2021 Music Preview: 25 Things We Want to Happen

Maluma joins The Weeknd onstage on the Tremendous Bowl

Final yr’s Tremendous Bowl gave us a style of what Latin artists can do on tv’s largest stage. Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Unhealthy Bunny and J Balvin’s show-stopping performances bought the entire nation dancing alongside to hits corresponding to “Hips Do not Lie,” “Mi Gente” and “Let’s Get Loud” — and to maintain Latin’s momentum going on the Tremendous Bowl, we’re hoping The Weeknd, this yr’s headliner, will deliver out Maluma throughout his halftime present. The pair teamed up for a bilingual model of the Colombian’s international hit “Hawái” that dropped late final yr and peaked at No. 12 on Billboard‘s Sizzling 100. Whereas there have not been any clues but to recommend Maluma can be a visitor, it is secure to say that if he jumps on that stage, it might be an epic first-time efficiency collectively for the star duo. — GRISELDA FLORES

Rina Sawayama opens for Woman Gaga on the Chromatica Ball Tour

If U.Ok. pop breakout Rina Sawayama’s new single “LUCID” sounds just a little acquainted, that’s in all probability as a result of the euphoric collaboration with producer BloodPop evokes his current work on Woman Gaga’s time-traveling dance-pop opus Chromatica. Followers have already mashed up the track with “Rain on Me,” however there’s no purpose for the team-up to be hypothetical, public well being allowing: Together with her personal world tour slated (not less than for now) for fall 2021, Sawayama could be the right opening act for Gaga’s Chromatica Ball stadium reveals this summer time. It could possibly be the primary nice huge homosexual dance celebration of 2021 — and an official Gaga “LUCID” remix wouldn’t damage, both! — NOLAN FEENEY

Ariana Grande returns the favor to Doja Cat

Doja Cat hopped on Ariana Grande’s Positions reduce “Motive” in 2020, and tonight she’ll even be showing on the remix to Grande’s “34+35” remix. It is time for Ari to return the favor on Doja’s upcoming Planet Her LP — and the rapper/singer has basically already teased a collab main as much as the brand new set. Such a teamup would hopefully be the glowing pop/hip-hop bop we so desperately need, if not the one we deserve. “Motive” additionally didn’t obtain a music video, in order that’s additionally on the wishlist. Really, to be actually particular, we might prefer to see a video the place Doja and Ari unite to drag off a heist. What a dream workforce! — GAB GINSBERG

P!nk hosts a brand new Circus of the Stars

The pandemic has brought about all of us to recalibrate and discover new methods to do the issues we used to like doing in public. Take P!nk, who has spent the higher a part of the previous decade flying excessive above our heads on a wire, performing superb circus stunts that faucet into her pre-fame abilities as a aggressive gymnast. Unable to hit the street, now could be the right time for the singer to reboot the beloved Circus of the Stars franchise and be the ringleader for a restricted, socially distanced sequence the place she faucets into the hidden abilities of her fellow artists. We think about Lil Wayne busting out loopy kick-flips on an enormous ramp on his skateboard, J-Lo making use of her Hustler acrobatics coaching to strive her hand on the trapeze, Cody Johnson bringing his rodeo abilities to the large high, or newly buff rapper Busta Rhymes indulging in feats of energy. As a bonus, with arenas shuttered and so many crewmembers out of labor, the present may give a bunch of beloved street canines a pleasant paycheck. — GIL KAUFMAN

Travis Scott drops his Utopia album — and takes the ragers there with a pop-up expertise

