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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: Getting Closer to the full picture with Tate McRae, flying high again with the Wicked: For Good soundtrack and hearing Stray Kids Do It to ’em one more time.
Tate McRae, So Close to What??? (Deluxe Edition)
“Don’t know what country I’m in, but I know how I’m feeling,” testifies Tate McRae to kick off “Trying on Shoes,” the first track on her newly reissued So Close to What??? — yes, now with three question marks — deluxe edition. It feels like a snapshot release for the still-rising superstar, with some of the most detailed writing and specifically pitched performances of her career. Likely adding inspiration: Her recent split with fellow pop hitmaker The Kid LAROI, who of course is thought to be the subject of her top five Billboard Hot 100 hit “Tit for Tat,” and who appears to make his presence felt here a couple additional times, particularly on the spiteful “Anything But Love” (“My dad hates you, my dog hates you, my brother hates you, and I do too…”)
Wicked Movie Cast, Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande, Wicked: For Good — The Soundtrack
Happy Wicked: For Good release day, everyone! The much-anticipated second half to the John M. Chu-helmed film adaptation of the legendary musical — whose first half was greeted with robust box office and major acclaim, particularly for stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande — is out now, along with the 11-track soundtrack. Of particular note for fans in this back half is the introduction of two brand-new songs to the musical’s world, penned by original composer Steven Schwartz: the bitter-but-resilient Erivo solo “No Place Like Home,” and the soaring Grande showcase “The Girl in the Bubble.”
Stray Kids, DO IT
It’s only been three months since Stray Kids released fourth Korean-language studio album Karma, but the octet is back this week with new release DO IT. The five-track release is being officially branded as a mixtape — the group’s first since last year’s Billboard 200-topping HOP — and features two versions of its explosive title track. The big question for chartwatchers with DO IT: Will this be the release that knocks Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl, currently in the midst of a six-week run atop the Billboard 200, from its No. 1 perch? History would certainly say not to bet against the group, who in seven charting releases has never missed the top spot.
Tainy & Karol G, “Ünica”
After dropping her Tropicoqueta album in June, Latin pop superstar Karol G is checking in at leat one more time before the end of the year, with “Ünica,” her new collaboration with A-list producer Tainy. The song, whose title of course means “Unique” in Spanish, Karol recalls a night of passion that still burns singularly in her memory, casting any past or future lovers in its shadow. The song’s gentle reggaetón shuffle is augmented by some lovely harp plucking, and backing vocals that seem to be sighing in agreement.
BigXthaPlug, I Hope You’re Happy (Deluxe)
A couple days after making his CMA Awards debut, rapper BigXthaPlug is back with the deluxe edition to his first full-length country release, I Hope You’re Happy. The set adds three new songs: the hard-hearted “Cold” with fellow recent country convert Post Malone (which feels like it could be “All the Way” Pt. 2), the acoustic, fame-ruing “Holy Ground” alongside top 40 regular Jessie Murph, and the set’s first totally solo track, triumphant closer “From the Bottom” — which drops most of the Nashville, but ends by reminding: “I just made me some millions off country.”
The Kid LAROI, “A Perfect World”
What timing: Right as Tate McRae releases her So Close to What??? deluxe — with multiple Earth-salting tracks firmly turning her back on her past relationship — here comes The Kid LAROI, perhaps dreaming about a reconciliation: “In a perfect world/ We’d have it all figured out, baby, you would be my girl.” It’s not exactly a take-me-back song, but it’s definitely an I’ll-stick-around-just-in-case ballad, as LAROI reminds his ex, “Coz I’m still here, for what it’s worth, baby.” Hopefully he’s not checking out Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist this week.
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5 Seconds of Summer enjoys the hottest possible start on the ARIA Albums Chart as Everyone’s A Star! (Universal) debuts at No. 1 — and gifts the pop-rock band a chart record.
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With their latest chart crown, confirmed last Friday, Nov. 21, the Sydney four-piece becomes the first act in the history of the ARIA Charts to hit No. 1 with their first six studio albums.
