Roy English, who records under the name Jagwar Twin, has a hit on his hands with "Bad Feeling," which interpolates the Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory song "Oompa Loompa." English says the idea came from a joke about the kind of music he was trying to make.

"I was really exploring my ancestors, so I wanted, like, oom-pah music," he tells ABC Audio. "I kept saying that in the studio: 'German, Polish, Slavic, you know, oom-pah! Accordions! Tuba!'"  Then, inevitably, someone joked that English wanted the "Ooompa Loompa" song.

"One of the producers I was in [the studio] with was like, 'Yeah, maybe we shouldn't do that,'" he explains. "And then we were like, 'Wait! Maybe that's actually a good idea!'"

"Bad Feeling" was released around the time that the Timothée Chalamet film Wonka came out, but English says he wrote it way before he even knew Wonka existed.

"I had no awareness consciously that a movie was coming out ... I wrote it, like, two years ago," he says. "And it took close to a year just to clear the sample interpolation. But because it took so long, it ended up being the perfect time to release it, with the movie dropping."

"Bad Feeling" started getting radio airplay after it went viral on TikTok. It's likely the first song that many pop fans will have heard from him -- and he loves the idea.

"I think it's a great introduction because it's like all Jagwar Twin's music," English explains. "...[T]here's humor in it and there's a lightness and there's also like an undertone of darkness as well ... so I think anyone who discovers Jagwar Twin through 'Bad Feeling' is going to be stoked when they dive into the rest of it."

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

During her second Eras Tour concert in Paris, France, on Friday, May 10, Taylor Swift wore a relevant dress as she sang another mashup during the surprise song set. Taylor sang her 1989 From the Vault track "Is it Over Now?" before transitioning into another 1989 fan favorite, "Out of the Woods." All the while she was dressed in a brand-new dark blue dress, likely due to the "Is it Over Now?" lyric, which goes, "Blue dress on a boat/Your new girl is my clone."

Baby, baby, baby, oh! The Justin Bieber wax figure at Madame Tussauds in London is celebrating the news that the pop star's wife, Hailey Bieber, is pregnant. A baby carrier holding a baby doll is now adorned on Justin's wax figure.

Lady Gaga has shared a new clip from the performance of her song "Babylon" from the upcoming Chromatica Ball concert special. In the video, she wears a golden outfit as she dances along with her stage performers. "BATTLE FOR YOUR LIFE, BABYLON GAGA CHROMATICA BALL MAY 25," Lady Gaga captioned the video.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

It's unusual for an artist to release a video for a song after it's already hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, but Hozier isn't just any artist.

The singer born Andrew Hozier-Byrne has just dropped the video for "Too Sweet," which recently became his first-ever chart topper in the U.K., the U.S. and in his home country of Ireland.  The video gives a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like for Hozier on tour: You see him rehearsing with his band, traveling to a venue, soundchecking and then taking the stage.

On Instagram, Hozier announced the video by writing, "It’s been a thrill to play Too Sweet live for the first time and see all the incredible support for this song."

“Too Sweet” is from Hozier's Unheard, which features four songs that didn't make it onto his 2023 album Unreal Unearth.  He's currently on the North American leg of his current tour, which includes a stop at Lollapalooza in August.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dua Lipa's Radical Optimism has paid off: Her album dances into the #1 spot on the Official Albums Chart in the U.K.

It's Dua's first album to debut at #1 in her home country, and it's also posted the biggest sales numbers for a record by a British female artist since Adele's 30 back in 2021. Plus, Radical Optimism had the biggest opening week for an album by any British act overall so far this year.

Joe Kentish, who signed Dua to her record deal 10 years ago, when she was just 18, tells Music Week of Radical Optimism, "I think it's a more complete album than the previous two in the way it came together ... it hangs together more than the things she has done before."

"In terms of the record reflecting her and where she's at personally, it does that more than the previous ones have," he adds. "There's something heartfelt about what she's singing on lots of the songs, which is something that she gets deeper into that she has previously. It’s a lot more her in terms of personality.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Camila Cabello has released another song from her upcoming album C, XOXO: a collaboration with Lil Nas X called "He Knows." In the song, both sing about seducing the object of their affection. Camila sings, "I think he knows .... When I play with him like that / When I say it to him like that / That he's comin' right back." Nas sings, "On the real, I'ma take his soul ... On the real, I think he knows."

BTS member RM has released "Come back to me," a song and video from his upcoming sophomore solo album Right Place, Wrong Person, due out May 24.  He first debuted it during his bandmate SUGA's concert in Seoul, South Korea in August of last year.