If 2020 taught us something in regards to the Houston rapper, it’s that he lives for the fun of multi-sensory experiences past simply listening to music. He took followers again to his childhood along with his favourite McDonald’s meal, grew to become bigger than life as a Fornite online game avatar-turned-headlining performer and captured the odor of area along with his personal high-end luxurious candle and cologne. He is a franchise in and of himself — and Utopia is shaping as much as turn out to be one, too. Scott may quickly invite his followers to blast off to a pop-up vacation spot helmed by his Midas contact. Cacti, his new agave-spiked seltzer, could possibly be Utopia’s nectar of the trend gods. Flying vehicles within the type of an amusement park journey, a Travis Scott staple from his Astroworld period, would show Utopia is gentle years forward of the world we at the moment reside in. And Utopia merch may make anybody the very best and the flyest individual within the room, together with one other collaboration with Nike that includes model new cloudfoam sneakers. — HERAN MAMO

Taylor Swift releases a “Final Nice American Dynasty” film

Again earlier than Evermore emerged, and Taylor Swift followers had been using excessive on Folklore, one Twitter user suggested making a film primarily based on that album’s “The Final Nice American Dynasty” — starring Blake Energetic as Rebekah Harkness, her real-life husband Ryan Reynolds as Invoice, the doomed inheritor to the Customary Oil title, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson because the neighbor whose unlucky encounter with the tune’s important character ends in a key-lime green-dyed canine. Ferguson responded he was sport, whereas Reynolds chimed in “however Invoice’s coronary heart?” (Spoiler alert: Invoice dies.) Swift herself chimed in to say she cherished the concept — and so will we. Think about the alluringly lovely Energetic filling swimming swimming pools with champagne and taking part in playing cards with Salvador Dali? (We propose Robert Pattinson reprise his portrayal right here.) Couple the intriguing material — who does not need to see Energetic blowing by the cash on the boys and the ballet? — with a Baz-Luhrmann-Gatsby-inspired design, and that is a movie we’ve not seen earlier than, however we’re positive we might just like the ending. — DENISE WARNER

Tom DeLonge leads “Aliens Exist” fest

Overlook First Stream, 2021 is all about First Contact. Fox Mulder-in-Ready Tom DeLonge ought to lead an (inter)stellar lineup of musicians to commemorate the approaching day authorities intelligence businesses are pressured to fork over what they learn about UFOs thanks to a random rider connected to the COVID-19 aid and spending invoice. The unclassified report comes out 180 days after the late-December invoice was handed. — JOE LYNCH

Huge Sean and Jhené Aiko reunite for second TWENTY88 album 

The rapper/R&B singer duo and real-life couple spent lots of time collectively within the studio final yr, recording “None of Your Concern” for her Grammy-nominated Chilombo album, in addition to “Physique Language” and “Time In” (the latter of which acquired a correct TWENTY88 credit score) on his Billboard 200-topping Detroit 2 album. After dropping the eponymous TWENTY88 LP in 2016, Sean revealed in a Reddit AMA that their sophomore album is “within the works.” Aiko may lace their newest tracks with the therapeutic properties of her sound bowls, whereas Sean’s intricate lyricism would inform the arousing story of how the 2 rekindled their flame. And their love for Black cinematography, from the Blaxploitation movies that impressed TWENTY88’s mini movie to the Black romcoms they paid homage to within the “Physique Language” music video, may very properly be captured in an old-school romance mini-film to help the brand new album. — H.M.

A Spanish-language tune hits No. 1 on the Sizzling 100

In November, Unhealthy Bunny’s El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo grew to become the primary all-Spanish album within the historical past of the Billboard 200 to high the chart. That an all-Spanish tune may quickly high the Billboard Sizzling 100 would seem like a forgone conclusion. Already, the seeds have been sowed: Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” in fact spent 16 weeks at No. 1 on the chart again in 2017, but it surely wanted assist from a Justin Bieber remix and a smattering of English to get main mainstream consideration. So did J Balvin and Willy William’s Beyoncé-assisted “Mi Gente,” which peaked at No. 3 on the chart. However final November, Unhealthy Bunny and Jhay Cortez’s “Dákiti” made it to No. 1 on Billboard’s total international chart. It solely peaked at No. 5 domestically on the Sizzling 100, however the tempo of development had quickened. An all-Spanish hit topping the chart is imminent. — LEILA COBO