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Bruce Springsteen and Sony Music had different reasons for signing on to Deliver Me From Nowhere, the new biopic starring Jeremy Allen White as the Boss.
“I’m old. I don’t give a f–k what I do anymore,” Springsteen told Time. “As you get older, you feel a lot freer.” And while Sony was willing to do whatever Springsteen wanted to do, the label had other considerations, too: Its publishing company paid $500 million for Springsteen’s catalog in 2021, and one of the most powerful weapons it can deploy to boost streaming and revenue is a star-studded film. “The biopic is the cherry on top of the sundae, if you will,” says Sony marketing exec Monica Cornia. “Films bring more awareness to the artist brand and fans to the funnel.”
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Cornia, senior vp of marketing and partnerships for Sony’s Commercial Music Group, adds that the late-2024 Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown and the 2022 Elvis Presley biopic Elvis “created a new baseline for streaming” both artists’ catalogs. They had “double-digit growth post-release and have sustained elevated streaming levels to date,” adds a Sony rep.
Deliver Me From Nowhere focuses on 1982’s Nebraska — not the most commercial of Springsteen’s albums. But the star power from The Bear‘s Jeremy Allen White as Springsteen and Succession‘s Jeremy Strong as his manager, Jon Landau, will “create a huge cultural moment,” says Cornia, which Sony can use as “the initial exciting point for us to start to lean in.”
Over the past five years, the music business’ most successful songwriters have sold their catalogs (and sometimes other assets) for astronomical sums. In 2020, Dylan received a reported $300 million to $500 million for the publishing of his 600-plus songs, and Paul Simon, Stevie Nicks, David Bowie, James Brown and many others followed with deals estimated between $90 million and $250 million. “Everybody who’s acquiring a catalog is looking for opportunities to find new audiences and tap into a fanbase that’s already engaged,” says Sophia Dilley, executive vp of Concord Originals, the indie-label division that co-produced last year’s HBO doc Stax: Soulsville, U.S.A., about the storied Memphis recording home of Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and others. “A natural place to do that is within the documentary or biopic space.”
After its November 2018 premiere, Queen‘s Bohemian Rhapsody biopic hit more than $1 billion worldwide in box-office sales over just five months, increasing the value of the band’s publishing and recording catalogs. In 2024, Sony purchased them for $1.27 billion.
Jeremy Allen White and Bruce Springsteen are seen on the set of “Deliver Me From Nowhere” on November 4, 2024 in Bayonne, New Jersey.
Bobby Bank/GC Images
Two months before the release of Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen’s catalog streamed 15 million times per week. Afterwards, it spiked to nearly 62 million, and settled by the end of 2018 to 38.2 million, according to Luminate. By comparison, Dylan’s catalog drew 7.1 million weekly streams two months before A Complete Unknown, spiked to 19.5 million after the biopic and dropped to 12 million in February, also according to Luminate.
It isn’t just the biopic itself that sets the streaming bar higher for iconic artists like Queen, Dylan, Presley and Springsteen — it’s the marketing campaign and social-media activity surrounding the films. In Springsteen’s case on Friday (Oct. 24), the heavily advertised Deliver Me From Nowhere arrives with a new release geared to superfans, the five-disc box set Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition, which includes Springsteen’s long-awaited electric version of the album and a performance film. “Our goal is to take advantage of the moment, but also to make sure we’re consistently marketing the catalog and the artist going forward,” Cornia says.
Concord, like many labels and publishers, plans similarly broad marketing campaigns for its upcoming biopics on Mississippi Delta bluesman Robert Johnson (release date unknown) and R&B keyboardist and Beatles collaborator Billy Preston (sometime in 2026). “The risk is it doesn’t have the longevity you want it to,” Dilley says, “But in the immediate, it definitely has an impact, because you’re spending money on a campaign, which helps audience awareness.”
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The timing of Deliver Me from Nowhere and A Complete Unknown, after the Springsteen and Dylan catalog sales, is probably not coincidental, according to Alaister Moughan, founder of Moghan Music, a London-based company that specializes in valuations of publishing catalogs. Major artists who sell catalogs, and top companies that spend big money to buy them, are highly aware that a well-timed biopic can improve the songs’ future value. “The past five years in particular, when an artist is looking to sell their catalog, they’ve been quite strategic,” he says. “They’re tying in, ‘We’ll be interested in a biopic.’”
