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Beyoncé Fans Say Taylor Swift's Billboard Music Awards Performance Copied Homecoming


The aesthetic of Taylor Swift’s new era is crystal clear: She’s all about pastel colors, sparkles, and having F-U-N. Those elements were certainly front and center in her performance of “ME!”, which kicked off the Billboard Music Awards 2019 on May 1.

Earlier in the night, Swift walked the red carpet in a ruffled Raisa Vanesa number (again, very Taylor Swift New Era—down to the butterfly ring):

For the performance of “ME!”, though, she changed into a sequin one-shoulder dress and powder blue boots. But that wasn’t the only lewk on stage: Swift brought along a full marching band dressed in pink, dancers in colorful suits and briefcases (like in the song’s music video), and Panic! at the Disco’s Brendon Urie in a suit so gorgeous I could see Villanelle wearing it on Killing Eve. See for yourself, below:

Ethan Miller
Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 1 2019 in Las...
Ethan Miller
Brendon Urie of Panic at the Disco and Taylor Swift perform onstage during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand...
Ethan Miller

The whole thing felt very similar in tone to the music video, with one exception: Swift notably changed “spelling is fun!” to “Vegas is fun!” (The Billboard Music Awards took place in Las Vegas.) Like I said, New Taylor is all about having fun. Here’s a clip:

That said, not everyone was feeling Swift’s performance—or, more specifically, her use of that marching band. Beyoncé fans took to Twitter to complain that Swift had copied Bey’s 2018 Coachella set which was featured in the behind-the-scenes documentary Homecoming.

Others, however, felt the performances are two different things and shouldn’t be compared.

“It’s been so much fun and putting out this song and video has been really, really exciting and just a really joyful experience,” Swift recently told Zane Lowe on Beats 1 on Apple Music about this chapter of her career. “And it’s been like, you know the video’s like a magical-like, whimsical, mystical world. So it’s kind of been amazing to see the fans pick out little Easter eggs. And I just feel really grateful.”

She continued, “This new music is much more playful and actually inward facing. Like when you get into this album, it’s much more about me as a person, no pun intended with the song title.”

This post has been updated to include the Twitter debate around Swift’s performance.



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Taylor Swift Took Her Heels Off During Her Time 100 Performance, and Honestly, Same


Taylor Swift is very much back in the public eye—and from the looks of it, she’s having a blast. There is a literal countdown on her website to what many expect will be new music on April 26. She’s also working a new fashion aesthetic filled with pinks, purples, hearts, and flowers—which can also be seen in her recent Instagram posts.

Last night, she brought it all together at the Time 100 dinner in New York City where she was honored as one of the most influential people in the world, performed for the star-studded crowd, and met lots of other famous faces—all while wearing a pastel J. Mendel dress that was giving me seriously chic Ren Faire vibes.

Let’s start with her performance, where fans noticed that her the sparkly hearts on her guitar matched the background on her website. Also, note that she removed the puffy sleeves from her gown before hitting the stage.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

She even ditched her shoes in the middle of her performance, which is definitely relatable. “Nobody look… it’s.. unladylike,” Swift joked.

Taylor Swift performs during the TIME 100 Gala 2019 Dinner
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Swift gave a little speech in between songs like “Style” and “Delicate,” referencing the famous Nora Ephron quote that “everything is copy.” “Everything that happened to her, she used on inspiration,” Swift said. “And I think that one of my favorite things about female writers, about writers in general, about people who take what happens to them and they process it and they put it out into the world, is if you write, you can turn your lessons into your legacy. And so, I’m just really happy to get to do this.”

The Rock was very into the set.

She got to meet and mingle with lots of other celebs—like Sandra Oh and Khalid. Any Taylor fan knows how much Grey’s Anatomy means to the singer, so we can only imagine how major it was to hang with the erstwhile Cristina Yang. “I know Sandra Oh is in the room which shakes me to my very core… That’s my whole life there,” she said while onstage. And yes, Swift even scored some time with the Mother of Dragons herself, Emilia Clarke, which you can check out here. Do you think she got any spoilers?

Khalid and Taylor Swift attend the TIME 100 Gala 2019 Dinner
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Swift’s Instagram story with soccer star Alex Morgan also debuted a new 4.26 filter that is designed to match her whole new, sparky vibe.

But she also made time for fellow honorees like human rights defender, Radhya Almutawakel.

