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With the massive success of Wicked in 2024, Elphaba and Glinda are more popular than ever with the promise of its second part, Wicked: For Good, due in theaters this November. While the musical is available to stream online, you can also get ready for part 2 with new Wicked journals and notebooks.
With prices starting at $11.99 on Amazon, publishing company Insight Editions has a wide selection of Wicked-branded journals and notebooks, so you can take a bit of the hit movie musical with you in the classroom, coffee shop, or even the conference room.
They feature fun designs that show off popular characters from Wicked, including Elphaba, Glinda, The Wizard and more. In fact, there’s even a notebook with a Shiz University design, so you really feel like you’re a student at the magical institution of higher learning.
Scroll down and shop our recommendations for the best Wicked journals and notebooks on Amazon.
Insight Editions
Wicked: Wizard’s Balloon Sculpted Journal
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Wicked: Shiz University Softcover Notebook
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Wicked: Elphaba & Glinda Reversible Sculpted Journal
$23.24
$24.99
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Wicked: The Grimmerie Collectible Hardcover Journal
$40.50
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10% off
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Wicked: Glinda Upland Hardcover Journal
$17.99
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And if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can order now and Wicked journals and notebooks will be delivered to your home in less than two days once it’s released, thanks to Prime Delivery.
Not a member? Sign up for a 30-day free trial to take advantage of all that Amazon Prime has to offer, including access to Prime Video, Prime Gaming and Amazon Photos; fast free shipping in less than two days with Prime Delivery; in-store discounts at Whole Foods Market; access to exclusive shopping events — such as Prime Day and Black Friday — and much more. Learn more about Amazon Prime and its benefits here.
The Wicked journals and notebooks from Insight Editions start at $11.99 on Amazon. Want more? Shop additional selections from the very popular movie musical, below:
For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
Downtown Nashville is no stranger to musically-themed bars, and Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg are bringing some hip-hop flair to 2nd Avenue. The Still G.I.N. Lounge is set to open on April 4 in the same four-story building that hosts Nashville Live! and will bring a “smooth sophistication of a top-tier cocktail lounge with the […]
Lola Young reigns for the first time on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart, as “Messy” jumps two places to No. 1 on the April 5-dated tally.
“Messy” rules concurrent with its third week at No. 1 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, thanks to 4.7 million audience impressions in the week ending March 27, according to Luminate.
Young tops Alternative Airplay with her first entry on the list, becoming the second act in a row to do so, after Balu Brigada’s “So Cold” reached No. 1 the week before. Five acts, via four songs, have earned first Alternative Airplay No. 1s as lead acts in 2025. Prior to Young and Balu Brigada, Justice and Tame Impala on their collaboration “Neverender” and Almost Monday with “Can’t Slow Down” led for the first time.
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Comparatively, just two acts notched first Alternative Airplay No. 1s in 2024. Five newcomers at the top spot as lead acts this year, and as of March, for that matter, mark the most in a single year since six in 2021 (I Dont Know How But They Found Me’s “Leave Me Alone,” Cannons‘ “Fire for You,” Machine Gun Kelly and Blackbear’s “My Ex’s Best Friend,” Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” and Måneskin’s “Beggin’”).
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“Messy” ranks at No. 7 on Adult Alternative Airplay, after reaching No. 5 earlier in March. It also rises 9-8 on Pop Airplay, bullets at its No. 10 best on Adult Pop Airplay and debuts at No. 30 on Adult Contemporary.
On the most recently published, multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, dated March 29, reflecting data March 14-20, “Messy” placed at No. 2. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 9.7 million official U.S. streams and sold 3,000 downloads in that span.
“Messy” parent album This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway ranked at No. 32, after reaching No. 11, on the March 29 Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart with 9,000 equivalent album units. It has earned 211,000 units to date.
All Billboard charts dated April 5 will update on Tuesday, April 1.
