Nicki Minaj is stepping back from social media following her recent guest appearance at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest.

As of Wednesday (Dec. 24), the 43-year-old rap superstar had deactivated her Instagram account amid backlash after sitting down with Erika Kirk, the wife of right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk, for an interview in Phoenix on Dec. 21. Visitors to the account now see the message, “Sorry, this page isn’t available.”

Billboard has reached out to Minaj’s representatives for comment.

During the interview, Minaj praised both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, calling them “amazing role models” before awkwardly referring to Vance as an “assassin.”

“Dear young men, you have amazing role models like our handsome, dashing president and you have amazing role models like the assassin JD Vance, our vice president,” she said, quickly realizing the mistake. (Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on Sept. 10 in what Utah Gov. Spencer Cox described as a “political assassination.”)

Erika immediately reassured Minaj after the slip-up. “Trust me, there’s nothing new under the sun that I have not heard. So you’re fine,” she said. “I love you.”

After the interview, Amber Rose defended Minaj against claims that her support for Trump could alienate the LGBTQ+ community.

“She didn’t say anything wrong,” Rose told TMZ. “She didn’t say anything about the LGBTQ+ community at all. Why do people think anyone over there is homophobic? I’m not homophobic, my assistant has been with me for 11 years; he’s Black and gay. I have a bunch of trans friend — so does Nicki.”

Vance also credited Minaj for a point she made during the conversation with Erika, noting that uplifting one community doesn’t mean putting down another.

“Nicki Minaj said something at Amfest that was really profound. I’m paraphrasing, but she said, ‘just because I want little black girls to think they’re beautiful doesn’t mean I need to put down little girls with blonde hair and blue eyes,” the VP wrote on X.

In addition to her appearance at AmericaFest, Minaj has become more politically outspoken in recent months. She voiced opposition to the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria, which led to her speaking at a United Nations event in November.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Disney Parks is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Magical Christmas Day Parade, and everyone’s invited, even those without tickets.

Yes, you and your family are invited to this holiday shindig, regardless of where you are in the world, because the event will be available to stream. The cherished holiday parade will be airing on Christmas morning at 10 a.m. ET, 9 a.m. CT, and 5 a.m. MT and PT via ABC. If you happen to miss out on the festivities in favor of opening presents, not to fret. You can still catch the show through Jan 4. Streaming starts at 11 a.m. ET on Disney+ and Hulu on Dec 25.

Alfonso Ribeiro, known for his role in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, will be hosting the event for the second year, joined by Ginnifer Goodwin, the voice of everyone’s favorite bunny cop in Disney’s Zootopia and Zootopia 2. Musical guests will include Gwen Stefani, Nicole Scherzinger, Mariah the Scientist, Coco Jones and Bebe Rexha. Each musician will be singing their own rendition of classic Christmas tunes, from “White Christmas” to “Winter Wonderland.”

If you’re looking to celebrate the holiday season with Disney, we’re going to show you how you can tune in to the parade for free. Keep reading to find out more.

How to Watch Disney Park’s 2025 Holiday Parade for Free

Once again, Disney Park’s 2025 Holiday Parade will be airing on Christmas at 10 a.m. ET, 9 a.m. CT, and 5 a.m. MT and PT via ABC.

If you’re looking to watch the special through ABC, consider DIRECTV. All of DIRECTV‘s packages include access to ABC. However, we’d suggest the ENTERTAINMENT package. The package is currently on sale for $49.99 a month, down from $89.99 a month. This package is for those looking to tap into a slew of entertainment-based channels. If you’re unsure about committing to a new subscription, you can simply try the service out for free for five days, which will give you plenty of time to watch the parade before canceling.

With your subscription, users will gain access to live TV, local networks such as NBC, CBS and PBS, and you can also watch various entertainment networks, including AMC, Bravo, E!, FX, FXX, Freeform, HGTV, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime and Paramount Network. That’s more than 90-plus channels that you can tap into with the touch of a button.

