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J. Cole did some reminiscing during his headlining set at his Dreamville Festival 2025 over the weekend, and he recalled a time when Jay-Z pulled up on him in the studio with Beyoncé to record for what became The Blueprint 3‘s “A Star Is Born.” Cole signed to Roc Nation in 2009, and he reflected […]
As part of the multi-media blitz to promote their first joint album together, Who Believes in Angels?,” Elton John and Brandi Carlile are inviting fans to watch the raw studio footage of the sessions. In a first for John, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer allowed cameras to film the entire process, resulting in the 32-minute YouTube short Who Believes in Angels?: Stories From the Edge of Creation, which dropped over the weekend.
As John has hinted in interviews, the decision to enter the studio with no song ideas or sketches was a challenge that initially made him very nervous. The film opens with producer Andrew Watt trying to flint a creative spark from the pop icon by bringing up late 1960s confessional singer Laura Nyro, who John has long said was one of his biggest inspirations.
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That, of course, led to the recording of the album’s nearly seven-minute opening track, “The Rose of Laura Nyro,” which viewers can see come to life as John picks out the song’s refrain in real time as his career-long lyricist, Bernie Taupin, stands by his side to help punch things up.
At another point, an excited Watt enthusiastically strums an acoustic guitar while he explains John’s process in voiceover. “I asked Elton how does he write songs,” Watt says. “He sits and read a lyric, he sees a movie scene in his head and then he scores the movie.” Knowing that John also reveres rock originator Little Richard, Watt says he surmised that if the piano man saw a lyric about the “Tutti Frutti” star he was going to “feel rock n’ roll,” which resulted in the appropriately flamboyant “Little Richard’s Bible.”
One of the revelations is hearing Taupin say that he was more than open to allowing Carlile to participate in tweaking lyrics in a new spin on the two mens’ decades-long creative partnership. The film also features footage of Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith rocking out in the studio during the 20-day blitz of writing and recording. According to a release, the half hour’s worth of footage was culled from thousands of hours of raw tape.
In a testament to the pleasure and pain of the sessions, we see Carlile and John repeatedly praise each other’s talents, as well as the 78-year-old singer tear up and toss lyric sheets after losing his cool while trying to figure out how to harmonized with Carlile on her song “Swing For the Fences.”
At another point, John gets emotional after laying down his parts on the Carlile-penned ballad “Someone to Belong To,” a track she wrote to honor John’s 30-year relationship with husband/ manager David Furnish. He also flat-out breaks down in tears while recording the emotional “When This Old World Is Done With Me,” a Taupin-written weeper about the passage of time that that gets him when he hits the line, “When this old world is done with me/ When I close my eyes/ Release me like an ocean wave.”
“Pretty f–king great album, huh?” Watt tells John near the end of the doc as Elton recalls how depressed and despondent he was when the project began. “I feel like my heart’s attached to your heart,” Watt says, patting John on the shoulder and then hopping up to dance along to a mix of one of the songs.
Who Believes in Angels?: Stories From the Edge of Creation is available to stream for free on YouTube now. In addition to the short, fans can also read a song-by-song breakdown of the new album by the two singers, watch their recent performance on SNL, check out the one-hour concert An Evening With Elton John and Brandi Carlile on Paramount+ and hear the duo’s song “Never Too Late” from the Disney+ doc Elton John: Never Too Late.
Check out the YouTube short below.
The San Francisco Giants have paid homage to their hometown’s vibrant music scene with a kaleidoscopic new jersey, melding orange and violet in celebration of the Bay Area’s diverse culture. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On Tuesday (April 8), the Giants announced a new partnership with EMPIRE […]
Billboard’s Dance Moves roundup serves as a guide to the biggest movers and shakers across Billboard’s many dance charts — new No. 1s, new top 10s, first-timers and more.
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This week, on charts dated April 12, Will Sass and kamille, John Summit, Skrillex and others achieve new milestones. Check out key movers below.
