Music News

03 Mar 2025

Mick Jagger Wasn’t Kidding: Apparently Bob Dylan Really Was Invited to Present at 2025 Oscars

If you are going to be an enigma, you have to commit to the bit. Bob Dylan gets it. Despite being in the glitziest spotlight possible on Sunday night (March 2) at the 2025 Academy Awards ceremony where the biopic about his early life, A Complete Unknown, was nominated for (and lost) eight Oscars, Dylan was nowhere to be seen.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, however, the “Like a Rolling Stone” singer was invited to present and perform on the broadcast, but seemingly chose to let another rock legend do the honors.

Dylan’s name came up several times, however, including in host Conan O’Brien’s opening monologue, where he noted that Timothée Chalamet was nominated for his spot-on portrayal of Dylan in the box office smash. “Bob Dylan wanted to be here tonight… but not that badly,” O’Brien quipped about the legendarily hard-to-pin-down singer/songwriter who famously skipped out on his 2016 Nobel Prize ceremony.

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In a surprise appearance, Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger wowed the bejeweled crowd at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday instead, where he also joked about Dylan not making the scene. “Much as I love doing it, I wasn’t the first choice. The producers really wanted Bob Dylan to do this. But Bob Dylan won’t do it because he said the best songs in a movie this year were in A Complete Unknown,” Jagger joked before doing his best Dylan impression. “Bob said, ‘You should find somebody younger.’” Jagger, 81, joked about his 83-year-old elder. “Hey, I’m younger than Bob Dylan!”

Without citing a source, THR reported that Dylan was invited to present the Oscar for best original song — won by “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez — as well as perform on the show, but seemingly turned down the opportunity. The no-show from Dylan came just a few days after the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer confounded his fans once again by posting, without comment, a 2016 video of rapper Machine Gun Kelly performing at Park Ave. CDs in Orlando, FL in 2016.

03 Mar 2025

Wu-Tang Clan Drop Epic Trailer For Final Chamber Tour: ‘They Have Conquered, Endured & Remained Untouchable’

Wu-Tang Clan are going out in style. The legendary Shaolin crew recently announced the dates for what they are calling their last-ever full crew tour, Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber Tour, and over the weekend they tapped one of the sports world’s most iconic voices to crank the hype up another notch.

“From the slums of Shaolin to the world stage, they have conquered, endured and remained untouchable. The RZA, the GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, U-God, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, Cappadonna, Method Man: The Wu-Tang Clan,” intones veteran sportscaster and Inside the NBA host Ernie Johnson Jr. in the short video that takes fans to the home of the Wu-Tang via the subway as a parade of SUVs with the Wu-Tang flag crawls through the streets surveying a variety of graffiti tributes to the crew.

“The final chamber is upon us,” Johnson explains over an image of a Jumbotron emblazoned with the tour’s name as RZA and Meth meet center court to slap hands and flutter the crew’s signature hand sign together. “The beats will hit harder, the rhymes will cut deeper, and the message will be louder than ever: Wu-Tang is forever.”

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RZA then speaks up, announcing the name of the tour and its special guest: Run the Jewels. “El-P, Killer Mike, let’s go,” Method Man adds in a shout-out to RTJ’s MCs.

The Wu-Tang announced the 27-date final swing last Monday, revealing that they will hit arenas across North America beginning on June 6 in Baltimore at CFG Bank Arena, with tickets on sale now. All nine living members of the Wu-Tang Clan will be participating in the final tour with Young Dirty Bastard taking his late father’s place (ODB passed away in 2004).

Watch the ad, and check out the full list of dates, below.

2025 Final Chamber tour dates

June 6 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena
June 7 – Raleigh, NC @ Lenovo Center
June 10 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
June 11 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
June 13 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena
June 14 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
June 15 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
June 16 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
June 18 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
June 20 – Ontario, CA @ Toyota Arena
June 21 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena San Diego
June 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
June 24 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
June 26 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
June 28 – Seattle, CA @ Climate Pledge Arena
June 30 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Rogers Arena
July 1 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
July 4 – Greenwood Village, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
July 7 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
July 8 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
July 9 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
July 11 0- Boston, MA @ TD Garden
July 13 – Laval, Quebec @ Place Bell
July 14 – Toronto, Ontario @ Scotiabank Arena
July 16 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
July 17 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
July 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center

03 Mar 2025

6 Best 2025 Oscars Music Moments You Didn’t See on TV

Billboard was inside the Dolby Theatre for the Wicked opening, the James Bond music tribute & more.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo backstage at the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 02, 2025 in Hollywood, California.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo backstage at the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 02, 2025 in Hollywood, California.

John Shearer/97th Oscars/The Academy via Getty Images

For an Oscars telecast that explicitly excluded performances of the five best original song nominees, Sunday night (March 2) was still a very musical affair.