With March coming to a close, the music releases haven’t slowed down with a number of A-list stars dropping new singles and albums. Kicking things off is Ariana Grande’s Brighter Days Ahead deluxe edition of her 2024 Billboard 200 chart-topping album, Eternal Sunshine. The extended edition of the original 13-song project features six new tracks, […]
SaveLive, the platform launched in 2020 during the pandemic to assist independent venue owners and promote concerts in secondary and tertiary markets, has changed its name to Gate 52. The company was co-founded by John Fogelman and Marc Geiger “to bring scalable services and advantages to independent venue owners and secondary markets,” according to a press release […]
Nick Cannon is realizing that having 12 kids isn’t cheap. The star recently sat down with People, where he reflected on his viral comment from Courtney Bee’s We Playin’ Spades podcast, in which he said he’s not ready to rule out the possibility of having more kids in the future. “My grandmother called me last night, like ‘Another One!’ I […]
Tyler, the Creator and Nardwuar linked up at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, B.C., for their seventh interview in 14 years, and of course, Tyler had some things to say in the chat that dropped Thursday (March 27).
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Nardwuar asked him about how he felt about all the Hip-Hop 50 celebrations, and Tyler expressed gratitude for being able to make a living doing something he loves. “I’m so happy that in some timeline that I get to be apart of something so special,” he said. “Hip-hop has changed so many of our lives, kept so many of us out of trouble. I’m so grateful for it. I’ve had my criticisms of it and all types of s—t, but that’s out of love ’cause man, I love music and hip-hop specifically so much. I’m a true student, I’m a true nerd.”
He continued by bringing up how much the Black Eyed Peas‘ debut album, Behind the Front, and Dr. Dre‘s album 2001 helped shape his ear and inspired him to write his first raps. “I love hip-hop, I love rap. It’s one of the most beautiful things to exist on Earth,” he said before criticizing rappers who get into the game to make a quick buck.
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“We the coolest ever,” he began. “And all these motherf—kers want to copy us and do everything and some n—as be mimicking and mocking it and they just ain’t got the juice, ’cause they don’t really believe it [in their heart]. You can see it, man, some of these folks, man. They be like, ‘I fell in love with hip-hop on this day.’ I don’t know what that is because it’s been around me my whole life. I am rap. I am hip-hop. That’s all I know.”
He added: “Some of these folks, they look at this as a quick money-getting thing. They look at it as a commodity. They look at it just to criticize it, and, like, y’all ain’t grow up the same.”
Tyler has broached this subject before during an interview with Maverick Carter, during which he criticized Ian for biting flows and even rapped, “White boys mocking this s–t and y’all mad at me/ Y’all can suck my d–k” on the Chromakopia track “Thought I Was Dead.” Ian then addressed Tyler’s allegations in a Lyrical Lemonade freestyle earlier this month, rapping, “Back then, I really loved Odd Future/ I ain’t never sat down tryna mock Future/ I ain’t wanna show no disrespect, so I kept my mouth shut and that’s not human.”
Tyler then brought up some of the chatter he noticed online when he dropped his well-received “Hey Now” freestyle in December. “I saw someone say, ‘How Tyler just gonna take Kendrick’s song right after it comes out, and do the same flow over the same beat,’” he recalled. “And I’m like, ‘Damn, that’s somebody else who did not grow up listening to rap or hip-hop.’ ‘Cause if you grew up listening to rap or hip-hop, you know that’s f—king normal … You should have to do a survey and show your ID before you could say s—t on the internet ’cause folks be saying dumb s—t.”
Watch the full interview below.
Harry Styles made his cab driver do a double take during a recent drive to London.
A private pink taxi service owner named Paula shared on Instagram March 23 that she’d given the pop star a ride to the English capital without even realizing who her famous passenger was at first. Sharing a selfie she took with Styles after the fact, the driver wrote, “Picked up this young fella on my way home tonight.”
