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Ed Sheeran has long talked about how vital music education was in his youth, helping him to sort out his feelings and, of course, paving the way for him to become one of the most successful singer/songwriters of the modern era.
Now, the singer is paying it forward with the announcement on Thursday morning (Jan. 9) of the Ed Sheeran Foundation. In an Instagram post announcing the venture, Sheeran explained, “I set up @edsheeranfnd because recently there’s been less and less importance being put on music education. Even when I was in school it was seen as a ‘doss subject’ and not taken seriously. There’s a misconception that it’s ’not a real job’ – when the music industry accounts for 216,000 jobs in so many different fields, and bringing as much as £7.6 billion($9.3 billion dollars) in a year to the UK economy.”
He added, “Not to mention the power our art has worldwide to bring joy to people. It’s something we should be proud of and championing in the UK, not sweeping under the rug and pretending we are just bankers (no offence to bankers obvz). It was incredible for my mental health as a kid, feeling a sense of purpose and achievement, even just learning piano or cello at a young age way before songwriting.”
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Sheeran said the goal of the foundation is to help children learn to play instruments, as well as learn production and songwriting and performance skills and “apprenticeship schemes” to teach them about different skills that could help them enter the music industry. As an example, Sheeran said his operation employs 150 people on tour, all with different skill sets, in addition to those that work with him on the label, management, publishing and promotion side.
“Music is such a key part of our society,” he wrote. “The more I do travelling around and visiting schools and grass roots projects, the more I see there’s passion and inspiring people, who are being undervalued and underserved. I’m hoping this foundation is a start to giving them the support they need to keep going, and show them they are hugely important to us.”
Back in 2019, Sheeran launched the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation, aimed at helping young people under 18 living in the Suffolk region of England with “small but useful grants” to help them study or play music.
In the accompany video to the announcement of his latest charitable venture, Sheeran said that music education “shaped who I am,” and that it has given him a sense of purpose and achievement since he was a kid. He noted that he went to a state-funded school, where a supportive teacher gave him the confidence to get on stage and perform.
He said he hatched the idea for the foundation after having a cup of tea with an old music teacher who told him about the poor state of music education. “There are venues getting shut down and there are organizations that do out-of-school music clubs that are getting shut down and I think the foundation’s key is to help those organizations carry on, because they are struggling,” Sheeran said in the video.
At press time no additional information was available about how the Foundation will distribute funds, though on the group’s website it promises to work with “communities, industry and government to make a change in how music is taught across the UK. We want every child to have equal access to express themselves through music and opportunity to pursue a music career.”
The site also says that it will advocate for school-based learning to encourage young musicians, as well as stronger funding and government policies to ensure access to high-quality music education and an investment in schools and grassroots organizations to “help them secure the resources needed for vibrant music programs, from instruments to teacher training.”
The announcement came after Sheeran told Variety in December that following the release of two albums in 2023 — – (Subtract) and Autumn Variations — as well as touring the world for the past two years, he might eschew the typical break he takes after his album/tour cycle because he already has another LP on deck. He said the as-yet-untitled LP is done, with two music videos shot, and plans to shoot two more early this year, as he continues touring in India, China and the Middle East before returning for dates in Europe in the spring and summer.
It feels like I’m getting back into big pop for the first time in a long time,” he said. “It’s quite exciting.”
Check out the announcement video and see the first posts from the Foundation below.
Jennie’s to-do list is growing by the minute. For the last year, the pop star has been so consumed with the launch of her own label and arrival of her highly anticipated solo debut album — plus, now, the impending reunion of Blackpink, the globally renowned K-pop quartet she is part of — that she hasn’t had a moment to envision her ideal release-night party. That is, if she even has time for one.
“I like planning parties. I like creating an album,” Jennie says. “It’s fun, but sometimes it gets hard. I’m just trying to make sure everything is perfectly done.”
Sitting on a cozy couch in a small back room of a photo studio in Seoul’s Gangnam district, Jennie’s post-shoot look on this late-October afternoon calls to mind Gossip Girl “It” mom Lily van der Woodsen after a particularly tiring day. Leaning back in matching black pants and zip-up hoodie after hours spent staring at a camera, Jennie slides on a pair of dark-lensed Gentle Monster sunglasses to give her eyes, and perhaps herself, a bit of a break. (She partnered with the eyewear brand in April 2024 on her own line, Jentle Salon.)
