Music News

11 Apr 2025

Adam Levine Recalls Paul McCartney’s Reaction to Beatles Cover: ‘ We Did It Better’

Maroon 5 vocalist Adam Levine has reflected on Paul McCartney’s reaction to his band covering The Beatles on television more than a decade ago.

Levine’s comments were made during his recent appearance on The Howard Stern Show, where he and guitarist James Valentine were discussing a special televised event from February 2014. Broadcast by CBS, The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles was a star-studded performance held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Fab Four’s debut on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Alongside performances from McCartney and Ringo Starr, the event featured the likes of Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Stevie Wonder, and John Legend and Alicia Keys all covering original Beatles songs. The night opened with Maroon 5, who shared their own renditions of “All My Loving” and “Ticket to Ride.”

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“ I was scared s–tless,” Valentine told Stern of the performance, with Levine adding, “I told you I’ve been scared a handful of f–king times in my life, that was definitely one of them. “I was like, ‘Holy s–t.’ I’m sorry man, but it’s just like, you can be too cool, but not always. It’s Ringo Star and Paul McCartney. F–k off if you’re gonna try and be cool about that. 

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“Afterwards, I see Paul and Paul kind of took me in close and he goes, ‘You know, we did it better,’” Levine remembered while laughing. “I thought it was so funny. And I cracked up and I’m like, ‘Yeah, no s–t, you’re Paul McCartney, you’re The Beatles.’”

Levine then added how the interaction took an even stranger turn when McCartney tried to get his attention at a party some months later, using the opportunity to apologize for any bad blood his initial comments may have caused.

“He’s like, ‘Hey man, I just wanted to let you know, if that bothered you, I’ve been thinking about this, I didn’t want to insult you or anything,’” Levine recalled. “It was something like that. Like, ‘If I insulted you, I apologize.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my God. Like, you’re good. Dude, you’re Paul F–king McCartney.

“But it kind of shattered in a great way this whole thing about your heroes being who they are,” Levine concluded. “It’s like, he’s a human being with a beating heart and a really beautiful soul who actually was thoughtful enough to even take into account that maybe for some reason my feelings might have been hurt, but of course they were not.”

Levine’s appearance on The Howard Stern Show wasn’t his only big media appearance this week, with Monday night’s (April 7) episode of The Tonight Show seeing him confirm that Maroon 5 will be making a musical comeback in 2025

“The rumors are correct. There are details. I cannot divulge all the details,” Levine explained. “But the details are basically, roughly, there’s a single coming at the end of the month-ish. I’m really excited about it. An album is coming over the summer. Non-specifically around the summertime. And then, even more non-specifically, there is a tour coming in the fall-ish.”

10 Apr 2025

NIKI Takes on Chappell Roan’s ‘Casual’ for ‘Like a Version’

NIKI has given Chappell Roan a musical makeover, covering “Casual” for her recent appearance on Like a Version, the long-running segment from Australian radio station triple j.

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Airing on Friday, April 10 (Australian time), the performance was recorded in mid-March during the Australian leg of the Indonesian-born singer’s Buzz World Tour. As is tradition, the two-song set launched with an original, which saw NIKI deliver a raucous rendition of her “ female rage” song “Colossal Loss,” which has become wildly popular with her fans despite not being released as a single.

For the cover portion of the set, NIKI turned her attention to Roan’s “Casual,” which had been initially released in late 2022 as a single, before appearing on her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess the following year. As a result of the Grammy-nominated album’s global success in 2024, “Casual” peaked at No. 59 on the Hot 100 in August.

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Stripping away the nostalgic synths in favor of a Gibson 12-string and slide guitar, NIKI’s reinvention of the track almost feels like something of a link between Roan’s original and the country-pop of her March single “The Giver.”

“It’s definitely a song that I wish I wrote,” NIKI explained in a post-performance interview. “I love the entire record, obviously, but ‘Casual’ was the one that really stayed with me on a personal level. It’s almost like I feel like I’ve known those melodies all my life, so it just felt very familiar and the production is just so moody.”

“For my version of casual, we decided to speed it up and make it more of like an early 2000s vibe, because we’ve been covering a lot of early 2000s bangers on tour,” she continued. “Just to kind of tie it into that universe of my Buzz tour, we sort of like Buzz-ified it, I guess.”

Having first launched in 2004, the Like a Version series has gone from being a near-impromptu acoustic affair to featuring larger studio productions. Numerous artists have taken part over the past two decades, with the likes of Billie Eilish, Childish Gambino, Arctic Monkeys, and more reinventing classic tracks in the process.