“We got chatting, and I said, ‘You really sound like Harry Styles,’” she added. “He said ‘That’s because I am Harry Styles.’ He was such a friendly young chap!”
In the snap, Paula leans out her driver’s-side window as the “Watermelon Sugar” singer — sporting a trim mustache, baseball cap and blue button-down — smiles politely at the camera. On Friday (March 28), Paula reshared the picture onto her Story and wrote, “I drove Harry Styles in One Direction all the way to LONDON.”
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Based on his serendipitous taxi ride, it seems that Styles is back in his home country after spending time in Japan earlier this month. The Grammy winner participated in the Tokyo marathon March 2, finishing in 6,010th place out of a group of more than 37,000 runners, and averaging about 7:47 per mile.
From Tokyo to London, Styles is all over the map, but one place he isn’t headed anytime soon is Las Vegas. At least, he isn’t setting up shop in Sin City for a 2025 residency at The Sphere, as was widely rumored up until March 13, when a rep for the venue shut down the speculation via a statement shared exclusively with Billboard.
“To set the record straight, there has never been plans for Harry Styles to perform at Sphere,” the spokesperson said at the time.
Styles hasn’t toured since 2023, when he closed out his global Love On Tour after two years on the road. His last album, Harry’s House, arrived in 2022. In addition to spawning 15-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single “As It Was” and spending two weeks atop the Billboard 200, the LP won album of the year at the following year’s Grammys.
Once considered a quiet season for the music industry, Ramadan is now a full-blown musical phenomenon. As Firas Abou Fakher, the vp of audience growth and strategy at Universal Music Middle East, puts it, “Ramadan is no longer a ‘break period’ for the music scene like it used to be.”
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In recent years, Ramadan has become a prime time for music releases, fueled by the rise of TV series, commercial campaigns and a growing appetite for nostalgia. But music has always been an essential part of Ramadan’s artistic memory. From the golden voices of Ammar El Sherei and Sayed Mekawy to legendary lyricists like Salah Jaheen, Sayed Hegab and Abdelrahman El-Abnoudi, paired with artistic talents like Nelly and Sherihan, Ali Al Hajjar and Assala, music has long set the stage for unforgettable Ramadan moments.
However, nothing compares to today’s musical boom, where TV series soundtracks and brand-backed anthems dominate streaming charts, transforming the Holy Month into a dynamic season for artists and production houses alike.
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So, how did we get here? Billboard Arabia sat down with top industry insiders and traced the evolution of Ramadan’s soundscape since the ’80s.
More Than Just TV Soundtracks: Music as Part of the Storyline
Lately, Ramadan has become a launchpad for hit songs, with artists strategically linking their releases to trending TV series. According to Wissam Chartouni, co-founder of Glava Holding (home to Watary and Music Is My Life), “artists now have a higher chance of success when their songs are tied to popular TV shows. Additionally, old classics are getting a fresh revival when featured in pivotal scenes.”
A perfect example? This year, Sherine Abdel Wahab’s 2018 album Nassay saw a massive resurgence after its tracks were featured in the Ramadan series Ekhawati (My Sisters), propelling her back to the top of the Billboard Arabia Hot 100 chart.
Karima Damir, the vp of artist development and repertoire growth at Universal Music Middle East, also notes a shift in how artists engage with Ramadan series: “Singers are becoming integral to the storyline itself. We’re even seeing rappers take on acting roles.” Take, for example, Abyusif, who joined Ahmed Mekky in El Ghaoui during the current season, or Shahin, who starred in Lunchbox last year. Arabic music and drama have never been more intertwined.
From Fawazeer to Viral Ads
For decades, Ramadan’s “fawazeer” (riddle-based variety shows) ruled the entertainment scene, with stars like Nelly and Sherihan leading the stage. Nelly dazzled audiences with standout performances in works like Al Khatba (The Matchmaker) and Arousati (My Doll), where she collaborated with iconic poet, lyricist and playwright Salah Jahin. Meanwhile, Samir Ghanem brought to life the beloved character Fatoota, accompanied by a long, comedic opening theme composed by Sayed Mekawy—one that still lingers in memory today.
