Halsey
Getty Images for dcpIn her fourth SNL appearance as musical guest, Halsey was joined onstage by singer-guitarist Lindsey Buckingham for a stunning performance of “Darling” — an acoustic ballad from the singer’s latest album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power.
Halsey also delivered a fiery performance of their lead single “I Am Not A Woman, I’m A God.” In it, she commanded the stage in a leather bodysuit against a futuristic backdrop.
Halsey has frequented SNL the past few years. She pulled double duty as host and musical guest back in 2019, becoming the 38th entertainer to handle both roles. The singer made their SNL debut in 2018 performing the single “Bad At Love” from her sophomore album Hopeless Fountain Kingdom. Then, G-Eazy joined them onstage for “Him & I” from the rapper’s fifth studio album The Beautiful & The Damned.
The singer released her third studio album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power in August. Produced by Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the LP chronicles the beauty and pain of motherhood. “The idea that me as a sexual being and my body as a vessel and gift to my child are two concepts that can co-exist peacefully and powerfully,” they said of the record on Instagram.
Alongside the record, Halsey also shared an hour-long IMAX movie, which grossed nearly $1 million at the box office during its limited theatrical release in August. The concept film, described as an “evocative, horror-tinged fairytale,” will be available to stream via HBO Max starting October 7.
The world leader, who has repeatedly faced criticism for featuring songs from artists who do not want their music connected to his political views, shared a viral clip of We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love) that focused on the lyric: “Me and my truth we sit in silence.”
The footage shows Trump at a rally while the statement “Men can’t have babies and should never compete in women’s sports” appears on screen.
The Team Trump TikTok account posted the video with the caption: “This shouldn’t be controversial! #trump #arianagrande #maga.”
Ariana responded in a comment that was later removed, saying: “Never use my music again. Also, your truth is false.”
Trump has a well known record of opposing transgender rights, and the US Supreme Court recently ruled that states can prohibit transgender women from taking part in women’s sports. In a 6 to 3 ruling, the justices determined that such laws do not breach Title IX or the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
The decision in June came after several other actions by the Trump administration involving transgender policies. Earlier in May, the Supreme Court also permitted the administration to continue with its “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness” order, which would prevent transgender individuals from serving in the US military.
Ariana’s statement arrived soon after Taylor Swift also took steps to stop Trump from using her music on TikTok. Trump had featured a number of her songs in his social media posts, including a video of him and his wife Lady Melania Trump watching fireworks accompanied by August.
The song was later taken off the post and replaced by a notice that read: “This sound isn’t available.”
Trump appeared to deliberately select Taylor’s track, adding the message: “I’m sure @Taylor Swift is going to be super excited we used her song!”
He also responded to the Team Trump video with: “Mood because it’s August and Donald Trump is your president.”
Other Taylor Swift songs that were removed from Trump’s TikTok content included The Fate of Ophelia and Father Figure.
Trump previously made headlines when he wrote “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” on Truth Social after the singer publicly announced that she planned to support Kamala Harris in the previous presidential election.