Will Sass & kamille
Will Sass and kamille are both chart-topping artists for the first time thanks to their collaboration “Into the Blue,” which jumps from No. 5 to No. 1 on Dance/Mix Show Airplay. Released in November on Song Vault, the track surged by 34% in plays (among 24/7 dance reporters and pop stations’ mix show hours), according to Luminate. The song became each act’s first chart entry when it debuted in February. It also drew 23,000 official U.S. streams in the latest tracking week, boosted by several remixes, including one by Baltra, plus a “2am Mix” and a “5am Mix.”
Sass was born and raised in New York City and has already performed at some of the city’s premier venues, including Elsewhere and Brooklyn Mirage. He released his debut EP, Insert EP Title Here, in January and its extended edition in March. The collection includes collaborations with Nina Nesbitt, Alvin Risk and Catching Cairo, among others.
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As for kamille, the U.K.-based singer-songwriter released her debut album, K1, in September 2023. While “Into the Blue” marks her first appearance on Billboard’s charts under an artist billing, she has been credited as a songwriter on many other chart hits. Five songs she’s written or co-written have charted on the Billboard Hot 100: “Little Mix’s “Black Magic” (No. 67 peak in 2015) and “Shout Out to My Ex” (No. 69, 2016); Clean Bandit’s “Solo,” featuring Demi Lovato (No. 58, 2018); Mabel’s “Don’t Call Me Up” (No. 66, 2019); and David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” (No. 4, 2023).
On Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, kamille has charted 13 songs as a songwriter, including four top 10s: “Solo” (No. 4, 2018); Clean Bandit and Mabel’s “Tick Tock,” featuring 24kGoldn (No. 10, 2020); Joel Corry, Jax Jones, Charli XCX and Saweetie’s “Out Out” (No. 9, 2021); and “I’m Good (Blue)” (No. 1 for 55 weeks; 2022-23). She has also collaborated on songs with other artists including Fred again.., Kylie Minogue, Nile Rodgers, SG Lewis and Tiësto. Kamille has earned three additional No. 1s on Dance/Mix Show Airplay as a writer: Jax Jones, Martin Solveig and Madison Beer’s “All Day and Night,” “Out Out” and “I’m Good (Blue).”
On April 4, Sass and kamille released their second collaboration, “Happiness.”
John Summit & Inéz
John Summit’s “Light Years,” featuring Inéz, debuts at No. 4 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, thanks to 1.9 million streams earned in its first full week of tracking. Released March 26 via Experts Only/Darkroom/ICLG, the song earns Summit his 19th career entry — and highest charting hit. It’s his fourth top 10, after “Where You Are,” with HAYLA (No. 8 peak in 2023); “Shiver,” with HAYLA (No. 8, 2024); and “Focus,” featuring Cloves (No. 5, this February).
“Light Years” also becomes Inéz’s first entry on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. The German singer-songwriter has appeared on Billboard’s charts once before, as featured on Peter Fox’s “Zukunft Pink” (No. 118 peak on the Global Excl. U.S. chart in November 2022). The track also spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Germany Songs chart. Inéz is also half of German pop duo ÄTNA.
Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris’ latest single, “Smoke the Pain Away,” debuts at No. 36 on Dance/Mix Show Airplay. It’s his 35th career entry, tying him with KASKADE for the fourth-most in the chart’s 22-year history, after David Guetta (67), Tiësto (39) and Rihanna (36). The song also rises 24-19 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs in its third week — it debuted at No. 8, becoming his 24th top 10. It also totaled 723,000 U.S. streams (up 17%).
Skrillex
Skrillex released his fourth studio album, F*CK U SKRILLEX YOU THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!!
In a new video, LISA, Natasha Rothwell and more of The White Lotus cast danced to the most fitting song following the show’s nail-biting season three finale: Doechii‘s “Anxiety.”
Posted to Rothwell’s TikTok account, the clip starts out with the actress — who plays Belinda — standing alone outside on a balcony, jamming out to the Swamp Princess’ hit. “Anxiety, keep on trying me/ Feel it quietly, tryna silence me,” she sings along.