Still, the focus on the lesser-known Nebraska, rather than, say, Springsteen’s later blockbuster Born in the U.S.A., which made him a worldwide star, suggests Springsteen and the filmmakers are not focused on quick streaming revenue. “Maybe it’s more of a long-term view,” Moughan adds, “rather than, ‘We want the Bohemian Rhapsody of Springsteen this year.’”
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The records set by Stray Kids’ eight members in 2025 leave no room for doubt. The group’s fourth full-length album, Karma, released on Aug. 22, became the first K-pop album of the year to surpass 3 million copies in first-week sales in Korea. That success led them straight to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, marking a historic milestone: Stray Kids are now the first K-pop group to send seven consecutive albums to the top of the chart.
Their touring success was just as extraordinary. Starting in Seoul in August 2024 and wrapping up in Rome the following July, the dominATE world tour covered 54 shows across 34 cities worldwide — including 27 massive stadium concerts. So it was only fitting that, after circling the globe, Stray Kids chose Incheon’s Asiad Main Stadium as the final stop. This encore concert also marked the group’s very first outdoor stadium performance in Korea.
Billboard Korea attended the first night of dominATE : celebrATE, held on Oct. 18 and 19 at Incheon Asiad Main Stadium. Only a few K-pop acts — PSY, SEVENTEEN and now Stray Kids — have ever performed there. Even before the concert began, waves of STAYs filled the streets outside. The 100-meter-wide stage lined with LED panels and the five-tier stadium holding up to 30,000 fans created a scale that was visually overwhelming in itself.
The show opened powerfully with “MOUNTAINS,” followed by “Thunderous,” “JJAM,” “District 9” and “Back Door.” Though the setlist mirrored that of the original tour, the atmosphere inside the open-air venue felt entirely new. Leader Bang Chan even remarked, “It’s hard to believe this is Korea” as the night unfolded with drone shows, fireworks and every spectacle imaginable for such a grand stage. The members’ explosive energy never waned — they performed more than 30 songs across three and a half hours.
“Seven laps around the Earth by plane.” That was how JYP Entertainment described the dominATE tour in a press release, referring to the group’s travels — 285,000 kilometers across five continents: Asia, Oceania, North America, Latin America and Europe. Departing from Incheon International Airport, Stray Kids truly went around the world nearly seven times (the Earth’s circumference is about 40,000 km).
dominATE : celebrATE was a moment where the sweat and growth of Stray Kids’ eight members — everything encapsulated in that single phrase — could truly be witnessed on stage. It was also a night that reflected their well-earned sense of ease, gratitude and an undiminished passion to keep moving forward.
Here are six reasons why Stray Kids’ encore concert in Incheon was the perfect finale.
First-Ever Live Performances of Tracks From ‘Karma’
Joan Baez has a theory about Donald Trump, who is the subject of her new poem published Thursday (Oct. 23).
In the piece titled “Little Green Worm: A Note to the President” shared with Rolling Stone, the folk icon slams the politician’s lack of “empathy,” “impulse control” and “basic intelligence,” positing that Trump has none of the above due to a “little green worm” entering his brain and eating it all up. It comes amid the ongoing “No Kings” rallies protesting the twice-impeached POTUS’ policies.
“I’ve been thinking about a little green worm that has worked its way into your anterior insular cortex, the part of the brain where empathy originates,” Baez wrote. “The little green worm quickly devoured yours. He then munched onward until he came to the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in impulse control and regulating social behavior.”
“It’s meant to stop us from blurting out vulgarities such as ‘Grab her by the p—y’ and ‘S–thole countries’ or accusing all Mexican immigrants of being criminals, rapists and drug dealers,” the poem continued.
The piece closes with Baez illustrating how the little green worm eventually moves on to the part of Trump’s brain that should be “responsible for thought,” only to find that he doesn’t have one. “Oh s–t: there’s nothing there,” the musician concludes.
Billboard has reached out to the White House for comment.
As a musical pioneer of 1960s counterculture, Baez has long been open — in her music and otherwise — about her beliefs surrounding politics and social justice. In March, she told John Mulaney, “Our democracy is going up in flames … we’re being run by a bunch of really incompetent billionaires.”