Another way to watch the holiday parade via ABC is on Fubo, which has a weeklong free trial available here. This will give you access to the Disney parade the morning of. Fubo’s package includes a free DVR so you record the broadcast to watch all the performances back on-demand. Continue with one of Fubo’s streaming deals or cancel before your free trial is up to avoid being charged. See details here.

Sling Blue is one of the easier ways to watch the Christmas special and costs $45.99 a month. Sling Blue includes 40+ channels beyond ABC including Fox News, CNN, TNT, NFL Network, Bravo, FOX News and more. With your subscription, you’ll have access to the holiday special, along with all the live sports and news you could ever want. Unfortunately, Sling Blue does not have a free trial option.

If you don’t have cable, a great way to catch the parade is via the Disney+ and Hulu bundle. As mentioned, the parade will begin streaming at 11 a.m. ET. This way, you can catch the parade anytime after opening presents. Instead of getting one of two streaming services, you can bundle Hulu with Disney+ for $12.99/month. These Disney+ bundles save users on average 44% per month. Think of it this way: A standalone subscription to Hulu and or Disney+ with ads is 11.99 a month, which is basically the cost of a bundle. You’re getting more bang for your buck by bundling because it gives you access to a wider variety of streaming services all in one place.

Subscribers will have access to a wide range of Disney+ and Hulu titles, including movies and series from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic along with Hulu Originals. Some of our favorites currently, perfect for getting you into the Christmas mood, include Elf, Die Hard and The Polar Express. If it’s too early to jingle bells, you can always tap into other content, including The Simpsons, Elio, Dancing With the Stars and the Glen Powell football comedy Chad Powers.

Despite the resounding success of its film and soundtrack, KPop Demon Hunters faced a tricky challenge since its breakout: translating a fantastical, animated musical world into the human reality of a concert stage.

A longtime K-pop veteran as a member of boy band U-KISS and one of the voices for the Saja Boys, Kevin Woo found the answer was — and has always been — to keep showing up.

After recording as Mystery Saja in KPop Demon Hunters‘ supervillain singing sensation Saja Boys, the star experienced unprecedented chart feats (“Soda Pop” and “Your Idol” peaked within the top 5 during the same week on the Billboard Hot 100) and earned exponential spikes in streaming (his Spotify page currently boasts 21 million monthly listeners with 1 billion streams in 2025 alone).

To close out 2025, the California native transformed his role in the viral film and soundtrack into accelerated career momentum, culminating in a new record deal and his most visible stateside moments yet.

“After KPop Demon Hunters, I think my Spotify monthly listeners went from 10,000 to 2 million overnight,” he recalls backstage at the New York stop of iHeartRadio’s 2025 Jingle Ball tour. The attention turned into offers, but Woo says he was intentional about his next step. Drawing on a small but solid number of solo releases like 2021’s “Got It” (produced by Ariana Grande and XG collaborator Shintaro Yasuda) and “Deja Vu” from this year (crafted with go-to K-pop crossover creatives Aiden Lewis and Vanessa Jefferson), Kevin built a team with new manager Gary Marella of Mono Group Music, whose clientele includes Timbaland, Ron Fair and ATL Jacob.

They met with prospective partners over several months and ultimately felt seen in a Los Angeles meeting with Atlantic Music Group’s 10K Projects.

“The chemistry was there,” he said of meeting Elliot Grange, the label’s CEO, who brought his independent label under the Atlantic umbrella last year. “He already knew about me, which was so flattering. He was like, ‘Huge congratulations, you are killing it, and we want more voices and faces like you in our label.’ And he really understood diversity with music — he just gets it. And  then in that moment, I just felt like it was the right move.”

With nearly two decades of working in global entertainment, the connection “felt like a reward at the end of a lot of hard work that I put into my artistry and my craft.”

After being discovered at age 15 and moving to South Korea for K-pop training, Woo debuted in the mid-2000s and ultimately stayed with boy band U-KISS for nine years, until 2017, when the band’s music releases slowed, and he began gaining traction in hosting and television roles.

Beyond K-pop, he performed in musical theater across the globe, joining different musicals in Korea and making his Broadway debut in 2022’s KPOP, all while pursuing music in the States.