The video then cuts to the BLACKPINK star and castmates Tayme Thapthimthong, Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan and Jonathan Gries joining in a line behind Rothwell, smiling and laughing as they all do their own variations of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air-inspired dance trend that has been blowing up alongside “Anxiety” on the app in recent weeks. “It’s giving anxiety,” Rothwell wrote in her caption. “It’s giving suspense. It’s giving @The White Lotus finale.”
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The video comes shortly after the April 6 finale of The White Lotus‘ third season, which, without spoiling anything, ended with quite the bang. LISA and Thapthimthong played Mook and Gaitok, employees of the titular fictional hotel chain’s Thailand location, while the other actors in the TikTok portrayed guests.
In a recent Instagram post, LISA emotionally reflected on making her acting debut on the hit program. “What a ride,” she wrote. “It was the greatest honor to be part of this show as my first acting gig alongside such incredible actors.”
Originally posted in a YouTube video in 2019, Doechii finally officially released the Gotye-sampling “Anxiety” on streaming services in March. The track reached its current peak of No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 that month, marking the Florida rapper’s first top 10 hit on the chart.
Helping boost the tune has been its corresponding TikTok dance, which pairs the song’s chorus with moves inspired by one of Will Smith and Tatyana Ali’s scenes in the pilot episode of Fresh Prince. The two actors recently reunited to recreate the scene and take part in the “Anxiety” trend, filming a video –featuring a surprise cameo from Doechii — set to the track in March.
Watch The White Lotus cast do Doechii’s “Anxiety” dance trend below.
Tragedy struck in the Dominican Republic after the roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed during a concert, leaving nearly 30 dead and 120 injured in the early morning hours of Tuesday (April 8), according to multiple reports.
The club’s roof collapsed during a live performance of renowned merengue star Rubby Pérez, known for Billboard hits such as “Tu Vas a Volar,” “Enamorado de Ella,” and “15,500 Noches” in collaboration with Romeo Santos, Toño Rosario, Fernandito Villalona and Raman Orlando. The singer has been transferred to the Plaza de la Salud hospital, according to medical director Nepomuceno Mejia.
As news broke, Dominican and other Latin music stars have expressed their condolences and solidarity on social media.
“My prayers for everyone affected by this big tragedy that happened at the nightclub in Santo Domingo. Peace and much strength,” bachata sensation Prince Royce wrote on his Instagram stories.
In a collaborative Instagram post with her label and manager, Pina Records and Raphy Pina, Natti Natasha wrote: “My beloved land, the Dominican Republic. Today we all woke up with broken hearts. A tragedy that mourns our country and leaves a deep void in many families. We woke up with tears in our eyes, in silence, in prayer. May God give strength to every mother, father, child, and friend who today suffers the loss of a loved one.From the depths of my soul, I share your pain. I am with you. We are in mourning.”
“Praying for all those rescued and for the families of the more than 15 people who lost their lives! Rubby Pérez, maestro, with all my heart, praying for your safety,” merengue powerhouse Olga Tañon reacted on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Latin hitmaker Emilio Estefan Jr. shared on Instagram: “All united with the Dominican Republic in this moment of sorrow. We share the sadness of a great country that we love so much. Our prayers are with all the affected families. Emilio, Gloria, and the Estefan family.”
Dominican producer Maffio said on social media: “Wow, God, what sad news. May God put your hand on those affected and their families. What a tragedy, I’m speechless.”
Los Toros Band, helmed by vocalist Héctor Acosta and who has performed at the Jet Set club before, also shared its condolences via a statement on Instagram. “On behalf of our office and our team, we want to express our solidarity with all the Dominican people for the tragedy that occurred this morning at the nightclub in Santo Domingo,” the group wrote. “We send our condolences to the family of our colleague Rubby Pérez. May God help and give strength and comfort to the families of those affected.”
The AP reported that Pérez’s manager, Enrique Paulino, spoke to journalists at the scene about the collapse that happened about an hour after the show’s midnight start, sharing that the vocalist’s saxophone player was killed in the incident.
It is not yet known what caused the Jet Set’s roof to collapse.
