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Australian duo Royel Otis have issued an apology relating to the lyrics of their latest single, “moody.”
The single, which was released on May 9 as the first taste of their new era, was written by the pair (comprising Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic) alongside Grammy-winning songwriter Amy Allen.
However, the track has reportedly attracted criticisms of misogyny, largely due to the chorus line which states, “My girl’s a b–h when she’s moody.” In a press release issued alongside the song, Royel Otis remained relatively tight-lipped, simply noting “It’s a song about a girl,” in keeping with the text featured on the single’s artwork.
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In a report from Australian outlet news.com.au, a former school friend of Pavlovic claimed the band were “deleting [social media] comments that call out the lyrics and video, while only replying to the positive ones.” The friend added, “In 2025, it’s disheartening to hear a local Australian artist – someone I know or I knew – casually refer to women as ‘b–hes’ in their lyrics.”
A statement received from the publication by Kay and Hughes Art and Entertainment Lawyers quoted the track’s recent successes while downplaying the lyrical content present within.
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“This song is written from a specific perspective, it is not intended to convey a broader view or standpoint about women in general,” Royel Otis said in the statement. “We apologise if anyone understood those lyrics otherwise.”
Royel Otis first formed in 2019, releasing a series of EPs between 2021 and 2023 before issuing their debut album, Pratts & Pain in 2024. Though their “Sofa King” track reached No. 12 on the Alternative Airplay chart in 2023, the band found widespread fame last year following their cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor” for Australian radio station triple j’s Like a Version series.
The cover topped the Alternative Airplay charts and also peaked at No. 41 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. The group’s penchant for covers was again felt when their SiriusXM session rendition of The Cranberries‘ “Linger” was released, giving them their first appearance on the Hot 100 when it reached No. 94.
In late 2024, Royel Otis won four ARIA Awards from eight nominations, including best group and best rock album, while producer Chris Collins won best produced release and best engineered release for Pratts & Pain.
More recently, the pair performed two sold-out shows at the Troubadour in Los Angeles before announcing an additional run of U.S. dates for September and October as part of their Meet Me in the Car tour.
MGK‘s “Cliché” tops this week’s new music poll.
In a poll published Friday (May 23) on Billboard, music fans chose the rocker’s latest single as their favorite new release of the past week.
“Cliché” brought in 38% of the vote, edging out fresh offerings from a range of artists, including Joe Jonas (Music For People Who Believe in Love), Burna Boy featuring Travis Scott (“TaTaTa”), Karol G (“Latina Foreva”) and Alex Warren with Jelly Roll (“Bloodline”), among others.
The melodic new track marks MGK’s fourth single of 2025, following “Your Name Forever,” “Come Pick Me Up” and his recent cover of the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris,” featuring Julia Wolf.
Shortly after “Cliché” dropped on Friday, the artist formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly shared a video on Instagram of his elated reaction to landing the cover of Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist.
“For the first time in my career…CLICHÉ!!” he captioned the post, adding a teary-eyed emoji and prayer hands while tagging Spotify and Spotify for Artists. In the video, MGK excitedly FaceTimes his 15-year-old daughter, Casie Colson Baker. “Princess, I’m hyped right now! … Your sister’s asleep so I can’t scream, but I wanna scream so loud,” he said.
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Coming in a close second in the poll was Joe Jonas’ Music For People Who Believe in Love, which received nearly 33% of the vote. The 14-track project is Jonas’ first solo album since 2011 and features collaborations with his younger brother Frankie Jonas, Sierra Ferrell, Louane, Tiny Habits, Luísa Sonza, and more.
Speaking to Billboard in April, Jonas shared the personal nature of the album. “The music I’ve been making felt really personal,” the Jonas Brothers member said. “And I selfishly didn’t want to share it with other people. This needed to come from my voice in particular.”
Check out the full results of this week’s poll below and visit Billboard’s Friday Music Guide for more must-hear releases.
Steve Earle has a number of events he can point to in his life to mark 50th anniversaries, but he’s clear about what’s sending him on his Fifty Years of Songs and Stories tour that kicks off May 25 in Decatur, Ala.
“It’s the 50th anniversary of me signing my first publishing contract – me officially in the music business,” Earle tells Billboard. That was in Nashville when, after a good six years of tooling around in Texas – including playing in his songwriting hero Townes Van Zandt’s band – Earle was working by day and playing at night, including as part of Guy Clark’s group. The song publishing company Sunbury-Dunbar made him a staff writer, though Earle would subsequently head back to Texas and then return to Nashville, where he became an artist in his own right with the 1982 EP Pink & Black; his career really took off with 1986’s Guitar Town, which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.