The 2025 awards show opened with a performance from Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, and also included tributes to the music of James Bond from the pop-star trifecta of LISA, Doja Cat and RAYE and to the film legacy of Quincy Jones from Queen Latifah. Then we had Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus as presenters, plus a surprise Mick Jagger moment.

Even the night’s host Conan O’Brien wanted to get in on the action, extending his already 15-minute-plus opening monologue to sing a merry musical number declaring “I won’t waste time”… as he did just that with the jaunty tune.

We can even dig a little deeper to find a Taylor Swift connection to the night, even though the omnipresent pop star was not in the building. A Swift fan account on X noticed that five of the star’s Eras Tour dancers — Jan Ravnik, Sydney Moss, Sam McWilliams, Taylor Banks and Tori Evans – all performed as part of the Bond tribute, backing up The Substance star (and wife of Swift producer and pal Jack Antonoff) Margaret Qualley.

But that was all part of the onscreen action Oscar viewers could enjoy from the comfort of their couches. Billboard was inside the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night and caught a few music moments the cameras missed. Below, find the six music moments you didn’t see on TV.

02 Mar 2025

Neil Young Plots Free Ukraine Gig Ahead of European Tour

Neil Young is bringing new meaning to “Rockin’ in the Free World,” announcing plans to give his Ukrainian fans a free concert during his upcoming European tour.

News of Young’s upcoming concert were announced by the Canadian music veteran on his own Neil Young Archives website. “Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts will open the upcoming Love Earth Tour of Europe in UKRAINE with a Free Concert for all!” Young wrote. “We are currently in talks and will make the announcement of details here at NYA.”

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As Young’s post indicates, specifics are yet to be detailed, though Feb. 24 saw the announcement of European and North American tour dates for Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts. The tour currently begins in Rättvik, Sweden on June 18, meaning the as-yet unannounced Ukrainian show will ostensibly occur in the immediate lead-up. It will also be the rocker’s debut appearance in the country.

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The timing of Young’s Ukrainian show announcement seems rather pertinent given the outpouring of global support received by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday (Feb. 28). The highly-contentious meeting resulted in widespread criticism of Trump, and took place only days after Young himself focused on the President in a post titled “Leader of the Free World No More.”

“Under 47’s leadership, the US has lost its standing,” Young wrote. “Loyalists will never be stronger than Patriots, and Patriots are in the majority here in the USA. Our Patriots will take to the streets to peacefully demonstrate. There will be a moment of truth in our country and we will show the world who we really are. The USA will again be the leader of the Free World.”

Young’s upcoming tour will see him accompanied on all shows by the Chrome Hearts band, featuring his longtime collaborator keyboardist/organist Spooner Oldham, as well as Promise of the Real members Micah Nelson (guitar/vocals), Corey McCormick (bass) and Anthony LoGerfo (drums). The group released the grungy anthem “Big Change” in January. Young debuted the Chrome Hearts band last year and has said an album from the group is tentatively slated for release in April.

02 Mar 2025

Snubs & Surprises at the 2025 Oscars

Diane Warren has now gone 0-16 for best original song, while A Complete Unknown was 0-8 overall.

Timothee Chalamet como Bob Dylan en A COMPLETE UNKNOWN'.

Timothee Chalamet como Bob Dylan en A COMPLETE UNKNOWN’.

Macall Polay /© Searchlight Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection

Often, by the time the Oscars finally roll around, even people with just a casual interest in movies know who’s likely to win the big awards. All the shows that precede the Oscars (the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the BAFTAs and many, many more) have taken a lot of the suspense out of the granddaddy of all award shows.

This year, however, several categories seemed to go down to the wire. Best picture, best actor and best actress were all less than certain, as were the two categories that mean the most to us at Billboard – best original song and best original score.

To be sure, some of the awards were entirely predictable. Kieran Culkin was a lock for best supporting actor for A Real Pain, and Zoe Saldaña was nearly as strong a bet as best supporting actress for Emilia Pérez.

Other categories that were never really in doubt include Wicked for best production design and best costume design; The Substance for best make-up and hairstyling; I’m Still Here for best international feature (especially after Emilia Pérez suffered a backlash after its star’s old tweets were uncovered); and Dune: Part Two for best visual effects. (The Oscars have a long history of using technical categories to honor blockbusters such as Dune: Part Two that don’t quite align with their tastes.)

But our focus here is on snubs and surprises, and there were several sprinkled throughout the show. Take a look.

02 Mar 2025

Sean Baker, Adrien Brody & More Record-Setters at the 2025 Oscars

Sean Baker won four Oscars for Anora at the 2025 Academy Awards, which were presented on Sunday (March 2) at the Dolby Theater at Ovation Hollywood. This tied Walt Disney’s 1954 record for most Oscars won in one night.

