genre pop
Page: 32
Ariana Grande has finally unveiled the tracklist for her upcoming Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead, revealing Monday (March 17) that the project will have six more titles. The additions all appear to be brand new songs, aside from one: “Intro (End of the World) Extended,” which will likely be a longer version of the […]
Justin Bieber is ready to “let hate go,” according to a heartfelt message he penned on Instagram Stories Sunday (March 16). Writing in all caps, the pop star began by sharing, “I WAS ALWAYS TOLD WHEN I WAS A KID NOT TO HATE … BUT IT MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WASNT ALLOWED TO HAVE […]
Journey fans were bummed when their favorite band had to hot-foot it off the stage on Friday (March 14) just five songs into their set at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Stadium. In fan video of the incident, singer Arnel Pineda was just reaching the second verse of the group’s iconic 1981 […]
For Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco love is definitely on the menu. Literally. The couple announced on Sunday (March 16) that they have teamed up with the authentic Thai restaurant Jitlada in L.A. to help other couples enjoy the fried shrimp with curry the singers shared on their first date at the spot. Explore See […]
Ed Sheeran gave fans in New Orleans an unexpected treat on March 15, debuting his unreleased song “Azizam” during a surprise street performance in the city’s historic French Quarter.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, accompanied by The Soul Rebels brass band, drew an excited crowd as he performed the track live for the first time.
Sheeran stepped out of a black SUV just after 11 a.m. local time, carrying a portable amp and microphone. “We’re gonna do one song here – we’re filming a bit of content – and then we’re going to do a parade and walk down and play some songs, if you want to come with us,” he told the audience, per Nola.com.
The performance marked the live debut of “Azizam”, which Sheeran revealed would be released in the coming weeks.
Trending on Billboard
“I’ve got a new song coming in a couple weeks that no one’s heard. This will be the first time it’s ever been played live. We’ll play it once now and then we’ll walk down, play some songs that you know, and I’ll play this song again,” he continued.
Sheeran later shared a video of the performance on Instagram, showing himself rolling his amp through the streets as the crowd grew around him. “Playing some new music today on the streets of New Orleans with @thesoulrebels thanks to everyone who turned up!” he captioned the post.
The New Orleans pop-up was just the latest in a series of unannounced performances from Sheeran. Earlier in the week, he surprised fans in Nashville by performing an impromptu set at Tootsie’s bar, delivering a mix of his biggest hits along with a cover of Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time.”
His love for impromptu performances has been a recurring theme. Back in February, he attempted a street concert in Bengaluru, India, drawing a large crowd before local authorities intervened. Despite the show being pre-approved, officials shut it down due to security concerns. Sheeran later addressed the situation on Instagram, clarifying that the performance had been planned in advance and assuring fans it was all in good spirits.
With speculation surrounding his upcoming album, Play, Sheeran has been teasing new music in creative ways. “Azizam” is expected to be one of the project’s lead singles, and if his recent pop-ups are any indication, fans can likely expect more surprise performances in the lead-up to its release. His previous album, Autumn Variations, debuted in 2023, earning a spot on the Billboard 200.
Lady Gaga’s MAYHEM moves in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as the set debuts atop the tally dated March 22. It’s the seventh leader for the superstar. The set — her seventh studio album — launches with 219,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 13, according to Luminate — the biggest week of the year for an album by a woman. It also scores Gaga her largest streaming week ever.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Gaga previously led the Billboard 200 with Chromatica (2020), the soundtrack to A Star Is Born (with Bradley Cooper, 2018), Joanne (2016), Cheek to Cheek (with Tony Bennett), ARTPOP (2013) and Born This Way (2011). In total, MAYHEM is Gaga’s 11th top 10-charting effort, stretching back to her debut project, The Fame, which reached No. 2 in 2010, after bowing on the list in 2008.
Trending on Billboard
Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200, JENNIE’s debut solo album, Ruby, bows at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. She’s the third member of the chart-topping quartet BLACKPINK to notch a solo top 10 – and all three have come in the last three months.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new March 22, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on March 18. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of MAYHEM’s 219,000 first-week equivalent album units, album sales comprise 136,000 (it’s the top-selling album of the week and debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 80,500 (equaling 108.05 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; Gaga’s biggest streaming week ever, and it debuts at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart) and TEA units comprise 2,500.
With MAYHEM’s bow of 219,000 equivalent album units, the set earns the biggest week for a woman in 2025, and the largest debut by a woman in over six months. The last larger bow by a woman was Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet, which started with 362,000 atop the Sept. 7, 2024-dated list.
