Category: Music

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No, the title isn’t clickbait: You can now buy verified Labubus at Walmart.

Thanks to Walmart’s partnership with online marketplace StockX, the Labubus they have in stock are certified real, and they’re going fast. The trending plushie can be purchased within blind boxes, leaving your purchase up to chance, or solo on Walmart’s website. Created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung, these little monsters made their first appearance back in 2015.

The figure’s viral moment didn’t happen until way later in April of 2024 when K-Pop star Lisa from the world-renouned girl group BLACKPINK was seen sporting the fluffy figure attached to her Louis Vuitton bag. Since Lisa’s introduction, we’ve seen stars like Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Rosé, David Beckham, Lizzo, Madonna, BTS, Cher and Lady Gaga toting their Labubus with pride, sometimes multiples at once, affixed to bags, keys and even made into birthday cakes.

Pop Mart Labubu The Monsters Exciting Macaron Vinyl Face Sealed Case 

$258

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Blind box pack of six.

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Pop Mart Labubu The Monsters Wacky Mart Series Earphone Case

$68

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A Labubu-shaped earphone case.

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If you didn’t know, blind boxes are a global phenomenon that centers around cute figures and collectibles. These figures are packaged in a box, usually with images on it depicting all the figures you’re able to get from a specific series. You won’t know what you’ll get until you pop open the box. Upon purchasing your blind box, you’ll usually also have the opportunity to get a secret figure not found on the side of the box. The chances of pulling a secret are rare but not impossible. In fact, I’ve seen it happen with my own eyes. It’s pretty magical.

The blind box world is borderline addicting, like a more fun and less detrimental version of gambling. It’s all about the heart-pounding thrill of not knowing what you’ll get out of a select few items. Labubus weren’t the first blind box items to go mega viral. You’ve also got Sonny Angel, cherub-like figures invented by Toru Soeya, along with little green figures called Smiski, also created by Soeya. Peach Riot, Calico Critters, CryBaby, Smoko, Hirono and Lulu the Piggy are just a few other hit blind box series you can find on the market right now.

As for the latest in the world of Labubus, blind box store Pop Mart just recently dropped a The Monsters Wacky Mart Series Earphone Case shaped like the character. The earbud case is selling like hotcakes, and it’s easy to see why. The case currently retails for $68 at Walmart and depicts a pastel yellow Labubu shaped like tempura, or fried shrimp. Although the plushie figure isn’t considered a blind box, it’s still pretty cute. It features a zipper on the back that unzips so you can store your earbuds inside.

Pop Mart Labubu The Monsters Big into Energy Series Vinyl Plush Pendant Sealed Case

$188 $210 10% off

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A case of six blind boxes.

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Pop Mart Labubu The Monsters Exciting Macaron Vinyl Plush Pendant Single Blind Box

$69 $83 17% off

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A single Labubu blinx box.

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Pop Mart also launched their The Monsters-Cheers! Series, which is a blind box that features a double-walled glass inside. You have the option to pull six different colorful cups featuring a Labubu motif, along with one secret. The innovation is one we haven’t seen from the blind box world until now.

Sabrina Carpenter is rewriting the chilling ending to her Rocky Horror-inspired “Tears” music video.

On Friday (Aug. 29), the 26-year-old pop star released the original version of her haunting “Tears” video, coinciding with the drop of her seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend.

The nearly five-minute clip follows Carpenter as she recovers from a car accident that appears to have killed her traveling companion. Alone and disoriented, she stumbles upon a creepy, isolated house. Inside, she discovers a world of sex and hedonism, evoking the cult classic horror musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The video culminates with Carpenter ending the life of her presumed-dead lover.

“Wait, no, you died earlier, I thought? It’s a thing, someone has to die every video,” she says, as she throws a stiletto into his chest. “I’m sorry. We’ll always remember you, though.”

On Monday (Sept. 1), Carpenter teased “a new ending” to the “Tears” video on her Instagram Story, sharing a link to the clip on YouTube. In this alternate conclusion, her traveling partner meets yet another grisly fate.

After Carpenter is ejected from the eerie house, she looks up to see the man emerging from the woods. “Babe, I’m so glad you’re okay,” he says, limping and coughing. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Suddenly, lightning strikes as he jitters with sparks and nervous laughter. Carpenter warns him to move aside as a cracking sound approaches. Before he can react, a tree crashes down on him. “I told him to move over,” she says, standing and grabbing her hat.

The video also features Academy Award-nominated actor Coleman Domingo in drag and accompanies Man’s Best Friend, Carpenter’s Jack Antonoff-produced follow-up to 2024’s Short n’ Sweet, which spent four weeks atop the Billboard 200.

Watch Sabrina Carpenter’s “Tears” video — now with a brand-new ending — above.

Camila Cabello is showing love to Fifth Harmony following her former group’s surprise reunion.

On Sunday (Aug. 31), the girl group — now comprising Ally Brooke, Normani, Lauren Jauregui and Dinah Jane — surprised fans by reuniting onstage for the first time in seven years during the Jonas Brothers’ concert at Dallas’ Dos Equis Pavilion. After the performance, Fifth Harmony shared a clip on Instagram of themselves performing their 2015 hit “Worth It,” which peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Cabello, who exited the group in late 2016 to launch her solo career, showed her support in the comments by posting four red heart emojis in a subtle but heartfelt nod to her former bandmates.

