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Trending on Billboard “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters is back on top of the U.K. Singles Chart on Friday (Oct. 31), and brings Taylor Swift’s No. 1 run with “The Fate of Ophelia” to a close after three weeks. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The song, taken from the Netflix smash film, is […]
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Taylor Swift has been toppled from the summit of the U.K. Albums Chart by British rapper Dave on Friday (Oct. 31) following a massive opening week for his third LP The Boy Who Played the Harp.
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Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl broke numerous records in its opening week on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart and held the spot for three consecutive weeks following its release on Oct. 3.
Now London-born Dave has secured the top spot for the third time in his career by notching 73,800 U.K. chart units over the past seven days, making it the second biggest opening week for a British album this year, behind Sam Fender’s People Watching (110,000) and ahead of Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving (53,000). It’s the fourth biggest opening week overall of 2025 so far, placing behind Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl, Fender and Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend.
Dave first hit the No. 1 spot in 2019 with Psychodrama and again in 2021 with We’re All Alone in This Together. His new LP, The Boy Who Played the Harp, was announced just weeks before its release and featured no singles in the rollout. The record features guest appearances from James Blake, Jim Legxacy, Tems and Kano, and will be supported by a U.K. arena tour in 2026.
The Life of a Showgirl falls two places to No. 3, and Swift has also lost the top spot on the U.K. Official Singles Chart with lead single “The Fate of Ophelia” to KPop Demon Hunters’ “Golden.”
As he celebrates his return to touring, Bon Jovi celebrates finishing at No. 2 with a new edition of 2024 LP, Forever. The Legendary Edition features duets with Bruce Springsteen, Robbie Williams, Avril Lavigne and Lainey Wilson. The band will perform a number of stadium shows, including two at London’s Wembley Stadium, next June.
Lily Allen’s searing West End Girl LP has been the talk of the town as she examines the breakup of a marriage, widely assumed to be informed by her separation from Stranger Things star David Harbour. Her first LP in eight years, West End Girl closes the week at No. 4 – her highest placing in more than a decade – and she’ll tour the album in full at a run of U.K. theaters in 2026.
Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving finishes the week at No. 5 on the U.K. charts, although it remains in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 this week at No. 7.
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Olivia Dean’s sophomore album The Art of Loving, released in late September, is an intimate portrait of matters of the heart, and the highs and lows of romance in your 20s. Now the world loves her back and U.K. industry insiders are blown away as a fresh outpouring of affection gives her a rare shot of breaking America.
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Released via Capitol Records U.K. in partnership with Island Records U.S., The Art of Loving recently peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, and currently remains in the top 10. And this week, its breakout hit “Man I Need” continues to rise on the Hot 100 and is up to No. 8 — Dean’s first-ever Hot 100 top 10 hit — while two other tracks, “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” and “Nice to Each Other,” appear at No. 44 and No. 88, respectively.
Records have tumbled on the U.K’s Official Charts. On release week, The Art of Loving and “Man I Need” concurrently hit No. 1 on the Albums and Singles chart, with Dean becoming the first British female solo artist to achieve the feat since Adele in 2021. This week, Dean has broken a new U.K. chart record with four songs inside the top 10, the first time any female solo artist has achieved the feat and buoyed by her appearance on Sam Fender’s “Rein Me In.”
Dean is no overnight sensation. The BRIT School graduate first appeared as a backing singer with dance group Rudimental, and landed a record deal with AMF (a subsidiary of EMI) in 2019 for OK Love You Bye, her debut EP. Her debut album Messy (2023) scored a Mercury Prize nomination, and alongside an appearance on the BBC’s Sound Of poll the following year, she earned nominations in three categories at the BRIT Awards in 2024.
Now that steady build has exploded into potential global stardom. Next spring, the 26-year-old will headline six nights at London’s 20,000-capacity O2 Arena as part of her sold-out U.K. and Ireland tour, but the campaign is smartly positioned to break across the pond, too. She’s currently the lead support for Sabrina Carpenter’s ongoing arena tour, including five nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden this week. A performance on Saturday Night Live is scheduled for Nov. 15.
Now, with the campaign going from strength to strength, Tom Paul, managing director of Capitol Records U.K., earns the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week. Here he discusses the canny A&R decisions that supported Dean’s artistry, why she stands out in a world “increasingly shaped by AI” and keeping her well-fed with her favorite snack: chocolate raisins.