See some of the other artist reactions below:
Sombr appears on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time (on the chart dated April 12) with his breakthrough single, “Back to Friends.”
Released Dec. 27 on SMB/Warner Records, the track debuts at No. 90 largely from its streaming sum: 6 million official U.S. streams (up 15%) in the March 28-April 3 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also raked in 304,000 radio airplay audience impressions (up 13%).
The song concurrently climbs 10-8 on Hot Alternative Songs, 10-9 on Hot Rock Songs and 13-11 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. It opens at No. 38 on Alternative Airplay with a 33% gain in format spins, earning Sombr his first appearance on a radio chart.
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The streaming gains for the song can partly be attributed to attention on TikTok, as it has soundtracked more than 240,000 videos on the platform to date.
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Sombr has another song building on TikTok: “Undressed” has been used in more than 110,000 clips. Released March 21, it pushes 13-11 on Hot Alternative Songs, 12-11 on Hot Rock Songs and 16-14 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.
Sombr (real name Shane Boose) is the sole credited writer and producer on “Back to Friends.” On “Undressed,” he’s listed as the only writer, and as a co-producer with veteran producer/A&R executive Tony Berg. Berg has previously appeared on Billboard’s charts as a writer or producer on hits by Phoebe Bridgers (“Kyoto,” “Garden Song”) and, in the late 1980s/early 1990s, Michael Penn (“No Myth,” “This & That”). He has also worked on charted projects by Boygenius, Andrew Bird, Phantom Planet, Aimee Mann, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians and others. In 2023, he served as a producer on the Daisy Jones & The Six soundtrack, Aurora.
Sombr releaed his debut eight-track EP, in another life, in 2023. He’s currently on the road as the opening act for Daniel Seavey’s Second Wind Tour. In May, he’ll join Nessa Barrett on the European leg of her Aftercare tour, which runs through June.
Young Thug has reacted to a viral message on X of a fan with a large back tattoo that boasts the wrong lyrics to Thugger’s 2016 “Digits.” A post from Madrid tattoo artist Infrababy circulated on social media last week. It features a fan’s new ink with “Horses don’t stop, they keep going” written above […]
Speaking to Howard Stern on Tuesday morning (April 8) just two days after the controversial season three finale of his hit HBO series The White Lotus, Mike White said he doesn’t really know what the beef over the the show’s soundtrack was all about. Last week, show composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer told the New York Times that he was permanently checking out of the gig after what he said were years of creative disputes with White over the Chilean musician’s unconventional musical style.
“Oh man… I honestly don’t know what happened, except now I’m reading his interviews because he decided to do some P.R. campaign about him leaving the show,” White nervously laughed while speaking to Stern on his SiriusXM morning radio show. “In reading the interviews I just realized he… I just don’t think he respected me. I think he basically, he wants people to know he’s edgy and dark and I’m… I watch reality TV,” added White, who, has, in fact, joyfully competed on both The Amazing Race (twice) and Survivor: David Vs. Goliath.
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In his chat with the Times, Tapia de Veer compared his collaboration with White as being akin to the kind of rock bands he’s been in before where, “the guitar player doesn’t understand the singer at all.” In fact, the composer who has won three Emmys for his work on the show said he’d had creative conflicts with White since the very first season of the show. He noted that he thought the show runner’s script for the first go-round was very “well-written,” but that he felt the comedic, “reality TV kind of vibe” did not fit with his “super dark and edgy” musical leanings.
“But when we had the talk with Mike, I just told him in a joke that I thought we could do some kind of ‘Hawaiian Hitchcock,’ and he really grabbed on that and he started laughing,” Tapia de Veer said, while also dinging White’s original temporary score as “nice background music” with a “chill, sexy” Ibiza club vibe but “literally no edge to it.”
Tapia de Veer also noted that after his divisive soundtrack for the just-concluded season received push-back from fans who missed the beloved melodies from the first two seasons, he planned to slyly bring back the “ool-loo-loo-loo” vocalizations they desired, but that White “wasn’t happy about that.”