That record dates back to 5 Seconds of Summer (in 2014), and includes Sounds Good Feels Good (2015), Youngblood (2018), Calm (2020) and 5SOS5 (2022). For the record, 5SOS’s live album, LiveSOS, cracked the top 10, peaking at No. 7 in 2014.
It’s the sixth homegrown title to lead the chart in 2025, including 5OS’s Calum Hood, whose solo effort Order Chaos Order led for one cycle in June.
5SOS returned to Australia last month for a brief promo trip, including a fan-led press conference in Melbourne and their induction to the Australian Walk of Fame in Sydney.
It’s an all-Australian 1-2 on the albums survey, as the 40th anniversary edition of Jimmy Barnes’ For The Working Class Man (Mushroom Music) digs in at No. 2. The Scotland-born Australian rock legend boasts more No. 1 albums in Australia than any other artist. A two-time ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, Barnes has 16 chart leaders as a solo act, and another six with Cold Chisel.
Thanks to 5SOS and Barnesy, as he’s affectionately known in these parts, Taylor Swift’s Life of a Showgirl (Republic/Universal) is finally bumped from the throne, down 1-3, ending six consecutive weeks at the top.
Soulful Sydney newcomer Don West opens his account at No. 25 with his debut album Give Me All Your Love, while Byron Bay punk rock quartet Mini Skirt starts at No. 36 with their sophomore effort, All That We Know (Orchard). It’s their first appearance on the chart.
The 2025 ARIA Awards were presented on Wednesday night in Sydney, but the impact is still being felt on the national charts.
Following her performance of “Man I Need” (Universal), rising English singer Olivia Dean scores her first No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart, as the song lifts 2-1. Dean followed up her ARIAs performance with an outdoor set at Fleet Steps, and she’ll be back next year for a tour proper.
After winning two ARIAs, Kevin Parker’s Tame Impala bites into the ARIA top 30 with “Dracula” (Columbia/Sony). It’s up 34-28, a new peak position, and is the only homegrown cut in the top 50.
You Am I was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, and had the final word on the evening with a two-song performance of “Heavy Heart” and “Berlin Chair,” both of which appear on The Dollop & The Wallop: The Best Of (Sony). The career retrospective is new at No. 15 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Finally, RÜFÜS DU SOL collected four nominations at the ARIAs and are currently on the road, in support of their fifth studio album, Inhale/Exhale (Rose Avenue Records/Warner). The tour is breathing new life into the album, lifting 47-39.
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The Kids are alright. Stray Kids, however, are going gangbusters. In late August, the boyband landed their seventh No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with KARMA, notching the biggest entry for the year to-date.
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All seven of the pop outfit’s entries on the national albums tally have debuted at No. 1, beginning with ODDINARY in 2022. Last year, when HOP debuted atop the list, Stray Kids became the first act to debut atop the Billboard 200 with their first six entries in the 69-year history of the chart. With KARMA, their most recent release, they extended that record.
And with a seventh No. 1, Stray Kids surpassed BTS, Linkin Park and Dave Matthews Band for the most leaders among groups on the all-genre Billboard 200 this century. Among K-pop bands, BTS is in second place, with six No. 1 titles. ATEEZ is a distant third with two No. 1s on the weekly chart.
In Korea, Karma became the first K-pop album of the year to surpass 3 million copies in first-week sales.
That was August. Fast forward a couple months and the release today (Nov. 21) of Stray Kids’ new EP (or “special album”), DO IT, via JYP Entertainment.
DO IT is the first part of the SKZ IT TAPE series, a musical command to “act boldly with confidence right now,” while also exploring the story of the group as they seize the day and create their own “IT”.
On the live front, Stray Kids have also been bagging bar-setting numbers. The band played the final show of the Dominate World Tour at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on July 30, completing a 2025 run that visited Latin America, Europe and North America, setting Boxscore records for revenue and attendance in each region.
That’s after whipping up frenzies through Asia (Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok and more) and Australia (Melbourne and Sydney) in 2024.
