Music News

27 Jan 2025

Will Smith Taps Big Sean for ‘The Matrix’-Inspired ‘Beautiful Scars’ Trailer

Will Smith and Big Sean are teaming up for their “Beautiful Scars” single later this week, and they raised hype around the track with a cinematic trailer turning back the clock.

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Once upon a time, Smith declined the lead role in The Matrix series, electing to star in 1999’s Wild Wild West instead. The Oscar-winning actor seemingly looks to rewrite history with The Matrix-inspired teaser starring Big Sean.

Smith and Sean do their best Neo and Morpheus impressions as the multi-hyphenate is left with choosing between the red and blue pill to change the outcome in his life.

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“Look, you’ve made some awesome career choices your whole life,” the Detroit rapper tells Smith. “There’s only one you truly regret. Well, maybe two. But we’re not gonna focus on that one.”

Essentially, the blue pill will keep Smith’s life as is while the red allows him to go back in time and take on that Matrix role and see how the rest of his career would’ve played out.

“I really like my life right now,” Smith replies before ripping both pills and guzzling them down quick. “That wasn’t even an option,” Sean says in surprise.

Will Smith has a busy 2025 in store as he’s seemingly in album mode and gearing up to unleash his first LP in 20 years. Smith closed out 2024 teaming up with Joyner Lucas for “Tantrum,” and Will’s slated to headline Positiv Festival in France this summer.

“Beautiful Scars” serves as the first collab between Sean Don and Smith. Look for the track to hit streaming services on Friday.

For now, watch the trailer below.

27 Jan 2025

Who Do You Want to Win Best New Artist at the 2025 Grammys? Vote!

The 2025 Grammy Awards are just around the corners, which means one of this year’s breakthrough stars will be crowned best new artist.

This year’s nominees include Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Khruangbin, RAYE, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey and Teddy Swims.

Carpenter and Roan join an impressive club of artists who have been nominated in all of the Big Four categories, as in addition to best new artist, they’re also vying for album of the year (Short n’ Sweet and The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, respectively), record of the year (Carpenter’s “Espresso” and Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!”) and song of the year (Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” and “Good Luck, Babe!”).

Almost all the best new artist nominees — Boone, Roan, Doechii, RAYE, Carpenter and Swims — will also be performing at the ceremony, joining fellow performers Billie Eilish, Shakira and Charli XCX. Additional performers will be announced in the coming days.

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Leading up to the biggest night in music, we want to know who your top choice is to win the best new artist honor. Let us know by voting here or below. Find out who wins the trophy at the 2025 Grammy Awards, which will be hosted by Trevor Noah and will return to Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 2. The show is set to broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand via Paramount+.

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27 Jan 2025

Blink-182 Announce Hollywood Palladium Show Supporting LA Wildfire Relief

Sometimes, it’s about all the small things — but when it comes to helping out Los Angeles in a crisis, Blink-182 is going above and beyond. On Monday (Jan. 27), bandmates Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker announced a one-night-only charity show at the Hollywood Palladium supporting wildfire relief efforts amid the ongoing natural disaster in Southern California.

Taking place Feb. 13 and produced by Live Nation, the special event will funnel 100% of its ticket proceeds to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, the Pasadena Humane Society, California Fire Department and ARC Firefighter Fund. Punk band Alkaline Trio – made up of former Blink vocalist Matt Skiba, Dan Andriano and Atom Willard – will serve as openers.

Tickets go on sale at 3 p.m. PT on Ticketmaster.

The event announcement comes as L.A. County is only just beginning to recover from the devastation of the wildfires that broke out in the area Jan. 7, starting with a blaze in Pacific Palisades and later expanding as more flames erupted in various other parts of the city. Countless structures have turned to ash in the destruction while tens of thousands of residents have been displaced, with at least 27 people reported dead.

Blink-182 is just the latest act to take action amid the crisis, with Olivia Rodrigo, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish and numerous other stars all set to join forces for a FireAid benefit concert slated for Thursday (Jan. 30). Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and The Weeknd have all made sizable donations to victims and rebuilding efforts alike, as have music industry organizations such as the Recording Academy, Universal Music Group, Sony, Warner, ASCAP and more.

Barker has also personally championed some of the most important people to the cause: incarcerated firefighters who have been working tirelessly on the frontlines to subdue the wildfires. Earlier this month, the drummer shared photos with some of those first responders on Instagram Stories and wrote, “These guys are heroes. They are risking their lives to serve people. Save people. Help people. And becoming men in the process.”

