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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, Billie Eilish hits new sweet spots, Zayn enters a fresh phase and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie keeps climbing. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Billie Eilish, Hit Me Hard and Soft
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Forget the standout tracks (although there are several of them) and the general atmosphere (which is richly developed and immediately engrossing); the miracle of Billie Eilish’s third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, is the fact that one of the most celebrated young superstars in the history of popular music — who’s coming off of her second Oscar win, at the age of 22! — can continue to sound so freed from expectations, and unconstrained from modern pop trends. Eilish has always made unflinching choices in the face of ever-expanding fame, and from the crackling pop-rock of “Lunch” to the labyrinthine saga of “Bittersuite” to the heartfelt jangle of “Birds of a Feather,” she remains impossible to predict, and a master of her craft, on her latest full-length.
Zayn, Room Under the Stairs
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Room Under the Stairs is Zayn’s first album since he entered his thirties last year — and while the rustic, country-rock sound denotes a change in approach, the songwriting and vocal performances also capture a maturation, as the former One Direction star sounds fully removed from the trappings of pop stardom and ready to tell his story his way. Lead single “What I Am” quickly sets the tone, but “Stardust” immerses the listener in the promise of Zayn’s new era, marrying his knack for melody with deep, hard-earned soulfulness.
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A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Better Off Alone
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In a few weeks, Bronx rapper A Boogie Wit da Hoodie will perform a headlining show at Madison Square Garden, a full-circle moment for an MC who has always operated left-of-center when it comes to hip-hop’s elite but has steadily built a dedicated following and racked up hundreds of millions of streams. New album Better Off Alone includes guest spots from Future, Lil Durk and Young Thug, among others, but the percolating “Body,” featuring rising star Cash Cobain, best distills A Boogie’s new-school take on NYC hip-hop by way of Jersey club, and sounds like a surefire hit.
Luke Combs, “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma”
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Luke Combs’ burly new rocker comes from the soundtrack to the upcoming Twister sequel Twisters, which helps explain lines like “You’ll know when it’s coming for ya / Riding in on the wind and rain.” Removed from the context of the film, however, “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” allows Combs to playfully roar over meaty guitar riffs, showcasing a side of the superstar that might be unfamiliar to non-country fans who only know his delicate “Fast Car” cover.
Editor’s Pick: Saweetie, “NANi”
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Saweetie climbed the charts and crossed over to mainstream listeners thanks in part to pop-rap confections like “My Type” and the Doja Cat collaboration “Best Friend,” and new summer single “NANi,” with its plinking keyboard riff and sing-song melody, has a great shot at following in the footsteps of those hits. As always, Saweetie’s rock-solid flow holds her sound together, as she concludes, “Another day, another f–kin’ bag,” with the braggadocio of a superstar.
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Source: Rockstar Games / GTA 6
We don’t have an exact date for when we will return to Vice City in GTA 6, but the window for the highly anticipated game’s release did narrow a bit.
Rockstar Games’ parent company, Take-Two Interactive, revealed in its Q4 2024 earnings report that Grand Theft Auto 6 will arrive in fall 2025.
While that’s not an exact date, it’s a slight update from the more vague “coming 2025” release window.
“Our outlook reflects a narrowing of Rockstar Games’ previously established window of Calendar 2025 to Fall of Calendar 2025 for Grand Theft Auto VI,” Take-Two Chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick said in the report. “We are highly confident that Rockstar Games will deliver an unparalleled entertainment experience, and our expectations for the commercial impact of the title continue to increase.”
In an interview with Variety, speaking on the game’s fall 2025 release window, Zelnick added, “I think we’re going to leave it there for now.”
GTA 6’s Rollout Marred By Leaks
Gamers shouldn’t be surprised by the vagueness. Rockstar Games plays it very close to the chest for its games, especially Grand Theft Auto.
Information about the game in the form of leaked materials hitting X, formerly Twitter timelines, September 2022.
