Billboard

31 Mar 2025

Julia Michaels’ Road to Women in Music 2025 | Billboard

Julia Michaels hits the studio and chats with Muni Long ahead of Billboard Women in Music 2025 and introducing her as the recipient of the Rising Star Award presented by Honda Stage.

Julia Michaels:

I first discovered my love for music when I was a teenager, and then my mom got me a piano, then just started putting all my poems to a song that way, and I was like a really shy, introverted, homeschooled girl, and so for me, that was just my way of finding my identity. What makes a really great artist is someone that can be just very authentically themselves. And for me, coming up it was Muni. Hi, Muni. 

Muni Long:

How are you, darling?

Julia Michaels:

I’m good. I’m so good. I’m so excited to talk to you. Being an independent artist allows me more freedom. That is, like, the biggest thing that I think about with Muni. It’s hard to do and it’s scary to do, and she’s done it so well. Honda Stage is an incredible program for music discovery, and I couldn’t be more excited for Muni. 

Muni Long:

So you are the recipient of the Rising Star Award. No one really is more deserving of it than you. 

Thank you, and I’m so grateful that it gets to be you, your journey, when you made the transition from songwriter to artist. I remember that, and I remember watching and being like, it’s possible. 

Julia Michaels:

I think when I was coming up, it felt way more competitive. Now everybody works with everybody. 

Keep watching for more!

31 Mar 2025

Muni Long’s Star, Now in Its Third Act, Is Still Rising | Billboard x Honda Stage 

This is partner content.

Muni Long talks her process, her “bootcamp” come-up and the importance of “me” time.

Learn more about her journey with Billboard andHonda.

Watch Muni Long talk about how she first discovered her love for music, going viral during her early career and staying true to her instincts in a conversation with Billboard and Honda Stage.

Muni Long:
I first discovered my love for music in the womb. My mother was a singer. My biological father sang. It was just sort of always there. I saw a few artists in concert, and I was like, “Yeah, I want to do that.” And no one ever told me that I couldn’t. I was so oblivious to disbelief. I was like, “Why can’t I have it?” I was really good in school, but I just wanted to be on TV. I was one of the first people to go viral singing the dictionary. I could sing the dictionary. It might not be very entertaining, but I’m gonna do it. “Superpowers” is the first song of my album. In a world that is so negative, it is a superpower to maintain your light and to walk in brightness. Worry about yourself. Don’t worry about nothing else. Don’t let nobody make you feel guilty. Just go do what makes you happy.

28 Mar 2025

Billboard Women In Music 2025 Preshow: Everything You Need to Know About Honorees | Billboard News

Billboard Women in Music 2025 takes place Saturday, March 29, and Billboard’s staff is breaking down each of the honorees’ successes that earned them their awards, from JENNIE receiving the Global Force Award to Doechii being named Woman of the Year, to Gracie Abrams being honored as Songwriter of the Year, and more!

Who are you most excited to see at Women in Music? Let us know in the comments!

Gail Mitchell:
Doechii is our Woman of the Year. 

Lyndsey Havens:
Everybody just wants to be like JENNIE. She embodies a hitmaker. It’s not just one. There’s a lot there. 

Kristin Robinson:
This year’s Women in Music, we have some top-tier honorees.

Melinda Newman:
Gracie Abrams is our Songwriter of the Year.

Kristin Robinson:
One of my favorite things about Gracie Abrams is that her fan base loves her so much, as much as they love her songs. And I think that’s, like, a magical X-factor quality that we don’t see very often.

Melinda Newman:
Gracie Abrams is writing from a point of truth. She’s not afraid to be vulnerable, and it’s made her very popular with her fans because they can relate to everything she’s talking about.

Kristin Robinson:
Gracie Abrams has grown so fast. One prime example of that is that she is headlining Lollapalooza this year.

Melinda Newman:
Gracie has also learned from the best. She spent a lot of time on the road with Taylor Swift, and you can tell she took in a lot of what makes Taylor Swift so special with her fans, but she’s put it through her own lens, and so that’s what makes her so popular these days.

Kristin Robinson:
GloRilla is this year’s Powerhouse. One of my favorite things about GloRilla is how much she reps her hometown of Memphis, Tenn. And everyone back home loves her. They adore her. 