Earle, 70, has been going ever since, with hits, misses and a brief incarceration during the mid-‘90s for cocaine and weapons possession. Others – including Joan Baez, Travis Tritt, Robert Earl Keen and Stacy Dean Campbell – have recorded his songs, but Earle has remained determinedly and defiantly his own man, winning three Grammy Awards along the way and delving into other projects such as production (for Baez and Lucinda Williams), acting (HBO’s Treme and The Wire, off-Broadway’s Samara ) and theater (the Drama Desk Award-nominated Coal Country). His social and political activism led to the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty’s shining star of abolition award in 2010, and in 2020 he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Clearly, there will be a lot of stories to go with the songs when Earle hits the road (his shows will be mostly solo, though he’s playing a few dates with the band Reckless Kelly). “It’s not strictly chronological; that’s the backbone of it, but some songs I play are based on memories, so something I wrote a little later may pop up earlier in the show,” Earle explains. “It’s sort of built around telling stories; I try not to talk too much, but I’m good at that thing. I started in coffee houses, so that’s basically the deal.”
Earle is hoping to finish work on his next musical, a stage adaptation of the hit 1983 film Tender Mercies, while he’s out on the road. “I want to finish at least three songs so I have a draft,” he says. “These things take years to (complete). I’m just trying to live long enough to get the f–kin’ thing up.” He also appears on Willie Nile’s upcoming new album The Great Yellow Light and has recorded a “cosmic country” song, “Dead or Gone to Dallas,” for a split single he’s doing with Reckless Kelly. “It would work on Guitar Town,” Earle notes. “I was talking to Miranda Lambert; my family’s from the same part of Texas as she’s from, and she asked me if I ever went up there. I said, ‘Everyone I know is dead or gone to Dallas.’ She said, ‘Don’t write that with anybody!’” Earle has also finished “a big chunk of” a memoir as well as “a little bit of” a novel.
“I really mean to finish them before I die,” he says, noting that after turning 70 “you think about it even more. You wouldn’t think one number would make a difference more than any other number. But my father was only 74 when he died and my grandfather only lived to be 63. One uncle was 80 but the other died younger than my dad. And you get to be a certain age and your friends start dying. On my radio show [Hard Core Troubadour on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Channel] I used to do tributes occasionally; now it’s more often than I’d like.”
As he gets ready to hit the road with his Fifty Years of Songs and Stories Tour, we thought we’d get Earle to tell us the stories behind five key songs in his career. Check out Earle’s tour dates here.
“L.A. Freeway” (Guy Clark, 1970; covered by Steve Earle in 2019)
Kate Hudson is a mom who rocks! On Thursday (May 22), the actress posted a sweet video on social media jamming out to Alice in Chains with her eldest son Ryder. “Sometimes u just have to eat a salad and listen to @aliceinchains pre show with a son,” the “Gonna Find Out” singer captioned the […]
Lord Huron hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart for the second time, as “Nothing I Need” jumps two spots to the top of the tally dated May 31. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The band first led with “Not Dead Yet” for five […]
Linkin Park’s “Up From the Bottom” takes the top spot on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock Airplay charts, rising to the top of both May 31-dated surveys.
The rockers nab their 14th ruler on Alternative Airplay, breaking out of a three-way tie for the second-most since the tally began in 1988. They also pass Cage the Elephant for the most Alternative Airplay No. 1s since 2000 (14 to 13).
Only one act has more No. 1s on Alternative Airplay all-time as of the May 31 list: Red Hot Chili Peppers, with 15.
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Most No. 1s, Alternative Airplay:
15, Red Hot Chili Peppers
14, Linkin Park
13, Cage the Elephant
13, Green Day
12, Foo Fighters
11, Twenty One Pilots
8, The Black Keys
8, U2
8, Weezer
7, Imagine Dragons
Linkin Park first appeared on Alternative Airplay in 2000 with “One Step Closer,” which peaked at No. 5 in January 2001. Its first No. 1, “In the End,” reached the summit in December 2001.
“Up From the Bottom” is the band’s first leader since “The Emptiness Machine,” for five weeks in October-November 2024. In between Linkin Park’s two latest No. 1s, “Heavy Is the Crown” peaked at No. 6 in March.
On Mainstream Rock Airplay, “Up From the Bottom” marks Linkin Park’s 13th No. 1, lifting the band into a four-way tie with Disturbed, Godsmack and Van Halen for the sixth-most dating to the chart’s 1981 inception.
Most No. 1s, Mainstream Rock Airplay:
20, Shinedown
18, Three Days Grace
15, Five Finger Death Punch
14, Foo Fighters
14, Metallica
13, Disturbed
13, Godsmack
13, Linkin Park
13, Van Halen
Linkin Park’s Mainstream Rock Airplay career also began in 2000 with “One Step Closer,” though its first leader came with “Somewhere I Belong” in 2003. The band has now strung together five No. 1s in a row on the chart, dating to the eight-week command of “Lost” in 2023.