Baker won best picture, best director, best original screenplay and best editing. At the Oscars in February 1954, Walt Disney won four Oscars (all for different films): best documentary feature (The Living Desert), best documentary short subject (The Alaskan Eskimo), best cartoon short subject (Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom) and best two-reel short subject (Bear Country).

Anora won five awards in all (Mikey Madison also won best actress), which made it the night’s most awarded film. The Brutalist was second with three awards.

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Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña won the other three acting awards. But this being Billboard, let’s turn first to the winners in the music categories.

“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez won best original song. It’s the second time in three years that the award has gone to song in a language other than English. “El Mal” is sung in Spanish. “Naatu Naatu” from RRR, an Indian Telugu-language song, won in this category two years ago.

Four other such songs have won over the years – “Mona Lisa” from Captain, Carey, U.S.A. (which is performed in Spanish by a troubadour in the 1950 film, though it is best known for Nat King Cole’s smash cover version in English); “Never on Sunday” from the film of the same name (which is performed in Greek in the 1960 film); “Al Otro Lado Del Río” from The Motorcycle Diaries (which is performed in Spanish in the 2004 film); and “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire 14 years ago (which was performed in Hindi).

“El Mal” was co-written by Clément Ducol and Camille, who are a romantic couple, and Jacques Audiard, who directed the film. Ducol and Camille are the sixth romantic couple to win in this category following Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, and Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

Audiard is just the second person in Oscar history, and the first in nearly 50 years, to win an Oscar for writing or co-writing a song from a film he directed. The first was Joe Brooks, who wrote “You Light Up My Life,” which won in 1978.

“El Mal” beat the latest song by Diane Warren, who has now gone 0-16 in the category, and two-time winner Elton John, who went home from an Oscar ceremony where he was a nominee without an Oscar for the first time. With her 0-16 track record, Warren ties sound and sound mixing specialist Greg P. Russell for the most nominations without a competitive win (yet).

Daniel Blumberg won best original score for The Brutalist. This was one of two awards for Brady Corbet’s film, which stars Adrien Brody as a Hungarian Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust and builds a new life in America. Blumberg, 35, is an English artist, musician, songwriter and composer. In addition to composing all the music, Blumberg served as producer and recording engineer and played piano, harmonica, keyboards and synthesizer.

Adrien Brody won his second Oscar for best actor for The Brutalist, 22 years after he won his first for The Pianist. He is just the third actor to win twice in that category since 2000, following Sean Penn (Mystic River and Milk) and Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood and Lincoln).

Mikey Madison won best actress for playing the title role in Anora.  The 25-year-old actress won in what was seen as a close race with Demi Moore, 62, nominated for The Substance. Madison is the youngest winner in this category since Jennifer Lawrence won at age 22 in 2013 for Silver Linings Playbook.

Kieran Culkin won best supporting actor for A Real Pain. He’s the first winner in that category from a movie that wasn’t nominated for best picture since Christopher Plummer won in 2012 for Beginners. His co-star in the film, Jesse Eisenberg, was nominated for best original screenplay, but lost to Sean Baker for Anora.

Zoe Saldaña won best supporting actress for Emilia Pérez, becoming the fifth actress to win in this category for a musical performance since 2000. She follows Catherine Zeta-Jones for Chicago (2003), Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2007), Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables (2013) and Ariana DeBose for West Side Story (2022).

Saldaña performed the best original song winner, “El Mal,” in Emilia Pérez. This is only the fifth time an actor has won a competitive acting Oscar for a performance that included singing an Oscar-winning song.

Emilia Pérez won just two awards from its 13 nominations – best original song and best supporting actress. Netflix’s crime musical holds an unwelcome Oscar record: It won fewer Oscars than any other film that received 13 or more nominations. The old record was held by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which won three awards from its 13 nods in 2009.

Paul Tazewell won best costume design for Wicked. He’s just the second Black costume designer – and the first Black man – to win in this category. Ruth E. Carter is the only other Black costume designer to win here. She won for both Black Panther and its sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Flow won the Oscar for best animated feature, becoming the first indie film to win in this category.

02 Mar 2025

‘The Brutalist’ Wins Best Original Score Oscar

At the 97th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday night (March 2), Daniel Blumberg took home the Oscar for best original score for composing the music of the towering drama The Brutalist.

Blumberg won his first Academy Award on his first nomination, after the 35-year-old previously won the Ivor Novello Award for best original film score for The World To Come in 2022. The Brutalist entered the Oscars with 10 total nominations, and director Brady Corbet’s film won one award prior to Blumberg’s victory, for best cinematography.

“I’ve been an artist for 20 years, since I was a teenager,” Blumberg said during his acceptance speech, “and when I met Brady, I met my artistic soulmate.” The musician also thanked, among others, the “hard-working, radical musicians” who helped perform his score for the film.