KPop Demon Hunters isn’t even the only movie project the 34-year-old has lined up after his short film Seoul Switch (which was released worldwide on YouTube earlier this year after securing Margaret Cho as an executive producer for a full project), the Tubi movie Death Name (which comes to the service on Jan. 9, 2026) and the upcoming Anderson .Paak–directed K-Pops! (hitting theaters early next year).

The 10K deal has accelerated Woo’s creative pipeline. He has an abundance of material ready to go (“15, 16 songs that I already have written”) along with studio time with Dem Jointz (the hitmaker on board for the K-Pops! soundtrack and crafted multiple cuts on recent albums for Eminem, NCT 127 and JENNIE of BLACKPINK). Woo says he’ll pick a lead single early next year and align that release with his accompanying promotional cycle for K-Pops! “After new music, I’m definitely planning a tour — and not just a U.S. tour, I want to do a world tour.”

But before embarking on his own global trek, Kevin warmed up in arenas across the States by leading Jingle Balls’ “sing-a-long moment” for KPop Demon Hunters across coasts from New York City’s Madison Square Garden to the Intuit Dome in the Los Angeles area.

Ahead of hitting MSG, Woo made a surprise performance on Dec. 11 to close the “A Year in TIME” event, where the magazine honored KPop Demon Hunters as Breakthrough of the Year.  ”It was such a nerve-racking moment for me,” he says of the affair also attended by HUNTR/X singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, and his fellow Saja Boy vocalist Danny Chung. “ It was filled with so many important people like the head of YouTube, the CEO of TIME, Leonardo DiCaprio, LL Cool J, just to name a few. It was a different energy in the room, but I really wanted to show the energy of the movie and the performance element to K-pop. So, it was such a huge honor for me to perform at that and it was even more special because HUNTR/X was there in the crowd because they performed ‘Golden’ at the beginning of the event. For them to hold the Saja Boys’ and HUNTR/X’s lightsticks and support me performing ‘Soda pop’ was such a surreal moment — it felt like it was a scene right out from the movie,” adding with an inside joke for KDH superfans, “ But I don’t know if the HUNTR/X girls were rooting for me or if they were booing me…”

Kevin also performed a midday set at the pre-Jingle Ball bash for the Z100 All Access Lounge at the Hammerstein Ballroom, spotting fans waiting in line since 7:00 a.m.

“New York is on another level, it’s crazy,” he adds. “This whole Jingle Ball experience has been so amazing and I’ve looked up to so many artists who perform at Jingle Ball. I’ve always wanted to attend, but it’s my first time coming to the show and also performing. It has a double meaning for me this year, meeting the fans of KPop Demon Hunters and K-pop in general. They’ve just been so supportive and enthusiastic; they’ve been singing to every lyric at every stop of this tour and for me to present the sing-a-long and also perform along with the crowd has been a huge honor to be that person on behalf of the whole cast.”

MSG was the setting of Woo’s first-ever arena performance in the U.S. when he took the stage at KCON 2019, but he says Jingle Ball truly marks how much K-pop has grown. “Now to see K-pop blow up on another level has just been such a joy for me, being from the world of K-pop. I’ve been sharing this stage with my peers like Jackson Wang, JO1, A2O MAY, GIRLSET, and, today, Monsta X. So, a lot of K-pop peers and I love the melting pot of different cultures and genres at Jingle Ball. I love that we’re diversifying here.”

A throughline across all of Woo’s work has been the star’s persistence and push: working to hone one’s craft, relationships, and timing to all align around a project that cuts through the culture and ultimately manifests new career highs nearly 20 years in the game. As Kevin gears up for even more in 2026, read on for his final reflections on the year including favorite songs, albums, concerts and his reactions to KPop Demon Hunters‘ success on the year-end Billboard charts.

Billboard: I want to get your reactions to some of your rankings on Billboard‘s year-end charts because the KPop Demon Hunters landed at No. 13 on the 2025 Billboard 200 Albums chart.

