTikTokChallenge sparked on TikTok, Lopez urged fans to show off their best moves to her Halftime Show routine, sharing her favorite ones on TikTok. Naturally, countless fans participated, but 14 lucky fans were highlighted by J. Lo herself.
Eminem and A-ha surpassed 1 billion YouTube views
“Lose Yourself” may be the Eminem hit everyone is talking about after he popped up at the Oscars for a surprise performance of the Oscar-winning smash on Feb. 9, but not even two weeks later, it’s “Rap God” making headlines. That’s because Em’s 2013 hit is the third song in his catalog to reach 1 billion views on YouTube (“Not Afraid” and his Rihanna collab “Love the Way You Lie" have also surpassed the benchmark). The day after “Rap God” hit 1 billion views, an ‘80s classic also joined the ranks: A-ha’s “Take On Me,” making the Norwegian band the first continental European act to accomplish the feat.
Foo Fighters and The Weeknd announced tours
Two more tours add to the already crazy long list of 2020 treks, with Foo Fighters and The Weeknd plotting North American tours for the spring and summer. Foo Fighters’ Van Tour will see the band playing at the same cities they hit during their 1995 tour, when Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel and Pat Smear toured around the country in a Dodge van. The 10-date tour will kick off in Phoenix on April 12 and wrap in Ontario, Canada on May 20. The Weeknd unveiled his After Hours Tour — in support of his forthcoming album of the same name, which he also announced this week — which will see him make 42 stops around North America before heading to Europe in October.
BTS dropped their highly anticipated Map of the Soul: 7
ARMY members are rejoicing, because BTS’ latest album is finally here. The K-pop superstars dropped Map of the Soul: 7 on Friday (Feb. 21), unleashing 20 new tracks including the Sia collaboration “On,” for which the group also released a music video the day of the album drop. Of course, fans couldn’t stop freaking out over the album and the “On” video upon their releases, with many declaring Map of the Soul: 7 is the album of the year.
Selena Gomez, Ozzy Osbourne and more released new music
BTS weren’t the only stars to drop new tunes this week, as Selena Gomez surprised fans with “Feel Me,” a long-awaited song she performed on her Revival Tour in 2016. The Weeknd shared the eerie title track of his upcoming album, After Hours; Justin Bieber teamed up with Florida Georgia Line for a countrified version of “Yummy”; and both Grimes and Ozzy Osbourne unveiled albums. Check out all the hottest new releases and Billboard’s take here!