With the five-track DO IT, Stray Kids can, well, do it again on the Billboard 200. Stream it in full below.
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The hangovers have cleared. The cleanup, complete. And the 2025 ARIA Awards are in the books.
The Australian recorded music industry’s annual night is the curtain call on the year in music, a fancy party in Sydney as the baking hot summer makes its predictable entrance.
It’s a good — no, great — time of year. AC/DC is currently in the market, playing stadiums. Oasis and Metallica have been, and rocked. Lady Gaga and Ed Sheeran are coming. The festivals circuit will swing in the weeks ahead.
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The ARIAs, presented at the historic Hordern Pavilion, which last year celebrated its 100th anniversary, was a goal-scoring celebration for Amyl and The Sniffers. The punk rock outfit converted four of their six nominations, including the coveted album of the year, for Cartoon Darkness. This was the year Amy Taylor ruled at Glastonbury, and scored nominations at the Grammys and Brit Awards. In years to come, they’ll remember 2025 as the year their respective lives changed.
Ninajirachi entered the ARIAs race with a leading eight nominations, and she didn’t go home disappointed, by collecting three trophies, including the Michael Gudinski newcomer award.
Fellow production masterminds Kevin Parker and Dom Dolla collected two pointy awards each.
Not every artist got what they’d hoped, or deserved. And some got the surprise of a lifetime. Billboard remembers the surprises and the snubs from the 2025 ARIA Awards.
Surprise: BARKAA
If a hero had to be selected from the 2025 ARIA Awards, it was BARKAA. The Indigenous artist won for best hip hop/rap release with Big Tidda (Big Apples Music / Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia), beating out a stacked field that included Hilltop Hoods, Miss Kaninna, ONEFOUR and the Kid LAROI. The roar of approval from the audience was immense, and BARKAA’s acceptance speech was honest and real. “Still can’t believe I can now say I’m an ARIA award winning rapper, the first Aboriginal woman to ever win this award,” she writes on social media. “Hip-hop raised me and hip-hop saved me and this is BIGGER THAN ME! My purpose was to come out here and put on for BLACK WOMEN, to be that representation like my sisters who have paved the way before me, to be able to do what I’m doing.” She’s nominated in the First Nations category for the NSW Music Prize, to be unveiled next week.
Snub: Hilltop Hoods
The Hilltop Hoods aren’t just a hip-hop group. They’re Aussie rap royalty. Hailing from Adelaide, the Hoods are on a wild winning streak. Suffa, Pressure and DJ Debris debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in August with Fall From The Light (Island Records Australia / Universal Music Australia), their sixth consecutive leader, and seventh overall. With this feat, the Hoods established an ARIA record for chart leaders by an Australian group, ahead of AC/DC, Powderfinger, Cold Chisel, Silverchair, and the rest. They couldn’t however, extend on their tally of 10 career ARIA Awards on Wednesday night, despite reeling in five nominations.
Surprise: Amyl and The Sniffers
Amyl and The Sniffers cleaning up with four ARIA Award wins wasn’t a surprise, not to the industry. But it was to them. The much-loved punk rock outfit always keeps it real, Amy Taylor always speaks her mind, and with best group and best album honors, for Cartoon Darkness (Amyl and The Sniffers / Virgin Music Group), Amyl and The Sniffers were the dominant force at this year’s ceremony. Bass player Gus Romer was both a surprise and a snub; he failed to take the stage when his band won for album of the year. “Looks like we lost the bass player,” Taylor joked. “It happens a lot, he’s replaceable, don’t worry about it.” It’s official: Amyl and The Sniffers are national treasures.
Snub: Royel Otis
After dominating the 2024 ARIA Awards with four wins, Royel Otis might’ve expected the good times to roll on. The Sydney duo of Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic collected four nominations this time, off the back of their sophomore album Hickey (Ourness / Capitol Records), which cracked the ARIA top 10, emulating the chart success of their debut, Pratts & Pain. Royel Otis had the top-ranked homegrown recording on triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown in January, with a cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor” coming in at No. 2, and Hickey single “Moody” topped Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay Chart in July of this year. On Wednesday night, those four ARIA Award nominations came to nought.