In the ’90s, Sherihan reigned supreme with productions like “Hagat W Mehtagat” (Needs and Wants), penned by Egyptian songwriter Sayed Hegab and set to music by composer Moudy El Imam, who blended fast-paced rhythms with vibrant orchestral arrangements.
These productions were packed with elaborate song-and-dance numbers composed by musical giants. But as the 2000s rolled in, fawazeer faded, making room for a new powerhouse: Ramadan commercials. In recent years, brands have gone beyond simple jingles. Instead, they have invested in cinematic-style music videos with chart-topping stars, sometimes downplaying their product’s presence to ensure the song has standalone appeal.
Some of these ad songs have become cultural hits, such as “Asmar Oyonoh Samrah” (Brown-skinned, brown-eyed) and “Ramadan Fi Masr Haga Tanya” (Ramadan in Egypt is something else), performed by Hussein Al Jassmi, a staple on Billboard Arabia’s charts.
This year alone, A-list artists like Al Jassmi, Sherine, Elissa, Tamer Hosny, Angham, Wegz and Ahmed Saad (who led an impressive seven different ad campaigns) dominated Ramadan’s musical space.
Mohamed Jaber, vice president of Mazzika Group, explains this shift: “Brands are now creating songs that can live beyond Ramadan. The goal is for people to play these tracks at gatherings and celebrations, making them more than just an ad—they become part of our culture.”
The Soundtrack Lives On
Despite all these shifts, one thing remains unchanged—TV series intro songs still reign supreme. Since the 1980s, Ramadan drama intros have been a gateway for timeless hits. Legendary collaborations like Sayed Hegab and Ammar El Sherei set the foundation for this genre, creating unforgettable classics. This is evident in the iconic Layali El Helmeya (Al-Hilmiya Nights) theme song, written by Hegab, composed by Michel El Masry and performed by Mohamed El Helou in 1987.
The 1990s ushered in the golden era of intro soundtracks in both Egyptian and Syrian drama. In Egypt, poets like Ahmed Fouad Negm in Zizinia and Abdelrahman El Abnoudi with Ze’ab El Gabal penned lyrics for TV dramas, while Ali El Haggar’s performances of the songs “Bawabat El Halawani” and “El Mal wel Banoon” became iconic.
Meanwhile, in Syria, the 1994 series Nihayat Rajol Shujaa (The End of a Brave Man) marked a turning point. Featuring a fully composed original score by Tarek Al Nasser, its theme, “Ya Rouh La Tahzani,” became an integral part of the show’s identity.
Syrian drama also saw a flourishing partnership between director Hatem Ali and composer Taher Mamelli, who infused an epic musical approach into productions like “Al Fosoul Al Arbaa,” “Boqaat Daw” and “Thikrayat Az Zaman Al Qaadem.” Mamelli often unearthed local voices, adding authenticity to his scores.
The Rise of Pop Stars and the Evolution of Ramadan’s TV Theme Songs
TV series like Salah Ad Din Al Ayyubi (2002), Qasim Amin (2003) and Nizar Qabbani (2005) marked a turning point. Following their success, production companies began recruiting top pop stars for theme songs. Pop star Assala lent her voice to all three, bringing celebrated poets’ words to life and leaving a deep impression on Arab audiences. These songs transcended their series, taking on national and emotional significance.
During this era, Egypt’s Ramadan TV season changed, with more channels and bigger productions. Some lyricists preserved the ‘90s spirit, like Ayman Bahgat Kamar’s “Abbas Al-Abyad fi Al-Yawm Al-Aswad” (2004), composed by Mahmoud Talaat and performed by Medhat Saleh. However, commercial pressures meant lyricists often wrote intros based solely on show titles, leading to more generic hooks, as seen in the show El Kaboos.