“Up From the Bottom” is the first song to top both Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock Airplay (at all or simultaneously) since “The Emptiness Machine.”
Concurrently, “Up From the Bottom” spends a sixth week atop the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart with 6.2 million audience impressions, up 8%, in the week ending May 22, according to Luminate.
The song placed at No. 10 on the most recently published multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs chart (dated May 24, reflecting data May 9-15), after reaching No. 2 in April 12. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 1.2 million official U.S. streams.
“Up From the Bottom” is on the deluxe version of From Zero, Linkin Park’s eighth studio album. The standard edition debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart dated Nov. 30, 2024; the deluxe was released May 16. From Zero has earned 383,000 equivalent album units to date.
All Billboard charts dated May 31 will update on Wednesday, May 28, on Billboard.com (a day later than usual due to the Memorial Day holiday May 26).
On daddy duty! MGK took to social media on Thursday (May 22) to share a selfie with his baby daughter before hitting a Spotify milestone with his new single, “Cliché.” The artist formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly posted the sweet snap, taken in what appears to be the reflection of a car door, in […]
As spring is winding down, Alex Warren and Jelly Roll, Joe Jonas and more are heating things up with new music released this past week. Nearly a month after debuting the song live during the TikToker’s guest appearance at the “Son of a Sinner” musician’s Stagecoach set in April, the twosome have dropped new duet […]
Sheryl Crow unfurled her new single “I Know” on Friday (May 23) in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. On the tender ballad, the nine-time Grammy winner lays out the importance of empathy and connection as she sings, “But maybe I could hold your hand/ And count the teardrops as they flow/ And promise never […]
Sam Ryder is, undoubtedly, one of the United Kingdom’s greatest Eurovision success stories in recent years. At 2022’s Song Contest, he finished in 2nd place (its highest finish since 1998) and used that to springboard to a No. 1 album (There’s Nothing But Space, Man!), and cement himself as one of the scene’s most electrifying performers. Soon he was collaborating with Queen’s Brian May, performing in front of the Royal Family at Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee party, and bringing a puppyish enthusiasm to every booking.
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But even so, things in this industry can change in a heartbeat. In 2023, a leadership change at Parlophone Records meant that the executives that Ryder had signed with were leaving the label, and Ryder was caught in the middle: He saw the benefits of remaining on a major label, but felt indebted to the people who backed him when few others did.
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Ryder was not an overnight success. Prior to his selection for Eurovision, he gigged hard for a decade in various rock bands, and held down jobs in construction and hospitality. His rise on TikTok during the pandemic in 2020 eventually helped him land the spot for Eurovision in 2022, and it came when Ryder had just entered his 30s. His was a late-blooming success story and hard-fought for; he understood how fragile the industry can be, and how quickly it can all change.
When it came to the next phase of his career following his debut album success, he prioritized the things that were important to him: respecting the music-making process, and staying loyal. His new run of music — including “OH OK”, out Friday (May 23), and “White Lies” — is earthier, country-flecked as opposed to the glam-rock stylings of his debut. He thought about the artist he wanted to be, and how he can be authentic to his craft. He signed with Artist Theory, the new label from Nick Burgess and Jack Melhuish, who he met at Parlophone and left the major label system with them.
It’s a move that now looks savvy. The material he’s releasing showcases a new depth to his songwriting, and sits alongside Hozier and Noah Kahan’s rugged productions, all while retaining his powerhouse vocals and inimitable charm. In June, Ryder will perform at Glastonbury Festival for the first time; in November, Wembley Arena in London beckons, a sign that everything continues to move in the right direction for the singer-songwriter.
As he releases his new single “Oh OK,” Ryder tells Billboard U.K. about having faith in himself, his move to Nashville and the next phase of his career.
How would you describe this new era?
I’d call it the ‘frontier soul’ era. Soul music – that goes without saying. I sang that for years when I was at weddings and love it. But when I say frontier, think about the grandeur of old Hollywood and the richness in that aesthetic. The music is very much inspired by the Westerns that me and my grandad used to watch together. There’s a real attention to how the score and sound is recorded; films like Alexander the Great where the credits would roll up on screen first with a massive orchestra score. There’s such a richness in all of that aesthetic for me that I really enjoy.
You made the decision to head on a new journey with your label for this next album. Talk us through that…
A door was presented, to be real. At the time I remember feeling sad about it, even though it’s a choice we made, it felt exciting to a degree but daunting also. Parlophone had been there for the entire first album stint, which was amazing. Every challenge we met and exceeded. Parlophone, at that time, was the small dog in the fight. They’d reopened the label and had something to prove and the reason I chose it was because it felt like me; I hadn’t been given a chance until so much later on in my life to reach my potential.