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This week, Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” became her first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, soaring to No. 8 in its ninth week on the chart. What key decisio did you make to help make that happen?
Partnering with Island U.S. in 2023 was absolutely key — that team is world-class. They completely understand and support Olivia’s artistry, and we’ve been working in lockstep since the release of Messy. We built an ambitious plan for The Art of Loving rollout in late 2024 and really stuck to it. “Man I Need” was quickly chosen as the focus single by Olivia and the team — and when she started performing it across her U.S. headline shows before release, the response was undeniable. You could feel it connecting in the room. Her being back in market now, supporting Sabrina Carpenter, has only amplified that momentum — and honestly, given the commercial and radio plans Island have put in place, it feels like this track still has plenty more room to grow.
Olivia released four EPs and her debut album, 2023’s Messy, before breaking through with The Art of Loving. How have you worked to build her career steadily through the years?
From the start, we’ve always focused on Olivia as an artist with longevity. We’ve been consistent with music releases since 2019, including live albums from the Jazz Café and Hammersmith Apollo, standout sync moments with Bridget Jones and Heartstopper, her work with brands such as Burberry and Adidas, and extensive global touring.
She’s one of the hardest-working artists I’ve ever seen — she’s travelled the world several times over, supported brilliantly by Nickie Owen and the Universal Music U.K. International team. Olivia knows exactly who she is, and we’re all completely aligned on her ambitions. The key is making smart decisions every day and avoiding shortcuts. She’s in this for the long run, and everything we do is built around that.
What specific decisions did the A&R team and Olivia make during the process of writing and recording The Art of Loving?
Willem Ward’s decision to turn an east London house into a recording studio — complete with Olivia’s own piano — was a key part of the alchemy behind the album’s magic. Olivia lived in the space for three weeks, inviting both longterm collaborators and new writers to join her. Having that creative home base in London, in a space that felt completely her own, made a huge difference.
We kept the core team that’s been integral to her journey while bringing in new creative energy from producers like Zack Nahome. And through it all, we followed Olivia’s lead — she set the tone, the pace and the emotional compass for the record.
Over in the U.K., Olivia currently has three songs in the Top 10, plus a collaboration with Sam Fender. How much planning goes into making sure that each single has the push it deserves when they’re all big simultaneously?
The U.K. chart success is an astounding achievement and absolutely one to be celebrated, but we’ve always said it doesn’t matter which song brings you into Olivia’s world — and we’ve always looked at the bigger, global picture before local chart metrics. We’ve had “Reason to Stay” going viral in Southeast Asia while “It Isn’t Perfect” was peaking in the U.K., and “Dive” [from debut LP Messy] was charting in Australia. She’s a true artist in that respect — every one of her songs forms part of the Olivia Dean story. When “Man I Need” was released, we suddenly had 12 songs in the U.K. Spotify Top 200, spanning her entire catalogue from 2019’s OK Love You Bye right through to The Art of Loving.
While meticulous planning goes into every rollout, there’s no accounting for those unexpected moments. Constant communication with the team — and the willingness to pivot, or sometimes to simply let things grow organically — is crucial. Olivia is an incredibly intuitive artist; she just knows when a song needs attention. Her COLORS session shining a light on “A Couple Minutes” was a perfect example of that instinct at work.
Olivia first broke in the U.K. and is now seeing gains in the U.S. How did you work with your counterparts in the U.S. to set her up for success in the market?
It really comes down to forward planning, consistent communication and talking through every decision with a global perspective. We’re always looking at each move through that lens — understanding the importance of Olivia being in market, aligning on our ambitions, but also making sure we enjoy the process. At the end of the day, we’re a team that genuinely gets on, loves music, and loves working together.
Breaking British acts in the U.S. and globally has been something of a concern for the industry lately, but the trend appears to be bucking. Why do you think audiences have connected with Olivia?
Audiences are craving honesty and authenticity. In a world increasingly shaped by AI, Olivia’s music feels deeply human — soulful, witty and emotional. She represents a new generation of artists redefining British music through intimacy and integrity. Her live performances are truly exceptional; she connects in person the same way she does online. There’s an element of old-school glamor and timelessness in her presentation, but always with her own modern, individual twist. And, of course, the pure quality of her songwriting is second to none.
