Pop Base: Katy Perry's Vanguard Performance, Halsey and Avan Jogia's Engagement, Charli xcx's Remix Album, and More!

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Katy Perry Performs 10-song Medley as VMAs Vanguard

At the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, Katy Perry was the centre of attention as she took to the stage. She delivered an unforgettable performance, featuring a 10-song medley that had Taylor Swift in awe. Suspended high above the stage, Perry kicked off her set with renditions of hits ‘Dark Horse’ and ‘E.T.’ while floating across the stage with the help of wires. 

The crowd and viewers at home were treated to a special live debut of Perry’s latest single, ‘I’m His, He’s Mine,’ featuring Doechii and a sample from Crystal Waters’ house classic, ‘Gypsy Women (La Da Dee La Da Da)’. As the performance continued, Perry kept the energy high with crowd-pleasers such as ‘California Gurls’ and ‘Teenage Dream’, accompanied by a group of dancers adorned in futuristic silver ensembles. 

Transitioning to her breakout hit ‘I Kissed A Girl’, Perry then surprised audiences by donning inflatable metallic butterfly wings for a rendition of her power ballad ‘Firework’ before closing the show with ‘Lifetimes’, the second single from her upcoming album 143. 

Orlando Bloom, Perry’s partner, introduced the pop-star and presented her with the prestigious Video Vanguard award. As she accepted the award, Perry humorously remarked, ‘I did this all on the first day of my period’, before expressing her gratitude to MTV for embracing her artistry. She also took a moment to acknowledge the unwavering support she has received from the LGBT community and gave a special shout-out to Bloom and their daughter, Daisy. 

Halsey and Avan Jogia Announce Engagement

It looks like wedding bells are set to be ringing, as Halsey confirmed their engagement to Avan Jogia following the 2024 VMAs.

Halsey, who was one of the performers at this year’s VMAs, hinted at the news when speaking with E! News ahead of the show. "I hope so. Avan is the best," she gushed. "He's one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. And every single day that I get to spend with him is one where I just feel like I'm with my best friend."

Halsey and Avan Jogia initially ignited speculation regarding their engagement during the summer, when they were spotted enjoying a sunlit picnic in New York City. While neither party confirmed what had happened at the time, Halsey was seen wearing a new ring on her engagement finger. 

The pair first confirmed their relationship last Autumn, most know Jogia from his starring role in Nickelodeon’s Victorious. Alongside being an actor and a director, Jogia makes music alongside his brother as part of the band Saint Ivory. 

Charli xcx Announces ‘Brat’ Remix Album, Featuring Fifteen Unheard Tracks 

Charli XCX has revealed that she will be releasing an entirely new "Brat," described as "a brand new version" of her work, which is anticipated to be a remix album set to launch on October 11.

Titled "Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat," this project will feature a total of 16 tracks, including five remixes that have already been released from the original album.

While the titles of the remaining 11 songs have yet to be disclosed, the album will include collaborations such as “360” with Robyn and Yung Lean, “Von dutch” featuring Addison Rae, “Girl, so confusing” with Lorde, “Guess” alongside Billie Eilish, and “Talk talk” with Troye Sivan, the latter of which was announced earlier this week and released concurrently with this news.

Charli and Sivan’s ‘Sweat’ tour is set to start tomorrow, taking the pair across arenas in North America, including stops at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on September 23rd and Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on October 15th. 

New Music Friday

Call her a model, actress or whatever. Suki Waterhouse has released her second album Memoir of a Sparklemuffin. It’s good to know that a “Sparklemuffin” is a colorful breed of spider found in Australia that dances, apparently. The singer deemed the album’s name a “metaphor for the dance of life we’re all in” and she delivers pretty well on that statement. The record is abundantly fun, and plentiful of Waterhouse’s best.

Charli xcx and Troye Sivan are together yet again, this time for the “Talk Talk” remix. It’s much different than the original song, but it’s still fun even so. We’re never against these two getting together to rework a chorus or anything. And Dua Lipa’s also here, though not in the most conventional way – we’ll leave it up to you to figure out what we mean by that.

While we’re speaking of remixes, Dombresky remixed Taylor Swift’s “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.” This is great fun and amusing as the original.

Shawn Mendes released another single from his upcoming album Shawn. “Nobody Knows” is one more further acoustic endeavor from the singer, and we really like it. Mendes is getting vulnerable as ever. We’re actually pretty excited for this album. Out October 18.

FKA Twigs is back with the release of single “Eusexua” which also happens to be the name of her forthcoming album. The singer described the term as “a state of being.” This song is totally stunning, and strikingly clear-cut of Twigs’ creative skills. She’s a brilliant artist and this track proves it all the more.

Tate McRae released “it’s ok I’m ok” after teasing it at this week’s MTV Video Music Awards. The song’s release is accompanied by a pretty fun music video with lots of glorious choreography the singer is known for.

In her medley of hits at the VMAs while accepting the highly respected Vanguard award, Katy Perry performed “I’M HIS, HE’S MINE” with Doechii. She released the song in its entirety today. It definitely has a compelling chorus that we’ve already found ourselves humming over again already.

Keshi released his new album Requiem, and from it, the single “Soft Spot.” This song and record has really nice production beneath the singer’s quiet and wondrous voice. We certainly recommend giving it a listen.

And to end this week, we have a pretty exciting comeback to music’s front-center stage. “Dancing In The Flames” is the newest single from singer The Weeknd, and it’s also our favorite release this week. The song is from his next album Hurry Up Tomorrow, which supposedly completes the After Hours trilogy, and it’s a synth pop wonderment. We’re curious about how he’s going to end this grand narrative.

—Dawson Therre

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ICYMI:

• Margot Robbie has praised Jacob Elordi in her interview with Harpers Bazaar. She states, ‘He’s a movie star — he’s got that charisma. He holds a frame. He’s also really lovely and from the same state that I’m from in Australia.’

• Chappell Roan has named Lady Gaga’s ‘Alejandro’ as the music video that changed her life at the VMAs.

• New teasers have been revealed for Wicked, showcasing Ariana Grande as Glinda.

• Wicked Part 2 is scheduled for a November 21st 2025 release date.

• Elizabeth Olsen has said that she is ‘open to returning’ to her Marvel role as Wanda Maximoff, but only if she is ‘used well’.

• Lady Gaga has once more reached a new peak on Spotify, with over 90 million monthly listeners, surpassing Coldplay, making her the 5th most-streamed artist in the world.

• Cardi B has welcomed her third child with rapper Offset.

• Jack Harlow interviewed Doja Cat for Present Space, talking about her musical process and what’s coming for her both musically and personally.

• Dua Lipa has announced the Radical Optimism World Tour, with dates in the United States, Europe, the UK, and Australia. The tour kicks off in March 2025 and continues through to October.