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The 28-year-old appears at ease despite the chaos swirling around her. She’s also strikingly self-aware, which seems to be both freeing and consuming for her — she knows the pursuit of perfection is exhausting and never-ending, and yet she’ll settle for nothing less. Recently, this has manifested in the secrecy surrounding her upcoming album, which for the self-described “workaholic” is far from manufactured marketing mystique. Rather, it may well be a way to buy time until she feels the project she has dreamed of for so long is as close to perfect as possible — even as pressure to release it builds.
“It’s not nice to be someone who’s always like, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t say anything,’ ” she says of the album she began working on in early 2024 — and that the world still knows very little about. “I want to say I’m almost there,” she offers. One of her biggest takeaways from the process? “I’m just going to say, ‘I don’t do well with time,’ ” she says with a laugh.
Jacquemus top and AREA hat.
Songyi Yoon
Since Jennie became a YG Entertainment trainee at 14 and a Blackpink member at 20, her career has been clearly defined and carefully handled — a meticulous approach that has yielded historic results and global fame. In 2019, Blackpink became the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella, and just four years later, the first Asian act to headline the festival. And the group — rounded out by Lisa, Rosé and Jisoo — made history in 2022 as the first South Korean girl group to top the Billboard 200, with its celebrated second album, Born Pink.
Yet that well-paved path to stardom also offered Jennie little time to explore her own creative voice. From Blackpink’s 2016 debut through 2023, she released just two solo singles, both through the group’s label, YG: the aptly titled Korean-English “Solo” in 2018 and the dance-pop “You & Me” in 2023, the latter of which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. All the while, Jennie was growing eager to piece together “the puzzle of my dreams,” as she calls her solo-album-to-be. So in 2023, when Blackpink re-signed with YG for group activities and its members became free agents for the first time in their careers for solo activities, she jumped at the chance.
“While I was on my last Blackpink tour [it wrapped in 2023], I couldn’t stop myself from starting to plan ahead. I’m just like that,” she says. “I listed out the things that I want in my life and started pinpointing, or prioritizing, what’s my very next step. And instantly, I was like, ‘I still haven’t accomplished the dream of releasing a solo album.’ I wanted to satisfy myself by achieving that goal.”
With a clear runway, she set out to do just that. In December 2023, she announced her own independent label, OddAtelier (commonly referred to as OA). At the start of 2024, she began her “album journey” in Los Angeles, where she says she worked on “99%” of the project, whose title has yet to be unveiled. By September, she announced a partnership with Columbia Records, and in October, she released the album’s fierce and sassy lead single, “Mantra,” which peaked at Nos. 2 and 3 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and Billboard Global 200 charts, respectively.
“It’s been a long process because American artists, they usually take a few years to make one album, but we have time limitations because [this year] she’s got to go back into Blackpink activities again,” says Alison Chang, OA’s head of global business and Jennie’s self-described “right hand.” “She really wanted to show her artistry through this album, and in the beginning, we were meeting producers and writers who she didn’t really match with. I think finding her sound throughout this process was kind of hard, and landing with ‘Mantra,’ that took a very long time. Just finding that first perfect single to let the world know this is the start of her solo career.”
And while Jennie’s years as a trainee prepared her for nearly every aspect of stardom, nothing could have braced her for the pressure and responsibility that comes with being truly in charge.
“The thing is, even back in the [trainee] days, I was never OK with what other people approved. I would check on every single team like, ‘Can I look at other options?’ ” she recalls. “So I am used to the process, but it’s more of a mental thing. The idea of ‘you’re on your own, make the right decision.’ And sometimes that’s the scariest feeling. Sometimes I wake up like, ‘I don’t want this overwhelming control.’ ”
“Just touched down in L.A.,” Jennie sings on “Mantra,” later noting, “We’ll be 20 minutes late ’cause we had to do an In-N-Out drive-by” — and days after its release, she found herself back in town.
She was there to perform the playful pop hit on Jimmy Kimmel Live! — her solo U.S. TV debut — and it was the first time in a long time she had seen her fans, who gathered en masse for the appearance. “Mantra” “was a good start for her because it [showed the] things people still expect from Jennie — she’s dancing and she’s singing and rapping at the same time,” Columbia vp of A&R Nicole Kim says.