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How have you been able to leverage TikTok for The Art of Loving’s singles?
TikTok has been a huge part of Olivia’s discovery — not through trends or gimmicks, but through people being genuinely transfixed by the joy of her performances or using her lyrics to soundtrack their own lives. We’ve built every key promo moment around authenticity rather than virality.
The best part is that her biggest moments on the platform have always come from fans, not marketing — and that’s exactly how you know you’ve got a special artist. One of our current trending sounds is simply Olivia explaining the concept behind The Art of Loving — I’ve honestly never seen something like that before, and it’s a perfect example of how her storytelling drives discovery.
Between chatter for a Grammy nomination, an upcoming SNL performance and a massive tour in 2026, how do you position Capitol U.K. to support Olivia on this next phase of the campaign?
Although Olivia’s trajectory this year has been nothing short of explosive, it’s important that we keep the momentum going — there are still so many people yet to discover her and such a rich catalog for them to explore. We have ambitious longterm plans in place, but our job is to make sure Olivia can scale globally without losing the intimacy that defines her.
Keeping our small, focused team at Capitol U.K., led by Jo Charrington, allows us to make every decision intentionally and with care. And, of course, making sure Olivia has a steady supply of chocolate raisins — an absolute essential.
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The BRIT Awards has announced an eligibility shake-up across a number of categories at the upcoming 2026 ceremony.
For the first time in its nearly 50 year history, The BRITs will leave London and will be held in Manchester’s Co-op Live arena. The ceremony will take place on Feb. 28 at the 23,500-capacity venue, which first opened in 2024. It will be the first time the awards have been held outside of London in its almost five-decade history; from 2011 to 2025, the ceremony was held at The O2 arena in London.
Ahead of the nomination process, The BRITs has announced a number of changes to the eligibility across certain categories. The eligibility period runs from Dec. 6, 2024, to Dec. 4, 2025.
The BRITs Rising Star Award will revert back to being called the Critics’ Choice award. The award was introduced in 2008 and is voted for by a judging panel made up of industry experts. Previous winners include Adele, Sam Smith, Sam Fender, Ellie Goulding and Florence + The Machine, and the title is currently held by Myles Smith.
The award changed its name to Rising Star in 2020, and recognizes artists who are predicted to make the biggest impact on music in the coming year. To be eligible, artists must not have yet achieved a top 20 album or more than one top 20 single on the U.K. charts.
Best new artist will change its name to breakthrough artist and honor British artists as they make their mark on the industry. The award was previously called British newcomer (1982-2002) and British breakthrough act (2003-2019) before being called best new artist from 2020 to 2025. The category recognizes artists on their achievements throughout the eligibility period and honors musicians with a greater profile than those of Critics Choice. Recent winners include The Last Dinner Party (2025), RAYE (2024) and Wet Leg (2023).
The BRITs has also announced a change in the eligibility criteria across a number of categories. Nominees in artist of the year, international artist of the year, group of the year and international group of the year will need to have achieved either a top 30 album or two top 20 singles on the Official U.K. charts in the eligibility period. Previously, artists were considered eligible if they had achieved either one top 40 album or two top 20 singles in the eligibility period.
For the Mastercard album of the year prize, the LP must have reached the top 30 on the U.K.’s Albums Chart.
In the five genre categories for alternative/rock, dance, hip-hop/grime/rap, pop and R&B, the eligibility criteria remains the same, with artists required to have achieved a top 40 album or single on the Official U.K. charts in the eligibility period.
Nominees for the BRITs are usually announced in January and are selected by members of the BRITs voting panel, which is comprised of thousands of musicians, industry experts, pundits and more. In recent years, genre categories have been voted on by the public.
In other developments for the 2026 ceremony, Stacey Tang, co-president of RCA U.K., will chair this year’s organization committee and will oversee the ceremony’s creative direction, alongside representatives from other U.K. major and independent record labels, BRITs TV and the BPI.
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If you attended one of the Oasis ’25 reunion shows this summer you will likely never forget the soul-stirring echo of 50,000+ fans shouting out the lyrics to “Wonderwall” along with singer Liam Gallagher as if the tune was the Oasis National Anthem.