While speaking to Rolling Stone about her latest piece, she explained that turning to poetry instead of songwriting has helped her process the overwhelming nature of today’s political landscape.
“When I’m present and looking out at my own yard and the trees and all of that, it’s still as beautiful as it ever was,” she told the publication. “And then there are times of great sorrow and times of frustration, like everybody. And I found that the poetry helps — just doing it and getting it down on paper or on computer to keep my head above water.”
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Bryan Andrews’ vitriol is going viral. The up-and-coming country artist’s song, “The Older I Get,” contains lyrics in its verses that take on big pharma, corporate greed and un-Christ-like Christians. But it’s the bridge that has drawn the most attention, as he makes references to the Jeffrey Epstein files (“Raise your right hand / plead the Fifth / Tryna cover up names on a list / lie and say that it doesn’t exist”), ICE (“Heaven help you if you’ve got brown skin”) and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict (“Watch ‘em starve on Gaza Strip”).
“The Older I Get” originally came out in June. But in mid-October, a tirade Andrews delivered on social media propelled the song into virality: this week, it debuts at No. 3 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales and No. 8 on the overall Digital Song Sales chart while Andrews debuts at No. 16 on the Emerging Artists chart.
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His outburst, which he titled “Crash Out,” features a camo-wearing Andrews seated in his truck, ranting about ICE agents “carting them off in the back of U-Hauls…and the worst part is I have to watch some of you cheering it on like you’re watching a f-cking football game,” saving his ire for people who call themselves Christians who applaud these actions. “I started writing songs about this sh-t because I’m not oblivious to the platform I have,” the Carrollton, Missouri native continues, adding he knows it’s risky for his career to be so outspoken, especially in the often conservative country community, but he feels he has no choice but show “what side of history he’s on.” The reel has garnered more than 7.5 million views on Instagram alone, and proved an effective — if unintended — marketing tactic for the song. And that success earns Andrews’ manager, 10 and 8 Management owner Nicholas Mishko, the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Mishko, who began managing Andrews almost two years ago after one of the former pipe welder’s songs popped up in his TikTok feed, discusses the song’s success, and gives some context to Andrews’ rise and his signing with Disruptor/Sony five months ago. “Bryan has been creating music for about five years,” Mishko says. “TikTok proved to be a pivotal moment in his career, allowing his music to reach a national audience, open new doors and pursue music full time.” A number of high-profile music executives liked Andrews’ post, which Mishko says, “has opened doors for conversations and opportunities that weren’t possible before.”
The song originally came out in June, but exploded around two weeks ago after Andrews’ “Crash Out” social media post. How were you building the song the past four months until then?
We were building the song through TikTok and Instagram, steadily gaining momentum with each viral moment. We also shared the track with key influencers early on, which helped generate press and expand its reach.
How has it helped spread the word given the celebrities like Mark Ruffalo have liked and commented on Andrews’ post? How are you tying that back to the music?
The attention from high-profile celebrities has helped bring Bryan’s music to audiences who might not have discovered it otherwise. Each repost, share, like or comment generates conversation and drives new listeners to the song and his other work.
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It’s not until two-thirds through “The Older I Get” that Andrews gets overtly political with the bridge that alludes to the Epstein list, “brown skin” and Gaza. Was there any thought to making a version without those references?
The song was largely complete before Bryan wrote that bridge. He added those verses after seeing current events unfold. Those experiences inspired him to address issues and bring awareness.
Andrews posted that people were upset by “Crash Out,” “especially in the country music space.” Was it mainly country music fans or did you hear from people in the country music industry?
The backlash mostly came from fans who felt the song challenged their expectations of country music. We also heard from a few people within the industry, though it was never overwhelming. Overall, the reaction showed that the song was sparking conversation and engaging people with the issues Bryan wanted to highlight.
Andrews signed with Disruptor/Sony in April and you led with “Blue,” which was a much more traditional, though biting, country song about a broken heart, as opposed to something political. Why?
The song highlights Bryan’s songwriting and storytelling, making it a strong introduction for a wider audience. Disruptor’s team, especially Adam Alpert and Julie Leff, has been fantastic to work with, emphasizing from day one that their artists should feel in control of their art. They were fully on board with this first release.