Later that night, it was Jennie’s turn to be a fan: She attended Charli xcx and Troye Sivan’s Sweat Tour and snapped pics with Charli, Sivan and her pal and The Idol co-star Lily-Rose Depp. Jennie made her TV acting debut on the shocking 2023 drama about an aspiring pop star (Depp) and her controversial relationship with a producer (The Weeknd); Jennie’s collaborative single with Depp and The Weeknd, “One of the Girls,” became her first appearance on the Hot 100 under her own name.
Jennie feels “more freedom” in L.A. compared with her native Seoul, saying, “I could definitely go out and eat whenever I want to, wherever I want to,” but adds that the biggest difference between the two cities is who surrounds her. “I learn a lot from people [in L.A.]. It’s a great environment, especially for people in music, to meet people that can inspire you.” (She was back in November for Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, where she made a surprise appearance during Matt Champion’s set to perform their 2024 collaboration, “Slow Motion,” and posed with Doechii backstage. In April, she’ll return to California to make her solo debut at Coachella.)
It’s why, Jennie says, recording most of her album in L.A. was “very intentionally done. I just really wanted to throw myself out there to experience it. [In Seoul], I was so comforted in an easy environment that I created a long time ago, and I didn’t enjoy it. I was like, ‘No, if this is your career and if this is your life, explore and learn.’ I kept telling myself that.”
Alexander McQueen coat, David Koma top and Coperni bottoms.
Songyi Yoon
Jennie had worked with just one producer, acclaimed K-pop veteran Teddy Park, prior to her debut album — so when it came time to build a new creative network in a new city, she says the process was “rough.”
“I struggled a lot in the beginning,” she admits. “A few months, I would say, was just me throwing myself out there, walking into rooms filled with new people. I just had to keep knocking on the door, like, ‘Is this it?’ ‘Is this it?’ and then eventually, we got to a point where I found a good group of people that I linked with, sonically and as friends.” (“Mantra” was co-written by songwriters affiliated with management, recording and publishing company Electric Feel such as Billy Walsh, Jumpa and Claudia Valentina, among others, and was mostly produced by El Guincho, known for his work with Rosalía and Camila Cabello, among other left-of-center pop girls.)
Jennie spent six years as a YG trainee before being placed in a group — the longest of any of Blackpink’s members — and while working on her solo album, she reflected on those early days, especially her individual tastes. Back then, she had time to listen to “so much music,” she recalls. “I can’t explain how much that helped in terms of the beginning era of making this album. I never really had a chance to look back at myself [during Blackpink’s rise], so [this process] was a time to really be like, ‘What was I interested in back then?’ Those times played a big role to get it started.”
So did her childhood. Born in South Korea as Jennie Kim, she recalls her mother playing a lot of ’90s pop music, which she says was “rare” for anyone living in Korea at the time. “She had a big passion for Western culture, too,” Jennie says. “She would be playing Norah Jones and Backstreet Boys … Naturally, I was drawn to R&B and, of course, Korea is known for its K-pop culture. So that was also very familiar. I was just always into the idea of music.” (Jennie says she and her mom still “live super close to each other,” allowing them to see each other often.)
Markgong top
Songyi Yoon
From a young age, Jennie also craved independence. Following a vacation when she was 10 with her mom to Auckland, New Zealand, Jennie spent the next five years there attending school and participating in a homestay with a Korean family. That’s primarily where she learned English and where she ideated her alter ego of Ruby-Jane, inspired by the desire for a middle name like her new friends all had. “I feel like I am great at creating different characters within myself,” she says. “I like that about me.”
These characters, it seems, all come to play on her upcoming debut (along with a few features she’s hesitant to share more on just yet). “I intend to complete myself as Jennie Ruby-Jane, for that to be a whole person, in a way,” she reveals. “You’ll definitely know what I mean once the album drops, but because I’m playing with a lot of different genres and elements — I’m rapping here, I’m singing here, I’m harmonizing here, I’m talking here … The overall sound was me making sure I like every single [song]. I didn’t want to be forced into putting a song onto my album — that’s what I really fought for. And I was lucky to have all these people believe in me and support me so I could get to a level where we were like, ‘Wow. I think we’re ready.’ ”
When it came to her new label, Jennie knew what she wanted in a name: something that looked and sounded pretty, that represented herself and her team — but that wasn’t so specific it would box them in. “I wanted it to be [a name that signifies] we’re open to do anything,” she says. “I didn’t want anyone to label what we were.” OddAtelier, named for the French word for a collaborative workshop or studio, “just made sense,” she says. “Atelier is a place where we create art.”