MAYHEM was officially announced on Jan. 27 and went up for pre-order that same day. The set was released on March 7 and was preceded by a trio of top 40-charting titles on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart: “Disease” (reaching No. 27 in November 2024), “Die With a Smile” (No. 1 for five weeks beginning in January; a duet with Bruno Mars), and “Abracadabra” (No. 13 in February).
Gaga ushered in the album’s release with an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe (March 5), participated in a livestreamed Little Monsters Press Conference presented by Spotify (March 6), and did double duty as the host and musical guest on NBC’s Saturday Night Live (March 8, performing “Abracadabra” and the new album’s “Killah”). Gaga also popped up and/or performed on numerous other programs in the lead up to the album’s release, including the livestreamed FireAid benefit concert (Jan. 30), CBS’ broadcast of the Grammy Awards (Feb. 2), First We Feast’s Hot Ones (Feb. 13), NBC and Peacock’s Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Homecoming Concert (Feb. 16), and Vanity Fair’s lie detector test series (Feb. 19).
MAYHEM’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across a gaggle of editions: 14 vinyl variants (some signed, and some include the bonus track “Can’t Stop the High,” while Target’s exclusive vinyl has the extra track “Kill for Love”), four CD editions (one signed, Target’s exclusive CD adds “Kill” while Gaga’s webstore carried a CD with the bonus track “Can’t Stop the High”), a cassette tape, a deluxe CD box set with a branded T-shirt and poster, and two widely available download albums (the standard 14-song album, and then a deluxe version exclusive to iTunes with the three music videos for “Disease,” “Die With a Smile” and “Abracadabra”).
Of MAYHEM’s opening-week sales, vinyl purchases comprise 74,000 — Gaga’s biggest week on vinyl ever.
Gaga will soon hit the road for a series of major concerts, beginning with her headlining turn at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (April 11 and 18), two shows in Mexico City (April 26-27), a free show on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro (May 3) and four shows in Singapore (May 18, 19, 21 and 24).
Kendrick Lamar’s GNX falls to No. 2 on the latest Billboard 200 with a little more than 81,000 equivalent album units earned (down 10%), while five more former leaders round out the top six. PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U dips 2-3 (79,000; down 13%), SZA’s SOS is steady at No. 4 (69,000; down 7%), Tate McRae’s So Close To What descends 3-5 (63,000; down 27%), and Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet falls 5-6 (61,000; down 5%).
JENNIE’s first solo studio album, Ruby, arrives at No. 7 on the new Billboard 200, marking the BLACKPINK member’s first chart entry. The set launches with 56,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 29,000 (equaling 39.93 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it debuts at No. 13 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 26,500 (it debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 500.
Ruby was preceded by three charting titles on the Hot 100 songs chart: “Mantra,” “Love Hangover” (with Dominic Fike) and “ExtraL” (with Doechii).
Ruby was available in its first week as a nine-track widely available digital download album, and then an expanded 15-song physical set and a 15-track download and streaming edition. While the standard and physical albums have only one guest star (FKJ, on “JANE”), the 15-track download and streaming edition adds further special guests on a few tracks, including Doechii, Dua Lipa, Dominic Fike, Childish Gambino and Kali Uchis.
Ruby’s first-week sales were aided by its availability across four CD variants (all containing collectible paper ephemera, some randomized), five deluxe CD boxed set editions (each containing a piece of branded clothing, a signed insert and a copy of the album) and two download editions (a widely available standard version with nine tracks and an expanded 15-song edition).
JENNIE is a member of the Billboard 200-topping quartet BLACKPINK, who saw its last album, BORN PINK, debut atop the chart dated Oct. 1, 2022, after the act’s The Album became its first top 10 (No. 2, 2020). JENNIE is the third member of the group to notch a top 10-charting solo effort on the Billboard 200, following LISA, whose Alter Ego debuted at No. 7 a week ago (March 15 chart), and ROSÉ, whose rosie debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the Dec. 21, 2024, chart.
Rounding out the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200, Bad Bunny’s chart-topping Debí Tirar Más Fotos falls 6-8 (52,000 equivalent album units; down 8%), Morgan Wallen’s former leader One Thing at a Time is a non-mover at No. 9 (43,000; up 3%), and Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess dips 8-10 (42,000; down 1%).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Role Model wanted to sing a version of “Nothing New,” the melancholic Taylor Swift Red (Taylor’s Version) vault track that features Phoebe Bridgers, that he could do a little two-step to while screaming out the chorus — adding a dash of drunken coziness to Swift’s ruminating after a night of imbibing in a few too many. And so “Nothing New (Tucker’s Version)” was born, with Role Model debuting his live cover of Swift’s song on Australian radio station Triple J’s “Like a Version” series.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Standout song for me,” says Role Model, aka Tucker Harrington Pillsbury, in an accompanying interview clip with the station released on Thursday (March 13) while he’s on the road with his band, playing sold-out shows in Brooklyn and Boston this weekend and returning as opener on Gracie Abrams‘ Secret of Us Tour this summer.
