TMZ.com

Shakira's all about that single life ... straight-up saying being married weighed her down, and put a damper on her music career.

The Colombian singer was with soccer player Gerard Piqué for 11 years before they separated in 2022 amid infidelity rumors ... and she told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 that with Gerard outta the picture, she's now got a compulsive urge to work and make music like never before.

Shakira's singledom ain't all sunshine and rainbows though ... she's also keeping it real about the challenges of being a single parent to her sons, 11-year-old Milan and 9-year-old Sasha.

The "Hips Don't Lie" queen, who made the move from Spain to the U.S. post-split, dishes that her 2 kiddos are leaning on her big time ... and with no hubby in the picture, she's holding down the fort all by herself.

This ain't the first time Shakira's gently lashed out about how Gerard negatively impacted her career -- she also told the Sunday Times she sacrificed her music-making journey in the name of love.

But, Shakira's back in action ... after 7 long years, she's dropping her much-awaited studio album, "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran" (Women Don't Cry Anymore), this Friday!

Taylor Swift can not only rock the house, she can rock the earth itself -- something proven by the fact that her fans caused a mini earthquake last year ... which is insane.

A study was conducted by Caltech and UCLA, which monitored just how much the ground was shaking during one of Taylor's concerts in 2023 -- specifically, one of her six L.A. shows at SoFi stadium ... and as it turns out, the Swifties that day made the needle move.

Seismologist Gabrielle Tepp -- who oversaw this study -- says data shows that her Aug. 5 "Eras" concert, which hosted upwards of 70,000 fans, registered notable seismic activity.

Tepp and co. monitored each song from her long set list with remote stations that were within 5.6 miles of the stadium and he says their records show that her performance of "Shake It Off" clocked in at the highest point through the night, with a peak magnitude of 0.851.

He notes that the seismic stations recording this were capturing the dancing and jumping going on from fans -- and the reverberations from the music itself isn't included in this. Tepp says her performance of "Love Story" that night also left a notable impression on the meter.

All in all, Tepp says the L.A. show movement caused tremors that equated to a magnitude-2 earthquake -- which is relatively small ... but still pretty impressive from the Taylor fan base!

Her Seattle fans reportedly caused similar waves earlier last summer as well ... earthquake levels.

Jimmie Allen's estranged wife is breaking her silence, saying lies can't remain secret forever -- a very thinly veiled reference to the country singer announcing he's had 2 more kids with another woman.

Alexis Gale posted a video Tuesday addressing the controversy ... while making it seem pretty clear she's totally done with Jimmie amid all of the indiscretions.

Check out the video ... Alexis can't even seem to find the words at first, before laughing and telling her nearly 40k followers that lies will always catch up to you -- and actions performed in the dark will eventually see the light.

AG says she's putting her faith in God, and says she's done talking specifically about her situation with Jimmie ... but couldn't help saying people will always expose their true colors given long enough.

Gale ended on a positive note ... explaining she planned on getting on with both her day and her life it seems without giving Jimmie's newborn twins another thought.

That being said, on Wednesday she posted text reading, "character is who you are when no one's watching." Now who could she be talking about??? 🤔

ICYMI ... the country singer shared photos of ALL his kids Tuesday -- including a pic of the twins who were born to a different woman last year.

While the kids were born during divorce proceedings between Jimmie and Alexis, they were seemingly conceived before he and Alexis announced their separation.

He apologized to Alexis last May, basically saying he was sorry he embarrassed her by cheating on her, and they actually reconciled in October -- about a month after their own son Cohen was born.

The transgender woman who took a serious beating at Kanye West's Rolling Loud set last week is blasting the attack as transphobic ... while also explaining what exactly led up to it.

Blu Linares -- the 22-year-old who was seen in a wild brawl last week while Ye performed here in L.A. -- tells TMZ that she believes the violence she endured that night is directly connected to her gender identity.

She says she feels the men she sparred with singled her out for unintentionally bumping into them -- explaining that in the mosh pit-like environment, she was getting pushed around -- despite plenty of other concertgoers packed in the tight space doing the same thing.

Once she inadvertently made contact, Blu tells us the guys hurled transphobic remarks at her ... while trying to paint her as the aggressor when they were the ones to pounce first.

Blu shows us some of the injuries she suffered during the melee -- one deep gash between her eyebrows is especially bad, as you can see. Despite everything, she says she's OK.

Moving forward, Blu's planning to meet with some attorneys to weigh her options ... but also notes she most likely won't be taking any legal action. Blu emphasizes to us she wasn't the one starting the fight -- instead, she says she was being bullied and stood up for herself.