10 Apr 2025

5 Seconds of Summer’s Calum Hood Goes Solo With ‘Don’t Forget You Love Me’

Just one week after bandmate Michael Clifford announced a solo career, 5 Seconds of Summer bassist Calum Hood has followed in kind, sharing his debut solo single ahead of a full-length record.

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Hood’s solo venture has officially launched with the release of “Don’t Forget You Love Me,” which is described as the emotional cornerstone of its accompanying album, ORDER chaos ORDER. 

Written and produced alongside English production team TMS and Jack LaFrantz, “Don’t Forget You Love Me” is a darker pop cut, boasting a sense of vulnerability and heartbreak that appears to underline the more melancholic approach that Hood has taken on the forthcoming album. The single also comes accompanied by a Andy DeLuca-directed and Sarah Eiseman-produced visual which places a pensieve Hood in myriad locations as rain begins to pour down.

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ORDER chaos ORDER is scheduled to release via Capitol Records on June 13, with Hood explaining that the album sees him breaking new ground on his musical journey, yet maintaining a sense of sincerity as he approaches a far more raw and tender aesthetic.

“This album was made in a tumble dryer of knowing and not knowing,” Hood explains. “I started out with a vision—order—but quickly became overwhelmed by the process—chaos. Eventually, I learned to embrace both, and that balance became the heart of the record.”

“There are things I’ve never been able to sing about in the band—my upbringing, my family, the places life has taken me,” he adds. “This album is about laying those things to rest and allowing listeners to connect in their own way.”

5 Seconds of Summer first formed in Sydney, Australia in 2011 and released their self-titled debut album in 2014. All five of the band’s albums have peaked atop the Australia ARIA charts, while only 2020’s Calm and 2022’s 5SOS5 prevented the same feat on the Billboard 200, with the records reaching a very respectable peak of No. 2.

Members of the six-time ARIA Award-winning group began launching solo careers following the release of Calm, with drummer Ashton Irwin releasing his Superbloom album in 2020, with second album Blood on the Drums arriving in July 2024. 

Vocalist and rhythm guitarist Luke Hemmings would follow suit in 2021 with his debut album When Facing the Things We Turn Away From, following it up with the Boy EP in April 2024. Just last week, guitarist Clifford shared his own solo debut, with “COOL” set to appear on his forthcoming album, SIDEQUEST.

10 Apr 2025

HYBE Helps Korean Police Arrest Eight People on Suspicion of Targeting Artists With Deepfake Content

HYBE is continuing to work to protect its artists.

Korea’s Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency (NGPPA) worked with the global entertainment company to arrest eight individuals who are suspected of creating and distributing deepfake videos of HYBE Music Group artists, Billboard can confirm. Deepfakes are false images, videos or audio that have been edited or generated using artificial intelligence.

The investigation was launched as a result of a Memorandums of Understanding between HYBE and NGPPA, signed in February 2024, as a means to combat cybercrimes for their artists and maintain their safety. HYBE provided information to NGPPA, who were able to track down and identify the suspects. Additionally, fans helped the investigation by sending reports via the HYBE Artist Rights Violation Report Center tip line.

“HYBE will respond firmly to crimes that infringe on our artists’ portrait rights and reputations, based on a zero-tolerance and no-settlement policy,” Jason Jaesang Lee, CEO of HYBE, said in a press statement, adding, “We will continue to monitor and take legal action to eradicate such serious crimes.”

Ho-seung Kim, district chief of NGPPA, also assured that deepfake suspects will continue to be tracked down. “Deepfake crimes that exploit the vulnerabilities of celebrities—who often find it difficult to report such offenses themselves — are on the rise,” he said in his statement. “Deepfake is a serious type of crime that can destroy the daily lives of victims, and crimes targeting public figures are no exception.”

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At press time, HYBE has not released names of suspects or which of its artists were affected.

10 Apr 2025

Lizzo Rocks a Throwback Britney Spears T-Shirt in New ‘SNL’ Promos With Jon Hamm

In new promos for this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, Lizzo pays homage to another pop star with a rich history on the SNL stage: Britney Spears.

Saturday’s musical guest Lizzo wears a Britney T-shirt in the promos, throwing back to the pop princess’ teen-idol days. This weekend will mark Lizzo’s fourth time performing on SNL (she also hosted the show once in 2022), while Spears did double-duty as host and musical guest twice (in 2000 and 2002) and performed on the show in 2003. (Spears has also been impersonated on the show more than a dozen times, most recently by current cast member Chloe Fineman.)

