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Billboard Women in Music 2025
Incendiary Swedish rockers The Hives are readying themselves for a big year, with a new album announced alongside a global run of tour dates.
The veteran quintet – who celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2023 – shared the news of their seventh album in a press release on Tuesday (April 1), with the announcement taking the form of an open letter formally addressed to “whom it may concern,” but clarified to mean “everyone.”
“This message is to inform you that International Rock Sensation The Hives, the best live band on the planet and still your new favourite band, lauded on all continents for their masterful skill and reckless abandon in the rock music field, have once again, sooner than you expected, created a new body of work the likes of which have never been heard or indeed probably will again,” the message began.
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“A new record so full of energy, joy, anger and life that you will be questioning reality as you have known it,” it continued. “They finally did it. Every single song a single, every single single a hit, every hit a direct hit in the face of the man.”
The record in question is titled The Hives Forever Forever The Hives and will be released via Play It Again Sam on Aug. 29. According to the press release, the 13-track album was “crafted with commitment, abandon and skill in Sweden in cohorts with the esteemed producers Pelle Gunnerfeldt and Mike D of Beastie Boys.”
The group have also unveiled “Enough Is Enough” as the album’s lead single, with a video directed by filmmaker Eik Kockum capturing the group in Bucharest, Romania.
“Who in their right mind would start a song like this? No one but The Hives,” the group explained. “They are here again sooner than you expected and they have had enough of everyone at this point. Hence the title. Dig? Dig.”
The Hives will celebrate the release of their forthcoming album with a world tour which launches in Australia in July, before visiting North America, Europe, and the U.K. throughout the rest of the year.
The Hives Forever Forever The Hives arrives as the band’s seventh album, and follows on from the release of 2023’s The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons – ending an eleven-year gap between releases for the band.
The group initially formed in 1993, though largely avoided widespread recognition until the release of the 2001 compilation Your New Favourite Band. The compilation resulted in the re-release of their single “Hate to Say I Told You So,” which peaked at No. 86 on the Hot 100, and saw their following album – 2004’s Tyrannosaurus Hives – reach a career high of No. 33 on the Billboard 200.
The Hives – World Tour 2025
July 17 – Metropolis Freo, Perth, AUJuly 19 – Forum, Melbourne, AUJuly 23 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney, AUJuly 24 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane, AUSept. 8 – Stubb’s Waller Creek Ampitheater, Austin, TXSept. 9 – House of Blues, Houston, TXSept. 10 – House of Blues, Dallas, TXSept. 12 – Ogden Theatre, Denver, COSept. 13 – The Union Event Center, Salt Lake City, UTSept. 15 – Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WASept. 16 – The Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BCSept. 17 – Revolution Hall, Portland, ORSept. 19 – Ace of Spades, Sacramento, CASept. 20 – The Warfield, San Francisco, CASept. 22 – The Sound, Del Mar, CASept. 25 – Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CAOct. 17 – Sentrume Scene, Oslo, NOOct. 18 – KB Hall, Copenhagen, DKOct. 21 – Colombia Halle, Berlin, DEOct. 24 – Zenith, Munich, DEOct. 25 – Haus Auensee, Leipzig, DEOct. 26 – Gasometer, Wien, ATOct. 28 – Xtra, Zurich, CHOct. 29 – Alcatraz, Milan, ITNov. 1 – Sant Jordi Club, Barcelona, ESNov. 2 – Wizink, Madrid, ESNov. 4 – Sagres Campo Pequeno, Lisbon, PTNov. 19 – Forest National, Brussels, BENov. 20 – Le Zenith, Paris, FRNov. 22 – AFAS, Amsterdam, NLNov. 24 – Utilitia Arena, Cardiff, UKNov. 26 – Ovo Hydro, Glasgow, UKNov. 28 – Aviva Studios, Manchester, UKNov. 29 – Alexandra Palace, London, UKDec. 1 – Palladium, Cologne, DEDec. 2 – Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt, DEDec. 3 – Sporthalle, Hamburg, DEDec. 6 – Avicii Arena, Stockholm, SE
Billboard Women in Music 2025
Fresh off the back of his early exit from Saturday Night Live over the weekend, Morgan Wallen has launched a new line of “Get Me to God’s Country” merchandise.
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Launched on Tuesday (April 1), the new merch options are rather simple, consisting of a white shirt and a hat, with the latter available in two different color variants. All the items feature the same design, however, with the Coors logo worked into a design which bears the words “Get Me to God’s Country.”
Despite the timing of the merch drop, the Club Wallen Instagram account has assured fans it’s not part of an April Fools’ Day joke.