You'll recall ... Kanye West's set at Rolling Loud descended into a violent mosh pit, with Blu bloodied and battered in the midst of it all. While she got thrashed, she also held her own.

Some *NSYNC fans think all the other guys are at Justin Timberlake's beck and call these days amid these little mini collabs they've been doing... but Joey Fatone says that's BS.

We got the boy band singer at LAX on Monday and asked him all about their recent gig with JT in L.A. amid his latest album drop -- where there's a song that features *NSYNC, serving as just the latest team-up they've done in the studio ... with fans wanting the real thing.

Of course, our photog asked about the prospect of a proper reunion for *NSYNC ... and Joey gave us the standard line of not-now-but-maybe-one-day, which we've heard for months.

Basically ... Joey says everyone's busy, so there's no official coming-together happening in the near future -- but does acknowledge that if they were to get in the studio again for brand new music in 2024, it'd probably sound something very much like their new track "Paradise."

He also says that *NSYNC doesn't mind coming together for JT when they can. Although, when our camera guy asked if they're on call for Justin these days -- as some online have suggested -- he shot that notion down entirely ... saying that's not the dynamic here.

Joey tells us he understands why some might draw that conclusion -- remember, not only did *NSYNC cameo on JT's new album, but did the same for his new 'Trolls' movie too -- he assures us that the group has turned down Justin's requests before ... many times, in fact.

As our camera guy puts it ... the *NSYNC guys are NOT Justin's industry booty call -- despite what some might assume. Joey makes it very clear ... they're all booked and busy in their own respective careers, so when they collaborate ... it's only 'cause it works for everyone.

Cola Boyy, the pop singer and songwriter who collaborated with the likes of The Avalanches and MGMT despite his spinal issues, passed away Sunday ... and his family is reeling from the loss.

The musician's father, Joseph Urango Jr., is now speaking to TMZ about the heartbreaking chain of events leading up to the passing of his son, a.k.a, Matthew Urango. He says it was Matthew's twin brother who made the devastating discovery -- he'd gone to check on Cola in bed and found he wasn't breathing.

Joseph says paramedics were called, but it was, tragically, too late and Cola Boyy was pronounced dead at the scene.

We're told CB was on oxygen while at home, and he was still hooked up to it when his brother found him.

His family believes his passing was related to his health issues. IYDK, Cola Boyy was born with spina bifida, scoliosis, and kyphosis, but he never let his health hold him back ... proudly referring to himself as the "disabled disco innovator."

The coroner is now investigating to determine the cause of death.

Joseph emphasized the magnitude of losing his son ... adding he had a deep love for his fans, bandmates, and especially his family.

Cola Boyy's label, Record Makers, was first to announce his passing, describing him in their tribute as "quite a soul, a man with no age, a childlike spirit with the musicality of an old legend."

He had an undeniable stage presence right from the start when he began releasing music in 2018. He had also just wrapped up work on his next album and was gearing up to share it with the world this summer.

Most importantly, Cola Boyy was a trailblazer for disability-rights advocacy ... telling TMRW Magazine society wanted disabled people to be timid and docile, which at times weighed him down but never stopped him from achieving his dreams.

He was 34.

New Beyoncé music is coming at the end of the month -- and based on what she's describing in terms of possible features ... a lot of folks think Taylor Swift will appear.

The singer made a big announcement Tuesday -- dropping the release date for her forthcoming album, "Cowboy Carter," as March 29 ... and adding a lengthy caption to describe the process that went into making this one.

She starts out by thanking everyone for blowing up her two new singles -- "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages" -- and goes on to say she's excited to trot out this new era of hers.

Bey writes, "This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive."

She also notes she faced criticism when she first broached the country music scene -- something that was well-documented at the time with her track "Daddy Lessons."

With all that, Beyoncé says this ... "I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect. I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound."

She finishes by saying "Cowboy Carter" isn't a country album, but rather ... a Beyoncé album -- which is obviously exciting, but her suggesting some legendary acts are on this project has seriously piqued people's curiosity ... including the Swifties.

Fact is ... a Beyonce and Taylor collab would be one the biggest musical team-ups in recent memory -- and the fact that Taylor got her start in country isn't lost on anyone either.

Plus, we know T-Swift and Bey are already friendly -- having attended the other's respective movie premieres last year ... so we know for a fact they respect and support each other.