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Blumberg’s work for The Brutalist was nominated alongside the scores for Conclave, Emilia Pérez, Wicked and The Wild Robot. In the evening’s other musical category, “El Mal,” from Emilia Pérez, won best original song.

The film — which runs three and a half hours long — was also nominated for best picture, best actor (which star Adrien Brody won), supporting actor, supporting actress, director, original screenplay, cinematography (which the film won), editing and production design.

The 2025 Oscars were hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien — who helmed the A-list ceremony for the first time — at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The show aired live on ABC, and also livestreamed on Hulu for the first time.

02 Mar 2025

Conan O’Brien Makes a Joke About the Drake & Kendrick Lamar Feud at the Oscars: Watch

Midway through the 97th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday (March 2), host Conan O’Brien fired off a Kendrick Lamar one-liner that once again made Drake the butt of the joke — this time at the Oscars.

Coming out of a commercial break, O’Brien took the stage at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and quipped, “Well, we’re halfway through the show — which means it’s time for Kendrick Lamar to come out and call Drake a pedophile!”

After a few seconds of audience laughter, O’Brien added, “Don’t worry, I’m lawyered up!” The line was a reference to the fact that Lamar did not say the word “pedophile” during his halftime performance of his smash “Not Like Us” at Super Bowl LIX.

O’Brien’s joke at the Academy Awards followed a tumultuous month in the Kendrick-Drake feud. After “Not Like Us” won record of the year and song of the year at the Grammys, giving Lamar his first career Big Four wins, the rap superstar took the halftime stage at the Super Bowl, performing a medley of smashes alongside guests such as SZA, Mustard and Serena Williams.

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While the Super Bowl performance sent “Not Like Us” back to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, Drake topped the Billboard 200, alongside PARTYNEXTDOOR, with their collaborative R&B album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. And Lamar and SZA sent their team-up “Luther” to the top of the Hot 100 during the same week $$$4U debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Watch Conan O’Brien joke about the Kendrick-Drake beef below:

02 Mar 2025

LISA, Doja Cat & RAYE Combine for James Bond Medley at Oscars: Watch

LISA, Doja Cat and RAYE recently joined forces for a kinetic new pop single — but instead of performing “Born Again” at the 97th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday (March 2), the trio took the Oscars stage at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood separately for a medley of songs during an extended tribute to the James Bond franchise.

Following an introduction from Halle Berry and a montage of Bond clips spanning decades, The Substance star Margaret Qualley took the stage to deliver a dance sequence amid tuxedo-clad backup dancers, which immediately segued into LISA taking the stage. The BLACKPINK star got to perform a few seconds of “Live and Let Die,” letting her voice soar with the Wings classic of the 1973 film of the same name.

LISA was followed by a diamond-clad Doja Cat, who took on Shirley Bassey’s iconic theme to the 1971 Bond film Diamonds Are Forever and added a dramatic flair to the vocal showcase. The medley concluded with RAYE taking the stage solo with “Skyfall,” channeling her inner Adele one month after the best new artist nominee demonstrated her range on the Grammys stage.

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The medley concluded with a rousing ovation for all three performers, who joined each other in an embrace at the center of the stage. Their recent single, “Born Again,” is featured on LISA’s new album, Alter Ego, and the collaboration has thus far peaked at No. 68 on the Hot 100 chart.

Watch their performance above.

02 Mar 2025

2025 Oscars Red Carpet: See the Best Photos

From Ariana Grande to BLACKPINK’s Lisa, see the stars on the red carpet at the Academy Awards.

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande attends the 97th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. on March 2, 2025.

ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

The 97th Academy Awards on Sunday (March 2) brought out the A-list stars in their most glamorous looks on the red carpet to celebrate the best films of the year at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

Wicked co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who are nominated for best supporting actress and best actress, respectively, both walked the carpet in gowns that reflected their characters in the film. Grande  — who plays Glinda –shined in a dreamy Schiaparelli, while Erivo (who portrays Elphaba) stunned in a dark green velvet Louis Vuitton gown. The Jon M. Chu directed movie is the second most nominated musical film of the evening with 10 nods, while Emilia Perez — also a musical movie — leads the pack with 13. Period drama The Brutalist also has 10 nominations.

BLACKPINK’s LISA also glowed on the red carpet. The K-pop superstar — who did not appear in a nominated film — is set to perform with her “Born Again” collaborators Doja Cat and RAYE. Another music star present on the red carpet at Hollywood’s biggest night was three-time Grammy winner Miley Cyrus, who is set to present, as well Emilia Perez star Selena Gomez, who arrived with her fiance, producer Benny Blanco. Showing off a more untraditional color palette on the carpet was actor Timothée Chalamet — nominated for best actor for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown — in a smooth, buttery yellow suit.

Keep scrolling for the best outfits at the 2025 Oscars, this year hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien.