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Legendary Latin artists Vicente Fernández and Freddy Fender are among this year’s inductees into the National Recording Registry, a prestigious honor from the Library of Congress. Fernández’s ranchera anthem “El Rey” and Fender’s bilingual country crossover hit “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” join a select group of recordings recognized for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically […]
As Ed Sheeran readies the release of his forthcoming eighth album, he’s revealed that fans won’t be left waiting too long between singles for fresh material given the record’s “broad” range of sounds.
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Sheeran’s comments were made during his appearance on the latest episode of Call Her Daddy, where he spoke with host Alex Cooper about his lyrics, his favorite memory of Taylor Swift, and the embarrassing story of being caught naked in a hotel lobby.
The conversation also switched to the discussion of Sheeran’s new music, which includes the recently-released single “Azizam,” which will feature on his forthcoming album Play. While a release date for the record is yet to arrive, Sheeran used his appearance on Call Her Daddy to talk about the music that is still to come in the near future.
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“My idea was because the album is so broad, I didn’t want to just be like, ‘Here’s the single. Here’s the album,’ so there’s music coming every sort of two, three weeks,” he explains. “So there’s ‘Azizam’ now, there’s a song called ‘Old Phone’ that comes out in a couple of weeks, and then after that there’s another song coming.
“We shot all these videos and I’m less about single moments and more about, I want people to sort of feel the breadth of the record and I’m very confident that one of the songs will work, but it’s more about just putting ’em out and letting people hear some of the record before it’s out rather than what I’ve done before, which is just like, ‘Here’s my first single. Here’s the album,’ and yeah.”
While Sheeran has already given fans a preview of “Old Phone” by playing it live on The Tonight Show, Cooper also queried the English musician as to how his new music differs compared to what he had released on previous albums.
“It’s definitely different. I think I’ve been more explorative with this album,” Sheeran explained. “I kind of had an attitude of ‘Why the f–k not?’ and not really felt like I have to be in a box of being a singer-songwriter, of like, ‘I have to do this or I have to do that,’ and I lived in India for a little bit and worked with a load of Indian musicians and producers and blah, blah, blah.
“I made a song like ‘Azizam’ with Ilya who’s Persian and that’s in that world and ‘Old Phone’ I think is more in a Nashville country world and there’s just lots of different moments on the record, and the record is called Play and therefore it has to be playful. It has to be celebratory.”
Sheeran’s forthcoming eighth LP follows on from the release of his two 2023 albums, − and Autumn Variations, which peaked at No. 2 and No. 4 on the Billboard 200, respectively. They were his first records not to peak atop the chart since the release of his 2011 debut, +, and were followed in November 2024 with the standalone single “Under the Tree,” as featured in the Netflix film That Christmas.
As Sheeran explained during his chat with Cooper, the general vibe of Play is set to be far different to what what had arrived on his most recent albums.
“I released two albums that kind of, well, one was the sort of main album and one sort of came off the back of it, but they were both very depressing about quite hard hitting subjects, very muted,” he added.
“I still think they’re beautiful records, but I feel like coming out of that, of you know, going through grief and all that sort of stuff coming out, I needed to have something that felt bright and colorful and playful and that’s where doing St. Patrick’s Day, playing at Tootsie’s in Nashville, doing the New Orleans thing, the whole record just has to feel like fun and exciting.”
Weeks after rumors spread that Californian experimental hip-hop trio Death Grips had split, the band have now taken to social media to deny these claims.
Reports of the band’s initial breakup surfaced in early February, when a supposedly leaked message from producer Andy Morin appeared online, with the musician confirming, “yeah it’s over,” before placing the blame on vocalist MC Ride (whose real name is Stefan Burnett).
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“Stefan doesn’t want to do any more,” the message read. “But truthfully none of us can ever predict what will happen with the group.” At the time, no public statement from the notoriously media-shy band was issued.
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However, on Tuesday (April 8), the group took to their semi-active Instagram account to share their first post since October 2023, confirming that Death Grips is still very much a going concern.
“Despite rumour and hearsay, we remain active as Death Grips,” a message signed by Burnett and drummer Zach Hill read in the post, with the text itself written in marker atop a framed artwork. Notably, the statement lacked Morin’s signature, potentially suggesting that the group will continue as a duo in the future.
Death Grips first formed in Sacramento, CA in 2010, with Burnett, Hill, and Morin sharing their debut EP Exmilitary in April 2011. The group found wider fame thanks to the release of debut album The Money Store the following year, with positive reviews accompanying its appearance in the top 20 of the Heatseeker Albums and Rap Albums charts, and a placing of No. 130 on the Billboard 200.
Following a handful of other releases, Death Grips announced their initial split in July 2014, claiming “We are now at our best and so Death Grips is over,” and withdrawing from a planned tour supporting Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden.
Despite this apparent breakup, the planned second half of their The Powers That B album followed in 2015, with the group returning to the live stage soon after. Further albums and EPs have since followed, though Death Grips have not performed live since an appearance at 2023’s Austin City Limits festival, and have announced no further live shows.
Cardi B is sending her love to the Dominican Republic after the tragic collapse of the Jet Set nightclub roof in Santo Domingo left at least 66 people dead and more than 160 injured, at the time of publication. The rapper, whose father is Dominican, wrote a message of mourning to her BG Secret Society […]
On April 2, NAQT VANE released their new concept EP, NV. This is NAQT VANE’s first concept EP with its new lineup after welcoming Yunoa. The EP has a total of seven songs, including solo songs “C” and “O” by Yunoa and Harukaze and an “NV Series” of reinterpreted NAQT VANE songs. What kind of spirit and message have they poured into the “NV” concept EP? Billboard Japan talked at length with the two, hot off their nationwide tour, about this and about their thoughts on the tour.
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04/08/2025
You just finished your first nationwide tour as a team of two vocalists, performing eight shows in four cities. What did you think of it?
Harukaze: At first, I thought that it would feel like long, but once we actually started performing, it was over in the blink of an eye. We had a blast performing, and I still feel a little wistful that we’ve already finished all eight shows.
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Yunoa: It went by so fast. It was my first time performing in a solo show from the very start, and my first time touring. So I was really nervous going in, but once we started, I had so much fun. I still can’t believe it’s over, and I’m looking forward to going out on tour again.
On the tour, you represented yourselves as the “sun and moon,” and you had different set lists for your daytime and nighttime shows. How do you feel about that contrast of your individual characters as sun and moon?
Harukaze: During this one meeting we had about the tour, the conversation turned to how to showcase the “pair” aspect of NAQT VANE, now that we have twin vocalists. We wrote down keywords that represented our own individuality and unique characters. One of the things that came up was this concept of “sun and moon,” and we thought that conveyed the concept the clearest. They stand in contrast with each other, but both are essential, and when you have the two of them together, something magical happens. They’re like us in all kinds of ways.
It’s been 10 months since you formed this new lineup, which features your contrasting characters, and now you’ve finished a tour. Have there been any changes during this time?
Harukaze: When we changed to a twin vocal lineup, I knew from the start that it would open up a new path before us. Now, after finishing the tour, we’ve become absolutely essential to each other. We each produced our sun and moon shows, and in both shows, there were parts where we were able to shine because of each other’s presence.
Yunoa: For me, the tour impressed on me again just how fun it is to sing with Harukaze. Also, I didn’t know that I could spend so much time with someone else while always being comfortable staying true to myself. It was such a fun experience. I discovered something new about myself, that I didn’t have any problem being with others. Now I want to always stay close to these people I love so much.
Now you’ve released the “NV” concept EP, which includes “C” and “O,” solo songs that Hiroyuki wrote for the tour. I’d like to start out by asking about these solo songs. Yunoa, how did you feel when you first heard the music Hiroyuki wrote for “C?”
Yunoa: Usually, when I’m working solo as Yunoa, I write my own lyrics, but with “C,” I thought about my own traits and features, wrote them down, and had the lyrics written based on them. There were several parts where the lyrics I received perfectly conveyed what I was thinking. I didn’t feel over-pressured by “C.”
What did you think of the title?
Yunoa: It’s the shape of a crescent moon. I really liked the simplicity of that.
Right. So the same is true for “O?”
Harukaze: It’s the shape of the sun. It forms a set with “C.” When I got the lyrics, I also felt like it had really captured the message that I was trying to convey. My life motto is “I want people to smile,” and that was reflected in the line “Give me a smile.” I didn’t get any instructions to sing in a certain key or in a certain way, but the song has a lot of technical parts which Hiroyuki has complimented me on in past recordings. There are two NAQT VANE anthems, “Beautiful Mess” and “VANE,” and it’s really easy to picture singing them along with audiences.
You use a lot of different vocal tones in your singing, don’t you?
Harukaze: I’d talked to Hiroyuki in the past about how whenever I go in to record vocals, I want to take on new challenges. On NAQT songs, I added twists at the end, or I envisioned different peoples’ vocal tones when I recorded the chorus. I’d think about trying to be a specific type of singer, or I’d try singing in a super low, older man’s voice. I tried out all kinds of different voices, like 15 different people. They’re all in there, and that whole process of including those playful elements in the recording process was a new challenge for me.
You also recorded newly reimagined NV versions of songs from your first album, this time with twin vocals. What song made a particular impact on you?
Yunoa: “Ditty – NV.” There’s a rap part in it that just slaps. It just busts out right from the start. It’s so fast, I can’t even mentally keep up with what I’m saying. You’ve got to hear it.
Harukaze: But you sound like you’re having so much fun in that part. You’re really vibing! It comes across so clearly. Part of it might be because the song itself is so fun.
Yunoa: It’s probably the most danceable song.
Harukaze: And it has a sense of playfulness. It’s so fast, and your rap part gets me fired up, too. I was surprised to see how much a song could change. The original was already playful, but having two people sing it instead of one makes it so much more exciting.
How did you feel after getting all seven songs ready for the release?
Yunoa: Really happy. I’ve been a member of NAQT VANE for less than a year, so it’s tremendously exciting to see my own name on a CD for the first time. Our new twin vocal lineup is used to its fullest, and we each have our own solo songs, so the EP highlights the qualities of both approaches. When I saw the samples of the finished EP, I was really impressed. The jackets are all unique variants, each with its own pattern, and each comes with a puzzle piece. The contents of the EP are so cute. There are so many special things about the CD, and more than anything I feel happy and a bit awed that so much is being done on my first ever CD.
Harukaze: I think the new EP packs in the true essence of NAQT VANE. This may be how some people discover us. We want to show our new lineup, and I hope that the EP is a breath of fresh air for everyone preparing for a new beginning [this spring]. The “NV” means both “NAQT VANE” and “New Version,” but it has another meaning, too: “Newborn Vibes.” Vibes are a really important part of the project, so we want to share these new vibes with all our VANEs.
What kind of “New Versions” do you see for the future?
Yunoa: We want to get bigger and bigger. We want more people to discover NAQT VANE. Everyone says we’re at our best in our live shows, so I want everyone to come see us perform live. We want to play in even bigger venues, filling domes.
Harukaze: We want to play at huge venues, and we also want to perform around the world. Our overseas fans send us messages asking when we’ll perform in their countries, so I hope we can really extend our overseas reach and perform in different countries, bringing out each of our own best qualities.
Do you have any closing message for your overseas listeners?
Yunoa: I think there are a lot of people in countries like the U.S. who share the same vibes as us. I’m sure they’d love us if they heard us, so please give us a listen. Then come to our show and go crazy on the dance floor.
Harukaze: When I was in high school, I spent three and a half years living in Vancouver, Canada, and then I went to university for four years in L.A. My dream is to return to Canada and America to put on shows. When I go back, I want to give back to all my old friends and all the people who’ve supported me. We’re going to be communicating more with our overseas listeners, so I hope everyone checks out what we have to say!
—This interview by Atsuo Nagahori first appeared on Billboard Japan
Just days after hotel guests checked out of The White Lotus in Thailand, fans are already speculating about what’s to come. Season 4 of Mike White’s Emmy-winning HBO series was green-lit ahead of season 3 premiere in January, but most aspects of the next season remain unknown — including the location, the plot and the […]
Geri Halliwell-Horner is ready to spice your bookshelf: On Tuesday (April 8), the Spice Girls member and bestselling author celebrated the release of her new book, Rosie Frost: Ice on Fire, and stopped by Billboard to discuss her creative process (and what’s to come) in the debut episode of Billboard Book Club Powered by TalkShopLive.
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Rosie Frost: Ice on Fire is the second entry in a planned young adult trilogy from Halliwell-Horner, following her 2023 book Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen. After empowering millions of listeners as a global music superstar with the Spice Girls, the artist forever known as Ginger Spice is now reaching a new generation as an author.
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“I love books. I just love them. They’ve been my best friends, my companions,” she told Billboard’s executive director of music, Jason Lipshutz, during the Billboard Book Club conversation. “I always love to find myself in a story and process something. And I just thought, ‘You know what? I really want to see a new female character that really connects with us, with who we are now, and someone that is not perfect, and finding the courage you never knew you had.’”
The Rosie Frost series follows a teenage heroine as she navigates through a fantastical world and searches for resolution following the loss of her mother. As she did with the first Rosie Frost entry, Halliwell-Horner recorded a new solo song as a tie-in with the book: “Older Now,” which is available with a book purchase via QR code, is a moving ballad that exists in conversation with the Ice on Fire story, but will also delight longtime fans of the pop star.
“To have the space to be able to play and do this, I’m incredibly grateful,” said Halliwell-Horner of her expanding creativity. In addition to discussing her writing process, reading an excerpt of the new book and discussing future plans for the franchise, Halliwell-Horner also answered fan questions coming in during the livestream — one of which touched upon the possibility of a Rosie Frost film or TV adaptation.
“As I write, I always think in pictures — I can’t help it,” she said. “There are some exciting developments, and I really look forward to sharing them.”
Halliwell-Horner also signed copies of Rosie Frost: Ice on Fire, which fans can purchase live or via replays of the livestream.
Billboard Book Club interviews will be featured on Billboard.com, on Billboard’s TalkShopLive channel and be simulcast to Billboard’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Viewers watching on Facebook and Instagram can comment the word “shop” to receive a link in their direct messages to purchase.
All sales from Billboard and TalkShopLive via TalkShopLive’s book distribution partner, ReaderLink, count toward The New York Times‘ Best Sellers list.
Watch Halliwell-Horner’s interview with Billboard above.
A slot on the 1994 Lollapalooza lineup was almost relegated to Green Day‘s boulevard of broken dreams when festival founder Perry Farrell supposedly tried to block the band from performing — after which frontman Billie Joe Armstrong and his bandmates eventually got the last laugh when they did end up joining the tour 30 years ago.
In excerpts from Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour’s new book, Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival, published by People on Tuesday (April 8), the “American Idiot” singer recounts the story of how Farrell — apparently writing the punk rockers off as a “boy band” — pushed back against Green Day’s inclusion on the ’94 traveling festival’s bill.
“It was going to be [Japanese noise band] Boredoms on the first half, and us on the second half as the opening band,” Armstrong recalls. “And then all of a sudden, [Farrell] comes back in and he’s like, ‘I don’t want them on the bill.’”
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Calling Farrell’s dislike of his group “disappointing,” as Green Day had looked up to the festival pioneer, Armstrong adds, “I think that made us want to play even more, actually, because we wanted to prove that he had his head very far up his own a–.”
“I can’t think of a single time that Perry pushed back or vetoed a band — except for Green Day,” remembers stage manager Rubeli, who eventually found a way to convince Farrell to let the group onto the lineup. “To Perry’s credit, I was able to go through [Green Day’s] history in the Bay Area and how they had released indie records and eventually he said, ‘Okay, they can do half the tour, but I want the Boredoms on the other half.’”
Lollapalooza would have been just three years old in 1994, with Farrell starting the now-iconic music event in ’91 as a small farewell tour for Jane’s Addiction that quickly evolved into what it is today: one of the world’s biggest annual popular music festivals with multiple iterations across the world. After finally winning their place on the bill, Green Day got the last laugh against Farrell when Armstrong dedicated the band’s Dookie track “Chump” to him onstage.
“I’m like, ‘I’m not going to take any f—ing sh– from anybody,” Armstrong recalls in Bienstock and Beaujour’s book. “I’m not going to take any sh– from anybody as much as Perry Farrell’s not going to take any sh– from anybody.’ He had minions that would come up and say, ‘Perry Farrell’s really angry that you dedicated “Chump” to him.’ And I’m like, ‘Tell him to stop acting like one.’”
“But I never met the guy until we played Woodstock ’94,” he adds. “He was there and we shook hands.”
Lollapalooza has come a long way since its days as a fringe gathering place for alternative rock and other developing genres. Some of the biggest names in music now play the event every year, with this year’s Chicago iteration expecting Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and Tyler, the Creator as headliners in addition to dozens more performers on the lineup.
And in 2010, Green Day’s beginnings with the festival came full-circle when the band headlined alongside Lady Gaga, Soundgarden, Arcade Fire, The Strokes and Phoenix.
FIFTY FIFTY are the lover girls of K-pop, and the superstars proved that with their new single, “Perfect Crime,” which arrived on Tuesday (April 8) via Arista Records.
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The multilingual track follows the quintet’s signature atmospheric, synth-pop style as they detail the emotions of yearning in relationship, amplified by soaring harmonies. “Ah, one, two, three, four, five as I’m falling, I go crazy, crazy/ One, two, three, four, five as I’m falling, I go crazy, crazy for you,” they sing in the dreamy chorus.
“Perfect Crime” marks the girl group’s first original release of 2025, setting the tone for a jam-packed year following the launch of their Love Tune: Rewired (Remixes) album in January. FIFTY FIFTY is also gearing up to drop their highly anticipated new EP, Day & Night, on April 29.
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The song also comes two years after the group’s breakthrough hit, “Cupid,” which was named 2023’s top song around the world by TikTok. The song got a remix from Sabrina Carpenter following its release, and the “Cupid (Twin Version)” won the K-Pop Song of the Year honor at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
“Cupid” also saw massive success on the Billboard charts. The track debuted April 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at No. 17 on the May 20-dated tally. Elsewhere on the charts, the track peaked at No. 1 on the Global Excl. U.S. tally for two weeks, and at No. 2 on the Global 200 tally, where it spent 38 weeks on the chart.
Listen to FIFTY FIFTY’s “Perfect Crime” below.
For the first time in 11 years, Australian Little Monsters will get to see pop icon Lady Gaga perform live Down Under. On Tuesday (April 8), Gaga announced three new dates for her 2025 Mayhem Ball tour, each taking place in stadiums across Australia — her first stadium shows in the country. Kicking off Dec. […]