Also, remember ... music producer Killah B -- who came up with the beat for "Texas Hold 'Em" -- played coy with us when we asked him point blank if there was a possibility Taylor might appear on this record of Bey's. Worth noting ... he didn't outright deny it at the time.

Bruno Mars doesn't owe millions in gambling debt to MGM Resorts -- despite what a recent report claimed ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for MGM Resorts International tells TMZ ... the singer doesn't have a $50 million gambling tab on the books with them -- even though some recently alleged the opposite. Instead, MGM came to Bruno's defense ... calling the allegation he owes a massive sum completely false.

In fact, the Las Vegas hot spot is super excited to collaborate with the Grammy winner again in the future -- not exactly the tone someone would take with a dude who's got a fat bill.

They add ... "We’re proud of our relationship with Bruno Mars, one of the world’s most thrilling and dynamic performers. From his shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM to the new Pinky Ring lounge at Bellagio, Bruno’s brand of entertainment attracts visitors from around the globe. MGM and Bruno's partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect. Any speculation otherwise is completely false; he has no debt with MGM. Together, we are excited to continue creating unforgettable experiences for our guests."

This update comes shortly after a report began circulating this past week that claimed MGM basically owned Bruno over an alleged gambling bill that was worth tens of millions. While Bruno has yet to address the gossip, MGM made it clear that there is nothing shady about their business relationship. BTW, Bruno's got an upcoming residency there at the resort.

Bruno previously opened up to James Corden in 2016 about being a card shark before hitting worldwide fame. In a "Carpool Karaoke" appearance on 'The Late Late Show,' he explained that he used to play poker to help pay his rent in L.A. ... so the dude does like to gamble.

Alicia Keys and Roc Nation came to the rescue of a 7th grader who's raising money for an NYC school's performing arts program ... and she's a lot closer to doing that now.

12-year-old Tennyson Artigliere got a huge boost from Alicia and co. to help out a GoFundMe she started in an attempt to keep the Professional Performing Arts School main program alive and kicking ... this amid budget cuts that threaten to close it for good.

The kid had a high goal of $102,000 -- which would help keep the Performing Arts Program open -- even if only for a little bit longer. Alicia -- who attended the school -- caught wind of the fundraiser, along with the rapper's entertainment company, and decided to intervene ... chipping in a whopping $60,000 toward her goal.

Alicia and Roc Nation's contribution adds to money they'd already raised ... around $50k.

Alicia and Roc Nation aren't stopping there -- as they have also vowed to help raise money for the program every year until the city is able to fund it themselves. Jeremy Allen White -- another alumni -- has also donated to the cause, pushing out the GFM link on his IG.

Tennyson couldn't be more grateful for the celebrity assistance, especially from such a notable alum like Alicia. Apparently, Tennyson's classmates couldn't believe it when she revealed that Alicia would be stepping in to save their performing arts program.

She added ... "We still talk about her legacy every single day."

Celine Dion is bouncing back from her debilitating health issues, posting a photo on Instagram that shows her looking strong with her three sons by her side.

On Friday night, the iconic singer uploaded the happy pic to her IG account, which captured Celine with a beaming smile, while standing with her arms around two of her sons as the third sat before them.

The siblings, Rene-Charles and twins Nelson and Eddy -- were also grinning ear to ear, seemingly indicating their mom is feeling better.

In the caption, Celine provided an update on the prognosis for her disorder, Stiff-Person Syndrome, after first recognizing that it was SPS Awareness Day.

Celine wrote that she was diagnosed with SPS in 2022 and has been trying to overcome the autoimmune disorder ever since, highlighting that it's one of the hardest experiences of her life.

But she gave hope to her millions of fans, saying that she is determined to one day return to the stage to perform and to "live as normal of a life as possible."

She also expressed deep gratitude for the love and support she has received from family members and other supporters. She ended with words of love and encouragement for anyone impacted by SPS, vowing to beat the disease together.

You may recall ... Celine was forced to pull the plug on her tour after she made a video announcement that she was suffering from SMS at the end of 2022. Her condition has prevented her from being able to perform.

However, she was met with a standing ovation last month at the Grammys when presenting Album of the Year -- an award that went to Taylor Swift.

Madonna called out a woman in a wheelchair for not standing up at one of her concerts -- and while everyone gave her s*** for it ... the lady herself really isn't sweating it.

Vanessa Gorman -- who was the woman Madge called out in Vancouver last month -- tells TMZ ... she was pretty shocked by the concert callout at Rogers Arena -- 'cause she says she was in a bright pink wheelchair and figured Madonna could see it clear as day.