What are your radio plans for “The Older I Get?”
Right now, our focus is on building strong momentum online, letting Bryan’s songs gain traction with fans and influencers. From there, we’ll evaluate whether and how to approach radio, using the buzz as a foundation for any future push.
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On YouTube, so many of the comments are from people who say they hate country music, but they love this song. How are you capitalizing on those new fans?
One of the top comments we’ve seen across platforms is, “I don’t listen to country, but I do now because of you.” We are engaging those new fans by highlighting the song across social platforms and encouraging them to explore more of Bryan’s music. By sharing behind-the-scenes content, stories about the songs and interactive posts, we’re turning casual listeners into loyal fans. It’s exciting to see new fans coming into country music and discovering a side of the genre they haven’t experienced before.
Does he follow “The Older I Get” with another political song or something more traditional?
Bryan has been country his entire life. I have been to his hometown and seen the small-town, blue-collar farming community he grew up in. He is living that life, and with this next song, he is showing listeners that he truly is a country artist and that his authenticity is undeniable.
Are you waiting for the White House to take notice and comment, as they have on Zach Bryan’s song, “Bad News?”
I’m always curious to see who is commenting and what they’re saying, and it’s clear the song has sparked meaningful conversation across a wide audience.
Trending on Billboard The signing spree around Netflix’s surprise hit KPop Demon Hunters continues with news that United Talent Agency has signed Kevin Woo for worldwide representation in all areas. Woo is a recognized K-pop singer, songwriter, and actor who covered the singing parts for Mystery Saja of The Saja Boys – in KPop Demon Hunters. […]
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The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) held its largest celebration for country songwriters of the year on Thursday night (Oct. 23) during the NMPA Gold & Platinum Gala, held at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.
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The event honored more than 150 songwriters whose country songs have reached Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum status, as certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) from the July 2024-June 2025 eligibility period, including more than 70 multi-platinum songwriters who were honored onstage that evening.
Ashley Gorley was named top male songwriter of the year for a third consecutive year, as the non-performing male songwriter with the most certifications over the past year. Among his songs that earned certifications were “I Had Some Help,” “Rumor” and “You Should Probably Leave.”
“He is the Michael Jordan, the Patrick Mahomes of songwriting,” NMPA president/CEO David Israelite said of Gorley. In taking the stage to accept the honor, Gorley praised all of the songs that had been honored during the evening, particularly older compositions that have endured through the years.
“This is such a fun night, and such a variety of songs [being honored],” Gorley said. “I’m reminded, ‘Where the Green Grass Grows’ and ‘In Color,’ these are some of the best songs ever and I was very reminded of how great country music is and challenged on the bar of how great these songs have to be, and how they do live on….thank you for this award. I don’t take this lightly, I don’t take this for granted.”
Amy Allen at the NMPA Gold and Platinum Gala on October 23, 2025.
Kenzie Boyd/Morgan Visual Productions
Amy Allen was named top female songwriter of the year, for earning more certifications over the past year than any other non-performing female songwriter in the country genre. Allen was honored for her work on songs including the Koe Wetzel and Jessie Murph collaboration “High Road.”
“Thank you for inspiring me,” Allen said from the stage. “My heart has always led me toward country music because of my love for storytelling. I know for a fact that I wouldn’t be half the songwriter or person I am today without my founding fathers, Dolly Parton and John Prine, and my real Holy Trinity, which is Natalie Hemby, Lori McKenna and Hillary Lindsey. I cannot express how much I have learned from these three women about songwriting, but most importantly, about what it looks like to lift one another up in the industry and to write from a place of honesty.
Nashville has been a place of endless inspiration and a school of songcraft and genuine lyricism and the home of so many of my favorite collaborators,” she continued. “Thank you Nashville for taking me in with open arms. I cannot express how really grateful I am for that. Koe and Jessie, I love your hearts and I love your brains and I’m so honored to get to be a part of the songs we did together this year. I love them and I don’t take them for granted.”
Country Music Hall of Famer Dean Dillon accepted the platinum anthem award as a co-writer on the highest-certified song of the year, the RIAA 17x platinum-certified “Tennessee Whiskey,” which was first released in 1981 by David Allan Coe, though Chris Stapleton’s bluesy rendition of “Tennessee Whiskey” brought the song to a new generation of listeners.
In accepting the honor, Dillon thanked his co-writer on the song, Linda Hargrove. He also praised Music City’s songwriting community, saying, “Nashville songwriters, in my humble opinion, are the best in the world.”
ERNEST then paid tribute to the song with a faithful rendering of “Tennessee Whiskey.”
“It is an honor to get to honor you. As a kid who grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, I’m living my dream every day by getting to write country songs,” Ernest said to Dillon, adding, “Getting to sing a song for you and because of you has me rattled.”
Other performers during the evening were Brothers Osborne and Maddie & Tae. Maddie & Tae performed their 4x platinum-certified hit, “Die From a Broken Heart,” and told the crowd they “learned everything we know about songwriting from this beautiful community.”
In perhaps the evening’s most delightfully unexpected moment, a dog made its way onto the stage and joined them as they finished the song. Maddie & Tae then performed a newer song called “Somebody Will,” which they called “one of our favorite songs we’ve ever written.”
Brothers Osborne performed their 3x platinum-certified 2015 hit “Stay a Little Longer,” recalling how the brother duo used to work as servers at the Country Music Hall of Fame before finding success as songwriters and artists. “It’s an honor to be here,” they said, before performing an acoustic rendition of “Stay a Little Longer” and turning it into a righteous guitar jam spectacle.
Allen perhaps summed up the evening best, saying simply, “Long live songwriters.”
Dean Dillon at the NMPA Gold and Platinum Gala on October 23, 2025.
Kenzie Boyd/Morgan Visual Productions
See the list of songwriters who were in attendance and honored for their songwriting works below:
2x Platinum:
Thomas Archer and Chris LaCorte, “Wind Up Missin’ You”
Jess Leary, “Where the Green Grass Grows”
Josh Hoge and Matthew McVaney, “Used to Love You Sober”
Erik Dylan, “There Was This Girl”
Josh Turner, “Long Black Train”
Jason Gantt, “Take it From Me”
Doug Johnson, “She Won’t Be Lonely Long”
Austin Nivarel, Joe Ragosta, and Robert Ragosta, “Need A Favor”
Bill Luther, “My Best Friend”
David Lee and Wynn Varble, “Me And My Kind”
Russell Dickerson and Parker Welling, “Love You Like I Used To”
Connie Harrington and Jordan Schmidt, “Caught Up In The Country”
3x Platinum:
Kelly Archer and Brett Tyler, “Wild As Her”
Paul Jenkins and Ben Williams, “Tennessee Orange”
John Osborne and TJ Osborne, “Stay A Little Longer”
Keith Follese, “Something Like That”
Greylan James, “Next Thing You Know”
Thomas Archer and James McNair, “Lovin’ On You”
Scotty Emerick and the late Toby Keith, “I Love This Bar”
Steve Dorff, “I Cross My Heart”
Cary Barlowe, “Famous Friends”
Tyler Reeve, “Does To Me”
Renee Blair and Jordan Schmidt, “Wait in the Truck”
4x Platinum:
Zach Kale, Emily Landis and Jim McCormick, “The Good Ones”
Josh Hoge, Jared Mullins and Christian Stalnecker, “Thank God”
Justin Ebach, “Singles You Up”
Marty James, Alexander Palmer, Frank Romano and Austin Shawn, “Religiously”
Brock Berryhill, Taylor Phillips and Will Weatherly, “Good As You”
Danny Wells, “Check Yes or No”
Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, and Deric Ruttan, “Die From A Broken Heart”
5x Platinum:
Chris DuBois and Ashley Gorley, “You Should Probably Leave”
Ben Stennis, “‘Til You Can’t”
Dallas Davidson, Ashley Gorley, and Ben Johnson, “One of Them Girls”
Stephony Smith, “It’s Your Love”
James Otto and Lee Thomas Miller, “In Color”
Ashley Gorley and Ernest Keith Smith, “I Had Some Help”
Brandon Lancaster, “Greatest Love Story”
Chris DuBois and Chris Janson, “Buy Me A Boat”
Sean Cook and Jerrell J-Kwon Jones, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
6x Platinum:
Ashley Gorley and the late Kyle Jacobs, “Rumor”
Jacob Hackworth, Jet Harvey and Heath Warren, “Rock and a Hard Place”
Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson and Ben Hayslip, “I Don’t Want This Night to End”
Jerry Flowers, “House Party”
7x Platinum:
Dallas Davidson, Chris DeStefano and Ashley Gorley, “That’s My Kind Of Night”
Hillary Lindsey and Liz Rose, “Girl Crush”
8x Platinum:
Zach Kale and Jon Nite, “I Hope”
Diamond/10x Platinum:
Matt McGinn and Jordan Schmidt, “What Ifs”
Rob Snyder and Channing Wilson, “She Got The Best of Me”
11x Platinum:
Thomas Archer and Taylor Phillips for 11x Platinum, “Hurricane”
Matt McGinn for 11x Platinum, “Heaven”
17x Platinum:
Dean Dillon, “Tennessee Whiskey”
Gilbert Arenas defintiely earned one of his nicknames after going full troll after the arrests of Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier in connection with an NBA gambling investigation. After Gilbert Arenas himself had a similar brush with the law, the former NBA player and current broadcaster had a little fun with the news by framing himself as an informant.