White seemed perplexed by the apparent animus, telling Stern “we never even really fought… he said we feuded. I don’t think I ever had a fight with him, except maybe some emails. But it was just basically, like, me giving him notes. I don’t think he liked having to go through the process of getting notes from me or wanting revisions or ever. I guess he just didn’t respect me.”
In fact, White told Stern that he’s “never kissed somebody’s ass so hard” just to get them to be on board as he did with Tapia de Veer.
The show creator added that he knew Tapia de Veer was “not a team player and that he wanted to do it his way,” but that he was thrown that the musician would go to the Times to “s–t on me and the show three days before the finale. That was kind of a b–ch move.” Stern shot back that as the show’s writer and creator, White should have had the power to weigh in on the musical choices on the series that is his sole vision.
“Anyone that you hire, they gotta go with your vision, that’s it!” Stern suggested.
“Well that’s honestly why it did work the first couple seasons, because we did go through the process,” White explained. “But by the time the third season came around he’d won Emmys and had his song go viral, so he just did not want to go through the process anymore. He didn’t want to get notes from me… he always had this contemptuous smirk on his face whenever he was dealing with me. I think he thought I was just a chimp or something. I don’t know.”
In the end, White said he was confused by the ire over what he said was a pretty typical “creative difference” with the composer he readily praised as “really talented.”
Artists working with record labels in Latin America have a higher percentage of monthly listeners and generate more revenue on digital platforms than those who are self-released, according to a new report by Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) and the Latin American Independent Music Observatory (OLMI) on digital distribution in the region.
The report also shows that “the existence of local infrastructure (such as digital distributors) is related to higher levels of professionalization, income and knowledge of the digital value chain by artists, for example in relation to the types of existing contracts and the terms offered.”
Released on Tuesday (April 8), the study — which was conducted between 2023 and 2024 — analyzes the situation in eight countries, including Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Paraguay, and highlights how artists’ presence on digital platforms and affiliation with independent record labels positively influences their economic sustainability.
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“These results reinforce the notion that the structural and financial support that labels provide to artists is key to their success in the music ecosystem,” Noemí Planas, CEO of WIN, said in a press release. “Public and private investment to promote a professional music infrastructure in the region is key to ensure the growth of all players.”
One of the challenges the music industry faces in the region is the “heavy reliance on live performances,” the report states. That’s because “although more than 60% of artists generate income through streaming, less than 10% earn more than US$5,000 per year,” it notes. The report adds that “artists with more than 500 monthly listeners barely represent 30% [of artists]” — meaning a large majority may be affected by the recent royalty payment reforms introduced by the major streaming platforms that contemplate the demonetization of content below certain thresholds of streams and listeners.
The study found that almost a third (32.2%) of respondents market their music through distributors that have recently integrated — or are in the process of integrating — with majors, denoting a trend towards market consolidation.
“Consolidation in the music sphere is concerning because of its impact on the dissemination of Latin American independent music, especially in the digital market, where we see that there are fewer and fewer independent operators,” Planas adds. “The concentration of power, information and access channels in the hands of three large multinationals translates into worse conditions for independents, such as streaming models that demonetize their content and that they have no choice but to accept.”
The report highlights the importance of strengthening the relationship with record labels and investing in the education of key players. “[It] reaffirms the need to consolidate a professional, informed and collaborative ecosystem in Latin America,” Cristóbal Dañobeitia, director of OLMI, said in a statement. “The union between key players and investment in education, research and technology are essential to ensure equitable and sustainable growth.”
Titled “La Música Independiente en Latinoamérica: Cadena de Valor y Distribución Digital” (“Independent Music in Latin America: Value Chain and Digital Distribution”), the study was commissioned by WIN and developed by an interdisciplinary team of experts from OLMI, in collaboration with trade associations ABMI, IMICHILE and AMI PY, as well as AMPROFON, Sociedad Chilena de Autores e Intérpretes Musicales (SCD), Alianza Francesa Costa Rica and Universidad de los Andes.
To access the full report (in Spanish) click here.