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Which it basically is.
That explains why on Thursday (Oct. 30) Oasis announced that they are marking the 30th anniversary of one of their most indelible hits, which has racked up more than three billion streams to date. The band’s biggest hit and an unmovable staple of their live shows will be celebrated with a limited-edition (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? 7″ singles box set due out on Dec. 12, a replica of a highly collectible 1996 cigarette-style CD box set.
The new box includes four 7″ singles — the 2014 remastered versions of “Wonderwall,” “Some Might Say,” “Roll With It” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” — along with their original b-sides, respectively, “Round Are Way,” “Talk Tonight,” “It’s Better People” and “Step Out.”
In addition to playing around the world on a reunion tour that nobody ever thought would happen, Oasis have spent the year looking back at some of their musical highlights. Last month, they released the 25th anniversary reissue of their Wembley Stadium live album, Familiar to Millions and the 25th anniversary reissue of their fourth album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, as well as an unplugged version of “Morning Glory.” To celebrate the launch of their first run of shows in 16 years in July, the group also issued a box set collecting all their studio albums.
This month they also announced a massive book chronicling the tour, Oasis Live ’25 OPUS.
Oasis will march on Friday night (Oct. 31) with the first of three shows at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, followed by two gigs in Sydney next weekend and a final run of shows in Argentina, Chile and Brazil to round out the month.
Though a Nov. 23 show at MorumBIS in São Paulo, Brazil is currently the final scheduled date, earlier this month Liam Gallagher answered a fan’s complaint about one of his favorite songs not make the set list by offering up a cryptic tease about future dates. “Chill Winston it’s not even HALF TIME yet it’s a tour of 2 half’s,” Gallagher wrote. To date, spokespeople for the band have not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on potential 2026 tour dates.
Billboard’s Live Music Summit will be held in Los Angeles on Nov. 3. For tickets and more information, click here.
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Lily Allen will take her acclaimed West End Girl LP on tour in 2026 throughout the U.K. The shows will make for the British star’s first full tour in seven years.
Allen released West End Girl on Friday (Oct. 24) via BMG and the record shares intimate and explicit details on the breakdown of her marriage to Stranger Things star David Harbour; the pair were married in 2020 and separated earlier this year.
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The 40-year-old will play the album in full at a run of dates in March 2026, kicking off at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall on March. 2. She’ll then play a run of shows that take her to Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Cambridge, Bristol, Cardiff, wrapping up with two nights at the London Palladium on March 21.
The show – Lily Allen Performs West End Girl – will see the singer-songwriter perform her brand-new album in its entirety and in the order the songs appear on the record. Tickets for the shows go on sale at 10 a.m. (GMT) next Friday (Nov. 7).
West End Girl is Allen’s first album since 2018’s No Shame and her fifth overall. Allen’s debut solo single “Smile” from Alright, Still hit No. 1 on the U.K. charts in 2006, and she has two chart-topping LPs to her name: It’s Not Me, It’s You (2009) and Sheezus (2014).
The album details alleged infidelity by a partner, assumed to be Harbour. On the tracks “West End Girl” and “Nonmonogamummy,” Allen details a situation in which she felt pressured to enter into an open relationship, the terms of which were subsequently violated by her partner. On songs such as “Madeline” and “P—y Palace,” she also sings about alleged infidelity. The pair tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Las Vegas in 2020 after meeting on dating app Raya the year prior.
Speaking to Interview magazine, however, Allen says that some creative license has been used in her songwriting, disclosing that “some of it is based on truth and some of it is fantasy.” She also detailed the songwriting process and her feelings on the songs now that she is removed from the relationship. “At the time, I was really trying to process things, and that’s great in terms of the album, but I don’t feel confused or angry now. I don’t need revenge,” Allen said.
“I wrote this record in 10 days in December, and I feel very differently about the whole situation now,” she added. “We all go through breakups and it’s always f—ing brutal.”