Lizzo stars in the new promos with host Jon Hamm (hosting for a fourth time this weekend) as well as cast members Bowen Yang and Marcello Hernandez. The quartet finds out just how much they have in common when they decide to say their favorite food in unison (“mozzarella sticks”) but things get really “weird-mazing” when they recite their shared favorite movie. “Angels in the Outfield, the heartwarming 1994 sports comedy starring Donald Glover and a young Joseph Gorden-Levitt!” they all say enthusiastically at once.

We also learn Hamm’s surprising real name and find out that this isn’t the first time this four-pack has spent time together. Watch the promos here:

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Lizzo is going on the show to promote her upcoming fifth studio album Love in Real Life, which doesn’t yet have a release date and has been preceded by the title track and “Still Bad.” Last month, she announced on Instagram that the album is officially complete.

“ALBUM IS DONE YALL!” she wrote, alongside a photo of herself in the studio, struggling to smile, which she explained in the second half of the caption: “ASTROLOGY EXPERTS Do my mercury got micro braids? Cus I got an emergency root canal, announced SNL & finished my album all in one day today.”

SNL airs Saturday night at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT on NBC and then streams on Peacock.

10 Apr 2025

Jon Pardi Previews New ‘Honkytonk Hollywood’ Album at Australian Concerts: See Onstage & Backstage Photos

Five-time Billboard Country Airplay chart-topping artist Jon Pardi releases his new studio album, Honkytonk Hollywood, on Friday (April 11), as he gears up to launch his headlining Honkytonk Hollywood Tour in the United States later this month. But in March, the “Friday Night Heartbreaker” singer took his high-octane, neo-traditional country sound Down Under, giving Australian fans shows that previewed some of the songs on the new project.

The “Head Over Boots” hitmaker took his rowdy swagger and down-home grit to headlining shows at Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena (on March 19) and Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion (March 20), before playing a set during the Australian country music festival CMC Rocks on March 22. Newcomers Larry Fleet and Zach Top joined Pardi for his shows in Sydney and Melbourne.

Pardi’s shows are known for blending pulsating rock energy with plenty of fiddle and twang, while alternating hits like “She Ain’t In It” and “Dirt on My Boots” with Pardi’s accessible, good-time vibe, as he cracks jokes and offers up stories from his life. His new album, produced by Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Little Big Town), further fuses the feel of his live shows and albums, as Pardi welcomed his band to join him in the studio to lay down the tracks, adding an extra shot of tightly-woven musicianship that comes through piling up years of road-tested camaraderie.

Below, find a photo gallery that highlights Pardi’s vibrant, packed-audience live shows, as well as behind-the-scenes pics of Pardi with show openers Top and Fleet backstage.

10 Apr 2025

Rema Releases Intoxicating Afro-R&B Single ‘Bout U’ Ahead of His Coachella Debut: Stream It Now

Rema is ready to get Coachella weekend one started with his new Afro-R&B single “Bout U,” which he released on Thursday (April 10).

Produced by Rema and London, the intoxicating track finds Rema infatuated by the one he dubs his favorite girl in the world, with a subtle nod to Megan Thee Stallion‘s 2020 hit “Body” (“4:30 in the morning, thinking about you/ And about your archy, body-ody-ody-ody,” he sings in the first verse). He’s determined to let nothing tarnish his dreamy love affair, encapsulated by the song’s sensual melody and striking electric guitar.

“Bout U” is the second single the Nigerian star (real name Divine Ikubor) released this year, following his Sade-sampling “Baby (Is it a Crime)” in February. The single reached No. 3 on U.S. Afrobeats Songs and No. 4 on World Digital Song Sales.

He’ll make his Coachella debut this Sunday, April 13 at the Mojave Tent. His performances during the first and second weekends of the festival are included in his Heis World Tour, which officially kicks off Friday, April 11 at the Edmonton Expo Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, includes stops at major international arenas such as London’s O2 Arena and Paris’ Accor Arena before wrapping on Aug. 3 at Poble Espanyol in Barcelona, Spain. The 23-date international trek is in support of his critically acclaimed sophomore album Heis, which peaked at No. 7 on World Albums and earned Rema his first Grammy nomination earlier this year for best global music album.

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Rema is nominated for artiste of the year, song of the year (“Ozeba”), album of the year (Heis), music video of the year (“Charm”), producer of the year (“Hehehe”), Headies’ viewers’ choice (“Ozeba”), Afrobeats album of the year (Heis), best performer (live) (Ravage Uprising: Rema Live From The O2, London) and digital artiste of the year at the 2025 Headies Awards, which will take place at the Landmark Centre in Lagos, Nigeria on April 27.

Listen to “Bout U” below.

