Entertainment
Dua Lipa and Nile Rodgers Team Up for Chic Classic ‘Le Freak’ at MSG Show in New York
Dua Lipa is continuing her streak of teaming up with iconic artists on her Radical Optimism World Tour.
On Saturday night (Sept. 20), the 30-year-old British-Albanian pop star delivered the third show of her four-night run at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where she surprised fans by bringing out legendary musician Nile Rodgers for an electrifying performance of Chic’s 1978 disco classic “Le Freak.” Watch it here.
Lipa has become known for performing a locally inspired cover at stops on her Radical Optimism Tour, which launched its U.S. leg at Chicago’s United Center earlier this month.
During her previous MSG shows earlier in the week, the “Dance the Night” singer paid tribute to the city with covers of New York staples, including Alicia Keys’ “No One” and Blondie’s “One Way or Another.”
“Here in New York, I’m actually spoiled with the choice,” Lipa told the crowd before her Blondie cover.
Check out Billboard’s recap of the five best moments from her second night at MSG here.
At the tour’s U.S. kickoff in Chicago on Sept. 5, Lipa brought out hometown legend Chaka Khan to perform a powerful rendition of the 1983 hit “Ain’t Nobody.”
The tradition of regional covers began earlier in the year during her stops in Australia and New Zealand, where she performed songs by artists such as AC/DC, Lorde and Kylie Minogue. She also welcomed special guests including Troye Sivan, Tame Impala and Crowded House’s Neil Finn.
While the trend continued less frequently during the European leg, she performed Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero” in Madrid. In London, she brought out Jamiroquai’s Jay Kay for “Virtual Insanity” at Wembley Stadium, followed the next night by a guest appearance from Charli XCX for her Brat hit “360.”
Other notable tributes included The Zutons’ “Valerie” (made popular by Amy Winehouse) with the group’s frontman Dave McCabe in Liverpool, The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” in the Fab Four’s hometown, and a heartfelt performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U” in Dublin in honor of late Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor.
Lipa is set to wrap up her four-night MSG stint on Sunday (Sept. 21) before continuing the North American leg with stops in Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, followed by a run of dates through South America and Mexico.
After a brief break in August following two months of shows across Europe, Lipa resumed touring in North America with back-to-back shows in Toronto on Sept. 1–2.
The Radical Optimism World Tour is in support of Lipa’s third studio album, Radical Optimism, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in 2024. The album produced several hits, including lead single “Houdini,” which spent 17 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
Entertainment
sombr Stops Show to Scold Venue Staff After Fan Seemingly Passes Out: ‘You Need to Pay Attention’
At his recent show in London, sombr paused the program to call out event staff after a fan appeared to faint in the audience without receiving help.
While in the midst of singing his breakout Billboard Hot 100 hit “Back to Friends” on Tuesday at O2 Academy Brixton, the Gen Z pop star suddenly waved at his band to stop playing. “Stop the show,” he said before addressing people working the concert, as captured in videos posted on social media. “Guys, there’s someone passed out over there.”
sombr Returns With New Song ‘Homewrecker,’ Navigates Love Triangle With Quenlin Blackwell & Milo Manheim in Western Music Video
“This is the most poorly managed venue I’ve ever played at in my life,” he continued. “You need to pay attention. It’s insane. I’ve played three nights here, and I’ve never played at a more poorly managed venue.”
Billboard has reached out to reps for sombr and O2 Academy Brixton.
Before proceeding with the show, the artist told the crowd, “Let me know when everyone’s good.”
sombr is currently on a run of shows in Europe, with dates planned for venues in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Dublin. This summer, he’ll play a slew of festivals, including Coachella and BottleRock Napa Valley.
The New York native also had another mid-show interruption recently, this time during his performance at the BRIT Awards. While he was singing “Undressed” at the ceremony, a man wearing a “Sombr is a homewrecker” shirt ran out on stage and appeared to hit Sombr; as it turned out, it was a pre-planned stint to help promote his new single “Homewrecker,” which recently debuted at No. 26 on the Hot 100.
And despite the momentary frustration, Sombr had only kind words to say about his overall experience playing for fans in London. “I love you so much,” he wrote over a video of the crowd at O2 Academy Brixton on his Instagram Story. “Thanks so much for an unforgettable past 3 nights. I’ll be back London.”
While the K-pop world is grappling with the unexpected news that ENHYPEN is no longer seven members following member Heeseung’s seemingly out-of-nowhere announcement of his departure, the industry has certainly been blindsided by such abrupt exits many times.
