From the return of BET Awards to BTS’ J-hope announcing a new solo album, here’s this week in Pop music.
The much-anticipated BET Awards took place in the past week brandishing stellar performances and award winners, Spotify launched a myriad of new features on the app, and Adele unveils follow-up details on her upcoming Hyde Park festival, and more! Read all about the new and exciting happenings in the Pop music world –
Adele Unveils All-Female Lineups for BST Hyde Park Concert
Pop superstar Adele is scheduled to headline the first weekend of the British Summer Time show in London’s Hyde Park on July 1 and 2. The singer took to Instagram to reveal an all-female lineup for her show, with British legend Gabrielle and country-pop songster Kacey Musgraves as the main act. Mahalia, Self Esteem, NilĆ¼fer Yanya, Tiana Majorg, Chrissi, Bonnie Kemplay, Ruti, and Tamzene are the other performers mentioned.
āThe line up for my Hyde Park shows next week is going to blow your socks off! An all-female bill, from new artists that Iām obsessed with to the heavenly @KaceyMusgraves to one of my favorite artists of all time @GabrielleUk who Iāve loved since I was 4!!,” Adele wrote in her Instagram post.
She added, āItās going to be incredible. Thereās a whole host of us performing all day. I canāt wait to share the main stage with you ladies.ā
BST Hyde Park kicked off on June 24 with Elton John and will conclude with Duran Duran on July 10. Pearl Jam, The Rolling Stones, and Eagles will also headline different dates in between.
Cardi B Releases New Song Titled āHot Shitā
Grammy award-winning rapper is back with yet another new release! ‘Hot Shit’ is one of the lead singles from her upcoming sophomore album. It features Kanye West & Lil Durk and is produced by Tay Keith and BanBwoi. The single marks Cardi’s first solo release of 2022 after featuring in a series of music with Summer Walker on āNo Loveā featuring SZA, āShake Itā with Kay Flock, Dougie B and Bory300.
Cardi teased the new release via an announcement video last week. She revealed on a Twitter space that she has been sitting on ‘Hot Shit’ āfor almost three years. I think this record is actually older than āWAP.ā It is everyoneās favorite.ā
BTSā J-Hope Dropped New Solo Single āHopeā, Announces Solo Album āJack in the Boxā
Two weeks after BTS disclosed their hiatus, J-Hope becomes the first member to announce an album and release a solo song in its preparation. The much anticipated solo album titled ‘Jack In The Box’ is due to be released on July 15. J-Hope is the first BTS member to roll out a solo album since the hiatus, as was directed by their label company, Big Hit.
āJack in the Box lends voice to J-Hopeās aspirations to break the mold and grow further. The album represents J-Hopeās own musical personality and vision as an artist,” reads a Big Hit statement.
Fans got ahold of ‘More’, his pre-release single, at midnight on Thursday. The lead single illustrates a “darker, edgier sound that fuses together alternative rock hooks with hip-hop beats.” The single is accompanied by a music video. J-Hope is scheduled to headline Lollapalooza in Chicago later this month.
Spotify Introduces New Supergrouper and Karaoke Features
Spotify users can now band their favorite artists together with the new playlist-making feature called ‘Supergrouper.’ “Put your favourite artists together in the ultimate band,” read the statement via Spotify. Users can allocate their chosen bands into five categories – The Up-And-Comer, The Producer, The Lyricist, The Wildcard, and The Lead.
The music streaming app is also testing a Karaoke mode. Listeners can sing along to the karaoke and get scores based on accuracy and singing quality.
BET Award Returns to Celebrate Black Culture
The 2022 BET Awards took place this Sunday, and it was nothing short of an extravagant celebration! Hosted by Taraji P. Henson, the 2022 BET Awards viewership was up by 34% from last year’s event.
Silk Sonic took home the main awards with the Album of the Year Award and Best Group. The Weekend and Jazmine Sullivan bagged Best Male and Female R&B Pop Artists, respectively. Megan Thee Stallion, Kendrick Lamar, Latto, Wiz Kid, Justin Bieber, and Diddy were some of the other emerging winners.
The night delivered a slew of fantastic performances starting off with Jack Harlow’s performance of “First Class.” Legend and icon Mariah Carrey surprised the guests by joining newcomer Latto in her song “Big Energy.” Lizzo performed her viral tune ‘About Damn Time’ accompanied by her flute solo.
BET honored Diddy with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