Then, the game studio had to release GTA 6’s trailer earlier than planned when a bunch of crypto dweebs leaked it.
The trailer confirmed that the game will feature two male and female protagonists and take us to Leonida, the GTA equivalent of Florida, and we will spend most of our time in Vice City, the game’s take on Miami.
With any news regarding GTA 6, the reactions are pouring in. Some are excited that we seem to be getting closer to a release date, while others want to know the EXACT day we can expect to boot up the game.
With this game, we want Rockstar Games to take its time and deliver a game on the same level as GTA V.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. Challenge accepted
4. A perspective we can get behind.
12. Now why would you say that?
Falling in Reverse, Tech N9ne and Alex Terrible’s collaboration “Ronald” bows big on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, debuting at No. 1 on the May 18-dated survey. “Ronald” starts with 2.4 million official U.S. streams and 3,000 downloads sold in the week ending May 9, according to Luminate. It reigns from only three days […]
Dua Lipa‘s surprise performance with Chris Stapleton at Thursday night’s (May 16) 2024 ACM Awards required some seriously stealth maneuvers. The “Training Season” singer took the stage to debut a new duet with Stapleton at the awards show at Ford Theater at the Star in Frisco, Texas and afterwards she talked to Billboard about how they pulled off the high-profile musical sneak attack.
“Lots of zip-up hoodies and running in and out of the arena,” she said of the lengths the two singer’s teams went to in keeping the secret under wraps. “We were all so in on making sure that this stays a surprise to make the moment even more special. I don’t know how we did it, I’m glad we did it because it’s really special when it happened tonight on stage.”
Stapleton won the artist of the year and album award at the 59th annual ACMs, but it was when he performed his song “Thing I’m in Love With You” with Dua — and his wife Morgane — that the audience at the Ford Theater sat up in their seats watching the two singers from different musical words meld their universes.
Dua said she was inspired to attend the ACMs and perform with Stapleton because she’s a “massive fan” of the singer she called a “master of his craft.” She also enjoyed sitting down with Stapleton to brainstorm how they could reimagine the song from his Higher album. “To even just spend a few days with him working with him, and his band and with his wife Morgane as well, it’s just been absolutely incredible. It’s just one of those moments in my life where i’m so happy to be a musician and to be creating something and doing something that feels so exciting,” she said.
At press time, reps for both singers had not responded to Billboard‘s request for comment about news that they plan to release the collaboration soon.
Lipa was also excited to see fellow pop-to-country crossover star Post Malone performing at Thursday’s event, but the thing that she was most psyched about was her new album, Radical Optimism, debuting at the peak of the Top Album Sales chart.
Dua said she celebrated the long-gestating album’s release at home with friends and family with food, drinks and music. And, because she was in Texas, she had to try some local bbq as well, of course. “That and going on a hunt for the best cowboy hat,” she said of her Lone Star state adventures.
Watch Dua Lipa talk about the surprise performance and her album’s chart debut in the video above.
Last year, an unknown artist named Tommy Richman stunned as a guest on Brent Faiyaz’s Larger Than Life, appearing on “Upset” alongside FELIX! (The song reached No. 12 on Hot R&B Songs last November.) But now, Richman, who is signed to Faiyaz’ ISO Supremacy label, is making a much larger impression with a hit of his own.
On April 26, Richman released the bouncy “Million Dollar Baby,” on which he flexes his falsetto and genre-blurring sensibilities. The song debuted with 38 million official U.S. streams in its first week of release (April 26-May 2), according to Luminate. “Million Dollar Baby” also scored Richman his first Hot 100 entry, debuting at No. 2 — behind only Taylor Swift and Post Malone’s “Fortnight.” The song also debuts atop the Steaming Songs chart, making Richman the first artist since Olivia Rodrigo with “Drivers License” in 2021 to launch a solo first entry atop the chart.