MAX has released a new single and music video, "PINKBERRY." The video was filmed in Manila, Philippines. MAX says, "This was such a fun song to create, and usually the ones the most fun to create for me end up being my favorites." MAX will be doing a Q&A and performance at the Grammy Museum LA on May 13.

Black Eyed Peas have teamed with Becky G and El Alfa for "TONIGHT (Bad Boys: Ride or Die)," from the soundtrack of the upcoming Will Smith/Martin Lawrence movie Bad Boys: Ride or Die. The song interpolates the 1987 Genesis single "Tonight Tonight Tonight." Both the soundtrack and the movie arrive on June 7.  Black Eyed Peas also did a song for the franchise's previous installment, 2020's Bad Boys for Life: "RITMO (Bad Boys for Life)."

The Chainsmokers have released their new EP No Hard Feelings, as well as official videos for three of the tracks: "Bad Advice," "Tennis Court" and "Green Lights (demo)."  There's also a lyric video for a fourth track, "No Shade at Pitti."

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The hotly anticipated collaboration between Post Malone and Morgan Wallen, "I Had Some Help," has arrived.

The song, co-written by Posty, Morgan and others, sounds like a happy, upbeat tune, but it's really about a guy blaming a woman who broke up with him for his subsequent bad behavior. 

"You thought I'd take the blame for us a-crumblin' / Go 'round like you ain't guilty of somethin'" they sing. "I had some help / It ain't like I can make this kinda mess all by myself / Don't act like you ain't help me pull that bottle off the shelf."

In the accompanying music video, Posty is drinking in a bar and doing karaoke when he gets thrown out for being too rowdy. Morgan finds him in the parking lot, and the two sing together while standing in the back of a pickup truck. At the end, they're smiling and laughing while fireworks go off in the background.

"I Had Some Help" previews Posty's forthcoming debut country album, slated for release this year. He started his foray into country music last year at the Country Music Association Awards, and in April, he performed at the Stagecoach Festival with multiple country stars. On May 5, Posty joined Morgan onstage at a concert to give the song its live debut.

Of course, Posty is also featured on Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album as well as Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Adam Lambert has reworked his 2009 top 10 single to fit his 2024 sensibility.

He's released "Whataya Want From Me '24 (WhiteShadow's HEMix)," which not only has more of a dance vibe, but restores the pronoun "he" to the lyrics. When the song first came out, it was replaced by "it." Now, Adam sings, "He messed me up / Need a second to breathe."

"'Whataya Want From Me’ is a song that I hold dear to my heart and its success contributed to me having a platform to speak out in support of queer rights and equality,” Adam says in a statement.

"It’s a beautiful, full circle moment that I’m now able to reclaim it loud and proud with the ‘he’ pronoun to celebrate my community and how far we've come, with real representation and a spectrum of vibrant identities flourishing in the music industry," he adds. "2009 wasn’t ready for me, 2024 is."

"Whataya Want From Me" was co-written by Pink, Max Martin and Shellback for Pink's 2008 album, Funhouse. Though she recorded it at the time, it didn't make the final album.

Adam will kick off Pride Month on May 31 by performing a free outdoor concert in West Hollywood Park in LA.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

More than 20 years after the release of her debut album Let Go, Avril Lavigne is finally putting out a best-of compilation.

Avril Lavigne - Greatest Hits is due out June 21 and is available for preorder now. It'll be available on digital, CD and 12" black vinyl, plus 12" neon green vinyl that's exclusive to Target. The album packaging features a personal note to Avril's fans.

The album includes 20 songs from across her entire catalog, from "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi" through to songs like "Bite Me" and "Bois Lie" from her most recent album, Love Sux.

In addition, four of Avril's albums are being released in 12" vinyl for the first time and will include bonus recording previously only available digitally. They include 2004's Under My Skin, 2007's The Best Damn Thing, 2011's Goodbye Lullaby and 2013's self-titled release. The vinyls will be offered in various colors via Amazon and Avril's online store.

Avril's also kicking off a North American Greatest Hits tour on May 22 in Vancouver, which is currently set to run through a September 18 show in Calgary, Alberta. All Time Low and Simple Plan are among the supporting acts.

Before that, Avril will perform at the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 16 with country star Nate Smith. You can watch it on Prime Video starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

John Mayer isn't thrilled about the fact that, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, his BFF Andy Cohen was asked about their relationship in a way that made it sound as though straight and gay men can't have close friendships. In fact, he was so annoyed, he wrote a letter to the interviewer to complain.