See Blink-182’s announcement below.

27 Jan 2025

Billy Ray Cyrus Wants ‘Healing’ for His Family After Trace Cyrus Shares Concerned Plea

Billy Ray Cyrus has seemingly shared response after his son, Trace Cyrus, took posted an Instagram message last week, expressing concern for his father’s well-being.

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On Sunday (Jan. 26), the “Achy Breaky Heart” singer took to YouTube Shorts to share a snippet of his 2009 “Somebody Said a Prayer” music video, which starred the 35-year-old Metro Station singer, whom he adopted back in 1993 after marrying his ex-wife Tish Cyrus.

“Sunday callin,” Billy Ray wrote in the caption. “Giving thanks for the California Rain . Praying for the brokenhearted and their pain. Praying for my family. For my children … sons and daughters…and their mother. Let this moment be the start of healing ❤️‍? for us all. ‘The past does not equal the future.’ Amen ??”

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Trace’s message to Billy Ray on Jan. 22 — which had him stating, “You’re not healthy, Dad and everyone is noticing it,” and “As I write this with tears in my eyes, I hope you realize this message only comes from a place of love and also fear that the world may lose you far too soon” — came after Billy Ray’s widely criticized performance at Donald Trump’s inauguration Liberty Ball, which was plagued by technical difficulties and eventually had him singing a capella to the crowd.

On Saturday (Jan. 25), Trace published another Instagram letter, claiming Billy Ray had threatened him with legal action following the public plea. “Dad my message was beyond loving,” Trace wrote in the note, referencing the message from a few days prior. “I could have been extremely honest about a lot more but I don’t want to put your business out there like that. But for you to threaten me with legal action for wanting you to get help is a disgrace. Pappy is looking down at you with such disappointment I can assure you. You should be ashamed of yourself. I will always love you but I no longer respect you as a man. Everyone close to you is terrified to tell you how they really feel. I’m not. Get help.”

Billy Ray and ex-wife Tish are parents to Brandi, 37, and Trace, 35, both of whom Billy Ray adopted after he’d married Tish. Together, they also share Miley, 31; Braison, 30, and Noah, 25. He’s also the parent of 32-year-old son Christopher, his child with ex-girlfriend Kristin Luckey

27 Jan 2025

Everything We Know About Lady Gaga’s ‘Mayhem’ So Far

After keeping fans waiting for years and giving months of buildup before finally making an announcement, Lady Gaga has finally unveiled the title of her highly anticipated seventh studio album: Mayhem.

The project is the long-awaited followup to the superstar’s Billboard 200-topping LP Chromatica, which last saw Gaga embracing her pop star persona at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In the years since, she’s been focused on her Enigma and Jazz & Piano residencies in Las Vegas as well as her acting career, taking on roles in Ridley Scott’s 2021 film House of Gucci and Todd Phillips’ 2024 supervillain epic Joker: Folie à Deux.

In September last year, Gaga faked fans out by teasing Harlequin, which Little Monsters initially thought might be her seventh LP but turned out to be a companion album to Joker — or “LG 6.5,” as the 13-time Grammy winner herself nicknamed it. The jazzy, theatrical project featured both covers of standards and originals, and it reached No. 20 on the Billboard 200.

At long last, however, 2024 finally gave way to the LG7 era in the fall, when Gaga finally started doling out hints about the direction of her next project in various interviews. In October, fans finally got their first proper taste of Mayhem with the release of single “Disease,” a dark-pop dance anthem accompanied by a gothic music video.

Everything culminated at the beginning of 2025, however, with Gaga’s official album announcement on Jan. 27. And as its rollout has taken shape, Mayhem has already proven to be one of Gaga’s most exciting projects yet. From the release date to what’s on the album itself, keep reading to see everything Billboard knows about the LP below — and check back for updates as Mother Monster gives them out.

27 Jan 2025

Drake Teases Partynextdoor Joint Album: ‘Be Back in a Flash. $$$OON’

Drake is ready to make a splash in 2025. He shared a message with his Toronto faithful and also gave OVO fans an update on his joint album coming with PartyNextDoor in an Instagram Story on Sunday night (Jan. 26).

“Love to all the 6’ers,” he captioned a photo of the CN Tower. “Winter months are the toughest. S–t can be depressing so take care of yourselves and try show love to each other. Be back in a flash. $$$OON.”