Surprise: Ninajirachi
With eight nods, the night was all set up for Ninajirachi. As the house lights went up, the EDM artist (real name: Nina Wilson) had her hands full with three heavy ARIA trophies. That’s quite a haul, and it comes after she collected the Australian Music Prize and triple j’s J Award for I Love My Computer (NLV Records). Ninajirachi could see the irony in winning the Michael Gudinski breakthrough artist award; the Central Coast-raised creative released her first record eight years ago, as a teen. Good things do come to those who wait, and Ninajirachi can now claim to be an overnight success, a decade in the making. She’s nominated in two categories for the NSW Music Prize, to be announced next week.
Snub: RÜFÜS DU SOL
Electronic music was pumping at the ARIA Awards, as Ninajirachi and Dom Dolla scored five awards between them. RÜFÜS DU SOL bagged four nominations for 2024’s Inhale / Exhale (Rose Avenue Records / Warner Music Australasia), their fifth studio album. The collection opened its account at No. 3 on the ARIA Chart, continuing a podium finish for all their recordings: Atlas (2013), Bloom (2016) and Surrender (2021) went to No. 1 in 2013 and Solace peaked at No. 2 in 2018. RDS have won four career ARIA Awards, they have a Grammy Award in their safekeeping (and they can add another, for best dance/electronic album next February), and they’re currently touring the country. The 2025 ARIA Awards just wasn’t their night.
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Michael Bublé’s evergreen Christmas album returns to No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart (dated Nov. 22), rising 2-1. The set, which was released in 2011, has notched a total of 61 weeks atop the list.
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Also on the chart, new projects from Brad Paisley, Trisha Yearwood and Herb Alpert all debut.
The Top Holiday Albums chart ranks the 50 most popular seasonal albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each units equals one album sales, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The Top Holiday Albums chart will continue to be published on a weekly basis through early January of 2026, when it will jingle away until the next holiday season. (The chart generally returns to Billboard’s weekly chart menu every October.)
Paisley’s Snow Globe Town debuts on the list at No. 15, marking his second charting project on the tally. He previously visited the chart with the 2006 release Brad Paisley Christmas, which peaked at No. 2 in January 2007. Snow Globe Town includes eight newly-penned songs and a selection of classic holiday favorites like “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire)” and “Jingle Bell Rock.”
Snow Globe Town also enters at No. 15 on Top Album Sales, No. 14 on Top Current Album Sales and No. 49 on Top Country Albums.
Yearwood’s new Christmastime bows at No. 36 on Top Holiday Albums, and the project includes new takes on classics like “My Favorite Things,” “Pure Imagination” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” The album also boasts a new original track, “Merry Christmas, Valentine,” co-written and performed by Yearwood and Garth Brooks.
Christmastime also starts at No. 50 on the Top Current Albums chart.
Rounding out the debuts on Top Holiday Albums is Alpert’s Christmas Time Is Here, entering at No. 44. The project, which marks Alpert’s third holiday set, also bows at No. 4 on Contemporary Jazz Albums and No. 18 on the overall Jazz Albums chart. Christmas Time Is Here includes the legendary trumpeter, composer and record label executive’s takes on “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” “Santa Baby” and “Winter Wonderland.”
Alpert’s first seasonal project, 1968’s Christmas Album, reached No. 1 on Billboard’s then-titled Christmas LP’s chart, while his second holiday set, 2017’s The Christmas Wish, reached No. 5 on Top Holiday Albums in 2017.
Trending on Billboard Tate McRae is putting a bow on the So Close to What era with the release of her Billboard 200-topping album’s deluxe edition on Friday (Nov. 21). The 22-year-old is set to add her top three Billboard Hot 100 hit “Tit for Tat” to the project, along with four new songs titled […]
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YEONJUN’s debut solo project NO LABELS: PART 01 debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Nov. 22). The TOMORROW X TOGETHER member’s album sold 27,000 copies in the United States in the week ending Nov. 13, according to Luminate.