Taking to social media, Gilbert Arenas, 43, shared a photo of himself carrying a so-called “informant lunch” wearing a University of Washington Huskies basketball jersey, which some might remember from the film The 6th Man starring Marlon Wayans and Kadeem Hardison.
On a Thursday airing of Gil’s Arena, the former Washington Wizards All-Star leaned into the snitch allegations but also raised a fair point that, despite the NBA revealing that the gambling operation that landed Billups and Rozier in hot water was reportedly connected to the Mafia, only Black people are making the headlines.
As we reported earlier this year, Arenas was implicated in a gambling ring operating out of his Encino, Calif. home with involvement from members of an Israeli crime mob. Arenas posted a $50,000 bond in July. Just as he’s doing now, Arenas played up the arrest and his going free with a hilarious video of him being sprung from the joint.
The claims that Billups and Rozier are facing are still developing in the news. Adding to this, former Cleveland Cavaliers player and coach Damon Jones was also arrested in a separate but related case that also has ties to the Mafia.
On social media, the jokes have been flying after the NBA’s gambling arrest spree. We’ve got reactions below.
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Photo: Getty
Trending on Billboard Since its release in August, Kehlani‘s “Folded” has quickly emerged as one of the year’s most beloved R&B songs. A hopeful plea for seemingly doomed reconciliation elegantly sung across ’00s R&B-evoking production, “Folded” has reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the highest peak of Kehlani’s career, and emerged as […]
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Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week: Megan Thee Stallion returns with a song for the lovers, Leon Thomas and Daniel Caesar hold it down for tactile, live-feeling R&B and Bruce Springsteen revisits the same era on record probed by a brand-new Boss biopic.
Megan Thee Stallion, “LOVER GIRL”
It’s been a relatively quiet 2025 for Megan Thee Stallion, but the rap star is back this week with the loved-up anthem “LOVER GIRL.” Riding an always-appropriate sample of ’90s R&B group Total’s swooning love song “Kissin’ You,” Megan makes plenty kissy sounds of her own, while spitting about how your guy and hers are not the same: “Your n—a fantasy/ My man reality.” It’s a little bit early for Valentine’s Day — especially for Megan donning Cupid’s bow and arrow on the single cover — but if you’re in need of a cuffing-season anthem, it might just be right on time.
Leon Thomas, Pholks
It’s already been a triumphant 2025 for Leon Thomas, with a viral NPR Tiny Desk set, a big breakout win and performance at the BET Awards, and a huge crossover hit with the Billboard Hot 100 top 20 smash “Mutt.” Now, he’s capping his year with the seven-track Pholks EP, showing off even more of what he can do — including the pinched, almost D’Angelo-esque funk of “5MoreMinutes,” the woozy, early-Tame-Impala-like psych-rock of “Trapped” and the jazzy, frenetic garage rock of “Baccarat.” Wherever the music goes, it feels like it’s just spilling out of Thomas at this point, as he sets himself further apart from the R&B pack with each new release.