Keep watching for more!

28 Mar 2025

Ariana Grande’s Stunning ‘Brighter Days Ahead’ Short Film & More | MYSK | Billboard News

Ariana Grande dropped ‘Eternal Sunshine: Brighter Days Ahead’ deluxe accompanied with a heartfelt short film, and Selena Gomez released an album with fiance Benny Blanco, ‘I Said I Love You First.’ Keep watching for the breakdown of their newest releases!

What’re your thoughts on ‘Brighter Days Ahead’ & ‘I Said I Love You First?’ Let us know in the comments!

Tetris Kelly:

Ari drops a short film, Selena makes music with Benny. Ariana gets cinematic as she releases her deluxe, and Selena drops a new album with bae. We are breaking down the new music from our pop queens. After dropping the deluxe version of her album ‘Eternal Sunshine,’ Ariana Grande has released the ‘Brighter Days Ahead’ short film, where we see an aged Ari and go through Easter eggs of her career with new songs like “Dandelion,” “Twilight Zone,” and “Hampstead.”

On the other hand, Selena Gomez and her fiancé Benny Blanco have partnered on a new album called ‘I Said I Love You First’ that features collaborations with Gracie Abrams and others. The album includes tracks like “Bluest Flame,” “Sunset Blvd,” and “Younger and Hotter Than Me.”

Find more on both albums at Billboard.com!

28 Mar 2025

DDG’s Hit-A-Thon Interview: Creating an Album on Livestream, Blueface’s Release & More | Billboard News

DDG is in the midst of his 24/7, weeklong Hit-A-Thon livestream, where he streams the process of creating his new album. We got to sit down in the middle of his stream to talk to him about why he decided to create an album during streaming, his top Billboard-charting songs, his eagerness for Blueface to be released, co-parenting Halo with Halle Bailey and more!

Are you watching DDG’s Hit-A-Thon? Let us know in the comments!

Tetris Kelly:

Yo, Billboard News hanging out with DDG, so bro, I’ve interviewed you like, I think this may be the third time, but nothing like this. So you gotta tell me, when did you decide you were gonna stream for seven days, man?

DDG:

I think I planned this probably, like, three weeks ago. 

Oh, dang, not even that long ago. 

Yeah, I know. 

You said, I want to do this. 

Yeah, I just been going every day, so I’m like, 36-37 days in a row. 

That is wild, and how did your team feel about it? 

Great. This is going amazing, actually. This is going much better than I actually thought. I thought it was gonna be, like, just something cool, but this is, like, my biggest project ever. 

And I mean, it’s got to feel good, but at the same time, I know it can’t be just like easy to be 24/7 on the stream. So has it at any point yet, has it felt like this is overwhelming?

Nah, I ain’t gonna lie, it’s cool because, well, I got, like, my family and friends that pull up just to help entertain the audience, so it’s not too many dead moments. And that’s, that’s that’s what a lot of people scared of when they do like, 24/7 streaming, because it can be like moments where it’s like, super dead and you don’t know what to do, and you just don’t know how to entertain them. You run out of things to do. But since I got a lot of people here pulling up every day, it makes it easier for me to, like, you know, jump back and forth. Plus, I got a pool, basketball court and-

Stuff to do. 

Keep watching for more!

27 Mar 2025

Watch LISA at Her 100 Thieves Pop-Up in LA | All Access | Billboard News

LISA collaborated with 100 Thieves, and we take you inside the exclusive pop-up, where the global pop star even made an appearance. With the venue LISA’ed out from the side of the building to the merch, keep watching for everything you missed at the 100 Thieves x LISA pop-up!

Fan 1:

Pretty surreal experience that I won’t forget. 

Tetris Kelly:

We got to hang with LISA and her fans — oh, and adorable dogs — at the 100 Thieves pop-up in LA, and from the moment the queen walked in, she had us shook.

Fan 2:

She’s gorgeous, different, like her aura was unreal.

Tetris Kelly:

We take you there for Billboard All Access. The pop-up had everything a fan could need. There was, of course, photo moments, where you could be your best rock star, and you could take the time to listen to each of LISA’s alter egos from her brand-new album. Can we take a second to talk about the merch? So much merch. They had her albums, light sticks, there were hoodies and adorable T-shirts. There were even games, because 100 Thieves is at the center of bringing games, culture and music together. 