When that label got dissolved essentially, [my] album had just gone to No. 1 and I was turning up to play a sold-out Hammersmith Apollo in London. It shows no one is ever safe from that happening to their label – it wasn’t a situation of the label wanting to go in a different direction, but all these amazing people were getting fired. I didn’t want to move to another major label where you’re an artist inherited rather than believed in and journeyed with.
The executives you worked with left an impression. You must have had faith in them in their next venture?
It’s not just faith, you’ve actually seen them in action and what they can do. Faith can be misconstrued in any industry. Any time you go and see a different label or management – which I’ve been through in my career – everyone gives you their best on that first meeting. It’s almost impossible to make a decision on anything but a gut instinct and a proof of concept; you’ve seen the lengths they’ll go to to make something happen and seen how collaborative they are and how they manage situations. Those are really important attributes.
It must have given you a lot more freedom in the way you approached the writing and recording process. Is that fair?
Yeah, I mean the way that people write music in the current industrial age of recording, you’re in sessions most days of the week with different people. You just end up collecting songs. That’s what I did for the first album and what a lot of my peers are doing as well. You can collect in the region of 100 songs, which, on paper, sounds great right? You’ve got all these songs, and everyone you work with is a great writer and then you put an album together of the best 12 songs.
The problem with that is that you don’t get a concept for the journey of a record, because everything in isolation sounds great and a single song sounds amazing. But put that together and it feels like you’re eating Big Macs and profiteroles for an hour; it just doesn’t feel nutritious.
Your journey has not been a typical one. Success came for you at a different period of your life than a lot of acts. What would you say to the next wave of people coming through when they’re faced with important business decisions like you had to make?
For any new artist, I know how exciting it would feel to come from making music in your bedroom to getting an email from one of the big three labels. I mean, take the meeting, of course. I have so much to thank major labels for; the experience was really magical. It wasn’t without its challenges, but nothing worth fighting for is going to be easy.
But I would say that there’s a really exciting conversation happening in the indie space. The idea of the major label system is slightly outdated. That’s not to say that the people working in those industries are outdated. They love music as much as you and I do. But they’re working in the confines of a massive beast. It’s like working with any big corporation, things happen slowly as there’s so many moving parts; an indie label can be a bit more nimble. I believe [the major’s] intentions are right, but it’s going to take time for change… and I haven’t got the time, man. I need to move quickly!
Have you always dreamt of heading to Nashville?
For the last 13 years the goal has been to get to Nashville and I’m so stoked we’ve been able to do it. I’ve bought a log cabin in the trees which is so peaceful. The city has absolutely exploded in the best way, but it’s still kept its heart and soul.
What is that music community like, particularly for someone moving into the area?
With Nashville, if the evidence of other people’s success doesn’t psych you out everywhere you look, it can be a really good motivational place to be. It’s the same with actors in Hollywood, I imagine. Maybe they go to the Walk of Fame and see these examples of past and present success which aren’t yours yet. It’s kind of the same with Nashville… but I don’t get psyched out by seeing that. I love it. I think that if it’s possible for them, it’s possible for me. It makes me feel like things are happening there and you’re at the epicentre of something special. And I think serendipity and spontaneity are so crucial in music and all the arts. That’s where the good stuff happens.
Heading to Nashville, writing and recording there and on your own terms with the new label must have brought the best out of your creativity, right?
It was nice to have that more manageable pace with it. In the past you just didn’t have time to sit and consider what you’re doing. Your schedule fills up so fast and there’s just not much time. When I look back, making music felt like the side project to everything else that needed to be done. The schedule was so crazy with everything else like promo and TV, that sitting and making music almost felt like a luxury. You’d make music in a room, and then send it off for someone else to mix it and master it or whatever. You never spend time really feeling what you want from a song. And that’s how albums sound as opposed to singles.
You’ll be playing Wembley Arena later this year. Was that always a goal for you?
It was definitely a goal, but as life went on it felt more like a pipe dream. My career started a lot later than some others in my peer group. In some ways it’s a blessing because I have the thickest skin in the game. The amount of times I was certain it wasn’t going to happen but I had to carry on doing it because I had literally no idea what else I was going to do.
Are you glad it happened at this stage of your life where you can appreciate the journey a bit more?
Oh definitely. If I had hit Wembley at a younger stage in my career, I think it might have come from a place of ego and to show everyone at school, or whoever doubted me, “Look what I can do.” Whereas now it’s more of a peaceful feeling where I’m so grateful and I don’t want to let anyone down. I know I won’t because I’ll put my all into the show.
