DEMI LOVATO: Pronouns Matter
Demi Lovato went on record as saying that words do matter back in May — using social media to announce that they no longer wanted to be addressed as “she” or “her.”
Demi sent an instagram video saying, “Today is a day I’m so happy to share more of my life with you all — I am proud to let you know that I identify as non-binary and will officially be changing my pronouns to they/them moving forward. This has come after a lot of healing and self-reflective work. I’m still learning and coming into myself. I don’t claim to be an expert or a spokesperson. Sharing this with you now opens another level of vulnerability for me.”
HALSEY: Welcomes First Baby Boy
Halsey and boyfriend Alev Aydin officially welcomed their first baby on July 14th and then shared the first photo of little Ender Ridley Aydin. The star shared the news, but, not surprisingly, did not mention the baby’s gender at first. They captioned the Instagram photo “Gratitude. For the most “rare” and euphoric birth. Powered by love.”
Halsey would go on to document the pregnancy, among other things, on the experimental and confessional album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power — which they’d also turn into a feature film.
KELLY CLARKSON: Divorce Gets Uglier
America’s Sweetheart hasn’t been so sweet in her court battle with estranged hubby Brandon Blackstock. Though she actually filed for divorce in the summer of 2020, she took things to another level this summer and fall, asking for and getting full control of her $10 million ranch in Montana, which Blackstock wanted given to him. Kel also stuck the knife in through song, releasing a pointed holiday song called “Christmas Isn’t Canceled (Just You).”
R. KELLY: Convicted on Sex Abuse Charges
A federal jury in New York convicted R. Kelly on all nine counts in his sex-abuse trial. He was actually charged with racketeering and violations of the Mann Act in connection with his sexual conduct. Numerous witnesses gave graphic accounts of sexual abuse and violence, with most incidents occurring when the victims were younger than 18. Kelly faces up to life in prison.
TAYLOR SWIFT: Painting the World Red
Taylor Swift would outdo herself in setting records with the release of Red (Taylor’s Version), her most successful re-recording to date. She broke her own streaming record by racking up 90 million streams within 24 hours of the album’s release, then launched to the top of the album chart.
A few weeks later, her much-anticipated 10-minute version of “All Too Well” notched a number of records, including longest number-one single of all time, outdoing the old champ, Don McLean‘s “American Pie,” which had held the title for a full 50 years.
SHAWN MENDES, CAMILA CABELLO: Splitsville!
Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello ended their two-year romance this fall, but they didn’t have a big blowout before breaking up — they just learned that all work and no play left no room for romance.
A source close to both stars told People magazine that the pandemic let them focus totally on the relationship, but now that’s no longer the case. The insider said, “They had this intense relationship last year and spent months together during the lockdown in Miami. They both seemed very happy and looked like they enjoyed having a break from working. Things are different now, though. They went from spending every day together to now not really spending any time together.”
They promised to remain friends and said their “love for one another as humans is stronger than ever.” Oh, and Camila got custody of their rescue dog, Tarzan.
THE WEEEKND: Biggest Hit of All-Time
The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” isn’t just a catchy tune — it’s officially the biggest single of all time. Billboard crowned the Canadian star in October, knocking Chubby Checker‘s “The Twist” off its throne. “Blinding Lights” spent 90 weeks in the charts, setting records for most weeks in the Top 5 of the chart (43), Top 10 (57 weeks) and Top 40 (86 weeks).
BRITNEY SPEARS: She’s Free!
The #FreeBritney movement went mainstream back in February with the release of the tell-all documentary Framing Britney Spears. Britney was finally allowed to choose her own lawyer a few months later, and new attorney Mathew Rosengart went head-on at dad Jamie Spears in an effort to end her conservatorship.
After several tense court hearings that aired charges of bugging Brit’s home, medicating her against her will and tapping her phone, a California judge granted the singer control of her own life in November, ending 13 years under her family’s thumb.
ADELE: Returns as a Chart-Topper
Adele returned in 2021 after six years away and proved that she’s still one of the most popular artists alive. Her first single from 30, “Easy on Me,” debuted at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent five weeks on top. And 30 sold 692,000 copies in its opening week, which was the biggest pure sales week of the year and made it the best-selling album of 2021. With streaming figures added in, 30 earned 839,000 equivalent album units in the U.S., which was the biggest week of the year and landed it at number-one on the Billboard 200.
She held onto the headlines the coming week by announcing that she planned to kick off 2022 with a Las Vegas residency that’s turned out to be one of the hottest tickets in the land.
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