Still, soon after deciding to launch it in late 2023, Jennie took a look at herself in the mirror and thought, “ ‘Do you realize the choice that you’ve made?’ It was really an all-or-nothing situation,” she says. “I didn’t one day decide I want to make a label for myself. For me, building the relationship with my team, we started dreaming together, naturally. Because a lot of them I’ve worked with for a long time. So when we had a chance to go our individual way, I thought that would be like six years in the future. I didn’t think it would be so soon. So I got the courage to start my independence in life, and every step of the way has been a learning process for me. I’m studying this whole new world. Now that it’s been a year, I can say I’m glad I was brave enough to have started this label. I couldn’t be more proud.”
As for whether she plans to sign other artists to OA, her response makes clear how overwhelming a moment this is: “I’ve been getting this question left and right, and my answer is ‘Please, I am so busy on this album. Let’s not even get my brain on that path just yet,’ ” she says while laughing through a polite sigh.
Chang, OA’s global head of business, met Jennie in 2019, when she was working with YG Entertainment USA handling licensing, merchandising and intellectual property for acts including Blackpink. The two “just hit it off,” Chang says. “We formed this bond, and then from there, we just saw each other every day, and it evolved into managing her stuff along with Blackpink. We went on tour together, and then [in 2023], she was like, ‘Hey, I want to create OA.’
“From the day I met her, I just knew, ‘Wow, this girl is so smart,’ ” Chang continues. “She knows what she wants. She’s ambitious. Our standards for each other are so high. As a solo artist, she’s able to spread her wings a bit more and have more authority over her creative direction and strategy for how she wants to develop into an even bigger global artist.”
Jacquemus dress
Songyi Yoon
The hope is that Jennie will become the Korean pop star to represent the Asian music market — a bit like Bad Bunny does the Spanish-language one. But she and her team couldn’t conquer the world on their own. Chang knew that if the goal was to break even wider in the United States, they would need more resources and experience. “It was just a given,” she says. “We needed to partner with an American label.”
She and Jennie took “a lot” of label meetings in late 2023, but ultimately signed with Columbia for its “proactiveness” and how much the team they met had researched Jennie ahead of time. “Jennie values her roots and heritage more than anyone else, and while she does want to establish herself as a global artist, including in the U.S. market, she also deeply cares about her base and wants to make them proud,” says Kim, who worked at HYBE with acts including BTS prior to joining Columbia. “And I think our team is working really hard to support her in achieving that.” (For additional support, Jeremy Erlich will co-manage alongside OA; as Interscope’s executive vp of business development in the late 2010s, he helped facilitate the conversations between the label and YG that ultimately led to their global partnership and Blackpink signing with Interscope.)
But as the web around Jennie spreads, she remains firmly at its center — and is intent on calling the shots. Jennie attributes that to the woman she calls the “No. 1 boss lady”: her mom. “I don’t even have to look anywhere else. She’s taught me how to be a woman, how to be a boss, how to be myself. She’s my idol,” she gushes.
While coming up in Blackpink, Jennie says she had to learn how to compromise; with her own album, the only person she has to do that with is herself. “It’s a fight between me, myself and I — I’m not easy to convince,” she says. “It’s not easy working with me.” And that’s why Jennie craved this experience: It forced her to look into a metaphorical mirror.
“I needed this. I wanted this,” she says, her tone growing more confident. “The more I get to know myself, the more I try to love myself. I’ve had a time in my life where I didn’t — I had no clue how to do that. I didn’t know who I was. I didn’t know what I was living for. The time where I was feeling clueless. The fact that I’ve moved on from that phase and being so committed to myself, I’m very proud.
“It’s so easy to lose yourself, which is OK,” she continues. “There was also a time where I was feeling lost about ‘K-pop,’ ‘pop music,’ all these labels that I was chasing after … Now that I look back, I just want to tell myself, ‘Maybe enjoy it a little, feeling lost in the struggle, because there will be a time where you don’t even have time to think you’re lost.’ ”
Blackpink’s group chat is ID’d with a simple yet fitting emoji: a family of four. Jennie says her groupmates check in there as often as they can.
“We are all so caught up with life. Obviously, we can’t be calling each other every day,” she says. “Even though we know we can’t see each other so much, it doesn’t really feel any different than all the other years because we know we’re here for each other. They’re literally a phone call away. And at this point, we respect each other’s space so much. So if there’s anything to be happy for, to celebrate, we’re all in it together.”