Trending on Billboard
He stumbled upon the Red-era song while working on his sophomore studio album, 2024’s Kansas Anymore.
As Role Model recalls, “I was constantly adding songs to my playlist, like a music inspo playlist, and this one I came across. I had no idea Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers were on a song together. I’m scared to say it, but I think Phoebe brought me into the Taylor Swift world — which is great.”
Watch Role Model’s Live Cover of “Nothing New”
“She’s incredible,” he says of Swift. “She’s one of the best songwriters of our generation.”
“Nothing New,” a song that didn’t make the cut on the original Red album in 2012 but resurfaced amidst the 2021 re-recording of the set, has Swift contemplating her shelf life as a promising young pop-country star; verses are traded with Bridgers, who also lends harmony to the chorus and bridge. Swift and Bridgers brought the song to the stage for the first time on May 5, 2023 in Nashville, the first of several nights the Punisher singer-songwriter joined the lineup of the The Eras Tour.
“I love the chorus and [how] it changes slightly every time,” says Role Model of “Nothing New,” explaining why he went where he did with his interpretation of the tune. “It just feels good, like, ‘I’ve had too much to drink tonight’ — I wanna scream it and dance to it. So that’s why we added drums and a little bit of twang to it. I wanted to bump up the tempo just a little bit, add drums and bring it into the world of Kansas Anymore. Just give it a little warmth and a slight dance-y groove, and some twang. We had the peddle steel come in. I just wanted to be able to do a slow two-step to it.”
Though “Nothing New” is written from the perspective of a girl in the spotlight worrying it’s only a matter a time before a fresher face takes her place (“People love an ingénue,” Swift remarks, a sad line with dry delivery, after Bridgers sings, “Are we only biding time ’til I lose your attention?”), Role Model can empathize with the lyrics as an artist.
“I have said this many times before,” he shares. “People’s attention spans are very short, and they’re getting shorter. I try not to bathe in the attention that I’m getting now in this place of my career, which is, I guess, probably, the best place I’ve been in my career. I try not to shower myself in that because I know people are gonna forget at some point or move on, and there’s gonna be a nice, shinier little Tucker that comes along and outdoes me. I get it. I relate to Miss Taylor.”
Role Model arrives at the 15th Annual Guild of Music Supervisors Awards at The Wiltern on Feb. 23, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Jerod Harris/Getty Images
Role Model once met Bridgers at Coachella, but humbly assumes she doesn’t remember it. He hasn’t met Swift, though between this performance circulating and his tour with Abrams, he’s arguably now in the pop icon’s orbit, at least tangentially. An opener on Swift’s Eras Tour, Abrams ended up co-writing and recording the Grammy-nominated duet “us.” with her, a highlight on her The Secret of Us album.
Of his hope to meet Swift someday, Role Model, who in February released a few new songs (including “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out,” seen below) via deluxe album Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye), says, “I would love to. I would love to.”
For someone who didn’t really identify as a fan of Swift until “Nothing New,” he’s got a reasonable grasp on the power of Swifties. His polite plea to those who hear his cover: “Just don’t hate me. If you don’t like it, I understand. If you liked it, thank you so much — I’m honored. I’m scared of both of you in the best way, so go easy on me.”
“Send hearts,” he says with optimism, making the signature heart hands Swift’s fandom knows.
Lola Young scores her first No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart, as “Messy” lifts a spot to the top of the Rock & Alternative Airplay tally dated March 22. The song rules the all-rock-format, audience-based ranking with 4.7 million audience impressions earned March 7-13, up 5% week-over-week, according to Luminate. Its reign is buoyed […]
Lil Nas X returns with five new tracks, and fresh music videos for each single. Keep watching to see what his new songs are! What’s your favorite track from Lil Nas X’s drops? Let us know in the comments! Lil Nas X: I’m scared, but I’m excited. Next chapter is not gonna open until you […]
J-Hope opened his Hope on the Stage show at Barclays Center with a series of questions: What if he had no hope, no dream, no passion, no vision?
Anyone familiar with the role the bright, driven dancer plays in BTS knows exactly why those ideas are so anathema to him, but on his first solo full-length album, 2022’s darkly introspective Jack In The Box, he interrogates that persona: “I asked myself dozens of times / Am I really like that? / Hopeful, optimistic, always with a smile on my face.”