Radhya alMutawakel and Taylor Swift attend the Time 100 Gala 2019
Patrick McMullan/Getty Images

Basically, her night at the Time 100 was pretty epic—and now we’ll just resume our countdown to 4.26.





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Lady Gaga Is Finally Speaking Out About That Oscars Performance With Bradley Cooper


You know an Oscars performance for Best Song is note-worthy when we’re all still talking about it many days later. But, just in case you missed it, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper gave an intimate performance of their hit song “Shallow” from A Star Is Born, and the Internet collectively lost its mind with rampant speculation about whether the two were more than just friends and co-stars. It was an incredible live moment filled with chemistry, yes, but the response was more than a little problematic.

Now, Lady Gaga is finally speaking out about the rumors of their supposed affair during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

“Social media, quite frankly, is the toilet of the Internet,” she told Jimmy Kimmel of the commentary, while offering up an eye roll to end all eye rolls. “And what it has done to pop culture is just, like, abysmal.” So far, we’re detecting no lies here.

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“Yes, people saw love and guess what? That’s what we wanted you to see,” Gaga continued. She added that while she’s not usually one to relinquish control of her live performance vibe, she let Cooper direct the entire thing, down to the lighting. “[Shallow] is a love song, A Star Is Born is a love story,” she explained. “It was so important to both of us that we were connected the entire time…. When you’re singing love songs, that’s what you want people to feel.”

Gaga noted that she’s been doing lovey duets with her “arms wrapped around Tony Bennett” for years and hasn’t been confronted with the same rumors and innuendo. So, yeah, we can all just shut down those Gaga/Cooper ‘ship rumors right now. Mostly, she’s just really proud of her friend for getting up there and singing live in front of the world.

“My favorite thing about the whole experience was I was just so excited for people, not only at home, but our peers in the room to see him sing live and know that he sang every take live in this movie every single time,” she said. “I mean, all of it. There’s no lip synching.” And because Gaga is the best sport, she even reenacted that now-iconic head tilt with Kimmel.

Watch the full interview below.

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Now that Lady Gaga has finally set the record straight, it’s probably time for us all to let the old ways (of conjuring a relationship between two costars) die.



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Lady Gaga Calls Bradley Cooper a ‘True Friend’ After Their Viral Oscars Performance


Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper‘s performance of “Shallow” at the 2019 Oscars currently has the Internet buzzing. It was a gorgeous rendition, yes, but people seem more interested in what’s going on between Cooper and Gaga offstage. The speculation that these two are more than friends is out of control—and problematic. As we pointed out yesterday, Gaga and Cooper were tasked with developing enough chemistry to sell A Star Is Born, so of course their performance at the Oscars had sparks. They’re actors.

Neither of them has directly addressed these rumors, but Gaga did call Cooper a “true friend” on Twitter late Monday night, February 25. “Nothing could be more special than sharing this moment at the Oscars with a true friend and artistic genius,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself and Cooper singing at the Oscars. Take a look at the message for yourself, below:

And here’s the pic she used of the performance:

Getty Images

Lady Gaga and her “Shallow” cowriters Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, and Andrew Wyatt won the Oscar for Best Original Song. In her emotional speech, Gaga thanked her sister and Cooper before opening up about her own showbiz journey. “I’ve worked hard for a long time, and it’s not about winning. It’s about is not giving up. If you have a dream, fight for it. There’s a discipline for passion,” she said. “And it’s not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down or you’re beaten up. It’s about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep on going.”

In the Oscars press room, Gaga revealed what Cooper said to her right before they hit the stage to sing “Shallow.” “One of the hardest things in life is to be brave enough to be yourself. I wish to everyone that is going to that celebration to feel a joy inside of them,” Gaga said, recalling Cooper’s words. “That’s actually what Bradley said to me yesterday, right before we did our last rehearsal for this performance of ‘Shallow,’ He said, ‘Let’s just drop a little bit of joy.’ And I said, ‘OK.’ And turns out, joy did a whole lot for me.”



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Taylor Swift Surprised an Engaged Couple With an Acoustic Performance of 'King of My Heart'


Taylor Swift has a long history of going above and beyond for her fans. Remember that Christmas when she sent handwritten notes and personalized gifts to her Swifties? Or the house that she reportedly bought for a pregnant woman? Well, yesterday, February 23, the Reputation singer was at it again: This time, surprising a fan and his new fiancé at the couple’s engagement party.