For the group’s dedicated Blinks, Blackpink’s 2025 reunion, which will include new music and a tour — and follows Rosé’s just-released solo album, a forthcoming album and a role on The White Lotus for Lisa and an acting gig on a forthcoming K-drama and a Dior campaign for Jisoo — is indeed cause for celebration. “I’ve missed the girls. I’ve missed doing tours with them. I miss our silly moments,” Jennie says. “I’m excited to see what everyone brings. You know, everyone took their own journey [during] this time, and I’m excited to share that with the girls. I want to say it’s going to be the most powerful [versions] of ourselves that anyone has seen.”
As Blackpink’s members continue to grow, Chang says the best part of her front-row seat to Jennie’s journey has been seeing her evolution. “People don’t really know, but she’s a very shy, introverted person,” she says, “and seeing her throughout this whole process, I’m just really in awe of how much she’s grown. She put her heart into this.” As Kim recalls, while Jennie was recording her album, there were periods when she would be in sessions every day until six or seven the next morning: “It was surprising to me that she wanted to stay longer and write more. She was really, really passionate. It was inspiring for me to see her working so hard in the studio.”
Annakiki dress
Songyi Yoon
Most of Jennie’s album, as a result, is rooted in deeply personal songwriting about “what I’ve experienced, what I resonate to or what I want in my life. That’s one other thing that’s changed from being in Blackpink, is that I get to say my message in my way.”
And with so much time to reflect — both in and out of the studio — parts of Jennie’s life came into focus for the first time, including the realization that this is her life. Given her fluctuating schedule, she says her body often struggles to catch up or get into a rhythm, but over time, she has become better at prioritizing self-care. Her ideal day off (“Which is rare,” she says) includes morning coffee or tea, Pilates, a sauna or bath, dinner with friends and organizing her home. “That’s healing for me,” she says.
Understandably, she was thinking of such things while getting her hair and makeup done earlier today as she prepared for her Billboard shoot, and they inspired a thought that she shared with her team. “I said if I ever had a chance to tell people that are in their teenage [years] that look up to this job or this world, all I can say from experience is, ‘This is your life — and you have a whole lifetime to live.’ Not the next 10 years, not the next three years. It’s amazing to chase after your dream, but don’t forget to live.”
For now, Jennie is taking her own advice. When asked if her solo debut is the start of a continued solo career, her answer is succinct: “Let’s not put pressure on me. I want to live my present for now, and then let me ease myself into the next thing.”
Has she ever done that before?
“Oh, definitely not,” she says. “Every day has made me into who I am right now.”
This story appears in the Jan. 11, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Jennie’s to-do list is growing by the minute. For the last year, the pop star has been so consumed with the launch of her own label and arrival of her highly anticipated solo debut album — plus, now, the impending reunion of Blackpink, the globally renowned K-pop quartet she is part of — that she […]
Billboard cover star and global sensation, JENNIE, takes us behind the scenes of her shoot and into her world. The star shares her favorite place to be in Seoul, when she decided that she wanted to release a solo album and more! JENNIE: Hi, I’m JENNIE. I’m here in Seoul shooting for the cover for […]
There are a raft of unknowns about the upcoming Oasis reunion tour. We know that the battling Gallagher brothers have buried the hatchet and will be hitting the road around the world starting on July 4 for their first shows since 2009. But at this point we still have no idea who else will be joining singer Liam Gallagher and guitarist/songwriter and occasional vocalist Noel Gallagher, whether there will be new music from the siblings or what songs the duo will play when they hit the stage for one of the most anticipated get-backs of the decade.
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Well, now we (sort of) have a sense of which of their most iconic tracks might make the cut. Eschewing his typically snarky reaction to unsolicited speculation about the tour from fans, on Tuesday Liam gave a dream setlist posted on X a half thumbs-up.
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“It’s not far off,” Gallagher said of the question asking “is this setlist official?” The unsolicited rundown was filled with the roster of hits and fan favorites you’d expect, including such live staples as: “Acquiesce,” “Some Might Say,” “Lyla,” “Shakermaker,” “The Hindu Times,” “Cast No Shadow,” “Slide Away,” “Supersonic,” “Morning Glory,” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,” “Cigarettes & Alcohol,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Live Forever” and “Champagne Supernova.”