She also says she initially didn't think that Madonna was talking about her when the singer asked why she wasn't standing -- but when it became clear, she was kinda star-struck ... which you can see in this video from her angle, obtained by TMZ.

Watch ... Madonna is seen singling out Vanessa -- who was seated on the floor right by the stage. While the spotlight was technically put on her, Vanessa says she was unfazed by the attention ... and responded by simply shouting her love for the singer. So, no outrage.

Looking back on the exchange, Vanessa -- who is a paraplegic from a motor vehicle accident in 1999 -- doesn't think Madonna was being mean ... defending her idol by saying it was clearly a mistake. For anyone wondering, she is absolutely not offended by the situation.

She adds ... "Some people are in wheelchairs and can stand -- she had no idea I was paralyzed."

The fan applauds Madonna for apologizing right away and into the mic so that everybody could hear it. FWIW, Vanessa says that she went on to enjoy the rest of the concert.

Unfortunately for Madge, this was just the latest headline her world tour has made in recent months. Remember, Madonna was called out by Luther Vandross' estate after the singer was mistakenly included in the AIDS tribute that plays during her performance of "Live to Tell."

Luke Bryan's Nashville bar says Riley Strain only had one drink while at their establishment last week -- denying overserving claims and other narratives that have been floated.

A rep for the TC Restaurant Group and Luke's 32 Bridge tells TMZ ... they quickly provided cops with any and all pertinent information in helping track Riley's whereabouts when he first disappeared last Friday -- including handing over all the surveillance footage they had.

They go on to say they also forked over receipts, transaction records and time stamps to prove what exactly he drank while in the building ... and as it turns out, they're saying he only purchased and was served one alcoholic drink.

In addition to the boozy beverage, Luke's 32 Bridge says Riley was also given two waters.

Despite this, they say their security team made a decision around 9:35 PM that Riley needed to go -- based on their conduct standards, they say -- and the muscle escorted him to the front of the venue ... where they say he was accompanied by one person in his party.

They also claim the dude who came downstairs with him did not exit with Riley, but instead ... returned upstairs without him. This is different than what Riley's family has said in interviews ... where his father seemed to suggest his friends had been blocked from leaving.

Ryan Gilbert, Riley's dad, told FOX17 ... "He was put out of the bar by himself, and there was a time that went by that his friend wasn’t able to get out. We believe they were taking care of the bar tab or whatnot. By the time they got outside, he just wasn’t there any longer."

On its face, it would appear the dad was putting some blame on the bar -- and even when police first relayed what had allegedly happened ... they said they'd been told Riley was overserved, something Luke's 32 Bridge is now explicitly refuting with their information.

Of course, this comes on the heels of the TABC opening an investigation into claims that the bar gave him one drink too many -- with a misdemeanor charge on the table. They made clear that it's against the law to serve someone alcohol who is visibly intoxicated.

That seems to be the lingering question here ... was Riley obviously drunk to the bar staff?

Luke himself has already addressed the tragic story in the wake of Riley's week-long disappearance -- he posted a message asking for prayers and noting his bar was cooperating with the authorities. Officials have scoured the Nashville area looking for Riley, with no luck.

Cops are asking anyone with reliable information on Riley's whereabouts to call 615-742-7463.

Kim Kardashian and Bianca Censori were once again in the same space -- as they both descended upon Kanye West's Rolling Loud set ... where young North was in the mix.

The Kardashian-West family was looking very blended and kumbaya Thursday evening, where Ye and co. were scheduled to perform at the L.A. music festival ... and where North was also set to do her thing for the 'Vultures' song she's on with her dad, called "Talking."

Just like a few days ago in San Francisco -- Kim was there for North ... rolling into the event in an SUV, where she was riding passenger ... similar to how Bianca arrived in her own car.

There's no visual evidence thus far that Kim was standing next to BC the way she was on Tuesday for the SF listening event -- where they were shoulder-to-shoulder -- but there's no doubt they were within reach of one another ... as they obviously had backstage access.

Speaking of North, she was getting the A-list treatment the whole night -- shaking hands with fans of hers (yes, including adults) with her entourage of friends behind her.

There's another video that shows North seemingly doing an interview with someone behind the scenes -- and as she's answering questions ... you can see Kim looking on not too far away. So yes, Mama Bear is keeping a watchful eye over her and Kanye's daughter.

Obviously, Ye himself is deeply invested in North right now -- she recently announced she has her own album coming out ("Elementary School Dropout") ... and we've heard she's hard at work in the studio with Kanye guiding her. Sounds like they're all taking it seriously.