Drake has continued to use “$$$” while teasing the project, and PND has also hyped the effort in recent months. It’s unclear if the money signs will be used as a title or track.

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The highly anticipated collab album should be on tap for later this year. They’ve showcased dynamic chemistry on previous records such as “Come and See Me,” “Recognize,” “Members Only,” “Loyal,” “Preach, “Since Way Back” and more.

For now, Drizzy is gearing up for a trip down under with his Anita Max Wynn Tour trekking through Australia. The tour kicks off in Perth on Feb. 4, and then heads to Melbourne for a series of shows starting on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 9). From there, the 6 God will also hit Sydney, Brisbane and New Zealand.

Drake is also tied up on the legal side as he moved forward with his defamation lawsuit against Univeral Music Group. The OVO rapper claimed his label artificially inflated the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” and “waged a campaign against him.”

“UMG intentionally sought to turn Drake into a pariah, a target for harassment, or worse,” Drake’s lawyers wrote in a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court. “UMG did so not because it believes any of these false claims to be true, but instead because it would profit from damaging Drake’s reputation.”

The label has denied the allegations and called the suit “illogical” and “frivolous.”

27 Jan 2025

Bruno Mars Makes Spotify History as First Artist to Reach 150 Million Monthly Listeners

Bruno Mars is a history-making artist! The superstar is officially the first artist in Spotify history to reach 150 million monthly listeners, the streaming platform announced on Monday (Jan. 27). He is currently the number one artist on Spotify. 

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The accomplishment comes shortly after he broke another Spotify record with his Lady Gaga collaboration, “Die With a Smile,” which became the fastest song to hit one billion streams in the platforms history. Shortly after, his ROSÉ collaboration “APT.” also hit one billion streams, giving Mars the top two fastest songs to reach the milestone.

Overall, Mars has 17 songs with more than one billion Spotify streams, including “That’s What I Like,” “Locked Out of Heaven,” “Just the Way You Are” and more.

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It’s been an exciting few months for Mars on the Billboard charts as well. “Die With a Smile” spends four weeks atop the Hot 100, a full five months after the two pop superstars teamed up to drop the duet on Aug. 16. The track soon reached No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, where it proceeded to spend eight weeks in the top spot. The swoon-worthy ballad is Gaga’s sixth Hot 100 leader and Mars’ ninth.

Meanwhile, “APT.” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, becoming the first song by a Western act to rule the Japan song chart in more than 11 years. The song also spent 11 weeks atop both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. It also becomes the first No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart by an act prominent in K-pop.

27 Jan 2025

Kesha Releases Diane Warren Song ‘Dear Me’ From Documentary ‘Relentless’

When the Oscar nominations were announced on Thursday (Jan. 23), Diane Warren found herself nominated for best original song for the 16th time. Warren, never one to rest on her laurels, is already back with a song that may be put her back in the running at the 2026 Oscars – “Dear Me,” sung by Kesha in the new the documentary Diane Warren: Relentless.

Warren was already a hit-making songwriter when Kesha was born in 1987. Little-known fact: Kesha’s mother, “Pebe” Sebert, was a member of the songwriting community as Warren was breaking in (though the two writers never collaborated). Sebert co-wrote Joe Sun’s 1978 single “Old Flames (Can’t Hold a Candle to You),” which reached No. 14 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. A cover version by Dolly Parton reached No. 1 in 1980.

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“We all know that Diane Warren is one of the most iconic songwriters of our time, but many people don’t know that my connection with her is multigenerational,” Kesha said in a statement. “My mom used to write songs alongside Diane Warren in the ’80s. I’ve heard her name in our home growing up since I was a baby. Once my music broke into the scene in 2008, we have worked on projects together … but none of them ever were publicly released.”

“I’ve written a lot of songs for movies but this is the first time I’ve ever written a song for a movie that’s about me,” Warren said in a statement. “This song isn’t just about me though, it’s for anyone who’s ever wished they could have a conversation with their younger self and tell them no matter what they’re going through that it’s going to get better. When I was thinking who would be the perfect artist for this, I could think of no one better or more authentic than Kesha. I felt that not only is she a great artist who would sing the song magnificently which of course she did, but that this would also speak to her and her fans on a very deep level.”

Diane Warren: Relentless, directed by Bess Kargman, is currently in theaters and streaming exclusively on MasterClass.