Of course, there were some biggies missing from the rundown, including one of the band’s most beloved tracks, “Wonderwall,” as well as “D’You Know What I Mean,” “Roll With It” and “Go Let It Out.” In a follow, the same fan asked, “Liam Which solo song of yours would you include in the oasis live setlist if you could?”
Hopping right back into character, Liam gave a terse, one-word response: “None.”
In December, equally stoic older brother Noel tapped the brakes on suggestions that the tour might devolve into the type of haymaker-throwing, petulant chaos of the past, which at one point found a purportedly sick Liam sitting in the audience and heckling his brother after declining to participate in the band’s MTV Unplugged recording in London in 1996.
“No, it won’t be as raucous as back in the day, because we’re on the wrong side of 50 now, so we’re too old,” Noel said. “We’re too old to give a s–t now, so there won’t be any fallouts, there won’t be any fighting. It’s a lap of honour for the band.”
To date, Oasis have announced 41 dates on their reunion Live ’25 outing, which will launch with a run of stadium dates in the U.K., followed by a North American run in August and September and dates in Asia in October, before moving on to Australia and South America; the tour is currently slated to wrap-up with a Nov. 23 date at Estadio MorumBIS in São Paulo, Brazil.
See the dream setlist below.
BBC Radio 6 Music announced a raft of changes to its morning lineup on Thursday (Jan. 9).
Beginning in February, Nick Grimshaw will take on the weekday breakfast slot permanently. Previous host Lauren Laverne will move back to a later mid-morning slot when she returns to the air following her recovery after a cancer diagnosis. Esteemed DJ Mary Anne Hobbs, who has been broadcasting on the BBC since 1996, will take a sabbatical and vacate the slot that Laverne will now host.
In August 2024, Laverne announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer “unexpectedly during a screening test” and would take a step back from the show. She has not specified the type of cancer she has been diagnosed with, but said that the treatment she received last year had been “successful” and that she would gradually return to broadcasting in 2025.
Laverne hosted the show from 2019 and also presents BBC’s Desert Island Discs, taking over the long-running franchise from Kirsty Young. In a statement, Laverne discussed the decision to leave the breakfast slot: “As listeners will know, I had a really tough 2024 and worried at times that I wouldn’t be able to return to the station I love so much.”
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She added: “During my recovery I learned all over again about the power of music, the people you surround yourself with and the emotional support and joy radio can provide. I’m so grateful to be able to get back to doing what I love and sharing those things with our brilliant listeners every day.”
Grimshaw, who previously hosted Radio 1’s daily breakfast show between 2012 and 2018, took on the slot following Laverne’s diagnosis. He will host the show on weekdays from February and said in a statement that, “I’m honestly honored to be asked to work there and can’t wait to continue supplying the best new music from the world’s most interesting artists.” He also hosts BBC’s Sidetracked podcast alongside fellow Radio 1 alumni Annie Mac, which delves into the week’s biggest music happenings.
Hobbs, meanwhile, will leave her slot from mid-morning to lunchtime on weekdays and return to the station with a new show later in spring. “My agenda has been to change daytime radio at BBC 6 Music,” she said in a statement. “It was David Bowie who taught me that creative life is progression. Once the work is complete.. stand at the edge of everything you know and ask a different question.”
In December the station announced that their annual 6 Music Festival will take place in Manchester between March 26-29; a lineup is yet to be announced. The station currently hosts show by musicians like Iggy Pop and Elbow’s Guy Garvey on a weekly basis.
The season three premiere of Celebrity Jeopardy! took an unexpected turn when all three contestants failed to identify Usher’s career-defining hit “Yeah!” during the Triple Jeopardy round.
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The question, featured in the category “2004, What a Year!,” prompted contestants with, “We got so caught up in this Usher song that it spent 12 weeks at the top of the charts.”
Max Greenfield (New Girl) responded first, incorrectly guessing, “What is ‘Caught Up?’” – a different Usher track from 2005. Camilla Luddington (Grey’s Anatomy) then followed with the incorrect “What is ‘All Caught Up?’”.
W. Kamau Bell (United Shades of America) chose not to respond, letting the timer expire. Bell later joked, “Feels so awkward to be the Black guy who doesn’t know the Usher song. I was listening to Rage Against the Machine at the time, sorry everybody.”