John's letter, published in The Hollywood Reporter, says that he was "intrigued" by the fact that the interviewer told Cohen, "Your friendship with Mayer has been a subject of intense speculation. People seem dubious that a straight rock star can have a close platonic relationship with a gay TV personality.”

"I think this is somewhat of a specious premise," John writes. "First, there is a long and storied history of 'rock stars' (not mocking, just won’t refer to myself as one) befriending gay icons and artists. Second, I think that to suggest that people are dubious of a friendship like mine and Andy’s is to undermine the public’s ability to accept and understand diversity in all facets of culture, be it in art or in real life."

"I’d like to think they’re sophisticated enough to see a relationship like ours without assuming it must include a sexual component," he continues.

Then, he gets angry: "I bristle at your selectively flimsy logic meant to coax an answer, when the premise itself is so deeply flawed, and quite possibly not even quantitatively true," he writes. "Quite simply, if someone is dubious of a platonic relationship between a straight man and a gay man, I don’t think that shallow a view deserves clarification by anyone with self respect."

He concludes by saying, "Reinforcing the idea that any gay/straight relationship needs qualification that it’s not sexual devoids everyone involved of their dignity."

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

It's possible that Justin Bieber's mom is even more excited than Justin is about the fact that he and his wife Hailey are expecting a baby.

In an Instagram video, Justin's mom Pattie Mallette gushed, "So I have been waiting for this day. and now that they have shared it, I can finally celebrate with y'all. Oh my gosh, I'm gonna be a grandma! Oh my goodness."

"Justin and Hailey, you are gonna be the best parents ever, and I am so excited," she added. "Oh my goodness. Praise God."

Mallette did, however, clarify that the couple is not expecting twins.  Fans apparently got the idea when she commented on Hailey's father Stephen Baldwin's Instagram, "Congratulations Grandpa! WE ARE GONNA HAVE THE CUTEST GRAND-BABIES EVER!"

She then added, "No not twins lol I wish. I just mean in general. Hopefully they will have more than one eventually. They will make beautiful babies whenever they have them. One is enough for now."

Justin and Hailey announced the happy news on their Instagram feeds on May 9; in photos and video taken at a vow renewal, Hailey is seen showing off a small baby bump. ABC News confirmed that she's six months along.

Among the celebrities who congratulated them: Justin Timberlake, Paris Hilton, Ellen Pompeo, Jordin Sparks, Tate McRae, The Kid LAROI, Demi Lovato, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Kylie and Kris Jenner, Vanessa Hudgens, Bella Hadid, and Maddie Ziegler.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Taylor Swift has issued in a brand-new chapter of The Eras Tour.

Her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, now has its very own set in the concert, which Taylor debuted during the Thursday, May 9, performance in Paris, France.

The first European Eras Tour show also featured a rearranging of the various eras, many cut songs and brand-new costumes for every single era except Reputation.

Among the TTPD songs that made the cut were, in order, as follows: “But Daddy I Love Him,” “So High School,” “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?,” “Down Bad,” “Fortnight,” “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” and “I Can Do it with a Broken Heart.”

While the concert began with the Lover and Fearless sets as usual, the rest of the show’s schedule changed from what fans have come to expect. Red now comes third, which is followed by Speak Now and then Reputation.

Next comes the show’s second-biggest change: a new set that combines her albums folklore and evermore into one. Taylor took turns singing songs from the two albums, which, as she said on the piano before performing “champagne problems,” she considers to be sisters.

The 1989 set came next, before Taylor broke out into the entirely new The Tortured Poets Department part of the show. The surprise song section of the show followed that, before Taylor ended with the Midnights era.

Which songs were axed to make room for the new portion of the show, you may ask? Taylor ended up cutting “The Archer,” “Long Live,” “the 1,” “’tis the damn season,” “the last great american dynasty” and “tolerate it” from the show.

As for the evening’s acoustic surprise songs: Taylor, as fans predicted, performed the Midnights track “Paris” on guitar, before following up with TTPD’s “loml” on piano.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Live Nation's Concert Week promotion, which offers $25 all-in tickets to thousands of summer concerts, runs through May 14. Sean Paul is one of the more than 900 artists taking part, and he tells ABC Audio that it's his way of doing what he can to make things easier for his fans.

"I mean, things are getting crazy out there, expensive," he says. "And the fans supported me forever. So it's my way of of helping to to ease that pressure and give back a little bit."

The "Get Busy" singer remembers when growing up in Jamaica, he couldn't always afford to go to concerts. "I know how it feels," he says. "And to get the news secondhand, to hear the next day what happened? That's a bummer! It's better to experience it firsthand ... so a little bit of help goes a long way."