The nascent run of merch comes just days after the phrase rose to prominence following Wallen’s early walk-off from Saturday Night Live. After performing a pair of songs from his forthcoming album, I’m the Problem, Wallen briefly joined the SNL cast at the end of the show, as is customary on the long-running sketch comedy series. He then whispered something into host Mikey Madison’s ear, gave her a hug and abruptly walked off the stage at Studio 8H.
Shortly after the incident, Wallen shared a photo on his Instagram Stories from his private plane, with the caption “Get me to God’s country” written over an image of the runway.
Given the somewhat mysterious nature of the phrase and the swift launch of the merchandise line, it’s currently unclear whether the slogan is part of Wallen’s new album, or something else entirely. The forthcoming record, I’m the Problem, is scheduled to be released on May 16 and features a total of 37 tracks, though only a handful of their titles have been released to date.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly following Wallen’s walk-off, longtime cast member Kenan Thompson said the incident was “definitely a spike in the norm.”
“We’re so used to everybody just turning around and high-fiving us, everybody’s saying, ‘Good job, good job, good job.’ So when there’s a departure from that, it’s like, hmm, I wonder what that’s about?” Thompson added, noting that Prince had previously done the same thing during his appearance on the show.
“I’m not saying Morgan Wallen is Prince, but we weren’t surprised because Prince was notoriously kind of standoffish. It’s just how he was. So we just thought like, ‘Okay, now he’s gone back into fantasyland.’”
Wallen is yet to publicly comment on the incident or provide information as to the meaning behind the phrase.
Billboard Women in Music 2025
Selena Gomez and benny blanco’s first collaborative album, I Said I Love You First, debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated April 5). It’s the fourth leader for Gomez and first for blanco. The set sold 71,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending March 27, according to Luminate. It’s the best sales week for Gomez since 2015 and blanco’s best sales week ever.
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Of the 71,000 sold, vinyl purchases comprise 21,000 – the biggest week on vinyl for either artist. The title – the first album pairing from the real-life couple – also enters at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart.
In total, I Said I Love You First is Gomez’s eighth top 10 on Top Album Sales, and the first for blanco.
Also debuting in the top 10 on the latest Top Album Sales chart: Japanese Breakfast’s For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) and My Morning Jacket’s is.
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.
Of the 71,000 copies sold of I Said I Love You First, physical sales comprise 38,000 (21,000 on vinyl and 17,000 on CD) and digital download sales comprise 33,000.
The opening-week sales of I Said I Love You First were bolstered by its availability across seven vinyl variants (different color editions, some with alternate covers; including a signed version), three CD versions (a standard CD, a signed edition, and a zine/CD version with expanded packaging), a deluxe box set containing branded merch and a CD, and 10 different digital download iterations.
Of the download editions, firstly, there was a widely available standard set at digital retail. Then, through the album’s opening week, nine additional download variants were issued, all initially exclusively available through Gomez’s webstore, and each sold for $5. All of the variants included the standard album’s 14 songs, plus bonus material. Five of the variants each had one bonus track (“Stained,” “Talk,” “That’s What I’ll Care [Seven Heavens Version],” “Scared of Loving You [Live From Vevo]” and “How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten [Live From Vevo],” respectively) and one contained two bonus cuts (an acoustic version and extended version of the album single “Call Me When You Break Up”). There was also an Explained: Narrated by Selena Gomez edition (with 14 bonus tracks with Gomez providing commentary on each of the set’s 14 songs), a Slowed & Reverbed edition (with 14 bonus slowed and reverbed versions of the album’s songs) and an Instrumentals edition (with 14 bonus instrumental versions of the tracklist).
All nine of the variants became available in the iTunes Store on Wednesday (March 26). The variants were only sold in the iTunes Store through March 27, the final day they were also sold in Gomez’s store.
Lady Gaga’s chart-topping MAYHEM is a non-mover at No. 2 on Top Album Sales with a little over 13,000 sold (down 44%).
Japanese Breakfast lands its best sales week ever and highest charting title on Top Album Sales as For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) debuts at No. 3 with 13,000 sold. (It’s the second top 10 for the act.) The album’s sales were aided by its availability across eight vinyl variants (including a signed version), along with a standard download, CD and cassette edition. Vinyl sales tallied up to just over 10,000 – the act’s best week on vinyl, and it yields at No. 2 debut on the Vinyl Albums chart.
Kendrick Lamar’s former No. 1 GNX is steady at No. 4 on Top Album Sales (a little more than 11,000; down 9%) while The Weeknd’s chart-topping Hurry Up Tomorrow jumps 15-5 (11,000; up 92% following the release of a deluxe CD boxed set edition of the album sold in the artist’s webstore).
My Morning Jacket’s latest studio album, titled is, debuts at No. 6 on Top Album Sales with nearly 10,000 sold – with 7,000 of that sum on vinyl. It’s the fifth top 10-charting effort for the act. It also launches at No. 4 on the Vinyl Albums chart. The set was available across five vinyl variants, along with a standard CD and download edition.