Kevin Woo: Oh my God. I just got a goosebump. I think I need more time to process, but oh my God, we made that much of an impact? I mean this was a movie and for the soundtrack of a film to translate to the Billboard charts, I still think I’m still in awe.

On the year-end Hot 100 Songs chart, “Soda Pop” landed at No. 61 and “Your Idol” is No. 54. Do you have any feelings about why America was so into “Your Idol”?

That’s insane. In the movie, and also the music itself, it is just so intriguing. It immediately draws you in from the intro of the song; it’s just so dark and mysterious. I feel like because there are rock elements to it mixed in with K-pop, pop, dance, and a little bit of like electronic too — it’s like a little bit of everything. And I know the audiences in North America really like those kind of like hard bangers and I feel like that translated very well, and even more so than “Soda Pop.” But I know “Soda Pop” did well globally.

Google released their “Year in Search” report and “Soda Pop” had the world’s 10th-most Googled lyrics, the only song from KPop Demon Hunters to make the top 10. Why do you think so many people wanted to find the lyrics to “Soda Pop”?

You know what I think it is? I think it’s the younger generation who fell in love with this film. “Golden” was the anthem of this film, right? But it is such a hard song to sing. “Soda Pop” is something that everyone can sing-a-long to and easily dance to; I feel like the “Soda Pop” dance challenge actually made a bigger impact on TikTok and social media. Because “Golden” did have a dance challenge thing too, but I think “Soda Pop” was the one that was more well-received and resonated with kind of everyone globally. It was easier.

Do you have a best show you saw this year?

ATEEZ — I went to both shows at the BMO Stadium in L.A. I’ve seen them grow since debut, but it was my first time experiencing their concert in a stadium. So, that was another level. I saw Day 1 and because there were some parts that I missed because I had to go in and out of the suite, I was like, “I need to come back tomorrow to really catch everything.” Their engagement with the fans is truly outstanding — it’s something very special that I haven’t really seen with other K-pop artists.

And BLACKPINK at SoFi Stadium — The Deadline Tour was probably one of the best tours that I’ve been to. Yeah. And that’s my girl, LISA, of course, she kills it. I don’t know how she gives. It’s 120% at every show. But what I thought was so powerful about the Deadline Tour was that everyone got a moment to shine on their solo careers; every member delivered and had their own moment. For them to come back and show a little bit of their newly found, like, personas, flavors and characters; it was just so amazing to watch that all come together and then do all their throwback songs and their new song “JUMP.” Yeah, it was the full package. So, so, so proud of them. Forever proud.

Do you have a song and album of the year?

Is it biased to say, “Soda Pop”? Oh, I was [initially] more of a fan of “Your Idol,” but things change. “Soda Pop” is so infectious. When I perform it on stage, that’s my go-to song and it’s such a crowdpleaser. I end up singing “Soda Pop” in the shower every time I go back home. It’s been a year since I recorded that, but it hasn’t gotten old yet. But other than that, I do have to say the Lady Gaga album, MAYHEM, has just really been a standout album for me this year — especially seeing it at Coachella and the way she blends theater and that performance aspect to her sets are so genius. Something that only Lady Gaga can pull off. I also want outfit changes like hers one day when I’m doing a tour. So inspiring.

As for standout song, I’d have to say “like JENNIE.” That song was a banger.

Have you thought of any New Year’s resolutions for 2026?

My New Year’s resolution is to be healthy. I feel like it’s been such a busy season for the past five months and it’s only gonna get busier, so I wanna make sure that I’m taking care of myself. Also, I really want to meet the fans in person more next year. I’m planning a world tour and that’s something that’s on my 2026 bucket list.

It’s official: Air, Cassius, Daft Punk, Justice and the great Jean-Michel Jarre are pillars of French culture.

Electronic music is added to the national Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, acknowledgement that the artform is shaping France’s artistic identity.

“Electronic music has a rightful place in our national intangible heritage,” says French Culture Minister Rachida Dati, following the ministry’s labelling of clubs as “places of artistic expression and celebration”.

