Music News

17 Mar 2025

A$AP Rocky Declares Which Side He’s on in Kendrick Lamar & Drake Feud

A$AP Rocky previewed some unreleased music during his headlining Rolling Loud California set on Saturday night (March 15), and one potential Don’t Be Dumb track found him clarify his allegiance in the Drake and Kendrick Lamar feud.

“I ain’t on J. Cole, I ain’t on Drake, I ain’t on Kendrick side/ I choose homicide, they gonna see a different side,” Rocky rapped during his set.

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Throughout 2024, Rocky seemed to be taking shots at Drake while aligning with Future and Metro Boomin on We Still Don’t Trust You‘s “Show of Hands,” and then on J. Cole’s “Ruby Rosary” in September.

Drake directly addressed Rocky during the Kendrick Lamar feud with his three-part “Family Matters” diss track in May. The 6 God previously dated Rihanna, and Rocky reportedly has a history with Drake’s baby mother, Sophie Brussaux.

“Rakim talkin’ s–t again/ Gassed ’cause you hit my BM first, n—a, do the math, who I was hittin’ then/ I ain’t even know you rapped still ’cause they only talkin’ ’bout your ‘fit again/ Probably gotta have a kid again ‘fore you think of droppin’ any s–t again/ Even when you do drop, they gon’ say you should’ve modeled ’cause it’s mid again,” Drizzy rhymed on the track.

It was a show-stealing set for Rocky at Rolling Loud California, as he rappelled from a helicopter to kick off the performance.

The Harlem native dedicated his RL set to those impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires and U.S. immigration laws.

“I see unity. I see so many types of people. I see so many different colors,” he said. “I would like to dedicate this show to anybody that was affected by those fires. To anybody that was affected by the immigration laws. My heart goes out to you.”

Rocky also previewed more unreleased tracks during his set — which Rihanna was in attendance for — but didn’t put a release date on Don’t Be Dumb as the watch for the rapper’s Testing follow-up continues.

It was the 36-year-old’s first festival performance since being found not guilty in February in his felony shooting case against former associate A$AP Relli.

17 Mar 2025

Ariana Grande Unveils ‘Eternal Sunshine’ Deluxe Tracklist: See All 6 Additional Titles

Ariana Grande has finally unveiled the tracklist for her upcoming Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead, revealing Monday (March 17) that the project will have six more titles.

The additions all appear to be brand new songs, aside from one: “Intro (End of the World) Extended,” which will likely be a longer version of the emotional opening track on the original Eternal Sunshine LP. As shared in a simple video of an invisible hand writing out the song titles posted to both Grande’s personal and Brighter Days Instagram accounts Monday, “Twilight Zone,” “Warm,” “Dandelion,” “Past Life” and “Hampstead” will make up the rest of the half-dozen tracks.

The tracklist announcement comes a full week after the Wicked star first confirmed that a deluxe edition of her seventh studio album was finally on its way, one year after Eternal Sunshine originally dropped in March 2024 and spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The project also spawned two No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100: “Yes, And?” and “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).”

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Days after announcing the deluxe album, Grande revealed that she will be pairing the new music with a short film titled Brighter Days Ahead, in which she’s expected to reprise her role as Peaches from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind-inspired “We Can’t Be Friends” music video. The Grammy winner dropped an ominous teaser clip for the visual project March 12, tagging longtime music-video collaborator Christian Breslauer.

Both the Eternal Sunshine deluxe album and short film will arrive March 28.

See Grande’s tracklist announcement below.

17 Mar 2025

Collective Soul & Live Announce 2025 U.S. Summer Unity Amphitheater Tour Dates

Veteran rockers Collective Soul and Live announced the dates for their co-headlining Summer Unity 2025 U.S. amphitheater tour on Monday (March 17). The 30-date Live Nation-produced outing is slated to kick off on July 8 with a show at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, WA and hit outdoor venues in California, Missouri, Michigan, New York, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Colorado and North Carolina before winding down on August 29 at the Hollywood Casino at Penn Race Course in Grantville, PA.

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In a dramatic three-minute video announcing the tour Collective Soul singer Ed Roland sets up for an acoustic set at a bar in St. Catharines, Ontario on one side of the screen while Live singer Ed Kowalczyk tunes his guitar on the other side in a New York pub. As the tock clicks, Kowalczyk breaks into his band’s iconic hit “I Alone,” while Roland strums out his group’s signature song, “Shine.”

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The performances are so intense they begin to make beer pints shudder as Kowalczyk zeroes in on a golden leprechaun throwing up the metal hand sign before the little guy explodes and lands both men in a black void. “Either I’ve reached enlightenment or I’m having a stroke,” Roland says to Kowalczyk when he wonders how they ended up in the blank space.

“Are we… dead?” Kowlaczyk asks. “No, you crazy cat. I think we’re in a cool Irish pub,” Roland responds in the video timed with Monday’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration. “You ever feel like we’re the same person, but stretched across two different versions of reality?” Roland asks. “Like we were once one singular Ed, but something, an event, a cosmic schism split us into two?”

They don’t agree on the vagaries of the universe, but the two old friends are totally simpatico about hitting the road again together, and enjoying the weird smell of tour buses and the allure of that sweet, sweet arena show catering.

“+LIVE+ is thrilled to be joining forces with the amazing Collective Soul! The great vibes between our two bands on and offstage is something we have both enjoyed for years, and here we come in 2025!  This will be a very special night of music for all of the fans; I know everyone is gonna get rocked and uplifted right along with us…come on out!,” said Kowalczyk in a statement.

Roland added, “It was August 1994, and we, Collective Soul, were on our way to Woodstock. As our van pulled up to the grounds, another one pulled up beside us and out jumped the band +LIVE+. We became immediate friends, exchanging guitar picks with each other as soon as we met. Since that day, the Ed and Ed show has been nothing but pure, genuine friendship, and rock and roll. We’re excited that 31 years later, we still not only enjoy each other’s company, but enjoy playing music. It’s going to be a fun summer sharing it with fans, friends and +LIVE+.”

Joining the bands on the tour — their first together since a 2008 co-headlining run — will be Our Lady Peace and Greylin James Rue. Tickets will be available starting with an artist presale kicking off on Tuesday (March 18) at 10 a.m. local time, followed by additional presales throughout the week ahead of a general onsale starting on Friday (March 21) at 10 a.m. local time here.

Watch the Summer Unity Tour promo video and see the tour dates below.

Summer Unity 2025 tour dates

July 8 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre

July 9 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater

July 11 – Wheatland, CA @ Toyota Amphitheatre

July 13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre

July 16 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre

July 17 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

July 20 – Huber Heights, OH @ Rose Music Center*

July 22 – Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre

July 26 – Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater

July 27 – Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater

July 30 – Bangor, ME @ Maine Savings Amphitheater

July 31 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell at Jones Beach Theater

August 2 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

August 3 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live

August 5 – Greensboro, NC @ White Oak Amphitheatre

August 6 – Charleston, SC @ Credit One Stadium

August 8 – Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place

August 9 – Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre

August 10 – Nashville, TN @ FirstBank Amphitheater

August 13 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

August 15 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall

August 16 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater

August 18 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater

August 19 – Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater*

August 21 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinewood Bowl Theater*

August 22 – Ridgedale, MO @ Thunder Ridge Nature Arena

August 23 – Albertville, AL @ Sand Mountain Amphitheater*

August 26 – Simpsonville, SC @ CCNB Amphitheatre

August 28 – Charlotte, NC @ Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre

August 29 – Grantville, PA @ Hollywood Casino at Penn Race Course*

*Non-Live Nation Date

17 Mar 2025

Playboi Carti Brings Out The Weeknd During Headlining Rolling Loud Performance

Playboi Carti explosively shut down the final night of Rolling Loud on Sunday (March 16), bringing out The Weeknd for a jaw-dropping closing set.

Following the blockbuster release of his highly anticipated new album Music on Friday (March 14), Carti delivered a resounding performance at Rolling Loud California that included guest appearances from Kai Cenat, Skepta and finally, The Weeknd. The Canadian crooner popped out with King Vamp at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Park to perform their new song “Rather Lie,” as well as their Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping hit “Timeless.” Skepta, meanwhile, ran through their new song “Toxic,” and Kai Cenat was gifted a YVL chain from Carti.

Playboi Carti’s monstrous performance comes as his third LP, Music, dominates. The album shattered Spotify streaming records on release day, becoming the most-streamed project in a single day in 2025 so far. The colossal 30-track effort marks Carti’s first album in five years following the release of Whole Lotta Red back in 2020. Carti kept Music tightly under wraps for most of the last five years, offering a few glimpses of what fans could expect off the project with the songs “2024,” “H00DBYAIR,” “EVILJ0RDAN” and the Travis Scott-assisted “BACKR00MS” in 2024.

Fans who missed out on The Weeknd’s cameo will have another chance to see both him and Carti on the road later this summer. The XO leader announced the After Hours Till Dawn Tour at the end of January, which kicks off in Phoenix on May 9. Carti will be in tow, as well as producer Mike Dean, and the stadium trek will continue through the summer before ending in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 3.

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Check out a video of The Weeknd’s appearance during Playboi Carti’s Rolling Loud set below.

17 Mar 2025

Justin Bieber Opens Up About Feeling Like He’s ‘Drowning’ in ‘Hate’

Justin Bieber is ready to “let hate go,” according to a heartfelt message he penned on Instagram Stories Sunday (March 16).

Writing in all caps, the pop star began by sharing, “I WAS ALWAYS TOLD WHEN I WAS A KID NOT TO HATE … BUT IT MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WASNT ALLOWED TO HAVE IT AND SO I DIDN’T TELL ANYONE IVE HAD IT.”

Going on to say that the shame of harboring hate in his heart has made him feel like he’s “BEEN DROWNING FEELING UNSAFE TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT,” the “Peaches” singer added, “I THINK WE CAN ONLY LET HATE GO BY FIRST ACKNOWLEDGING ITS THERE.”

“HOW COULDN’T WE FEEL HATE FROM ALL OF THE HURT WE HAVE EXPERIENCED?” he concluded the post, which he aptly paired with SZA’s 2022 single “I Hate U.”

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The next day, Bieber followed it up with a much shorter message: “If they aren’t talking s–t U must not be goin brazy enough.”

The posts come just days after the Grammy winner leveled with fans about a similarly vulnerable subject, with Bieber writing on his Story March 13 that he feels “unequipped and unqualified most days.” “I personally have always felt unworthy,” he elaborated at the time. “Like I was a fraud. Like when people told me I deserve something. It made me feel sneaky like. Damn if they only knew my thoughts. How judgmental I am, how selfish I really am. They wouldn’t be saying this.”

He’s also spoken to fans about it being “time to grow up” in recent weeks, writing in February that he was working on “letting go and remembering the weight isnt on me to change.”

“The weight is on God,” he added. “So I give all my insecurities and my fears to him this morning. Because I know he gladly takes it. Asking Jesus to genuinely help me with simply the next step today.”

Bieber hasn’t released an album since 2021’s Justice, which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He has been teasing this year that he’s working on new music, sharing occasional photos from the studio on Instagram.

17 Mar 2025

Inside Dermot Kennedy’s First Festival: MISNEACH, a Celebration of Irish Music

When Dermot Kennedy named his global music festival MISNEACH – meaning “courage” in Gaelic – he did so because he knew, like any first-time endeavor, it could fail. And yet, his mission of celebrating and amplifying Irish music and culture proved stronger than any fear of failure.

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“We’re so proud of our little country and how our artists continue to punch above their weight globally,” he says. “And so on St. Patrick’s Day I wanted to bring together some of Ireland’s best artists and bands to perform for massive crowds in Sydney and Boston, two cities with huge Irish communities.”

On March 16, fans in Sydney, Australia got to see Kennedy’s vision come to life as the first of the “twin festivals” took place. And on March 18 and 19, fans in Boston will get their turn. Kennedy will headline each lineup, alongside talent he curated in partnership with Ireland Music Week including Irish artists and acts such as The Frames, The Swell Season, Matt Corby and Meg Mac. (Kennedy shares that while he was “honored” that Hozier and Snow Patrol responded to his request “in a really positive way,” scheduling didn’t work out this year to book either act.)

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“Because we’re so proud of our rich musical history, we always talk about Irish artists like Sinéad O’Connor, Van Morrison, Thin Lizzy, and the impact they’ve had on music history,” says Kennedy. “And if we want that to continue for generations to come, we need moments like this where we come together and celebrate amazing Irish talent.”

Kennedy’s manager, TaP’s Ed Millett, says the idea for a festival like this started about 3-4 years ago and evolved organically over time. “Around the Sonder campaign [Kennedy’s 2022 second album], we were focused on activations that involved Dermot wanting to interact with fans and reflect back their stories and experiences,” recalls Millett. “We started discussing different ways we could tell his story and also shine a light on Ireland and all the amazing talent coming out of there. St. Patrick’s Day was the perfect opportunity to do this – but how?”

Their first step was to discuss the idea with Kennedy’s agents in the U.S. and Australia, along with his promoter in the U.S. “We are always looking for ways for an artist to build out their ideas and identities and the more we talked, the more it turned out there had been an interest in doing this kind of thing for a while,” says Millett. He and Kennedy took two years to refine the concept, deciding along the way to own the festival themselves to ensure its identity would remain as authentic as possible.

“By retaining ownership and controlling the festival end-to-end, this has allowed us to market smartly and direct-to-fan,” says Millett. “Not just [with] tickets, but also issuing fan passes for on-site merchandise discounts, and connecting it with [Kennedy’s] new music coming out at the same time.”

Kennedy’s latest single, “Let Me In,” arrived just before his headlining gigs. He wrote the song in Nashville last summer and says it’s the first of much more new material to come. “2024 was a very productive year for me in terms of making music,” he says. “I’m just so happy with how everything’s feeling and with the sound and the sentiment of all that’s coming.”

Millett is excited about the future, too — and is especially hopeful that MISNEACH will become an “annual fixture” in cities worldwide with a large Irish diaspora. “But,” he says, “the focus right now is getting this year right. Dermot has big ambitions not just to support Irish and diaspora talent, but give back to Ireland and the local community. A festival should do all these things – and we are excited to learn and grow this for years to come.”

17 Mar 2025

Azealia Banks Doubles Down on Slamming J.K. Rowling’s Anti-Trans Views

Azealia Banks took a break from her usual strategy of issuing pop cultural hot takes on Sunday (March 16) when she took aim at Harry Potter author and anti-trans advocate J.K. Rowling.

In a post on X, Banks reshared a post from a user commending Rowling’s against-the-odds rise to fame, listing out the author’s various accomplishments and challenges at different ages. Banks, for her part, decided to add a fake entry of her own, mocking Rowling’s anti-trans rhetoric while also using a slur often weaponized against the trans community.

“Maybe her husband at 27 cheated on her with a T—–licious diva,” she wrote. “And that’s why she’s dedicated every waking moment to making sure her life’s legacy is dedicated to harassing people who make up less than 1% of the global population.”

This is not the first time that Banks has actively gone after Rowling in public. Back in February, the “212” rapper posted a message aimed directly at the Potter author, asking her why she seemed to be so obsessed with talking about the trans community. “No shade @jk_rowling thanks for the follow and I love you down sis, but [trans women] are not a threat to your femininity,” she wrote at the time. “You are really too rich and legendary to keep spewing the same stuff over and over and over.”

Banks has her own history when it comes to making transphobic comments in public, including instances where she claimed that trans women are not real women and actively misinformed her followers about the realities of gender-affirming care.

Most recently, Banks was lined up to headline the queer-inclusive Milkshake Festival in Amsterdam before she was removed from the lineup after outcry from fans who pointed to the rapper’s past anti-LGBTQ+ comments. “It is clear to us that we made a mistake and that we have overlooked essential information. We sincerely apologize for this,” the festival’s organizers wrote in a statement following Banks’ removal from the lineup. “The safety of our visitors, our team, the artists, and crew will always be our main priority.”

17 Mar 2025

Journey Drummer Deen Castronovo Says His Kit Was ‘On Fire For 4 1/2 Songs’ During Electrical Blaze at RodeoHouston Gig

Journey fans were bummed when their favorite band had to hot-foot it off the stage on Friday (March 14) just five songs into their set at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Stadium. In fan video of the incident, singer Arnel Pineda was just reaching the second verse of the group’s iconic 1981 Billboard Hot 100 No. 9 hit “Don’t Stop Believin’” when members of the band’s crew rushed onto the stage with fire extinguishers.

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A short time later, the crowd was informed that the show would not go on and that everyone needed to evacuate due to what promoters said was an “unforeseen electrical incident under the stage area.”

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Over the weekend, Journey drummer Deen Castronovo posted on Instagram that the fire wasn’t just under the stage, but actually directly beneath his drum kit and that it raged for nearly the entire set. “Hey, Houston! An act of God tonight! Fire broke out underneath the stage — right under my drum riser!?? I was literally on fire for 4 ½ songs, all the power cables melted, and the show was a BUST!” he wrote.

“That doesn’t mean we won’t be back soon, because we love you all — and WE WILL RETURN! #dontstopbelievin God bless you all!” he added in the post that was accompanied by an image of a handful of stage hands peeking under the drum kit. At press time there were no reports of any injuries as a result of the fire.

Journey has no other live dates scheduled for this year at the moment.

Check out Castronovo’s post below.

17 Mar 2025

Yandel to Embark on U.S. Sinfónico Tour: See the Dates

Yandel is set to take his sinfónico concept on the road.

The reggaetón hitmaker unveiled a four-date U.S. stint that will launch on May 30 in Miami and make stops in Orlando, New York and Chicago. The trek will be preceded by his special Sinfónico show in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on May 10, where he will be joined by the Orquesta Filarmónica de Puerto Rico, directed by Maestro Angel “Cuco” Peña. 

The U.S. Sinfónico Tour, produced by Live Nation, is billed as an “innovative live experience” with a live philharmonic orchestra powering Yandel’s reggaetón hits, including “Encantadora,” “Nunca Me Olvides,” and “Noche de Entierro,” to name a few. The songs are also part of his upcoming Sinfónico En Vivo album, scheduled for release on April 3.

For the U.S. shows — directed by Javier Mendoza, professor of the FIU Symphonic Orchestra — Yandel will perform alongside local symphony orchestras. Music arrangements will be done by Rodner Padilla. The Puerto Rican artist’s band and dancers will join with each orchestra in all cities, traveling with a team of around 40 people. 

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The U.S. trek follows Yandel’s concert in Miami in October, where he performed for the first time a few of his hits in a classical format, a different approach to música urbana in general fusing reggaetón and symphony.

Yandel launched his solo career in 2013 after countless hits as part of reggaetón pioneering duo Wisin & Yandel. He’s released a total of 11 solo albums, including his latest, ELYTE, which peaked at No. 15 on Billboard‘s Latin Rhythm Albums chart.

Tickets to Yandel’s U.S. Sinfónico Tour will go on sale Thursday, March 20 at 12 p.m. local time at Yandel.com. Check out the dates below.

May 10: San Juan, Puerto Rico (Coliseo José Miguel Agrelot)*
May 30: Miami (Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts)
June 1: Orlando, Fla. (Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts)
June 7: New York (SummerStage in Central Park)
June 8: Chicago (The Auditorium)

*Not a Live Nation date

17 Mar 2025

Stevie Wonder to Headline London’s 2025 BST Hyde Park Series

Stevie Wonder has added another major stop to his Love, Light & Song U.K. tour. The R&B legend will headline BST Hyde Park for the third time when he performs on the Great Oak Stage on July 12; support act will be named later.

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Tickets for the BST gig will go on general sale at 6 a.m. ET on Friday (March 21) here. Amex customers can access a pre-sale beginning today (March 17).

Wonder joins an already packed roster of BST Hyde Park 2025 headliners that includes: Olivia Rodrigo (with The Last Dinner Party and Girl in Red) on June 27, Zach Bryan with Dermot Kennedy, Mt. Joy, Gabrielle Aplin, Willow Avalon and many more on June 28 and 29, Noah Kahan with Gracie Abrams on July 4, Sabrina Carpenter with Clairo and Beabadoobee on July 5 and 6, Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts with Yusuf/Cat Stevens and Van Morrison on July 11 and Jeff Lynne’s ELO with the Doobie Brothers, Steve Winwood and Dhani Harrison on July 13.

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Wonder’s U.K. tour will kick off with a July 3 show at the Lytham Festival in Lancashire, followed by a July 5 gig at Co-Op Live in Manchester, a July 7 stop at Utilita Arena in Birmingham and a July 9 gig at Blackweir Field in Cardiff.

The “Master Blaster” singer was on hand last week at the celebration of life honoring the legacy of Roberta Flack at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. He joined a large contingent of fellow stars, executives and family paying tribute to the late singer that included Valerie Simpson, Phylicia Rashad, Dionne Warwick, Alicia Keys, India.Arie, Peabo Bryson and Clive Davis, among others.

See the Wonder BST announcement below.