New voices emerged in theme songs. Hisham Abbas performed “Yetrebba Fi Ezo” (2007), composed by Talaat. In 2010, Ahmed Mekky broke new ground by writing and performing his own hip-hop intro, a massive success in rural Egyptian dialect.
In the Gulf, Nawal Al Kuwaitia became a staple Ramadan drama voice, singing for Al Raha, Al Dereesha and Damat Omr, while Asma Lamnawar mastered Khaleeji music with Oyun Al Hob, Sara and Ahbabtak Mundhu Al Sighar.
Meanwhile, historical Syrian dramas grew in popularity. The iconic show Bab Al Hara (2006–2017) featured a legendary theme song, “Elli Beddo Yetahadda,” performed by Adnan Al Hallaq with lyrics by Osama Al Saud and music by Saad Al Husseini.
Pop stars continue to shape TV intros, making them more like standalone hits designed for viral success. This year, Syrian dramas introduced fresh voices like Ziad Bourji, Nassif Zeytoun, Rahma Riad and Abir Nehme. Rising star Al Shami debuted with Taht Sabe’ Ard, marking a strategic shift as producers capitalized on his recent fame.
The Rise of Shaabi and Mahraganat Music
By the mid-2010s, Ramadan’s musical landscape had expanded beyond traditional soundtracks. Enter the street anthems: Mahraganat and traditional hip-hop-infused tracks became regulars in TV series intros, performed by artists such as Hassan Shakosh and Bousy. In 2020, Bi 100 Wish (With a Hundred Faces) became the first show to feature a Mahragan intro song, Millionaire, performed by El Madfaagya and famed actress Nelly Karim.
Fast forward to Ramadan 2024 and 2025. Mahraganat star Essam Sasa achieved record-breaking success with his intro songs, ranking among the few to reach the Billboard Arabia charts. His track “Etnen Be Maqam Malayin” (Two Are Worth Millions), from the series Massar Egbari, landed in the Hot 100’s top 10 last year.
With Ramadan now a season of cultural significance beyond religious observance, its musical phenomenon continues to evolve, marking a unique space where nostalgia, innovation and commercial success intersect.
Will Smith is back. The West Philly native returned with his first album since 2005’s Lost and Found on Friday (March 28) as Based on a True Story hit streaming services.
Smith doesn’t hold back on the LP as he confronts topics such as his infamous Oscars slap of Chris Rock in 2022, and the constant chatter surrounding his relationship with his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
“Took a lot, I’m back on top, y’all gon’ have to get acclimatеd/ Won’t stop, my s–t’s still hot even though I won’t get nominatеd/ Personal life with my wife, mind your business, it’s complicated,” he raps on “You Lookin’ For Me?”
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Smith uses the opener “Int. Barbershop — Day” to set the tone for the project, which consists of a conversation between multiple people discussing various narratives that have shaped The Fresh Prince’s career.
“I heard he won the Oscar but he had to give it back/ And you know they only made him do that s–t because he’s Black,” one person says.
Another chimes in with a reference to the Chris Rock slap: “Him and Jada both crazy, girl, what you talkin’ bout/ You better keep his wife’s name out of your mouth.”
The conversation continues to touch on Will Smith being “canceled” temporarily, and how some may never forgive him for his actions. (The actor-rapper ended up receiving a 10-year ban from the Oscars for slapping Rock, which saw him tell the comedian to “keep my wife’s name out of your f—ing mouth” following a G.I. Jane joke about Pinkett-Smith.)
Smith has since resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and has been apologetic to Rock for slapping him onstage.
Earlier this week, the 56-year-old told the Associated Press that he’s “looking to be the best human I can possibly be, and I’m gonna take what I get with that” regarding his mindset going forward amid the fallout from the Oscars slap.
Smith’s Based on a True Story arrived on Friday. Before diving into the project, Smith revealed he called Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar to solicit their advice on how he should go about getting back into rap.