TMZ.com

Taylor Swift may have failed to win the top spot on Billboard's Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century -- but she did come in second.

Still, Swifties are shocked Taylor didn't come in first since she seemingly has the world in the palm of her hand these days. After all, she did emerge victorious as No. 1 on Billboard's Greatest Pop Stars of 2023.

But, in 2024, Billboard placed the pop star in the number two spot above Rihanna (3), Drake (4), Lady Gaga (5), and Britney Spears (6).

9:47 AM PT -- The Weeknd won't be leaving his massive audience without new music for long ... Big Abel just popped the lid off his next album release date ... "Hurry Up Tomorrow" coming in January!!!

The Weeknd has something else he can be thankful for this holiday season ... as the superstar artist just hit another impressive career milestone!

A few days ago ... Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, had 22 songs hit 1 billion streams on Spotify ... becoming the first artist to ever obtain the mind-blowing feat.

“Lost In The Fire” was the latest needle drop to reach the milestone ... the track being The Weekend and Gesaffelstein’s second collab to achieve the 1B mark on the platform.

Machine Gun Kelly is taking time for himself before welcoming his and Megan Fox's new addition ... speaking out about his upcoming bundle of joy for the first time.

The rapper posted an update for fans on X Monday, confirming his baby news will not keep him from making new music. As he put it ... he plans to isolate himself "in the desert next week" in order to restart his current album "from scratch."

He continued ... "When inspiration flows through me unblocked, we will reach the destination in no time. don’t worry."

Tense moment at a Zach Bryan concert ... he stopped the show after his guitarist was hit with an object thrown onstage ... and then he called out some folks in the crowd.

The incident went down over the weekend when Zach was performing at the Tacoma Dome in Washington ... video shows him and another artist playing guitar when suddenly an object comes flying at them.

Unclear what exactly was thrown, but it looked like it hit Zach's guitarist and fell to the stage floor.

Eric Benet's got a new chart-topping track, but a guy who tracked him down in the airport asked Eric to sing one of his classic tunes for his wife ... Eric obliged and we've got it all on video.

The sweet moment went down Monday at LAX right as our photog started talking to Eric ... a fellow traveler stopped Eric and revealed he and his wife considered "Spend My Life With You" their anniversary song ... asking the R&B singer if he could sing it for his lady over FaceTime.

Check out the clip ... Eric greets the woman and then starts singing part of the chorus ... no sound check needed!!!

Wiz Khalifa had to get a flossin' fan out in Thailand back to solid ground -- after the guy confused his performance for an exotic peep show ... and made it rain cash money all over the stage!!!

We obtained footage of Wiz performing at the Rolling Loud Thailand 2024 after-party at Club 808 in Pattaya over the weekend.

Wiz finished his performance of "Black & Yellow" without a hit but was clearly annoyed throughout the show because he gave the guy an earful when he finished!!!

Liam Payne was trying to escape from his hotel when he fell to his death, and the hotel knew he was threatening to use the balcony as the means to escape, but left him by himself ... this according to witnesses, the police report, a 911 call and surveillance video.

Here's what we know. Liam hated being locked up in hotel rooms ... something he had to deal with during his time in One Direction. He had used the balcony escape plan before, most recently in mid-September, when sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Liam's bodyguard was concerned he might have been on a drug binge and forced him inside a room in a Florida rental house. Liam escaped from a balcony, using a garden hose to reach the ground.

Look at the surveillance screenshots from the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. Liam, who was disruptive in the lobby and clearly under the influence, is splayed out as 3 hotel workers carry him to his room, minutes before he fell to his death. Liam is clearly conscious -- although we blurred his face, he is holding his head upright.

Elton John is sharing a candid update on his eyesight ... revealing he's still struggling to see months after suffering a severe infection that limited his vision.

Watch the video, the singer reveals he still cannot see out of his right eye ... which is why he's yet to release new music.

As Elton puts it ... he hasn't been able to properly see for 4 months, especially since his left eye already wasn't "the greatest."

Taylor Swift always has to be one step ahead of the paparazzi -- and a new video shows her and 2 famous friends sneaking out of a Los Angeles restaurant to avoid the flashing cameras.

The video, which was shot in January, but surfaced Sunday on TikTok, captures Taylor, Brittany Mahomes and Lyndsay Bell walking through the kitchen of Wolfgang Puck's Spago, Beverly Hills, after their meal.

Several of the male employees are seen leading the pop star and her buddies to the back, presumably where they can slip away quietly through a door to elude the shutterbugs out front.

Cher is reflecting on the less than glamorous way she lost her virginity ... revealing she popped her cherry at the tender age of 14 -- and in the name of "revenge," no less.

The music legend opened up about the milestone moment in her new memoir, titled "Cher: The Memoir, Part One," sharing the intimate act came after a neighborhood boy "ditched" her after they had already shared a smooch.

As Cher put it ... she was "so hurt" by his actions she decided to have "revenge sex" with him. The singer said she had "never wanted to" have sex up until this point, adding ... "Otherwise, I would have done it one of the five hundred other times he asked."

Here's something you don't see every day ... Jamie Foxx singing karaoke with the stars of 'Real Housewives of Atlanta.'

But, that's exactly what happened over the weekend as the Oscar-winning actor hung out with 'RHOA's Cynthia Bailey, Porsha Williams and Phaedra Parks in Miami, Florida.

Check out the footage posted Saturday to Porsha's Instagram ... Jamie is having a blast with the 'RHOA' cast and several other people at Prime 112 Restaurant.

Taylor Swift is becoming emotional as her "Eras" tour winds down after more than a year ... with the pop star shedding some tears during her Saturday night show in Canada.

Taylor performed before a sold-out crowd at Rogers Centre in Toronto and, after belting out her hit "Champagne Problems," Taylor stopped to acknowledge the people behind her super successful tour.

Check out the video ... Taylor is standing onstage addressing the crowd while giving thanks to her band, production crew and everyone else who gave the tour their all.

Zayn Malik's tribute to Liam Payne left the crowd at his concert a mess ... sharing a powerful message to his deceased One Direction bandmate -- and, the sobs were audible.

The singer-songwriter took the stage in Leeds, England Saturday ... his first show since Liam passed away after falling from his balcony at a hotel in Argentina in mid-October.

While most of the show seems to have been a pretty standard Zayn concert, it ended with a huge blue screen adorned with Liam's name, year of birth and death, followed by "Love You Bro" and a red heart emoji.

Billy Ray Cyrus is highlighting his daughter on her big bday ... sending well-wishes to Miley Cyrus on the same day she turns 32 -- despite their reportedly icy relationship.

The singer-songwriter shared a throwback photo of Miley as a baby ... curled up in his arms on the porch -- smiling up at her pop.

Check out BRC's caption ... sounds like he's reminiscing on the good old days -- before his relationship with his daughter allegedly got complicated.

It's no secret that Lizzo has been putting in the work at the gym for a while now, for anyone who follows her on Instagram ... and it has certainly paid off!

The singer recently posted stunning new photos of herself ... and her weight loss has been dramatic.

In a series of snaps and a short video ... Lizzo sat in a car, wearing a sheer white top, with her hair in "milkmaid braids."

Taylor Swift never had a shortage of famous people attending her concerts ... and Friday night was no different as Justin Trudeau popped in to see her performance in Canada.

The Canadian Prime Minister showed up at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, where Taylor took to the stage for one of her customary hours-long sold-out shows. And did we also mention that it was amazing?

Trudeau seemed to think so, because he was hyped up the the max just before Swift took to the stage, to say the least.