10 Apr 2025

Deorro & Santa Fe Klan Exude Mexican Pride in New ‘La Bandera’ Music Video: Watch

Deorro and Santa Fe Klan team up for “La Bandera,” a cumbia banger that fuses rap and EDM, resulting in an explosive track that will get any party going.

The pair’s new collaboration, released Thursday (April 10), is a celebration of Mexican culture and Mexican pride, from signature cumbia dance moves to the streetwear that rings true to the chicano identity. The chorus “mexicano hasta que muera,” or “Mexican until I die” in English, only drives home the tracks powerful message, gifting Mexicans and Mexican Americans a new anthem.

The music video, directed by HeroKids, perfectly complements the sentiment Deorro and Santa Fe Klan transmit in their song. Set at a house party where attendees are dressed in chicano street fashion — oversized T-shirts, baggy jeans and heavy gold jewelry and bandanas as accessories — Deorro blasts “La Bandera” from his DJ booth while waving a Mexican flag.

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Besides the fashion, the video depicts images that honor Mexican culture, including the Virgen de Guadalupe displayed in altars and outfits, a nod to the Catholic faith that is rooted in Mexican culture, and lowriders, which bounce to the rhythm of the song as Deorro and Santa cruise through Los Angeles.

Both artists are signed to Peso Pluma’s Double P Records. “La Bandera” is among a handful of releases Deorro will be dropping this year, according to a press release. Deorro is slated to perform at Carta De Amor at Expo Park South Lawn in L.A. on May 2.

Watch the music video for “La Bandera” below:

10 Apr 2025

Popular Music Business Podcast ‘Promoter 101’ Announces Return

The Promoter 101 podcast is returning more than five years after dropping its last episode.

Hosted by Dan Steinberg of Emporium Presents and Live Nation and music manager Luke Pierce from Works Entertainment, Promoter 101 will make its official return at the Pollstar Live! conference on April 17 in Los Angeles. Guests for the inaugural return podcast, which will be taped from a live session during the conference, include Steve Martin, Andy Somers and Chyna Chuan from Paladin Artists booking agency.

Going forward, the podcast will return as a monthly show with “a lively mix of industry news, engaging interviews, behind-the-scenes conversations with all the power players and insights that the industry has been eagerly awaiting,” according to a press release. “Listeners can expect highlights from the exclusive interviews and a preview of exciting upcoming guests that will help build momentum and engagement.”

Steinberg added, “Luke and I are so excited for the reboot of Promoter 101. In this new monthly format, we just can’t imagine a better place to kick it all off than Pollstar Live with the Paladin Artist crew as our first guests. This is just so good and the right time to revisit this project with a modern twist.”

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Promoter 101 originally launched in 2016 and went on hiatus in late 2019. The show made several brief returns, beginning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and last posted an episode in 2023 with well-known concert promoter Louis Messina as a guest.

“We’ve been getting the question for a long time, when are you bringing back the podcast?” Pierce says. “So much has changed in the time since we last recorded an episode, so now it feels like the perfect time to make a return and talk about everything new, exciting, and challenging in the music business.” 

New monthly episodes of Promoter 101 will be available starting April 24 on all podcast platforms, including Spotify.

10 Apr 2025

Ado Looks Back on 5 Years Since Breakout Smash ‘Usseewa,’ Greatest-Hits Album, World Tour & More: Interview

“What is rightness? What is stupidity? I’ll show you what they are!”

Ado’s song “Usseewa” that begins with these lyrics made a huge impact not only on the Japanese music scene but also on society as a whole at the time. The explosive vocals of the then-17-year-old, the way she led a kind of rebellion on behalf of the people by voicing their frustrations, and her style of never showing her face were all new to listeners, and the mystery singer shot to superstardom. The now-22-year-old songstress voiced the songs for the character Uta in the blockbuster anime movie ONE PIECE FILM RED in 2022, which recorded 31.9 billion yen (approx. $214 million) in global box office revenue, and the film’s theme song “New Genesis” became another domestic mega-hit that later spread around the world.

The enigmatic vocalist, who has quickly grown to become one of Japan‘s leading acts, is set to unleash her first greatest-hits album, aptly titled Ado’s Best Adobum, an exhaustive collection featuring songs from her electrifying debut in October 2020 to the present day. Ado is also about to kick off an unprecedented tour that will take her to 33 cities around the world and draw over 500,000 fans, the biggest global trek by a Japanese artist ever. For more information on the tour, click here.

What has left the biggest impression on you since your major label debut?

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I remember so many things, but I think my show at the Saitama Super Arena in 2022 was definitely a highlight. Performing there had been a dream of mine, so that day made big impact on my life.