The reunion wasn’t entirely out of the blue. In the hours leading up to the performance, 5H sparked speculation by sharing their first social media post since 2018. “#FifthHarmonyFollowSpree,” the group wrote on X prompting Harmonizers to theorize that something big was coming.

Reunion rumors have been circulating for months. In March, both Brooke and Jane hinted at the possibility during an interview at the 2024 Billboard Women in Music event.

“We’ll see… we’re not sure,” Brooke said when asked about reuniting. Jane added, “I love that our fans can reminisce on such good times and I love that we’re getting the credit again. Our music was very impactful at the time and I feel like it was kind of overlooked, to be honest. So now that it’s reviving again on its own it just shows our music speaks for itself.”

Fifth Harmony came together in 2012 on season two of the U.S. edition of The X Factor. The group rose to fame with their debut album, Reflection, in 2015, which included “Worth It,” their first top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Their success continued with “Work From Home” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, which peaked at No. 4 on the chart in June 2016.

In December 2016, the group announced Cabello’s departure through social media. “After 4 and a half years of being together, we have been informed via her representatives that Camila has decided to leave Fifth Harmony,” the group’s remaining members wrote. “We wish her well.”

Cabello went on to launch a successful solo career, most recently releasing 2024’s C,XOXO, which debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200. Over the years, she’s also topped the Hot 100 with “Havana” featuring Young Thug and “Señorita” with ex-boyfriend Shawn Mendes.

Fifth Harmony officially disbanded in 2018, with each member pursuing various solo projects.

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl is already breaking Spotify records weeks ahead of its release.

On Sunday (Aug. 31), the 35-year-old pop icon’s upcoming release became the most pre-saved album Countdown Page in Spotify history. The previous record was held by Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department in 2024. The streaming giant shared the news Monday morning on its official Instagram and X accounts.

Spotify’s Countdown Page for The Life of a Showgirl launched on Aug. 14, accompanied by an exclusive playlist titled And, baby, that’s show business for you, a curated selection of 22 previously released tracks produced by the singer’s longtime collaborators Max Martin and Shellback.

This achievement marks yet another milestone in Swift’s long-standing dominance on Spotify. Over the years, she has shattered numerous streaming records, including becoming the platform’s most-streamed artist of 2024 with more than 26.6 billion global streams.

Swift announced The Life of a Showgirl on Aug. 12, just eight months after wrapping her blockbuster Eras Tour. The surprise reveal came during an appearance on New Heights — the podcast hosted by her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce — where she shared the album’s title in a teaser clip posted to the show’s social media accounts ahead of the full episode’s release.

The Life of a Showgirl, Swift’s 12th studio album, is set to arrive on Oct. 3 and will feature 12 new tracks produced by Max Martin and Shellback.

Her previous album, The Tortured Poets Department, dropped in April 2024 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with the biggest opening week of her career. The project went on to spend 17 nonconsecutive weeks atop the chart and earned Swift her seventh nomination for album of the year at the Grammys.

See Spotify’s announcement of Swift’s latest milestone on Instagram below.

Fifth Harmony is officially back.

On Sunday (Aug. 31), the girl group — now made up of Ally Brooke, Normani, Lauren Jauregui and Dinah Jane, following Camila Cabello’s 2016 exit — reunited on stage for the first time in seven years. The surprise moment happened during the Jonas Brothers’ JONAS20: Greetings from Your Hometown tour stop at the Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas.

Dressed in all-black outfits, the four-piece performed their 2015 hit “Worth It,” which peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The performance was streamed live on Samsung TV Plus.

“Y’all remember Fifth Harmony,” Normani told the crowd.

The group later posted a video of the reunion on Instagram, writing, “Where were you on August 31, 2025? Thank you @jonasbrothers for having us. Felt amazing to be back.”

“That was special!” Brooke wrote in the comments. Cabello, who left the group in late 2016, also showed her support in the comments by appropriately sharing four red heart emojis.

The Jonas Brothers also showed love, sharing a clip on Instagram of the performance and writing, “An honor to have our friends @fifthharmony up on stage tonight in Dallas on the Greetings From Your Hometown Tour.”

Fans had already been speculating something big was coming after Fifth Harmony’s official X account posted for the first time in seven years earlier that day.

“#FifthHarmonyFollowSpree,” the group wrote, marking their first post on the platform since July 2018.

Reunion rumors have been floating around for months. Back in March, Brooke and Jane teased the idea during an interview at the 2024 Billboard Women in Music event.

“We’ll see… we’re not sure,” Brooke said when asked about a reunion. Jane added, “I love that our fans can reminisce on such good times and I love that we’re getting the credit again. Our music was very impactful at the time and I feel like it was kind of overlooked, to be honest. So now that it’s reviving again on its own it just shows our music speaks for itself.”

Fifth Harmony first came together on the second season of the U.S. version of The X Factor in 2012 and found success with their debut album, Reflection, and hits like “Worth It” and “Work From Home” (featuring Ty Dolla $ign), the latter of which hit No. 4 on the Hot 100 in 2016.

Fifth Harmony eventually went on hiatus in 2018 to focus on solo projects. Since then, each member has explored their own path, but as Brooke hinted in a 2023 interview with Billboard, the door to a reunion has always been open.

“We’re women now and we have grown so much and we have done our own thing, gone our own ways and gone our own path. And now we’re together in a different light,” the singer said. “I’m trying to reunite with them, so I think some sort of reunion may happen.”