Entertainment
Taylor Swift Brings the Bangers on ‘Life of a Showgirl,’ But Don’t Call It ‘1989, Pt. 2’: Critic’s Take
“Bangers.” That’s the word Taylor Swift used to describe all 12 songs on her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, and the world knew what that meant. Swift’s last album, 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department, may have scored the superstar’s biggest opening-week debut and ruled the charts for months on end, but the sprawling, relatively mournful project was a departure from the immaculately constructed pop anthems that had defined her career (give or take a Folk-more) for a decade.
When Swift announced that its follow-up was created in Sweden during the Eras Tour with pop geniuses Max Martin and Shellback — who helped create some of Swift’s most enduring pop smashes from the mid-2010s, and who hadn’t worked with her in eight years — the expectation of wall-to-wall bangers that Swift set seemed attainable, given their skills and shared history. The timing for a return to anthemic pop felt right, too: with Swift recently engaged to NFL star Travis Kelce and the Eras tour conquering the world, a full-length celebration seemed to be in order.
And while The Life of a Showgirl is composed of classically designed pop tracks, with standard verse-chorus arrangements and rarely exceeding four minutes in run time, Swift’s eagerly anticipated Return to Bangers is not, say, 1989 Pt. II. Instead of coming back with party tracks, Swift has synthesized the commitment to pristine hooks that she shares with Martin and Shellback, an increasingly idiosyncratic lyrical slant, and the mid-thirties perspective of her past few albums. The result is a collection of songs that are immediately engrossing and among the most affecting of Swift’s career, while also focusing on topics like Hamlet and suburban bliss. Call it Bangers for Adults.
For the countless fans who have grown up alongside Swift, The Life of a Showgirl offers a settled, grown-up phase of the love stories that she’s been telling for decades — although the album doesn’t rely on clichés, or go heavy on the cheese. Swift makes no bones about the fact that her happy ending has come after a lot of regrets, missed opportunities and heartache, and that, while she’s achieved previously unknown heights as a global pop superstar, her time in the spotlight has not been perfect. Yet she uses The Life of a Showgirl to showcase the different sides of her personality, perhaps more wholly than any previous album.
Pissed-off songs like “Actually Romantic” and “Father Figure” detonate like Internet grenades, “Wood” and “Wi$h Li$t” find Swift at her most playful, and “Honey” and “Ruin the Friendship” slice through the noise with the emotional songwriting of an expert. Not surprisingly, Martin and Shellback once again serve as welcome foils, packing a ton of instrumentation into each production and streamlining the final product into a finely crafted mix. And she does indeed have a proper top 40 banger at the top: “The Fate of Ophelia” is a stick of dynamite opening the album, and sounds like it will join her collection of smashes in no time.
The limit does not exist to how high Swift can keep soaring — anytime her downfall (or even a notable downturn) has been predicted, she climbs higher and winks at her naysayers. By pivoting back to pop anthems with humor, empathy, a little fury and a lot of wisdom, Swift ensures that ascent will continue. The Life of a Showgirl is one of the most grounded, well-rounded projects of Swift’s career — a surprise, in the context of the hype preceding it. That doesn’t make it any less successful.
Entertainment
Taemin Feels ‘So Honored & Grateful’ to Be the First Male K-Pop Solo Artist to Perform at Coachella
Taemin is making history a long way from home. SHINee member and K-pop star appeared on the Wednesday (April 1) episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, where he spoke about being part of this year’s Coachella lineup.
“You’re making history as the first K-pop male solo artist to perform at Coachella,” Hudson points out during their chat. “How does that feel?”
“There is a saying in Korea, ‘Big opportunities come three times in life,'” Taemin responds after sharing that he was feeling “honored and grateful” to be performing at the festival. “And this is one of them.”
Hudson continues the chat by asking the star if he will release more solo music.
“Oh, yes,” Taemin replies. “I am still evolving.”
The star was also on the talk show to perform his new single, “Long Way Home.” The “Idol’s Idol” sang alone on the stage, dancing effortlessly with his rhinestone microphone and mic stand for the adoring audience.