Lily Allen U.K 2026 tour dates:
March 2: Glasgow, Scotland @ Glasgow Royal Concert Hal
March 3: Liverpool, England @ Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
March 5: Birmingham, England @ Birmingham Symphony Hall
March 7: Sheffield, England @ Sheffield City Hall
March 8: Newcastle, England @ Newcastle City Hall
March 10: Manchester, England @ Manchester Aviva Studios, The Hall
March 11: Manchester, England @ Manchester Aviva Studios, The Hall
March 14: Nottingham, England @ Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
March 15: Cambridge, England @ Cambridge Corn Exchange
March 17: Bristol, England @ Bristol Beacon
March 18: Cardiff, Wales @ Cardiff New Theatre
March 20: London, England @ London Palladium
March 21: London, England @ London Palladium
Billboard’s Live Music Summit will be held in Los Angeles on Nov. 3. For tickets and more information, click here.
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Mumford & Sons gave fans a surprise on Wednesday (Oct. 29) by announcing that their sixth studio album is arriving early next year, unveiling its title and tracklist in the meantime — and some all-star guests.
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Prizefighter is slated to arrive on Feb. 13, 2026, via Island Records and features a stacked list of collaborators: Gracie Abrams, Chris Stapleton, Gigi Perez and Hozier. The latter features on the record’s storming lead single “Rubber Band Man,” released Oct. 24.
The album sees the band reinvigorate a creative partnership with Aaron Dessner, who also worked on its 2015 LP, Wilder Mind. The National member took on the roles of coproducer and cowriter for Prizefighter, working with members Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane at his Long Pond Studio in upstate New York.
Frontman Mumford opened up more about the making of the album in a press release, stating that he believes that as a band, Mumford & Sons is “hitting our prime as a creative force.” He continued: “We’re putting everything we have into this now, and we’re using everything about our experience so far to embrace exactly who we are.“We’re comfortable in our skins these days. And Prizefighter is us going for it — serious and playful, sometimes bruised and always hopeful. We’re nowhere near done yet,” he added. “I hope and believe and we’re in the beginning of something we don’t want to let up on. I’m more excited to be in this band than I’ve ever been.”
The announcement precedes a 22-date U.K. and European fall tour for the band, which kicks off at Stockholm’s Avicii Arena Nov. 6. The run of shows will conclude a month later with two nights at London’s iconic O2 Arena Dec. 10-11.
Mumford & Sons’ last full-length effort arrived in the form of Rushmere, which arrived March 28. It served as the band’s first album as a three-piece, following the departure of former banjoist and lead guitarist Winston Marshall in 2021. Rushmere hit the summit of the Official U.K. Albums Chart and No. 19 on the Billboard 200 upon release. Previously, Mumford & Sons earned two chart-topping LPs in the U.K.: 2012’s Babel and the aforementioned Wilder Mind. 2009 debut Sigh No More and 2018’s Delta both peaked at No. 2 in the U.K.
Prizefighter tracklist:
“Here” (with Chris Stapleton)
“Rubber Band Man” (with Hozier)
“The Banjo Song”
“Run Together”
“Conversation With My Son”
“Alleycat”
“Prizefighter”
“Begin Again”
“Icarus” (with Gigi Perez)
“Stay”
“Badlands” (with Gracie Abrams)
“Shadow Of A Man”
“I’ll Tell You Everything”
“Clover”
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For rising British pop star Artemas, Lovercore – the title of his new mixtape – encompasses entirely how he presents his music to the world. “I’m kind of coining my genre – if I have one – and deciding what the wave is with this mixtape,” he tells Billboard U.K.
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That genre, or vibe, is one of serious intensity, in-your-face production and the 26-year-old taking big swings with his emotional, impulsive lyricism. It’s informed by his love of The Weeknd (an all-time hero) but also a number of synth-pop and electronic icons; Lovercore shares the same bleak shades of Depeche Mode’s 1986 monster Black Celebration. “Superstar” and “Southbound” both reflect on intoxicating relationships, set to Nine Inch Nails-sized beats: “Choke me to the point where I can barely breathe, my love/ You’ve got me in the palm of your hands,” he sighs in the former.
“I don’t like writing about mundane or overly-sentimental stuff, all my lyrics are big and instinctive,” Artemas Diamandis says. “Like when you meet someone and you become f–king obsessed with them or when someone breaks up with you and you just f–king hate them. That’s what I like to sing about.”