As previously reported by Billboard, the song’s grand entrance resulted in a boost for Richman’s discography; not including “Baby,” Richman’s catalog posted nearly 2.1 million on-demand U.S. audio streams (across April 26-29), a gain of 106% from the four-day period before. And now, in its second week, the song not only remains at No. 2 on the Hot 100, it climbs to No. 2 on the Billboard Global 200 and reaches No. 1 on the TikTok Top 50, as it continues to gain steam.
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The Woodbridge, Va.-born artist was the first to sign to ISO Supremacy (in partnership with PULSE Records). In addition to scoring a feature on Faiyaz’s last album, Richman also opened for the label boss on his 2023 F*ck the World, It’s a Wasteland Tour. And now, Darren Xu, COO of ISO Supremacy, earns the title of Billboard‘s Executive of the Week.
Despite much of this success seemingly coming out of nowhere, Xu can’t help but look back knowingly, having always believed Richman would reach this moment. As “Baby” continues to grow — thanks in large part to TikTok, where the song has soundtracked 218.3K clips and counting — his team is focused on the future. As Xu, says: “It’s going to be all gas, no brakes.”
Since the Hot 100 began in 1958, only five other acts have debuted in the chart’s top two with no prior history on the chart. Why is “Million Dollar Baby” connecting so strongly?
I feel like “Million Dollar Baby” is a real testament to the climate of social media today. It really shows that if you make good music, it will reach the right audience. Tommy is creating new sounds and the music will speak for itself.
Tommy was the first artist signed to Brent Faiyaz’s ISO Supremacy — what were Tommy and the team looking to gain in signing with Brent?
There was a mutual respect and collaborative energy between the two of them from day one, so the connection just made sense. We knew we’d all win big.
What’s the key to managing an emerging star today?
Don’t let people rush or pressure you into taking steps you don’t need to, and prioritize the artist’s taste and vision.
How are you planning to keep momentum going — for the song and Tommy more broadly?
You guys are going to have to just stay tuned and keep an eye on what we do next. All I can say is it’s going to be all gas no brakes.
In May 2019, Morgan Wallen’s initial No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, “Whiskey Glasses,” began a two-week command. “My first No. 1 on Hot Country Songs happened on my 26th birthday,” Wallen told Billboard upon learning of the achievement that May 13. “This is truly a day I’ll never forget.” The track, which was […]
In March, Spotify began paying music publishers and songwriters a discounted royalty rate for streams on its premium tiers — and the music business isn’t accepting the change without a fight. Spotify says that by adding audiobooks to its premium offerings, these subscriptions have been reclassified as “bundles,” a type of plan that qualifies for […]
Tom Waits will star alongside Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, Charlotte Rampling, and Mayim Bialik in Jim Jarmusch’s new movie Father Mother Sister Brother, Variety reports. Jarmusch’s follow-up to The Dead Don’t Die is a “comedy interwoven with threads of melancholy,” told as a triptych, per its description. It will also have a musical component, Jarmusch has said.Indya Moore and Luka Sabbat have also joined the cast. The film is set to be finished this year.The Dead Don’t Die came out in 2019, reuniting Waits and Jarmusch after their longtime partnership began with Down by Law. That film also starred Driver, as well as Iggy Pop, RZA, Bill Murray, Selena Gomez, Tilda Swinton, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, and Sturgill Simpson. Waits recently made a rare public outing to present Nicolas Cage with an award, a few months after auctioning a fedora to support the film industry strikes.Tom Waits
Nick Jonas is getting cool for summer. The 31-year-old Jonas Brothers singer/guitarist showed off his fresh buzz cut in a series of Instagram pics on Thursday (May 16) that also included an adorable snap of his two-year-old daughter with wife Priyanka Copra, Malti Marie. The first slide in the series was a selfie of a […]
Elle King was not supposed to even be on stage at the Grand Ole Opry in January to pay tribute to her idol Dolly Parton. Talking about the viral incident for the first time, the “Drunk” singer told comedian Chelsea Handler on this week’s episode of her Dear Chelsea podcast that she filled-in at the last minute for an unnamed headliner who backed out just hours before the event due to a huge snowstorm that day.
