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Ariana Grande's First Performance of 'Thank U, Next' Is Clearly a Nod to Pete Davidson


Ariana Grande threw everyone for a loop Saturday night when she surprise-dropped a new song called “Thank U, Next.” To be fair, fans did see new music coming, but they may’ve been surprised by how Grande name-checks her exes in the song. “Thought I’d end up with Sean/But he wasn’t a match/Wrote some songs about Ricky/Now I listen and laugh/Even almost got married/And for Pete, I’m so thankful/Wish I could say, ‘Thank you’ to Malcolm/’Cause he was an angel,” she sings at the top of the track.

“Pete” is obviously Pete Davidson, the Saturday Night Live comedian whom Grande was engaged to all summer. Their whirlwind romance abruptly ended in mid-October, and Davidson hasn’t exactly been silent about the split. He’s made jokes in standup routines about it and even fake-proposed to singer Maggie Rogers as part of an SNL promo gag. That last stunt irked Grande and was no-doubt a reason she released “Thank U, Next” so quickly.

And she isn’t done calling out Davidson in her music. The singer’s first performance of the song will air on Ellen Wednesday (November 7), and there’s a motif going on: weddings.

In a video host Ellen DeGeneres teased, we see Grande and her backup dancers dressed in all white with a wedding cake and reception tables in the background. Grande even quasi-confirmed this theme on her own Instagram, dubbing herself and the dancers the “First Wives Club 2018.”

Watch the full performance for yourself, below:

Davidson is the only person on “Thank U, Next” whom Grande says she almost married, so all this wedding imagery is most likely a reference to him. It’s not exactly subtle.

It’s also a bit perplexing, seeing as how Grande was seemingly so upset by Davidson speaking openly about their relationship. This performance, in many ways, is perhaps the most overt nod either of them has made to their engagement.

If Grande also does an interview with DeGeneres, it’ll be interesting to see what she says.

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Ariana Grande Dropped Post-Breakup Song ‘Thank U, Next’ About Pete Davidson and Her Exes





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2018 AMAs: Carrie Underwood Gives Emotional Performance of "Spinning Bottles"


On Tuesday, Carrie Underwood took the stage at the 2018 American Music Awards at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater, her growing baby bump on full display, to perform “Spinning Bottles” off her new album Cry Pretty. The performance came shortly after Underwood took home her sixth Best Country Female Artist trophy.

During her emotional performance, Underwood stood on a small, round stage that turned slowly and was lined with tall candles stuck in colored glass bottles—in other words, her performance of “Spinning Bottles” was surrounded by literal spinning bottles. Accompanied only by a piano and some strings, the country star wore a simple, floaty burgundy gown with cold-shoulder long sleeves and an empire waist.

Watch, below:

Underwood gave fans a sneak peek at her AMAs’ plans on Sunday, when she shared a photo on Instagram from her rehearsals for the performance. In the accompanying caption, she revealed via hashtag that she’d be performing “Spinning Bottles”—her first live performance of the song since her Cry Pretty album dropped in September.

PHOTO: Kevin Winter/AMA2018/Getty Images

The 35-year-old, who’s already mom to 3-year-old son Isaiah with husband Mike Fisher, announced in August that she was expecting their second child. “Mike, Isaiah, and I are absolutely over the moon and excited to be adding another fish to our pond,” Underwood said in a social media post at the time. “This has been a dream come true with the album and baby news. We’re just so excited and glad you guys can share this with us and be a part of this with us. Love you guys. We will see you on the road in 2019!”

Now all that’s left to do is prep Isaiah on becoming a big brother. “He’ll be really sweet and talk to my belly and kiss my belly. He’s the sweetest little boy,” she said. “But no kid can really know that their life is going to change. He’ll have to share Mommy!”

Related: 10 Times Carrie Underwood’s Generosity Inspired Us





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Fans Have a Theory Linking Taylor Swift's Political Statement and Her AMAs Performance


On Sunday (October 7) Taylor Swift made a rare political statement, denouncing a Republican candidate running for Senate in her voting state of Tennessee. Unsurprisingly, her call to action subsequently had a massive effect on voter registration in the state. Another effect? A fan theory involving Swift’s upcoming American Music Awards performance.

As brought to our attention by BuzzFeed, Swift announced earlier this month that she’d be opening the American Music Awards—airing Tuesday night—with the Reputation banger “I Did Something Bad.” On a surface level, the song selection is a bit out of left field, as “I Did Something Bad” was never released as a single from the album and might not be known by casual Swift listeners. But as BuzzFeed outlines, the first few lyrics of the song are as follows: “I never trust a narcissist, but they love me / So I play ’em like a violin / And I make it look oh so easy.”

That “narcissist,” fans reckon, refers to Donald Trump, who responded to Swift’s political statement with a statement of his own, saying he likes Swift’s music “25 percent less” now, according to multiple reports. Fly, meet trap? Fans sure seem to think so, just in time to make a statement at the awards show—something Swift is very fond of.

In her Sunday statement, Swift endorsed Tennessee Democrats Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives, respectively, while urging citizens to vote against Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn. “As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me,” Swift wrote on Instagram. “She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values.”

Remember readers, midterms are next month, and the AMAs are in just a few hours.

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Ariana Grande Restarted Her Live Performance for a Fan Who 'Wasn't Recording' Yet


Ariana Grande will do anything for her fans — including, apparently, re-start a song mid-performance so they can snag the perfect Instagram. During her Sweetener Sessions show in Los Angeles over the weekend, the pop star did just that for a fan who wasn’t ready in time to record.