Special mention is given to Jean-Michel Jarre, who, in his late 20s created the masterpiece Oxygène, an album of sweeping electronic tunes, all of them made on early synthesizers, without a vocal in the mix.

Oxygène, from 1976, and the albums that came after it, including Equinoxe and Zoolook, inspired the French Touch sound which spun around the world and continues to shine.

Jarre has put the work in for decades. The former president of CISAC, the global confederation of authors societies, the composer and artist has served as a UNESCO Ambassador since 1993, a role through which he plays point on advocating for the recognition of intangible culture.

In 2021, president Emmanuel Macron presented Jarre with the French Legion of Honour, the country’s highest order of merit. On that occasion, Jarre was feted with the insignia of Commander to the Legion of Honour, recognized as the country’s highest honor, both military and civil.

“I’m glad to see that electronic music is finally taking its place within world heritage, especially after more than three decades of commitment as a UNESCO Ambassador and spokesperson for intangible culture,” says Jarre in a social post, marking this “historic milestone for electronic music.”

View this post on Instagram

Over five decades, Jarre, now 77, has presented electronic music at the grandest of stages by performing at UNESCO World Heritage sites including the Pyramids of Giza, the Forbidden City, the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, Masada, Pompeii and, most recently, Samarkand. Just last month, he played at Registan Square in Samarkand during UNESCO’s 43rd General Conference.

France might’ve birthed the electronic music movement almost 100 years ago. It was the French inventor Maurice Martenot who in 1928 unveiled the Ondes Martenot, one of the first electronic instruments, and one that is still used today by orchestras.

21 Savage banks his fifth overall – and consecutive – No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart as What Happened to the Streets? starts atop the list dated Dec. 27. The set, on Slaughter Gang/Epic Records, earned 73,000 equivalent album units in the United States for the Dec. 12-18 tracking week, according to Luminate.

What Happened to the Streets? was a semi-surprise from 21 Savage, with its official announcement on Dec. 8, four days before its release. Its track list contains features from major hip-hop stars including familiar collaborators Drake, Lil Baby and Metro Boomin as well as G Herbo, GloRilla and Latto.

Of the first-week total for What Happened to the Streets?, streaming activity contributed 48,000 units, representing 65.8 million official on-demand audio and video streams of the album’s songs. 25,000 units came from traditional album sales, while a negligible amount of track-equivalent album units. (One unit equals the following levels of consumption: one album sale, 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 1,250 paid/subscription tier or 3,750 ad-supported tier of official on-demand audio and video streams for a song on the album.)

With his new album, 21 Savage achieves his fifth No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, encompassing his last five appearances on the list for a streak-extending stretch. He first ruled with I Am > I Was, a two-week leader in January 2019, returned to the summit via collaborative projects with Metro Boomin (Savage Mode II, a one-week leader in October 2020) and Drake (Her Loss – four weeks on top in November – December 2022), and logged the three-week solo champ American Dream in January-February 2024.

Elsewhere, What Happened to the Streets? arrives as 21 Savage’s sixth No. 1 on the Top Rap Albums chart and at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200.

In addition to the album’s win, 13 of its tracks crash onto the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, led by the Drake teamup “Mr Recoup” at No. 4. Its entrance secures 21 Savage’s 37th top 10 on the ranking, while Drake extends his all-time record to 143 in the top tier.

Here’s a review of the What Happened to the Streets? track placements on this week’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart:

No. 4, “Mr Recoup,” with Drake
No. 11, “HA”
No. 14, “Where You From”
No. 15, “Stepbrothers,” with Young Nudy
No. 16, “Dog $hit,” with GloRilla
No. 22, “Pop It,” with Latto
No. 24, “Code of Honor,” with G Herbo
No. 26, “J.O.W.Y.H (JUMP OUT)”
No. 30, “Cup Full”
No. 31, “I Wish,” with Jawan Harris
No. 34, “Gang Over Everything,” with Metro Boomin
No. 35, “Atlanta Tears,” with Lil Baby
No. 48, “Halftime Interlude”