It’s fairly rare for a song from a documentary to receive an Oscar nomination for best original song, but it does happen. Just this year, “Never Too Late” from the Disney + doc Elton John: Never Too Late was nominated, where it is competing with Warren’s “The Journey” from the Netflix film The Six Triple Eight. Elton John co-wrote “Never Too Late” with Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin.

Billboard’s Stephen Daw wrote warmly about “Dear Me” (released on Kemosabe/RCA Records) in his Queer Jams of the Week column. “For her contribution to the new documentary Diane Warren: Relentless, Kesha decided to strip back the artifice and sing from the heart. The result is “Dear Me,” a Warren-penned, Guy Roche-produced ballad where Kesha looks back on her younger self and offers some salient advice — primarily, to know that she can get through whatever pain comes her way. It’s no surprise that Kesha sounds as good as she does here; it is surprising, though, to get such a poignant song in a week when so many of us need to hear this.”

27 Jan 2025

Watch the ‘Moana 2’ Cast Have Fun in the Booth While Voice Acting Their Characters

There’s just no telling how far the Moana 2 cast will go to perfectly capture their character!

The popular Disney sequel is heading to digital retailers this week, and as part of the release, a new bonus feature will show the cast inside the recording booth having some creative fun as they bring their characters to life.

In the clip, Auli’i Cravalho (Moana), Dwayne Johnson (Maui), Nicole Scherzinger (Sina), Rachel House (Tala), Alan Tudyk (Heihei) and more all giggle through the exciting storyline as they deliver their lines from inside the recording studio. “I could do this all day, all day,” Johnson says at one point of the clearly fun process.

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More bonus content includes a full-length Sing-Along version of the film, deleted scenes, featurettes and more. In Moana 2, which hit theaters back in November, Moana and Maui are reunited three years after the original 2016 film for a new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers after receiving an important call from her wayfinding ancestors.

Moana 2 arrives to digital retailers, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home, starting on January 28. The movie will then be available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on March 18.

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Watch the “Fun in the Booth” featurette with the Moana 2 cast below.

27 Jan 2025

Shaboozey’s ‘A Bar Song’ Ties The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ for Most Weeks at No. 1 on Radio Songs Chart

Belying its title, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” remains a steadily dominant hit, topping Billboard’s Radio Songs chart for a 26th week – tying The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” for the most time spent at No. 1 in the survey’s history.

“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” previously logged a record-tying 19 weeks at No. 1 on the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Billboard Hot 100, beginning last July.

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The track holds atop Radio Songs with 63.2 million in audience Jan. 17-23, essentially even week-over-week, according to data tracker Luminate. The chart reflects all-format airplay on more than 1,000 monitored radio stations; Pop Airplay chart reporter KDHT (Hits 95.7) Denver has played the song the most to date: more than 4,000 times.

Here’s a rundown of the longest-leading Radio Songs No. 1s, dating to the chart’s December 1990 start:

  • 26 weeks, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey, beginning Aug. 10, 2024
  • 26, “Blinding Lights,” The Weeknd, April 18, 2020
  • 18, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, Feb. 25, 2023
  • 18, “Iris,” Goo Goo Dolls, Aug. 1, 1998
  • 16, “Girls Like You,” Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B, Aug. 4, 2018
  • 16, “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, May 28, 2005
  • 16, “Don’t Speak,” No Doubt, Dec. 7, 1996
  • 15, “Easy On Me,” Adele, Dec. 4, 2021
  • 14, “High Hopes,” Panic! at the Disco, Dec. 1, 2018
  • 14, “No One,” Alicia Keys, Nov. 3, 2007
  • 14, “Because You Loved Me,” Celine Dion, April 13, 1996

“A Bar Song (Tipsy),” on American Dogwood/EMPIRE, with country radio promotion by Magnolia Music, dominated the Country Airplay chart for seven weeks beginning last August, the longest No. 1 run for a first entry, and ranks in the top 10 for a record-extending 30th week.

The song also made history as the first to hit the top five (or even top 10) on Country Airplay, Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay (two weeks at No. 1 on each chart) and Rhythmic Airplay (No. 3 peak).

“There were many, many doubters of our ability to work this record at radio,” EMPIRE COO Nima Etminan told Billboard after “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hit No. 1 on the Hot 100. “The industry loves telling independents that there’s a ceiling to what they can do on their own, and this was no different. We were told it can’t be done, and, as we like to do, we proved them wrong. We’ve assembled a fantastic team that we had full faith in – and they delivered.”

All charts (dated Feb. 1, 2025) will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Jan. 28. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X and Instagram.