If he wasn't currently out on his own The Greatest Tour, Sean says he'd like to use the $25 deal to go see the Busta Rhymes/Missy Elliott/Ciara team-up. "That's an awesome one," he tells ABC Audio. As for his own tour, Sean's thrilled that multiple generations are coming out to see him.

"I'm very thankful for that," he says. "It means the music is still bumping and people are still feeling it, moms telling daughters what's good, and so it just feels good to to know that people still appreciate the music."

Which one of his many hits is the most fun for him to perform?

"I really love 'Temperature.' The track is so bouncy, it hits hard ...it's awesome to just vibe to," Sean Paul says. "It's always fun for me to see the whole crowd beat bouncing to the beat!"

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Travis Kelce showed his support for girlfriend Taylor Swift ahead of her first European Eras Tour show in Paris, France, on Monday, May 9. The NFL star commented on an Instagram post from Taylor's guitarist Paul Sidoti, who shared a photo of him and Taylor onstage together. "The Eras Tour Europe starts tonight..Paris you’re up first.. who’s coming?" Paul wrote. Travis commented, "Lfg!!!" alongside celebratory hand emojis.

Speaking of Taylor, she started this new leg of The Eras Tour by wearing a brand new orange bodysuit and blazer during the concert's Lover set. The custom looks are by Atelier Versace, Vogue reports. “Taylor is taking over the world with joy, love, and female power in Versace,” Donatella Versace said. “I love her talent, her hard work, and dedication to her fans. She is a superstar!”

Olivia Rodrigo has responded to the fan who tattooed the wrong lyrics to her song "Hope Ur Ok" to her wrist. The correct lyrics of the song go, "address the letters to the holes in my butterfly wings." The fan had the words, "butter wings" tattooed instead of "butterfly wings." “HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH OMG THIS IS THE NEW LYRIC IM CHANGING IT TO BUTTERWINGS,” Olivia commented on the fan's TikTok.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Even if you haven't seen the new Anne Hathaway Prime Video film, The Idea of You, you've probably heard that the plot — a 40-year-old divorced mom and the much-younger singer in a British boy band fall in love — was inspired by Harry Styles. Some people have even described the book and movie as "Harry Styles fan fiction," but the woman who wrote the book the movie is based on would like everyone to stop thinking that way.

The Idea of You author Robinne Lee tells Entertainment Weekly, "I don't consider it fan fiction at all, Harry was one of multiple people who went into creating [the character of] Hayes Campbell — he was the only one in a British boy band that was current at the time, I guess, and so that's what people have latched onto."

"It's unfortunate because it's being used as clickbait, and when I'm writing for Hayes, I'm not picturing Harry Styles," she insists. 

While Lee once said that Harry was one of the inspirations for the character, she also said Eddie Redmayne, Prince Harry and some of her exes were in there. Now, she tells EW that John F. Kennedy Jr., the guys in Duran Duran and late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence were additional inspirations.

"It's picking and choosing what I wanted from different people," she notes. "You create your character and you make him what you want to make him. He feels very real to me, and I think Harry's just what people gravitated to."

"But he's not Harry in my head when I'm writing for him," she continues. "He is not Harry and he's not living Harry's life. He's very much his own person to me."

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Camila Cabello has said in various interviews that her hometown of Miami inspired the sound of her new album, C, XOXO, and in a newly released trailer for the project, she makes the inspiration even more obvious.

The trailer features footage of Camila in various situations in Miami — in a car, on the beach at night and hanging out with girlfriends —with a voiceover that narrates a story of someone the singer refers to as "she."

"She likes to drive with the windows down so she can hear what the city's saying at night," narrates Camila. "She likes its broken English; its all-over-the-place music taste ... they always said this city would be underwater by now. then again, that's what they said about her. I guess they both learned how to swim."

Then, Camila includes herself in the narration, saying, "We go from the beach to the car ride home in our sticky, salty hair. What's the point of foundation? It'll just melt off anyway. Just some mascara and ... can I borrow some lip gloss?"

"We tan because what's the difference? We fly too close to the sun anyways," she continues. "The sun is our only constant lover: the way he kisses our skin and our hair -- no wonder we feel so pretty."

Camila then goes back to talking about the mysterious "she."

"Yeah, she takes trips and she's out in LA and New York and s***," says Camila. "When all is said and done, though, you hear her screaming, "305 'til i die, b****!"  

It's not clear if this entire spoken-word piece is part of the album, or it was just made for the trailer. C, XOXO arrives June 28. A new song, "He Knows" featuring Lil Nas X, is out on May 10.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.