While Heeseung’s situation was shocking, it unfolded fairly calmly. On March 10, announcements came from ENHYPEN’s official channels, alongside a handwritten letter from Heeseung himself and ENHYPEN’s own statement on social media. Comparatively, some of K-pop’s biggest groups have been changed forever by dramatic announcements from members, via notices of legal action or vague updates from their agencies — the latter of which can sometimes be the most heartbreaking for fans.
From one of K-pop’s most landmark member exits in Junsu, Yoochun and Jaejoong from TVXQ! in 2009 (which ultimately rid the industry of so-called “slave contracts”) to years like 2014, 2019 or even last year, where multiple popular groups saw members drop from their groups, Billboard is sharing a timeline of the 15 most shocking exits from K-pop groups.
Membership changes are never easy, even when fans suspect something may have shifted for the group or there is an internal or external issue. Members of K-pop groups have left for the sake of their mental health or sometimes due to ongoing external pressure from issues from their past arising. For the purposes of this timeline and its relation to the news surrounding ENHYPEN and Heeseung, we’re focusing on K-pop member exits that seemingly came out of nowhere, with no prior indication, hiatuses or controversy.
Read on to learn how rare it is to have Heeseung remain under the same label as his former group in BELIFT LAB to pursue his solo career and more, in this look through K-pop’s most unexpected member departures.
Entertainment
Watch Harry Styles Bust Marcello Hernandez for Impersonating Him Ahead of ‘SNL’: ‘Are Those My Clothes?’
Sorry, Marcello Hernandez — there’s only one Harry Styles. On the set of Saturday Night Live ahead of the pop star’s upcoming hosting and performing stint, the comedian got a little too comfortable impersonating that week’s guest in a promo video posted Wednesday (March 11).
The teaser opens as a spoof on Styles’ One Night in Manchester concert special trailer, with the piano intro to his new single “American Girls” playing over shots of what looks like the singer’s silhouette striking poses and dancing across the stage. A record-scratch moment happens when the real Styles walks in with SNL castmember Kenan Thompson, busting Hernandez, who’d been pretending to be the Grammy winner that whole time.
“What are you doing, Marcello? Are those my clothes?” Styles asks a visibly embarrassed Hernandez.
“Yeah, sorry,” the stand-up comic stutters, suddenly shy about wearing Styles’ pinstriped, flared slacks. “I thought you weren’t coming, so I thought I’d just go on as your understudy.”
Perplexed, Styles explains where he and Thompson had been. “I’m 15 minutes late, because Kenan and I went out for pain au chocolat. It’s a tradition when I host.”
Suffice to say, it’ll be Styles — the real Styles — helming SNL on Saturday (March 14), returning to host for the second time. He previously led an episode of the show in 2019.
The Brit will also serve as musical guest on the new episode, having just dropped his new album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. The project was led by Billboard Hot 100-topping single “Aperture” and features second single “American Girls,” both of which are strong contenders for the tracks Styles will perform at 30 Rock — although fans will have to tune in to the live show to find out.
Watch Styles’ SNL promo above.
sombr Stops Show to Scold Venue Staff After Fan Seemingly Passes Out: ‘You Need to Pay Attention’
Comparing Steak and Lobster for U.S. Troops to SNAP and Healthcare Fraud? Two MAJOR Reasons This Won’t End Well
Meta rolls out Facebook scam warnings
SEND IN THE TROOPS! At Least 5 Dead, 10 Wounded So Far in Chicago Weekend Shootings
How I Paid Off My Mortgage 10 Years Early On A Teacher’s Salary
Black Lives Matter Activist in Boston Pleads Guilty to Federal Fraud Charges – Scammed Donors to Fund Her Lifestyle
-
Politics6 months agoSEND IN THE TROOPS! At Least 5 Dead, 10 Wounded So Far in Chicago Weekend Shootings
-
Business6 months ago
How I Paid Off My Mortgage 10 Years Early On A Teacher’s Salary
-
Politics6 months agoBlack Lives Matter Activist in Boston Pleads Guilty to Federal Fraud Charges – Scammed Donors to Fund Her Lifestyle
-
Tech6 months agoGet a lifetime subscription to the “ChatGPT for investors” for under $60
-
Tech6 months agoReview: The Dreame H15 Pro CarpetFlex is the first wet/dry vacuum I liked
-
Business6 months ago
25 Low-Effort Side Hustles You Can Start This Weekend
-
Business6 months ago
9 Ways to Command a Six-Figure Salary Without a Bachelor’s
-
Entertainment5 months agoFat Joe Recalls Bruno Mars Snapping on Him Over Question About Puerto Rican Roots: ‘Broke My Heart’