Lovercore is the British musician’s first mixtape since his explosive breakout year. In late 2023, his self-released single “If You Think I’m Pretty” started rising up streaming charts, and March 2024’s follow-up “I Like the Way You Kiss Me” topped numerous charts in Europe, peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has since racked up 1.4 billion streams on Spotify alone. He became a rare British breakout story in an otherwise slow year, and proved that strong creative convictions over following standard music industry checkmarks could pay dividends.
Artemas began self-releasing music in 2020 with material that bordered on softer indie-pop. By 2023, he’d grown disillusioned with the advice he was receiving from industry advisors and decided to be true to his own sound. “If You Think I’m Pretty” was worlds away from the approachability of his earliest singles, favouring distorted vocals and drums, and a menacing air of intrigue. “I Like the Way You Kiss Me” was even more enthralling and stuffed with hooks atop an electro beat. “You have to be a little bit fearless and OK with being judged,” he says of upending his sound and reaping the rewards.
The success of the songs and his two 2024 mixtapes Pretty and yustyana sent him on tour around the world, including packed shows at festivals such as Coachella. He’s met famous fans such as Finneas O’Connell, brother and producer of Billie Eilish (“that first album f–ked me up so bad,” Artemas says), and is collaborating with his heroes like Illangelo, producer of The Weeknd’s 2011 Trilogy collection – Artemas’ creative north star. “Illangelo reached out ages ago, but I’ve been too scared to do the session, because he’s like my favourite producer ever,” he laughs.
As he releases Lovercore and gears up for a fruitful new era of music and performances, he tells Billboard U.K. how staying true to his vision helped him build an army of fans – and create his strongest music yet.
There’s a Depeche Mode feel to this mixtape. Is that a fair comparison?
Yeah I think so. I grew up on ‘90s alt music like Nirvana and Radiohead. Then I put out “I Like the Way You Kiss Me” and I knew I was doing a fake shitty Robert Smith [The Cure] impression, but then I got all of these comments like, “This is like the new romantics in the ’80s.” My mum used to play a bit of Tears for Fears, but I never really properly dived into it, and then I got obsessed with Depeche Mode and all of this ’80s synth pop.
The main purpose of this record is to just get that s–t out of my system. Every time I’d sit down and write a song I’d just start playing synths. I’m obsessed with this stuff, but I just know there’s a whole other side to my artistry that I’ve been neglecting, so I’m gonna put this out and then we can move on a bit.
How’s 2025 been for you geberally?
It’s been good. I would say that I definitely felt myself getting quite tired being on the road. I didn’t realize that as soon as you have an audience, they just put you in a van and send you around the world, so I feel like I’ve had barely any time to make music but I’ve had a great 2025.
Coachella was a highlight – that was pretty wild. I had such a great time and the show was packed. I also got snubbed for Glastonbury — and I’m not being salty because I didn’t get chosen, if I had to pick I’d have genuinely chosen Coachella anyway! It feels a lot more on brand for me.
What have you learned about yourself as a performer through these shows?
I was so worried when I was told that I had to start performing. I’d traditionally been in a band set-up and it was all soft indie-pop and it was all very live. The stuff I’m singing now is actually really difficult to perform live, and I was worried it would sound bad. But I’ve got better at controlling the audience and being more confident with that.
Artemas
@eleonoramur
What felt different about making Lovercore compared to your previous work?
I handed this project in two months ago, which is a first for me. With “I Like the Way You Kiss Me,” I made it, posted it four days later, and a week later it was the most viral track on TikTok – and the most-listened to song in the world. From there, I’ve just put music out and been quite impulsive and instinctive when it comes to releasing, but this was the first time that I decided I was going to make songs and hand them in and let them breathe.
Did you enjoy that more traditional A&R process and release strategy?
The problem I was having before was that I was kind of spoiling the songs for myself. It’s nice to have the song and hold onto them for a bit longer. Your relationship to a song is naturally going to be different once other people hear it. I’ve enjoyed having these songs for longer – they mean a lot to me. Sometimes you put a song out that you’ve made a week ago, and it almost feels like a violation of your own privacy. Inevitably when you put them out, you do go off them a bit.
I can imagine that period of writing a song and it hitting straight away being a bit of a whirlwind…
It was extremely surreal. It kind of felt like a joke. [“I Like the Way You Kiss Me”] just wouldn’t stop rising. I think my brain got a bit fried by how quickly everything moved last year, and how suddenly I was an artist with a massive streaming audience. That came out of being obsessed with making songs and not really thinking about an audience. Lovercore is the first time I’ve made music with an audience waiting for it, and I’ve kind of been trying to go back to my old mindset and not caring and making a project for me.