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Released in January 2004, “Yeah!” was an instant cultural and commercial phenomenon. Featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, the single spent 12 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the chart for 45 weeks, becoming the longest-running No. 1 single of that year. It ranked No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Songs of the Decade (2000–2009), second only to Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together,” as the top song of that decade.
The track served as the lead single from Usher’s fourth studio album, Confessions, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and went on to sell over 10 million copies in the U.S., earning a diamond certification from the RIAA. “Yeah!” also won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards and garnered widespread critical acclaim for its fusion of crunk and R&B.
“Yeah!” achieved global success, topping charts in over 12 countries and earning platinum certifications in markets such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, and Norway. In Australia, the song was certified 5× platinum by ARIA for selling 350,000 units. In 2024, the track achieved a milestone when it was certified 13× platinum by the RIAA, reflecting 13 million units sold in the U.S.
Its resurgence in popularity was further fueled by Usher’s 2024 Super Bowl halftime show performance, which caused his overall Spotify streams to increase 550%. Specifically, “Yeah!” featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris saw a 520% streaming boost following the performance. The Super Bowl performance was the most-watched halftime show in history, drawing 129.3 million viewers.
Later in the Celebrity Jeopardy! game, Bell redeemed himself by correctly answering a question about N.W.A.’s historic chart achievements.
Teddy Swims and his partner, fellow musician Raiche Wright, have announced they are expecting their first child.
Wright shared the news on Jan. 8 via Instagram, posting a carousel of photos featuring the couple on a beach, her growing baby bump in full view. “We can’t wait to meet you, baby 🤍✨,” she captioned the post, which was quickly met with an outpouring of congratulations from fans and peers alike.
Swims has often credited his relationship with Wright as a source of inspiration and stability during his rise to fame. In July, during an episode of The Kyle & Jackie O Show, Swims said of Wright, “She does what I do, which is great. Because it’s like maybe 3 a.m. and I’m calling her and she’s like ‘Yeah, yeah I’m in a session. I’m recording vocals.’ And I’m like, ‘Girl, yeah, handle your business, baby.’ ”
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Wright, a singer-songwriter in her own right, is best known for her 2023 album Loveland. The couple went public with their relationship in early 2024, with Wright frequently joining Swims on tour and performing duets on stage.
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The announcement caps off a banner year for Swims, whose soulful anthem “Lose Control” was crowned Billboard’s year-end 2024 Hot 100 Song of the Year.
The track achieved the longest climb to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a solo male artist, taking 32 weeks to reach the summit in March 2024. Spending over 30 weeks on the Hot 100 and dominating the Top 10 for an impressive 45 weeks, “Lose Control” solidified its place in music history. The song also achieved global success, reaching No. 1 in several countries and earning diamond certification in France.
The accolades don’t stop there. In addition to topping the Billboard Hot 100, “Lose Control” made history as the first song in nearly a decade to lead five airplay charts simultaneously: Radio Songs, Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay, Adult Contemporary, and Adult R&B Airplay. Swims’ streaming numbers have been equally impressive, with “Lose Control” becoming one of the most-streamed tracks globally in 2023 and 2024.
Swims, born Jaten Dimsdale, first captured attention with viral YouTube covers in 2019 before releasing his debut album, I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 1), released in 2023. Supported by his I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy Tour, Swims sold over 150,000 headline tickets across North America, Europe, and other regions.
Over four years since the release of his last album, alternative rock veteran Bob Mould has announced the release of his newest record, Here We Go Crazy.
Set for release on March 7, Here We Go Crazy arrives as the 15th solo album for the prolific musician, who previously served as a member of Hüsker Dü and Sugar. Produced by Mould at Chicago’s Electrical Audio in early 2024, and mixed by longtime engineer Beau Sorenson, the record’s announcement comes accompanied by a Gus Black-directed music video for its title track.
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“I’ve been spending time in the Southern California desert over the past few years, and the video was shot there,” Mould explained in a statement. “Chilly wilderness atop a mountain, expansive vistas below the hills, distant places to escape life’s routines. ’Going crazy’ can be many different things. The joy of reckless abandon, the uncertainty of the world’s future, the silence of solitude.”
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“On the surface, this is a group of straightforward guitar pop songs. I’m refining my primary sound and style through simplicity, brevity, and clarity,” Mould continued. “Under the hood, there’s a number of contrasting themes. Control and chaos, hypervigilance and helplessness, uncertainly [sic] and unconditional love.”