Rounding out the rest of the top 10 on Top Album Sales: Sabrina Carpenter’s former leader Short n’ Sweet slips 6-7 (nearly 10,000; down 5%), LE SSERAFIM’s HOT falls 1-8 in its second week (8,000; down 80%), Playboi Carti’s MUSIC drops 3-9 (just over 7,000; down 51%) and Chappell Roan’s chart-topping The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess dips 9-10 (7,000; down 13%).
Billboard Women in Music 2025
Veteran Canadian rocker Neil Young has shared his fears over a potential ban from the U.S. that may await him upon his return from Europe.
The musician – who is a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S. – has not been shy in regard to his criticism of President Donald Trump in the past. Previously, Young has gone so far as to call Trump “a disgrace to my country,” and most recently, claim that “the US has lost its standing” on the world stage under the President’s leadership.
However, with an upcoming European tour set to be followed by a run of dates in the U.S., Young has taken to his Archives website to ruminate on the notion that he too may be barred from entering the country for sharing his critical thoughts on Trump.
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“When I go to play music in Europe, if I talk about Donald J. Trump, I may be one of those returning to America who is barred or put in jail to sleep on a cement floor with an aluminum blanket,” Young wrote on Tuesday (April 1). “If I come back from Europe and am barred, can’t play my USA tour, all of the folks who bought tickets will not be able to come to a concert by me.
“If the fact that I think Donald Trump is the worst president in the history of our great country could stop me from coming back, what does that say for Freedom? I love America and its people and its music and its culture.”
As Young continued, he reflected on the constitutional right to freedom of speech within the country, likely referring to recent news stories such as the arrest and orders to deport Syrian-born permanent resident and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil.
“By these latest actions of our US government, it seems that those who speak out freely with their own opinions are now vulnerable to a non-existent Trump law,” Young wrote. “Then it seems to me that if you voted for Kamala Harris over Trump, that makes it possible for you to go to jail or be detained, punished in some way for not showing allegiance to what? How spineless is that? Trump is not be able to stand up to anyone who does not agree with his ideas?
“Remember, all months have 30 days,” he concluded. “One country, indivisible, with Liberty and Freedom for all. Remember that? I do.”
Young is currently scheduled to launch his forthcoming tour with the Chrome Hearts in Rättvik, Sweden on June 18, with North American dates set to begin in Charlotte, NC on Aug. 8. The rocker’s previously-announced plans for a free concert in Ukraine to launch the tour were recently cancelled, with Young citing safety concerns as the reason for the decision.
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Source: Drake / Youtube
To say that 2024 was a rough year for Drake would be an understatement. From taking the most devastating “L” of his career at the hands of Kendrick Lamar to being mocked for suing anyone he could for promoting “Not Like Us,” 2024 was less than a banner year for the King of The North.
Still, Drizzy isn’t throwing in the towel on his career and continues to press on with some new black-and-white visuals to “NOKIA” in which Drizzy seems to be enjoying his life regardless as he turns up with a gang of dancers while pulling out the old school cell phones that look like bricks but had the Hip-Hop world on fire.
T-Mobile needs to bring back the Sidekick with a touchscreen or something. Just sayin.’
Elsewhere, Big Sean keeps his reppin’ his city like no other and in his and G.T.’s clip to “FTW,” the Detroit duo put on for the Motor City and get some grub at the American Coney Island eatery before stuntin’ on the curb to show the drinks they ordered with their food ain’t packing any ice like them.
Check out the rest of today’s drops, including work from Zayaa, B$C Ziggy, and more.
DRAKE – “NOKIA”
G.T. & BIG SEAN – “FTW”
ZAYAA – “HOME”
B$C ZIGGY – “88”
JIZO MAN & BIG DON – “DOUBLE CUP”
SAINT JORDN – “PRAY FOR ME”
SEAN PAUL – “NAH FOLLOW DEM”
MONEY G – “LATE NIGHT”
HipHopWired Featured Video
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Sen. Cory Booker wrote himself in the U.S. Senate history books by delivering the longest speech in the chamber on record, eclipsing the record of Sen. Strom Thurmond’s filibuster by a good measure. As Sen. Cory Booker concluded his marathon speech, many on social media, especially X, are showing high approval for the New Jersey politician’s herculean effort.
Sen. Cory Booker, 55, took to the U.S. Senate floor on Monday (March 31) at 7 PM local time and begin his blistering marathon speech, using the time to voice the concerns of the American public who feel betrayed by the machinations of President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the DOGE bros, and the gutting of longstanding federally funded government establishments and programs.