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Plus, Hayley Williams, ROSALÍA, sombr and Wings all arrive in the top 10 with their latest releases.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album (TEA) units and streaming equivalent album (SEA) units.
Hayley Williams’ Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party vaults 18-2 on Top Album Sales following its wide release on physical formats during the tracking week. It sold a little over 22,000 copies — the best sales week ever for a solo project from Williams. ROSALÍA also claims her best sales week, with the No. 3 debut of LUX, selling 19,000 copies.
Taylor Swift’s chart-topping The Life of a Showgirl is a non-mover at No. 4 with nearly 19,000 (up 7%) while Stray Kids’ former leader KARMA climbs 7-5 with 13,000 (up 39%). The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack slips 5-6 with nearly 13,000 (down 6%).
The physical release of sombr’s I Barely Know Her propels the album to a No. 7 debut with 11,000 sold. The album was initially released on Aug. 22 as a digital download, and via streaming services.
The new Wings anthology compilation, WINGS, flies in at No. 8 with a little more than 10,000 sold. Tyler, The Creator’s former No. 1 CHROMAKOPIA falls 2-9 with 10,000 (down 75%) and Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack is steady at No. 10, with 9,000 sold (up 37%).
Trending on Billboard In this week’s episode of Unfiltered, rappers Dave East & DreamDoll debate the best, top five strip club anthems of all time. Stay tuned to hear what their top picks are! What are your top five strip club anthems of all time? Let us know in the comments! Carl Lamarre: Hey! What’s […]
Trending on Billboard Megan Thee Stallion told a jury that she experienced severe depression amid a torrent of online hate from those who doubt that Tory Lanez shot her in 2020. The female rap star (Megan Pete) took the witness stand on Thursday (Nov. 20) in her defamation trial against Milagro Gramz (Milagro Cooper), a […]
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The Country Music Association awarded Big Machine Label Group founder, chairman and CEO Scott Borchetta the 2025 CMA Irving Waugh Award of Excellence on Wednesday (Nov. 19) ahead of the 59th Annual CMA Awards. Borchetta was surprised with the industry honor on the red carpet by Riley Green, a Big Machine Label Group/Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment artist (and winner of three 2025 CMA Awards).
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Borchetta was also a 2025 CMA Awards nominee in the musical event of the year category as a producer, along with Jimmy Harnen and Dann Huff, of Green’s “Don’t Mind If I Do,” which reunited the singer with Ella Langley. It was Borchetta’s second CMA nod. He was first nominated in 2013 as a producer on Taylor Swift’s Red, an album of the year nominee.
“Scott has played a pivotal role in shaping Country Music’s modern era,” Sarah Trahern, CMA’s CEO, said in a statement. “I’ve watched him navigate this industry with remarkable clarity and conviction — championing emerging talent, supporting legacy artists and investing in ideas that move our genre forward.”
“I truly did not see this coming,”Borchetta said. “A sincere thank you to our extraordinary CEO, Sarah Trahern, and all on the CMA Board for this incredible recognition. Irving Waugh was a true visionary who did so much for Country Music and its culture, and I’m humbled to stand on his shoulders alongside so many who continue to shape and inspire the world of Country Music.”
Big Machine Label Group is home to such stars as Thomas Rhett, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Carly Pearce, Mötley Crüe and Sheryl Crow. As an executive producer, Borchetta has championed projects such as the 20-track Petty Country and the Grammy-winning documentary Glen Campbell… I’ll Be Me.
Waugh was a radio and TV executive who was active from the late 1940s through the early 1990s. He first joined WSM-Nashville as a radio announcer in 1941. In the late ’40s, after serving in World War II, he returned to WSM and began a career that included positions as commercial manager, GM, vp and president of WSM’s radio and TV operations. He died in April 2007 at age 94.