If the opening set introduced any doubts, though, the rest of the show refuted them. As J-Hope toured through his early mixtape and SoundCloud drops, Billboard Hot 100-charting BTS hits and new solo singles, he was completely in his element (“a fish that met water,” as he brags on the raucous, rock-rap “MORE”), easily proving he has all the aforementioned qualities in spades. “I’m at my happiest when I’m on the stage,” he shared at one point, though he needn’t have spelled it out in words: “You guys can tell, right?”
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Thursday night (Mar. 13) may have been J-Hope’s first solo concert in the U.S. (his historic 2022 Lollipalooza set made him the first Korean artist to headline a major U.S. festival), but he addressed the momentous occasion with modesty — and just a bit of fan service. “You’re here on this meaningful day,” he told the audience, smiling. “And you’re the center of attention.”
Trending on Billboard
Still, all eyes were rightfully on J-Hope as he checked off another big first as a soloist. Here are seven highlights from his New York show.
J and the Box(es)
There’s no confusing one BTS solo concert for another. Sonically and visually, the seven members have established their own artistic identities — all while still actively participating in the biggest boyband on the planet. J-Hope’s stagecraft is completely unique from that of SUGA’s 2023 Agust D tour, yet the two are comparable in their level of detail: whereas SUGA stripped the stage down so far that he was performing on the floor by the end, J-Hope elevated himself on boxes that reconfigured themselves for nearly every song.
So integral were the lifted boxes to the show that, during the encore, J-Hope emerged from backstage with a miniature glass replica of one in hand. “It’s very special, so I’ll put it down,” he said, laughing.
Taking It to the Streets
Even accomplished dancers need backup, and J-Hope’s troupe helped him pay homage to his roots as part of a collaborative dance crew on the streets of Gwangju. The lo-fi, old-school hip-hop of Hope On The Street, Vol. 1’s “lock / unlock,” “i don’t know,” and “i wonder…” are accompanied by popping, tutting and more. Every single person on the stage got an individual shout out — by name — from the dancers to the live band. Now that’s how you give flowers.
An Artful Single Debut
J-Hope’s recent release, “Sweet Dreams (feat. Miguel),” was a departure for the rapper, given that it was far more explicitly romantic than most of his solo discography. Then he debuted a brand new single, “MONA LISA,” at Thursday’s show, which is even more of a switch up: “Love the way you take the stress and Louis off of me,” he sings on the sultry song. Add in that choreo? An artwork ready for the Louvre.
A History Lesson, Bangtan-Style
Just as SUGA added a few certified BTS classics (ahem, “땡 (Ddaeng)”) to the setlist for his tour, J-Hope took ARMYs on a short but impactful trip down memory lane. After starting the section with “1 VERSE” — his first ever solo — and selections from his mixtape, Hope World, adrenaline spiked for his solo run of “Airplane Pt. 2,” “MIC Drop,” and “Silver Spoon.” It came to a close with “Dis-ease” and “Outro : Ego,” which, until now, never got its proper day in the sun because of COVID-19 tour cancellations.
OT7 4-Ever
The past few years have flown by, so it’s easy to forget BTS haven’t played a show in the U.S. since 2022. Still, fans aren’t out of practice. As the fiery intro of crowd pleaser “MIC Drop” blared, ARMYs screamed the full OT7 fanchant — aka, all seven names — while J-Hope waved his arm like a conductor with his baton. The countdown to the first post-enlistment BTS tour begins now.
Hobilingo
J-Hope prepped English words for throughout the show, but to allow himself some spontaneity toward the end of the night, he asked if he could talk freely in his native language. One condition, though: he wanted that permission in Korean, asking the audience to yell, “한국말 해줘!” (“Please speak in Korean!”) Elsewhere, J-Hope coached the crowd in a call-and-response of “병” and “아니야” (“disease” and “no”), before joking, “You guys speak Korean!”
Spanish was also no problem for the seemingly multilingual crowd, who took on Becky G’s “Chicken Noodle Soup” verse with ease: “Ninguna de estas mujeres tiene el flow que tiene Becky / Latino americano, soy de aquiii.”
A New Hope
We could all use a little hope right now, and count on J-Hope to provide. While he doesn’t shy away from complexity in his solo work, as the Pandora’s box allegory on JITB suggests, light always follows the dark. Thus, his encore was top to bottom optimism. “= (Equal Sign)” brought the social commentary — a BTS trademark — while “Future” laid out a bright road ahead; “NEURON,” a nod to the name of his former dance crew, told the story of a passion so deeply rooted it could never be extinguished.
It takes us back to the beginning: So, what if J-Hope didn’t have hope, dreams, passion, vision? Hopefully, we’ll never know the answer.