That must be nice to have people respond, though, especially when you’ve been through the grind…
That side of it is so nice. I had three or four years of putting music out and no one listening to it – which is something that every artist has to go through – but it’s not a nice place. So I’m very grateful to have what I have going on. But you’re also not making stuff with that innocence, and where there’s no judgement and if it fails, f–k it, who cares?
Up to that moment it’s like everyone is just rooting for you. I never read a single negative comment in that whole time, and it was just a lot of positivity. But as soon as you have a song that people can’t escape off their feed, that’s when you start getting pushback, and that was a wild thing to deal with. It was surreal and scary as f–k, but also the best thing in the world. Like, everyone knows that song now, and I can be sure that at a festival set that I have a moment where the crowd is going crazy.
Did it change the way the industry was looking at you? You’d been releasing material for years but hadn’t made much progress.
I’d been listening to every piece of advice from people in the industry for years. I would sign these distribution deals and make these EPs and music videos. I was doing all this bollocks and it wasn’t working.
And then I had this epiphany/breakdown moment where I was like, ‘F–k it, no one in this industry knows what they’re talking about, this traditional s-–t doesn’t work’. So I just put out a song every single month and posted every single day on TikTok, and just started to make the s–t that I love.
I completely changed what I was releasing, too. The music that is now Artemas, these dark R&B songs, I was just making on the side for myself. I’d play them to friends and they’d say this s–t was way harder than what I was releasing. I started putting this stuff out and ignored everything the industry was saying that I had to do… and it pretty instantly started working.
Artemas
@nicolemasri
How does Lovercore fit into your long-term plans?
In the short-term it’s about putting this mixtape out, another one at the top of next year, another one in May and then put them together and inspired by The Weeknd’s Trilogy as my first official album-type release. Beyond that, it’s hard to say. It’s like a ouija board, I just let the world come back to me with messages; I don’t like being too prescriptive with long-term goals and plans.
And how are you dealing with the creative process alongside the increased attention?
Staying focused on all the right things can be difficult when you’re constantly traveling the world. There’s naturally a lot of other stuff that has come my way that I wasn’t having to think about before. Previously I wasn’t having to tour and manage an audience, I was just making music and thinking about what’s the next chapter and how to keep pushing myself there. Now, it’s about making sure the music-making process doesn’t get affected by all the other stuff.
I just want to make the most undeniable music that I can – I don’t think I have many more aspirations. I don’t feel like I’m part of a scene; I exist on my own. I don’t think my songs are obvious smashes, they just became them. I would never want to be writing songs with the intention of making a massive song, I want it to be a crossover from my own world.
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For months, it looked like the Grammy race for best new artist was likely to come down to Alex Warren and sombr. But a couple of things happened in the past few weeks to make the race more competitive – Olivia Dean exploded with a top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 (“Man I Need”) and a top 10 album on the Billboard 200 (The Art of Loving). And the Recording Academy ruled Leon Thomas eligible, even though he won a Grammy three years ago for co-writing SZA’s “Snooze.” Now, we have a real race.
With the nominations set to be announced next Friday (Nov. 7), all four of these artists certain to be nominated for best new artist, along with Lola Young. After that, it gets harder to choose, but the field will be rounded out with three other nominees, culled from a list of 337 eligible names.
Final-round voting begins Dec. 12 and extends to Jan. 5. So Dean has about six weeks for her profile to continue building before the first votes are cast.
If Dean (or Young) winds up winning, this will be the ninth year in a row that a solo woman has been named best new artist. The streak started in 2018 with Alessia Cara and has continued with Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, Olivia Rodrigo, Samara Joy, Victoria Monét and Chappell Roan.
If Warren, somber or Thomas takes the prize, they’d be the first male artist to win since Chance the Rapper in 2017.
The Marías, which span multiple genres and languages, also have a good chance of being nominated. If they were to win, they’d be the first group (defined as an act with three or more members) to take the prize since fun. in 2013. Three other groups are seen as having a reasonably good shot at a nod: Sleep Token, KATSEYE and The Red Clay Strays.