Daniel Caesar, Son of Spergy
Between Thomas and Daniel Caesar, it’s a big week for lush, organic-sounding new releases from R&B singer-songwriters. Caesar’s Son of Spergy (Spergy being his father’s nickname) is his first release since 2023’s Never Enough, and ranges from the delicate, pleading soul of “Have a Baby (With Me)” to the grungy fuzz-rock of “Call on Me” to the gentle, insecure acoustic balladry of “Who Knows.” Alt-folk stalwart Bon Iver shows up to bless a couple tracks, the dreamy “Moon” and the swirling, piano-led “Sins of the Father.”
Demi Lovato, It’s Not That Deep
Coming three years after her stellar rock detour set Holy Fvck, Demi Lovato‘s latest set It’s Not That Deep doesn’t take long to establish that she’s changed direction yet again: The pulsing beat and hedonistic lyrics of “Fast” showcase her once again driving in the turbo-pop lane, and sounding like she’s having a blast doing so. This isn’t an early-’10s top 40 throwback though — the rollerskating synths and tense vocals of “Here All Night” are pure Flashdance synth-rock, while “Frequency” and “Kiss” approximate the winking sung-spoken club energy of Period-era Kesha and “Sorry to Myself” is pure cathartic, Robyn-dancefloor release.
Megan Moroney, “Beautiful Things”
Megan Moroney taking on one of the biggest pop-rock hits of the decade with her own spin on Benson Boone’s breakout smash “Beautiful Things”? Not this time: The country hitmaker wrote her acoustic ballad of the same name as a note of comfort to her newborn niece, warning her: “Lies can break a fragile heart, and doubt can crush your dreams/ But honey, just take it from me/ The world is hard on beautiful things.” But Moroney ultimately tells her on the bridge not to despair: “Shine/ It’s gonna be all right/ You’re gonna all right.” It certainly feels like a future live set staple for the rising Georgia star.
Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska ’82
If you’ve been counting the days until the release this Friday of the Jeremy Allen White-starring Bruce Springsteen quasi-biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, you likely also went straight to Nebraska ’82 on your streamer of choice today. The deluxe reissue of Springsteen’s classic stripped-down swerve features not just live and bonus tracks — including an unrecognizably barebones demo version of his later chest-beating protest song “Born in the U.S.A.” — but an entire “Electric Nebraska” disc, featuring plugged-in versions of beloved era highlights like “Atlantic City,” “Johnny 99” and another, even more electric version of “U.S.A.” The whole thing is certainly a better advertisement for the early-’80s-set Nowhere than any of the film’s actual trailers.
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Bunnie XO is standing by Jelly Roll. Shortly after the country star publicly revealed that he previously had an affair, the podcaster took to social media to explain why she thinks she and her husband are stronger for the experience.
In a Thursday (Oct. 23) post on her Instagram Story, Bunnie shared a screenshot of a comment she’d received in the wake of Jelly opening up about his past affair on a recent episode of the Human School podcast. “You took him back and have sung perfection since,” the person wrote in part. “We can’t look up to you now … how can anyone support this?”
In response, the influencer wrote, “It actually takes a stronger woman to face pain head-on, do the work, and rebuild with the man she loves — instead of running or gossiping.”
“Growth isn’t weakness, it’s grace,” she continued. “But not everyone’s built for that kind of strength. I pray you never have to feel that pain bc you’re judging another woman’s life.”
The post comes one day after Jelly’s confession came to light, with the singer sharing on the podcast that “one of the worst moments” of his adulthood thus far had been when he’d “had an affair on my wife.” And, like Bunnie, he also emphasized the importance of doing “the work” to rebuild their relationship.
“The repair has been special,” he said at the time. “And we’re stronger than we could have ever been. I wish our story would have went in a way that it never had an affair, but — and I’m in no way glad it happened — but man, I’m proud of who we are today.”
From Jelly’s past issues with substance abuse to Bunnie’s ongoing IVF fertility journey, the couple has long been open about their personal struggles. They’ve previously shared that they briefly broke up in 2018, but as of this past September, their marriage is nine years strong.
“9 years of us,” the pair wrote on Instagram in celebration of their wedding anniversary, with Jelly adding of Bunnie, “I love more and more every single day.”
Plus, fans will also get to hear Bunnie’s side of the cheating story soon. “I just opened my eyes TMZ jeez,” wrote the influencer, who’s gearing up to publish a memoir titled Strip Down in February. “Anyways, whole story is in the book.”