Alex Goldschmidt and his new fiancé, Ross Girard, were celebrating their engagement at Sycamore Tavern in Hollywood when Goldschmidt instructed his friends and family to gather around for what the guests likely thought was just going to be a meaningful toast. “There was a person who is not here who sort of played a part in all of this,” Goldschmidt told his friends and family. “So I would like to welcome, and you to give a warm welcome to my friend Taylor.” And then, none other than T. Swift herself, wearing a navy floral dress, walked into the party with her guitar in hand.

Swift explained that Goldschmidt, who is an associate director at Digital Media Management, emailed her and told her that “King of My Heart” is very meaningful for him and his fiancé. “I haven’t been on tour for a while, but hopefully I’ll do alright,” Swift added before beginning an acoustic performance of the song. “So this is from Alex, but sung by me.”

The groom-to-be explained its meaning further on his Instagram account. “I decided to propose to Ross listening to this song in my car,” he wrote. “❤️ I can’t thank Taylor enough for wanting to help make this day so special. #RossAndAlexForever.”

See the full moment, below:

Goldschmidt later shared more on Twitter, writing, “I have never felt so overwhelmed with love and exhaustion in my life. Thank you for all the messages. I can’t possibly respond to them all, but know that your love and support means the world to me. And holy shit, Taylor Swift is an angel who gives the best gifts.” Uh, that’s for sure.

He also shared a few other photos from the engagement party on his Instagram account, below.

Congrats to the couple!



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Kelly Clarkson Nailed Her Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Performance


Kelly Clarkson performed at the grand American spectacle that is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, and it’s safe to say she absolutely nailed the performance. The American Idol alum withstood cold that dipped below 20 degrees to bowl over her fans with a live vocal performance during the parade—something that’s pretty unheard of given the floats’ usual technical capabilities and the freezing weather that puts even the most talented voices on edge.

Instead of keeping it chilled out with some pre-recorded vocals—as most artists understandably do (more on that later)—Clarkson went straight-up live, with a full set featuring a complete stage, backup band, and a fiery performance of “Heat,” from her Meaning of Life album. And not that we would expect anything less, but it was hands-down incredible.

Check it out:

It’s safe to say fans were in awe after her performance: “Kelly Clarkson is actually performing live (and not to track like everyone else is basically forced to do) at the #MacysParade when will ur fave ever,” one person wrote.

“I just need to say, Kelly Clarkson is freaking amazing. Live performance outside in 19° weather, and she was flawless. ? #MacysParade #HappyThanksgiving,” another wrote.

“It is 19° in NYC and Kelly Clarkson is singing live! She is the only thing I’m thankful for this year. #MacysDayParade,” another tweeted.

Others pointed out that Clarkson was the only one singing live: “No one else is singing live for the Macy’s parade except Kelly Clarkson, actual queen.”

Others called for more Clarkson, please. “Replace the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with an annual multi-hour Kelly Clarkson concert spectacular,” one wrote.

One user also pointed out something a little ironic about Clarkson’s stoic performance: “I’m dying at the irony of @kelly_clarkson performing Heat in that intense cold at the #MacysParade,” they tweeted.

And yes, Clarkson was very much aware: “The irony wasn’t lost on us either ?,” she responded.

It should be pointed out that while Rita Ora caught a lot of flak for lip-syncing during the parade, not singing live is in fact the norm. Clarkson is very much the exception to the rule and was reportedly on a specially designed float, as a certain John Legend cleared up: “Fun fact. We all have to lip sync on this parade because the floats don’t have the capacity to handle the sound requirements for a live performance,” he tweeted after his own lip-synced performance. “Hope y’all enjoyed it anyway. Know that if you come to my shows, the vocals are 100% live!”

Clarkson also tweeted an adorable thank you after the show: “So my toes finally have feeling back in them ? that was a very cold Thanksgiving moment! I’ve been beggin’ the Lord for winter, and well, he answered,” she wrote. “#MacysDayParade thanks for having us! So thankful and appreciative for all the blessings in my life! Y’all have a good one! ?.”

If you already had your list prepared to share around the table of what you were thankful for at dinner, well, now you have one more thing to add to it. Happy Thanksgiving, one and all—and especially Kelly Clarkson.

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Watch Kelly Clarkson Sing All of Her Biggest Hits in One Amazing Performance on the American Idol Finale





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