Booker’s time at the podium was partly a reading of letters from not only constituents he represents, but others on the other side of the aisle who have been casualties in President Trump and the GOP’s culture war. Speaking frequently in impassioned tones, Booker appeared weary at moments and used the podium to support himself. When he was alerted that he was nearing Sen. Strom Thurmond’s 1957 filibuster record of 24 hours and 18 minutes, Booker quipped that he was near and kept going despite the obvious fatigue present.
Thurmond, the senator from South Carolina, used the filibuster to protest the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1957, which would give Black Americans certain protections and access to the democratic process. Thurmond, holding fast to antiquated views of Black Americans and an obvious allegiance to the memory of the Confederacy, represented a far different Democratic Party than we see today. Adding to this, Thurmond was dogged by rumors that he secretly fathered a daughter with a Black woman whom he allegedly helped by financing her education.
The late senator also voted against the Voting Rights Act of 1964 and 1965 and was a staunch segregationist who pushed for a ban on school integration. Thurmond’s resistance to granting equal access to Black citizens would follow him to the bitter end of his career as he cemented his legacy by being a raging racist.
What Sen. Cory Booker has done in contrast has been deemed symbolic by many, but it isn’t quite a criticism; instead, it is a fact. The United States is splitting apart on party line allegiance and the ever-present reality that this country still has yet to reckon with its past. This is happening at the Trump administration is attempting to sanitize history, do away with DEI, and eliminate social programs that benefited poor, working-class white Americans more than any other group in the nation.
On X, Sen. Booker’s historic feat is all the rage, and we’ve got reactions below.
Americans aren’t a line item in a budget to cut. Your story matters, your voice matters, this fight matters. pic.twitter.com/cDpXIZMtRe
— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) April 1, 2025
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Photo: Getty
Morgan Wallen walked off the ‘SNL’ set early, which stirred memes and debates online as to why he left and around his cryptic post of “Get me to God’s Country.” ‘SNL’ cast members Kenan Thompson responded to his walk-off. Keep watching for all the updates on Morgan Wallen’s abrupt departure. What do you think of […]
Billboard Women in Music 2025
In the words of an iconic 2010 Skrillex track, yes, on my god.
On Tuesday (April 1), the producer released his fourth studio album, the astoundingly titled F*CK U SKRILLEX YOU THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!!
Billboard Women in Music 2025
Selena Gomez is back in the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart (dated April 5) as “Ojos Tristes,” with Benny Blanco and The Marias, debuts at No. 4. Thanks to the reimagination of Jeanette’s 1981 classic ballad “El Muchacho De Los Ojos Tristes,” Blanco and The Marias secure their first top 10 on their second visit to the chart.
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“Ojos Tristes” opens at No. 4 on Hot Latin Songs –which blends airplay, digital sales and streaming data into its formula– thanks to gains mainly through streaming activity. The song registered 8.2 million official streams in the U.S. in the tracking week ending March 27, according to Luminate. The sum yields a No. 3 start on Latin Streaming Songs, the fifth top 10 for Gomez and an equal first top 10 for Blanco and The Marias.
Gomez’s “Ojos Tristes” samples “El Muchacho De Los Ojos Tristes” by Spanish-British Jeanette, who rose to the spotlight in the 1970s. While the song, composed by Manuel Alejandro, did not enter the charts, the singer-songwriter’s global hit, “Porque Te Vas,” reached No. 25 high on Latin Pop Airplay in 2008.
The bilingual “Ojos Tristes” intertwines nostalgic melodies with a modern sound, where Gomez sings in English and Maria Zardoya, of The Marias, lends her soft vocals to mirror Jeanette’s style for a modern audience.
The collaboration has propelled Blanco and The Marias to secure their first top 10 on Hot Latin Songs, after each scored an entry. Blanco reached No. 22 high last December as a featured artist on Myke Towers’ “Degenere.” The Marias, meanwhile, scored a No. 17 peak through their Bad Bunny collab “Otro Atardecer” in 2022.
For Gomez, “Ojos Tristes” gives her a fifth top 10 and first since “Selfish Love,” with DJ Snake, debuted and peaked at No. 6 in 2021.
“Ojos Tristes” also makes inroads across other Billboard charts. It debuts at No. 59 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. Plus, it starts at No. 63 on the Billboard Global 200 with 19.5 million streams, and at No. 118 on Global Excl. U.S. with 11.3 million clicks outside the U.S.
Sales too assist on the song’s top 10 debut on Hot Latin Songs, as “Ojos Tristes” registers 1,000 downloads in the U.S. which translates into a No. 1 debut on Latin Digital Song Sales.
Shakira has added more dates to her Mexican residency as part of her “Mujeres Ya No Lloran” World Tour and the Colombian singer shares what she loves about her Mexican fans, performing with Grupo Frontera and more! Have you attended her concert? Let us know in the comments! Natalia Cano: Shakira, well, it’s been a […]