Grande only got about 15 seconds into her song “Raindrops” when a fan screamed out, “Wait, start again. I wasn’t recording!” The pony tail–wearing performer snapped out of her performance and addressed the fan, asking, “Did you say ‘Start again I wasn’t recording’?” Grande couldn’t help but laugh as she told the screaming L.A. crowd, “I listen! I listen!”

“Sure, are you ready now?” she asked, giggling, before saying, “That was funny!” and diving right back into the song. A Twitter user who was definitely ready for the performance captured the whole interaction on video and posted the funny back and forth — which has since gone viral.

This isn’t the first time Grande has paused a performance recently. During her Sweetener Sessions show at Manhattan’s Irving Plaza, she took a break to make out with her soon-to-be husband Pete Davidson.

Grande revealed on Good Morning America that she and her comedy beau won’t be getting married until probably next year. “We’re gonna, like, take our time to plan it,” she shared with host Michael Strahan. “We’ve been planning and my friends and I, my mom and everybody, have been brainstorming and sharing ideas and stuff. And it’s really fun. I work so much [that] I’ve never spent this much time or energy planning something personal that feeds my soul so much and my heart. I’m going to cry. I’m so excited. It’s sick. It’s really fun.”

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Jennifer Lopez Went Full Jenny From the Block for Her 2018 MTV VMAs Performance


Before Jennifer Lopez took the stage for her career-spanning performance at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards, presenter Shawn Mendes pointed out that the awards were being held at Radio City Music Hall, just 13 subway stops away from the Bronx, where J.Lo grew up. It was a poignant lead-in to an electrifying performance that provided a stunning snapshot of her sprawling career. Now excuse us while we try to regain our composure.

J.Lo was on hand to accept the 2018 Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, honoring her lifetime achievement in music. But all that became secondary when she appeared in a blue and gold Versace robe that she quickly shed to reveal a shimmering gold bodysuit. And from there, it was on. J.Lo kicked off the medley with “Waiting for Tonight,” then seamlessly transitioned into throwback hits like “On the Floor,” “Let’s Get Loud,” “Dance Again,” “Ain’t Yo Mama,” “El Anillo,” “Love Don’t Cost a Thing,” “All I Have,” and “Jenny From the Block.”

And since no J.Lo performance would be complete without a myriad of on-the-fly outfit changes, she made sure to give us plenty of that too. At one point, she flung on a white fur coat, then disappeared, only to reemerge in a gold tracksuit, snapback and all.

Oh, and did we mention there was dancing? So. Much. Dancing. It’s no wonder her boyfriend, Alex Rodriguez, couldn’t contain his ear-to-ear grin from the audience. We were right there with him, especially when Ja Rule emerged to assist J.Lo on the classics “I’m Real” and “Ain’t It Funny.”

She eventually wrapped up the 10-minute performance with a surprise cameo from none other than DJ Khaled, who provided his unique brand of, er, vocals for her latest hit “Dinero.” Overall, it was a heart-stopping reminder of why J.Lo is and always will be one of the best to ever do it. Now excuse us while we watch it again, and again, and again.





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2018 Billboard Music Awards: Janet Jackson Accepts the Icon Award With Powerful Performance and Speech


Anyone who has paid the slightest bit of attention to Janet Jackson’s nearly 40-year career already knows that she’s a bona fide icon: Her legacy spans television and music, earning her 35 awards, and she has sold more than 100 million records. At the 2018 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night (May 20), she further cemented her status in music history by becoming the first black woman ever to accept the Icon Award and delivering an epic performance of some of her greatest hits. (This was her first television performance in nearly a decade, by the way.)

Taking the television stage for the first time in almost nine years, Jackson wowed the crowd with some of her most famous hits of all time. Opening with those famous three words—“Gimme a beat!”—the 52-year-old kicked things off with her legendary “Nasty,“ wearing a full-blown gold ensemble, complete with thigh-high, lace-up gold sneakers, and looking like she never left the stage. After hooking the crowd with “Nasty,” Jackson moved on to the less commercially successful but equally energetic song “Throb,” leaving the energy—and the sexual innuendo—at an all-time high.

If the crowd was at all disappointed that Jackson performed only two of her greatest hits, she made up for it with the triumphant return of Rhythm Nation. She wasted no time in launching into a dance break, proving that her moves are as sharp as ever. Naturally, the crowd and the greater Twitterverse were shook by Jackson’s killer moves, with everyone from Tyra Banks to Andy Cohen dancing out of their seats and tweets firing off at a rapid pace. Take a look:

But the goosebumps didn’t stop when the performance came to an end. Jackson went on to deliver a chills-inducing speech after accepting her award from Bruno Mars, who echoed all of our feelings when he bowed down in her presence.

“I’m deeply humbled and grateful for this award. I believe that for all the challenges, for all our challenges, we live at a glorious moment in history,” Jackson said. “It’s a moment when, at long last, women have made it clear that we will no longer be controlled, manipulated, or abused. I stand with those women—and with those men equally outraged by discrimination, who support us in heart and mind.”

“This is also a moment when our public discourse is loud and harsh,” she continued. “My prayer is that, weary of such noise, we turn back to the source of all calmness. That source, that source is God. Everything we lack, God has in abundance: compassion, sensitivity, patience, and a boundless love. So, again, I want to thank all of you for this honor, and I thank God for giving me the precious energy that lets me live my life as an artist who every single day seeks to expand my capacity to love. Thank you so much.”

Jackson left the stage to the crowd chanting her name. Neither her performance nor her speech will soon be forgotten. See a portion of it, below:

Related: Janet Jackson Appreciation Day Is Gloriously Trending on Twitter





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