When King — who said she hadn’t eaten or slept in days — was pressed into service to sing during the event, she said she did a “big no-no… I not only cussed on stage, hammered at the Grand Ole Opry, but it was Dolly Parton’s birthday, and it was the Opry was doing a Dolly Parton tribute.” King said she had not talked about it yet because she “had to just chill” for a while.
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After nailing a “f–king perfect” cover of “Jolene” during the first of the two planned gigs in tribute to Parton on the singer’s 78th birthday on Jan. 19, King went into a profanity-laced tirade at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium during the second show after taking “one shot too many,” telling the crowed she was “f–king hammered” while trying to cover Dolly’s “Marry Me.” When she struggled to remember the lyrics, King sang, “I don’t give a s–t” and “I don’t know they lyrics to these things in this f–king town… Don’t tell Dolly ’cause it’s her birthday.”
The singer also berated the crowd, telling them, “I’m not even gonna lie. That’s a b-side for ya. I’m not even gonna f–kin’ lie. Y’all bought tickets for this s–t? you ain’t getting your money back… I’ll tell you one thing more. Hi, my name is Elle King and I’m f–king hammered.”
King told Handler that she had been going through “something very heavy and traumatic” in her life at the time. “And that day was a really big day dealing with what I was going through and that I’m still going through,” she said. “And I suffer from severe PTSD; I take one shot too many, and I’m just not there in my body, I’m not there. I don’t remember it. All I remember — I don’t even remember what I said. I know now what I said.”
When the curtain came down on her, King said she was “totally 100 percent disassociated,” and the next thing she can remember was her on the floor of her dressing room, “just sobbing, like, ‘What have I done?’” In the wake of the performance, King rescheduled a series of planned gigs.
Regardless of what was going on in her life at the time — which, by the way, King said she doesn’t feel obligated to explain to “anybody in the f–king world” — the singer knows it doesn’t excuse the fact that “maybe I shouldn’t have f–king been drinking… This is like a sacred stage and I f–ked up. So, for all the people who are asking for an apology from me, hey, if you were there that night and I didn’t get a chance to say I’m sorry to you, I apologize.”
Mortified by what happened, King said she hand-wrote an apology letter to the Opry, as well as to Parton, who called her a few days later and offered, “proof that angels exist. She just gave me really kind words and told me, ‘Well, Dolly’s not mad at you, why should the world be?,’” which made King laugh. “That’s the kindness from women, you know? That’s the stuff that I’ve received that I’ll never forget, ever. Because I wanted to f–king die. I had to remove myself from the population for a while because it just… wasn’t getting any better.” Parton also advised her fans in a message to “forgive and forget” in the wake of the backlash against King.
Even after she posted an apology online for the incident, King said trolls online called her an “unfit mother” and said she should “surrender” her two-year-old son, Lucky Levi, as well as suggesting she should harm herself. But after some reflection, King said the incident has motivated her to make some changes, which have helped her become a stronger person.
“I’m not grateful for it, but at the same time, I can find a silver lining in literally anything,” she said. “I’m going to choose to use this as a tool to not defeat me, but to make me, hopefully, a better person, and I can learn from my mistakes.” If nothing else, now she said she doesn’t drink before getting on stage and she’s playing the best gigs of her career.
King also talked about trying to fit into the country world, saying that at first she felt like an outsider after boot-scooting to Nashville following a more pop-leaning early career. “They didn’t try to kick me out for a while. I feel like country was pretty warm and welcoming to me and they still are,” King said. “I think a lot of the people in the country world are rebels in a lot of ways, which I kind of related to… where I felt very not at home or comfortable in the pop world because I’m was like this thick b–ch. And people were kind of mean and drinking green drinks and I’m like, ‘I like to get s–tfaced!’”
Listen to the interview below (Parton tribute talk begins at 18-minute mark).