Fan 3:

When I heard they were doing one with LISA, I was like, you could not pick a better collab together to really kind of bridge that gaming vibe. The side of the building is covered in her face, which is insane. 

Tetris Kelly:

And the fans were loving it.

Fan 4:

She’s so talented. She’s so cool. 

Fan 2:

She went from performing at the Oscars, doing that whole thing, the James Bond thing, and then she’s here, like, 24 hours later. And I was just like, wait, that’s insane.

Keep watching for more!

27 Mar 2025

Celebrating Global Icons: Ana Castela & Charlotte Cardin’s Musical Impact | Billboard News

Billboard Women in Music is this Saturday, March 29, and with our celebration of Doechii as Woman of the Year, we’re taking you to Brazil and Canada where we celebrated Ana Castela and Charlotte Cardin.

Are you excited for Billboard Women in Music 2025? Let us know in the comments!

Tetris Kelly:

As we get ready to celebrate Doechii this Saturday as our Woman of the Year, I bet you didn’t know we’ve been celebrating women around the world, and we’re telling you all about them with Billboard News. Our very own Hannah Karp was in Brazil to celebrate Ana Castela. Ana is a wave-making artist who is recognized as one of the disseminators of agronejo music in Brazil. And up north in Canada, we celebrated Charlotte Cardin. 

Charlotte Cardin:

This is such an incredible honor. This is something that I share with the important women in my life. I’m so proud of this. Merci de France du care. This is really, really, really special. 

Tetris Kelly:

Women in Music goes down March 29th at the YouTube Theater, you can get your tickets at Billboard.com.

26 Mar 2025

LE SSERAFIM Scores Second No. 1 on Top Album Sales With ‘HOT’

LE SSERAFIM scores its second No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated March 29) as the ensemble’s new HOT debuts atop the tally. The set sold 38,500 copies in the U.S. in the week ending March 20, according to Luminate, marking the best sales week yet for the act. It’s the fifth top 10 in total for the group, which previously reached No. 1 with its last chart entry, 2024’s Crazy.

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See latest videos, charts and news

Also debuting in the top 10 of the latest Top Album Sales chart: new releases from Playboi Carti, Coheed and Cambria, Steven Wilson, Charli xcx and Charley Crockett.

Trending on Billboard

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.

The first-week sales of LE SSERAFIM’s Crazy were bolstered by its availability across more than 20 CD variants (all containing collectible paper ephemera, some randomized). 98% of the album’s first-week sales were from CD purchases. (The album was only available to buy as a CD and a digital download.)

Lady Gaga’s MAYHEM falls to No. 2 with 24,000 sold (down 82%) after debuting at No. 1 a week ago.

Playboi Carti’s MUSIC debuts at No. 3 with 14,500 copies sold – the rapper’s best sales week. It was available to purchase only as a digital download in its opening week – a widely available standard 30-song set, as well as three variants exclusive to the artist’s official webstore (the variants each have between one or two bonus tracks each).

Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping GNX climbs 6-4 with nearly 13,000 sold (though down 18%).

Coheed and Cambria clocks its 11th top 10-charting effort on Top Album Sales, as the rock outfit’s latest album The Father of Make Believe bows at No. 5 with 12,000 sold. Its first-week sales were aided by the album’s availability across five vinyl variants, a CD, a widely available download edition and two cassette tapes.

Sabrina Carpenter’s former No. 1 Short n’ Sweet rises a rung to No. 6 with 10,000 sold (though down 13%).

Steven Wilson lands his first top 10-charting set on Top Album Sales as his new studio effort The Overview enters at No. 7 with nearly 10,000 sold – his best sales week since 2015. The album was available in three vinyl variants, a standard CD, a deluxe boxed set, a blu-ray audio, a cassette tape and two download editions.

Charli xcx’s remix album Brat and It’s Completely Different – comprising only remixes of material from her Brat studio album – debuts at No. 8 with just over 8,000 sold, solely from vinyl sales.

Chappell Roan’s former leader The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess dips 8-9 on Top Album Sales with 8,000 sold (down 8%).