Some of the top contenders have already won new artist prizes at other shows. Warren won best new artist at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 7. Thomas won best new artist at the BET Awards on June 9. Zach Top, Ella Langley and The Red Clay Strays won the new male, female, and duo/group prizes at the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 8. Myles Smith won the rising star award at the Brit Awards on March 1.
Even some acts that won new artist awards in 2024 are eligible. Megan Moroney won new artist of the year at the 2024 Country Music Association Awards and new female artist of the year at the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards. The Red Clay Strays won emerging artist of the year at the 2024 Americana Music Honors & Awards.
(The Grammys in recent years have erred on the side of being inclusive in this category. In previous eras, they almost seemed to be looking for nitpicky reasons to kick artists out – just ask the people around Whitney Houston and Richard Marx who are probably still smarting over their exclusions.)
BigXthaPlug and Bailey Zimmerman, who collaborated on the top five Hot 100 hit “All the Way,” are competing against each other here. Sleep Token and Ken Carson, who both landed No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, are eligible. So is Role Model, who made a vivid impression late in the eligibility year with his irresistible breakthrough hit “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.”
Other strong contenders, not already mentioned, include Ravyn Lenae, Mariah the Scientist, Addison Rae, Jessie Murph, Gigi Perez, Riley Green, October London, Sam Fender, Reneé Rapp, PinkPantheress, Tucker Wetmore, ATEEZ, Central Cee, Lil Tecca, Parker McCollum and Keke Palmer.
The eligibility period for the 68th Grammy Awards is Aug. 31, 2024, through Aug. 30, 2025. While the Grammys set a minimum number of releases an artist must have to qualify in this category (five singles/tracks or one album), there is no maximum. Instead, the Grammys’ rules and guidelines booklet says nominations for the honor hinge on when “the artist had attained a breakthrough or prominence” — and it delegates that determination to a screening committee.
Artists are allowed to appear on the entry list for best new artist three times, after which they are ruled ineligible for future consideration.
Here are the eight leading nominees for best new artist. The artists are shown in alphabetical order, which is how they’ll be listed on the Grammy nominees list.
Olivia Dean
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The wins keep coming for RAYE. The singer shared that her stolen car has been recovered, with her songwriting books “untouched.”
In an Instagram post last fall, the south London-raised artist revealed that the vehicle containing the books had been stolen on her birthday, adding, “there would be no second album anytime soon.” She shared the news along with a picture of a cake with the words “sorry ur car got stolen” written on it.
At the time, RAYE (real name Rachel Keen) had been working on the follow-up to her multi-BRIT Award-winning debut, My 21st Century Blues, released in 2023. The incident led her to press pause on her recording plans.
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Speaking to Capital FM host Will Manning on Oct. 27, RAYE explained that the car has now been recovered. “So it was a rollercoaster journey,” she began. “But what I didn’t tell everyone is that the police called me, maybe like two, three months ago, and they were like, ‘We found your car.’
“Not only did I get it back, not one thing had been taken out of the car. All my songwriting books were there, untouched.” She continued, “Everything ended well. Never give up hope.”
Details for the 28-year-old’s second album, including a title and release date, have not yet been released, though it’s been confirmed it will drop sometime in 2026. Fans can pre-order the record, currently dubbed Album 2, via her official website.
RAYE released the first preview of material for Album 2 on Sept. 19. “Where Is My Husband!” is billed as the record’s lead single, and debuted during her performance with a brass band on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage earlier in the summer.
The track peaked at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart and No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. To accompany its release, RAYE announced a tour titled This Tour May Contain New Music, which is scheduled to pass through the U.K., Europe and North America in early 2026.
The trek will encompass six nights at London’s 20,000-capacity O2 Arena. RAYE spoke about the residency to Billboard UK at the Ivors Academy Ceremony in September, saying that she “hadn’t quite digested” the achievement yet.
“That’s a big job — six nights? I’ve got to deliver,” she said at the time. “I remember when my tours used to be six nights long! But my mind is like, ‘We need to deliver the best show we can possibly deliver.’ My mind is worrying, but I’m really grateful.” Watch the interview clip below.
Billboard’s Live Music Summit will be held in Los Angeles on Nov. 3. For tickets and more information, visit the event’s website.