Somewhat uncharacteristically, Mould also shared a follow-up statement via social media where he simplified the standard jargon utilized in his media release.
“In the Hullabaloo Speak of press releases, I talk about refining my core sound,” he explained. “In Bob English: Give the people what they want. I spent the majority of the last three years touring the world, test driving some of these new songs, and talking with many of you after the Solo shows. I have a pretty good sense of what you enjoy in my work.”
“It’s loud guitars, catchy melodies, and the team (Jon, Jason, Beau) you know and love. It’s an intimate look into my current perspectives on life, love, and how we make it through the world one day at a time. It’s a Bob Mould album.”
The record’s release will also be accompanied by 26-date U.S. tour throughout April and May which will see Mould joined by his longtime bandmates Jon Wurster and Jason Narducy.
Bob Mould Band 2025 Tour Dates
April 1 – Music Box, San Diego, CAApril 2 – Pappy & Harriet’s, Pioneertown, CAApril 4 – Teragram Ballroom, Los Angeles, CAApril 5 – The Fillmore, San Francisco, CAApril 7 – Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WAApril 8 – Wonder Ballroom, Portland, ORApril 9 – Knitting Factory, Boise, IDApril 11 – Marquis Theater, Denver, COApril 12 – Washington’s, Fort Collins, COApril 14 – The Waiting Room, Omaha, NEApril 15 – Codfish Hollow Barn, Maquoketa, IAApril 16 – Majestic Theatre, Madison WIApril 18 – Turner Hall, Milwaukee, WIApril 19 – Palace Theatre, St. Paul, MNApril 25 – Metro, Chicago, ILApril 26 – Metro, Chicago, ILApril 27 – El Club, Detroit, MIApril 29 – Grog Shop, Cleveland, OHApril 30 – Mr. Smalls Theatre, Pittsburgh, PAMay 2 – Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MAMay 3 – Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NYMay 4 – Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PAMay 7 – Black Cat, Washington DCMay 9 – Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, KYMay 10 – HI-FI Indy, Indianapolis, INMay 11 – Bell’s Beer Garden, Kalamazoo, MI
Mark O’Connell, the longtime drummer of Long Island-based emo ensemble Taking Back Sunday, has announced his departure from the group after almost 25 years of membership.
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O’Connell detailed his exit from the group in a lengthy post shared on social media, telling his followers that “after nearly 25 years as the drummer of Taking Back Sunday, I want to confirm that I am no longer with the band”.
Via his account (which still reads @markoconnelltbs), O’Connell reflected on his time within the band and thanked fans for being the “heartbeat” of Taking Back Sunday and “a huge part” of his life for almost a quarter of a century. “I owe it all to you,” he wrote.
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“My departure wasn’t an easy decision, and it wasn’t entirely my own,” he continued. “Over the past few years, l’ve focused on my family and personal growth, including committing to my sobriety. Unfortunately, during this time, I didn’t always feel the support I needed from those I thought of as brothers, and creative differences made it hard to move forward together.”
News of O’Connell’s departure also coincides with the release of his first piece of solo music, with his “Brain Dead” single being released on Dec. 31. Per his statement, O’Connell will be releasing more music in the near future.
“I’m excited to share that I’ll be releasing new music soon-both as a solo artist and with some old friends,” he explained. I’ve poured my heart into this project, and I can’t wait to share it with you. This is a new chapter for me-one of passion, creativity, and hope. I hope you’ll join me on this journey as we continue to be a part of each other’s stories.
“That said, I’m grateful for the incredible memories with each of my bandmates-and all of you, as well as all the opportunities along the way,” he continued. “I’m choosing to focus on the good as l move into this next chapter.
“Thank you again for everything. I’m proud of what we built together, and I’m even more excited about what lies ahead.”
Taking Back Sunday formed in 1999, but experienced a number of lineup changes in its initial years, including the departure of future Brand New frontman Jesse Lacy in 2000. The following year, founding drummer Steven DeJoseph would leave due personal issues preventing widespread touring, with O’Connell taking his place. That same year would also see founding vocalist Antonio Longo replaced by Adam Lazzara.
In 2018, founding guitarist Eddie Reyes announced he would be leaving the band, with a statement from the group citing “personal reasons” for his exit. Currently, only guitarist John Nolan (who left in 2003 to form Straylight Run before his 2010 return) remains from the band’s original lineup.