Ado’s Best Adobum includes two new tracks, “Bouquet for Me” and “ROCKSTAR.” Could you tell us a bit about them?

“Bouquet for Me” is a song written by HoneyWorks as a collaboration with Georgia (Coca-Cola Japan). I’d like you to listen to it in the morning, before going to work or school, when you want a little oomph. It’s a lovely song full of energy that’s sure to encourage you, and I hope people of all ages will listen to it.

The other song, “ROCKSTAR”, was written by a music producer I’ve worked with a lot, jon-YAKITORY. This one was a collaboration with Marubeni, and is still being featured in the corporation’s commercials. jon-YAKITORY has written songs for me in the past and I’ve been featured in theirs, and I’m so grateful to work with him again because when I think of rock music, I think of jon-YAKITORY. There’s a scene in the commercial where I sing “ROCKSTAR” onstage, and it’s a cool song that looks great performed live that will fill your heart with excitement when you listen to it. I’m really looking forward to performing it live one day.

What do you feel has changed or that you’ve grown over the past five years in terms of music production and live performances?

My way of thinking has changed a lot. I’ve become more objective about myself and my career. I have a wider perspective now, and recently have had more opportunities to re-evaluate not only myself but also my fans, the staff who support me, and the environment I am in, and to work through my activities and the many opinions I receive from everyone. I think I’m a lot more put-together now than I used to be.

I also think that my live performances have improved. I feel like I was a bit more awkward when I first debuted. Thankfully, I’ve been able to do a lot of shows and have grown through my experiences. I think my concerts are more impressive now. On the other hand, there are elements of youth and inexperience that can only be felt in my shows in the past, perhaps my fans can find entertainment in my growth as well. 

Which of the songs on the album you would like to share with yourself from back when you first made your major-label debut and why?

It’s quite hard to choose, but the 20th track on Disc 2 called “Sakura Biyori and Time Machine with Hatsune Miku” is one I’d like to share with myself when I was just starting out. It’s that kind of special song for me. Mafumafu, one of my favorite “utaite” (cover artists), wrote it for me, and I’d never be where I am without the Vocaloid songs that have supported me, so singing it with my idol Hatsune Miku was like returning to my roots. If I were to listen to it back then, it would blow me away. I might keel over from the thrill.

How has your attitude towards singing changed?

Around the time I made my major-label debut—and even before then—I really wanted people to listen to my songs and see my thoughts, ideas, and who I am. I used to express emotions like anger very directly, but as I sang more and more songs, I began to notice that each one felt different depending on the lyrics and how much I empathized with them. Now, there are more moments when I confront various emotions by reflecting on my own views on life or by applying my personal experiences to the songs. While I still value both input and output, lately I’ve been feeling more and more drawn to singing a variety of songs in different kinds of “languages”. “Elf,” in particular, is sung in a way that invites more people to enjoy Ado’s music.

What’s your current dream?

My current dream and concrete goal is to win a Grammy. Another goal and dream of mine is to someday do a world tour that will be even bigger than my upcoming Hibana tour.

And you’ll be kicking off that Ado WORLD TOUR 2025 “Hibana” Powered by Crunchyroll, from April.

It’ll be my second world tour, and will also be an unprecedented scale as a Japanese artist, so I’m really looking forward to it. As a Japanese “utaite” and artist, I want to convey the appeal and culture of Japan and the strength of Japanese music to people around the world through performances in over 30 cities. I hope that this world tour will be like its title, “Hibana” (spark), like a small flame that sparks a bigger fire.

Tell us what you’re looking forward to on this tour and what you remember from your previous one, Ado THE FIRST WORLD TOUR “Wish.”

I’m particularly looking forward to Italy on this tour. I really look forward to seeing with my own eyes the scenery that I’ve only seen in books, films and textbooks. I had time to do some sightseeing in Europe on my last world tour, and really enjoyed France. I visited the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, then walked to the river Seine, and after visiting the Louvre, I went to the Chanel flagship store. I have a lot of respect for Coco Chanel, and after seeing the famous staircase where fashion shows were held, I walked along the main street to the Arc de Triomphe. I was wearing stylish boots with heels, so it was hard work climbing the hundreds of steps at the Arc de Triomphe. I remember walking a total of 30,000 to 40,000 steps that day. 

Send a message to your fans.

It’s a bit of a shock to think that five years have passed since I made my debut with “Usseewa.” Five years may not be such a long time, but I’m truly grateful that I’ve been able to continue my activities for so long and that so many people know about Ado. I’m supported by everyone who listens to my music, as well as the media that features me and staff who work with me. Thank you all so much.

—This interview first appeared on Billboard Japan