Charley Crockett rounds out the top 10 with his new album, Lonesome Drifter, debuting at No. 10 with nearly 8,000 sold – his best sales week ever. It’s the first top 10 for the artist, and eighth charting set overall. The set was available across four vinyl variants (including a signed edition), a standard CD, download and a cassette tape.

26 Mar 2025

Billboard Staffers Debunk Theory That Doechii Is an Industry Plant | Billboard News

With Doechii being honored at Billboard Women in Music this upcoming Saturday as Woman of the Year, Billboard staffers share their take on the internet debating if she’s an industry plant, and explain why she isn’t.

Keep watching to see their take!

What do you think an industry plant is? Let us know in the comments below!

Jerah Milligan:

Yo, y’all see Twitter going crazy talking about Doechii and Billboard? 

Evan Burke:

Oh, my god, yeah. I gotta show you this one. Someone said “kind of awesome that it’s only March and Billboard’s like’ we’ve seen enough it’s Doechii.’” I mean, but it’s legit though. I mean, she just won a Grammy that only two other women has ever won. 

Ciara Zimring:

She’s killing it. 

Evan Burke:

And I mean, Women in Music always happens every March. So it’s not like we just decided.

Stefanie Tanaka:

It’s not like this is, like, the first time we’ve done it. We kind of did something similar, with SZA like, ‘SOS’ came out at the very end of, like, 2022 when she was our Woman of the Year in March, and then she had that great run in 2023 with ‘SOS.’ 

Tetris Kelly:

But I feel like what they’re really doing is just putting Billboard in the conversation that they were already trying to have about Doechii being an industry plant.

Evan Burke:

I mean, they’ve always been trying to discredit her success. I mean, she has been like in the game forever. She was our Rising Star two years ago. So it’s not like she is brand new. 

Tetris Kelly:

Oh my god. Two years ago, I was talking to her at Coachella. 

Ciara Zimring:

Oh, right! 

Jerah Milligan:

Oh, well five years ago I saw her on Twitter. I saw her post “ I lost my job. I’m going to go knock on doors” 

Keep watching for more!

26 Mar 2025

Playboi Carti’s Huge Week, Ye’s ‘Bully’ Drop & More | Billboard Unfiltered

In today’s episode of Billboard Unfiltered, Billboard staffers Carl Lamarre, Trevor Anderson and Kyle Denis are joined by Nyla Symone as they discuss Playboi Carti’s big week on the Billboard charts with ‘MUSIC,’ Ye’s surprise drop of ‘Bully’ and the mixed reactions surrounding it, the women in Hip-Hop and R&B being honored at Women in Music and more.

What do you want to hear more of? Drop your suggestion in the chat!

Billboard’s Women in Music event will take place this Saturday March 29th at YouTube Theater in Los Angeles.

Carl Lamarre:

Gentlemen and lady in the house. Y’all already know the usual suspects here. We have a special guest today, you may have seen her on ‘The Breakfast Club,’ ‘We Need To Talk’ podcast, Hip-Hop Nation, the one and only Miss Nyla Symone.

Nyla Symone:

I love that, thank you!

Carl Lamarre: 

You know a little something, something.

Nyla Symone:

That’s a good intro.

Carl Lamarre:

Yes, yes. How are you feeling?

Nyla Symone:

I feel good, I’m so excited to be here.

Carl Lamarre:

Okay, you ready to rock and roll with us degenerates?

Nyla Symone:

Yes.

Carl Lamarre:

I love that. 

Kyle Denis:

Degenerates is crazy.

Trevor Anderson:

She’s already elevating the whole-

Nyla Symone:

I’m like on this sh*t. Let’s do it. 

Carl Lamarre:

Bringing it up, the first thing we’re going to talk about is the caption of the YN’s, Mr. Playboi Carti. Kyle is so hyped for this.

Kyle Denis:

That’s my guy.

Carl Lamarre:

Mr. Carti had an amazing, d*mn near immaculate week. He is No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 298,000 album equivalent units which is the biggest streaming rap album of the year. Biggest rap set of the year. Mr. Playboi Carti, also 30 songs on the Hot 100. No. 2 being “EVIL J0RDAN,” No. 4 being “Rather Lie” with The Weeknd. These are some big, big numbers.  

Keep watching for more!