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Friday, October 7, 2022

Ed Sheeran Shares 'Celestial' From Upcoming Pokémon Video Games

English singer-songwriter and musician Ed Sheeran has collaborated with The Pokémon Company on a new song, "Celestial."

The new track will feature in the forthcoming video games Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, which are due out November 18.

The song is accompanied by a video, directed by Yuichi Kodama, which is inspired by Ed's fascination with the Pokémon franchise. In the video, a frequently-daydreaming Sheeran is shown interacting with various doodled Pokémon, including Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Snorlax.

The video also features sketch-themed art by Yu Nagaba.

(Photo: Dan Martensen)

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Lizzo Invited To Perform At James Madison's Montpelier Estate

Lizzo has been invited to perform at former President James Madison's Montpelier Estate.

The Virginia house, called Montpelier, is a museum and memorial to the former president. Staff at Montpelier tweeted that they had invited Lizzo to perform at the home after a performance of her with Madison's 200-year old crystal flute went viral.

"The talented and classically-trained Lizzo brought history to life last week when she played President James Madison's crystal flute at a packed arena in Washington, DC," a spokesperson for Madison's Montpelier told Billboard.

"The three-time Grammy Award winner's songs exemplify how music is a universal language that brings people together. Whatever genre, music helps people connect, express emotions, and create deep, lasting bonds," they added. "As Lizzo continues her concert tour in the coming weeks, we're crossing our fingers that she would consider adding a stop at James Madison's Montpelier, once home to Madison, father of the U.S. Constitution."

Last week, Lizzo played the 200-year-old crystal flute once owned by the former President, who led the country from 1809 to 1817, after it was lent to her by the Library of Congress.

"This is from the early 1800s, this was a gift to James Madison from a French crystal flute designer to celebrate his second term. There was a fire. and the only two things that were saved were a portrait of George Washington and this crystal flute right here," the singer-songwriter said before playing the instrument.

"I am the first person to ever play it, so you're about to hear what it sounds like for the first time," she continued. "Thank you to the Library of Congress for preserving our history and making history cool. History is freaking cool, you guys!"

(Photo: AB+DM)

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Elton John & Britney Spears Share Colorful 'Hold Me Closer' Video

Elton John and Britney Spears recently released a music video for their collaboration "Hold Me Closer."

John and Spears do not make an appearance in the Tanu Muino-directed video. Several dancers are seen performing their movements against the vibrant, colorful backdrop of Mexico City.

"This was an emotional one for me as I grew up with Britney. After seeing 'Slave For You,' I decided that I wanted to become a video director. Elton John is an icon that I and the world grew up listening to," Muino said in a statement.

"Going into this video, I knew there would be a lot of emotional expectations the audience and fans would have. With this responsibility, I had to do something different and unexpected. The visuals had to be different. The dance had to be forward-thinking to raise eyebrows and make Elton and Britney proud," she added.

Muino continued, "To capture this magic, we shot around all my favorite architectural locations in Mexico City and brought on choreographer Jacob Jonas who does the best contemporary choreography today. Getting the best dancers, crew and access to some of the most private locations in the world was simple as everyone wanted to work with Elton John and be part of his legacy."

John shared a snippet of the video on Instagram, saying, "Check out the stunning dance video for 'Hold Me Closer', shot in Mexico City by the award-winning director @tanumuino beautifully capturing an immeasurable feeling of intimacy so missing from the world through the turmoil and chaos of recent times."

(Photo: Interscope Records)

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Sam Smith, Kim Petras Share 'Unholy' Video

Sam Smith and Kim Petras recently shared a music video for their collaboration, "Unholy," the lead single from Smith's fourth studio album.

Floria Sigismondi directed the video choreograhped by French dance collective (LA)HORDE. The visual stars Smith as a singing MC and Petras as a lustful dancer.

The visual shows the song's subject ducking out on his wife and sneaking off to his favorite sex club cabaret. But he soon finds his guilty pleasures revealed in a very public manner.

When the song's subject sneaks away from his wife for a night at the club, hidden under the guise of an actual auto body shop, he finds that the performance for the night is eerily reflecting his secret guilty pleasures back to him in a not-so-secret manner.

By the end of the visual, the man ends up on the hood of a car on stage, laying upside down with the word "cheater" spray painted beneath him. As the crowd parts, his wife walks down the runway and joins the ensemble as the curtains close.

The song debuted atop the U.K. Official Singles Chart, earning Smith their eighth No. 1 on the list. The single hit No. 1 worldwide on Apple Music and Spotify, where it also ranked among the Top 10 debuts of all time within the first 24 hours of release.

(Photo: Capitol Records)

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J. Cole Teams Up With Smino On '90 Proof'

J. Cole has teamed up with Smino for a new song "90 Proof," the first official single from Smino's upcoming third studio album, Luv 4 Rent.

J. Cole has teamed up with Smino for a new song "90 Proof," the first official single from Smino's upcoming third studio album, Luv 4 Rent. Groove and Monte Booker produced the track.

"Take a break and roll a sticky/Let's get high/Not too great at relationships/At least I try," Smino raps in the chorus before Cole joins in: "I got a real one/If I was broke, she never would leave me, no."

Smino and J. Cole previously collaborated on the Revenge of the Dreamers III tracks "1993" and "Sacrifices."

The release date for the Luv 4 Rent album, which is Smino's first since Noir, which arrived in 2018, has not yet been announced. The record is his first project for Motown Records.

(Photo: Denita Turner)

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