Performing at Coachella isn’t the only history Taemin is making this year. Billboard exclusively revealed in March that the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles will open a new exhibit dedicated to the K-pop star’s nearly two-decade long career, making him the first K-pop soloist to receive such recognition from the museum. “TAEMIN: Performer. Artist. Icon” will opens April 1 and will give fans a peek behind the curtains of Taemin’s career. Multiple performance looks — including one from his Ephemeral Gaze World Tour — will be on display as well as his official lightstick and a handwritten note addressed to his fans. The special exhibit will run through May 25.
Watch Taemin’s performance and chat on The Jennifer Hudson Show above.
Entertainment
‘Pinky Up’! Here’s When KATSEYE’s New Single Arrives
KATSEYE is taking EYEKONS to etiquette classes, and the first rule we’re learning? Pinkies up.
The HYBE K-pop girl group announced new single “Pinky Up” via a series of social media posts. The first arrived Monday (March 30). It was a cryptic video featuring the Mona Lisa bringing a piping hot cup of tea up to her mouth — pinky up, of course. The next came Tuesday morning (March 31), this time featuring an arcade claw machine with “KATSEYE” emblazoned across the top as the claw pulls out a sword from the midst of blinged out stuffed animals and a singular tea cup. What may be a hint to some of the song’s lyrics, the caption for the reel says, “We’re screaming from cloud nine!!”
The third post confirmed the arriving single and its artwork, featuring someone kneeling on a carpet behind with a tea cup on a saucer and a toy cat, and the title of the song across the front in hot pink lettering. The caption reads “PINKY UP SINGLE RELEASE” as well as the release date and time, April 9 at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET.
“Pinky Up” comes out just in time for KATSEYE’s Coachella debut on Friday (April 10). The single will also be the band’s first new work since record labels HYBE and Geffen announced last month that member Manon Bannerman would be taking a break from the group. Since Manon has stepped back, KATSEYE has continued their previously scheduled appearances, including performances at Lollapalooza Argentina and Lollapalooza Chile. On March 24, the band was announced as the headliner for the 2026 Head in the Clouds Music & Arts Festival, to take place on Aug. 8 in Passadena, Calif.
See KATSEYE’s posts about “Pinky Up” below:
Entertainment
Zendaya’s Rue Is on the Run in New ‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Trailer
Television this year is about to get turned up a few notches, as Euphoria is slated to return with season three on April 12 following a four-year hiatus. HBO released a second trailer for the Zendaya-starring show on Monday (March 30).
The high-school days seem to be long in the rearview mirror, as season three feels more like a set of Grand Theft Auto campaign missions and takes place about five years post graduation.
The clip kicks off with Rue (Zendaya) being interrogated by authorities about a recent trip to Mexico. The scene pivots to her involvement with a Mexican drug lord, which finds Rue in a tricky predicament of having to swallow what appears to be a ball of drugs and act as a mule.
Nate (Jacob Elordi) and Cassie’s (Sydney Sweeney) toxic relationship ended with wedding bells, as the trailer shows the couple getting married, which is sure to come with plenty of drama. Maddie (Alexa Demie) also hops behind the camera to direct some adult content photo shoots for Cassie, who has rekindled their friendship.
Lexi (Maude Apatow) looks to have landed her dream job working on the set of a TV show. Euphoria also welcomes the returns of the late Eric Dane (who portrays Cal Jacobs), Colman Domingo (Ali), Dominic Fike (Elliot), Hunter Schafer (Jules) and Chloe Cherry (Faye).
“Mom, I really need to come home,” a teary-eyed Rue pleads with her mother. The superstar actress is also seen in the trailer being pulled over by police during a traffic stop, which appears to lead to the intense interrogation.
There’s also some new blood injected into season three, which will find appearances from Sharon Stone, former NFL star Marshawn Lynch, Rosalía, Danielle Deadwyler, Trisha Paytas, Natasha Lyonne and Eli Roth.
Season two aired in 2022, which came three years after a dynamic opening season in 2019.
Watch the Euphoria trailer above. Season three returns on April 12 on HBO, with the eight-episode season set to wrap on May 31.
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