It's interesting that Kim continues to show up for her daughter -- ya gotta figure she might feel somewhat conflicted over all this ... on account of Kanye's many controversies.

Despite that, however, she's out here backing up North -- and in doing so, she's rubbing shoulders with Bianca -- who's now the stepmother of all her children with Ye. There's no indication there's any bad blood between Kim and Bianca ... on its face, they're civil.

One thing we know for certain, though ... Kim definitely isn't as bold a dresser as Bianca -- and we're sure she wants to keep it that way. BC's been in some pretty wild outfits lately.

In any case ... KK and Bianca showing up near each other is becoming a regular thing -- and with North diving into music ... that's probably their reality for the foreseeable future.

Justin Timberlake hosted a star-studded listening party to celebrate the launch of his sixth studio album -- and it's safe to say the singer pulled out all the stops for the event.

Justin closed down West Hollywood hot spot Dan Tana's for the album release party, which kicked off around 8 PM with a dinner for friends, family, and, yes ... members of *NSYNC.

Justin arrived at the Italian eatery alongside his wife Jessica Biel -- with Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, and Babyface spotted as well.

But the fun didn't stop there ... as JT also invited a slew of other celeb friends to swing by after to give a listen to his new album, titled "Everything I Thought It Was." In the video, you can see Dan Tana's packed to the brim with all the notable faces there to celebrate Justin's success.

The celebration came a day after Justin's free, one-night show in L.A. ... where he reunited with his *NSYNC bandmates to debut a new collaboration featured on the new album.

As we reported ... the mini set came together quickly, as sources told us Justin asked his former bandmates on Sunday to participate in the concert. The group only had one day of rehearsal ... as they got together Tuesday to run things through before Wednesday's show.

And we're glad they did -- fans have been clamoring for a reunion ever since they appeared together at the MTV VMAs ... where they didn't perform, and simply presented an award to Taylor Swift.

Travis Kelce took a break from Taylor Swift Wednesday night, getting his groove on at Justin Timberlake's concert in Los Angeles -- where he saw a special performance by *NSYNC.

The Kansas City Chiefs star tight end popped in for the show and saw the pop group's first live performance since the 2013 VMAs.

Alongside Justin, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and Lance Bass showed off their many dance moves to all the screaming girls in the Wiltern theater audience.

Turns out Travis is a huge fan too -- it IS his era, after all. Check out this video posted by a music producer on IG showing Travis staring at the stage, looking pretty captivated by the surprise *NYSYNC reunion.

Travis got to enjoy the singers performing some of their biggest hits like "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gonna Be Me," as well as a new song, "Paradise."

Sources with knowledge tell us Travis greeted the guys in a hallway backstage after the performance.

Travis was seen leaving the Wiltern in the passenger seat of a vehicle, probably to go see his famous girlfriend at her ritzy abode.

Taylor has been taking some time off from her international "Eras" tour after her recent performances in Singapore, where Travis was right beside her.

The lovebirds then jetted back to stateside to attend Madonna's Oscars after-party in the Hollywood Hills last Sunday. While both have stayed in L.A., they haven't been seen out much with each other in the last few days.

Justin Timberlake performed in L.A. ahead of his new album -- and wouldn't you know it, the *NSYNC guys joined him onstage ... something they cooked up in record time.

The singer hit the stage Wednesday at The Wiltern, where JT did a one-night-only show to plug his album "Everything I Thought I Was," which drops Friday. Of course, the dude wanted to make a splash ...  and did exactly that by morphing into a boy band again.

Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, JC Chasez, and Chris Kirkpatrick went up with Justin for a suprrise moment in a major highlight of the night ... where they sang some *NSYNC classics.

Of course, they also belted out their new song together from Justin's album, "Paradise," so it was a blend of old and new tunes. In terms of how this came together, sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ JT called all the guys Sunday to see if they'd be down for this.

As it turns out, they absolutely were and ran through a couple rehearsals on Tuesday. The DJ portion of their mini set was more so done on the fly ... with them wanting to lean into the nostalgia, which they knew the fans would love. As you can see in these clips, they did!

Pretty cool moment, no doubt ... and it definitely generates some buzz for JT's 'EITIW.'

While some might assume these *NSYNC collabs could be a signal of more music from them to come -- we've been hearing for months now that that's not necessarily the case. We know everyone is open to doing a full-blown reunion thing ... but for now, it ain't in the cards.

Nice seeing them get together for this though!