Music News
Page: 75
The first round of grants targeting wildfire relief efforts in Los Angeles following last month’s all-star FireAid benefit concerts were announced on Tuesday (Feb. 18). The $50 million-worth of phase one gifting — representing half of the estimated $100 million raised by the shows — will prioritize “community-based organizations that are on the front lines of wildfire relief.”
The groups, which organizers said have the infrastructure, experience, and in-place relationships to “efficiently and equitably” deliver assistance to fire-impacted individuals, are each for $100,000 or more and targeted toward immediate relief; phase two will be more focused on rebuilding efforts following the series of fires that killed 29 Angelenos and destroyed more than 16,0000 homes and structures.
Trending on Billboard
The organizations are split into several buckets, including emergency aid to children and families, school recovery funding, targeted support for vulnerable youth and foster youth and funds to help with educational continuity via a grant to A Sense of Home.
The community hubs and conveners grant will send funds to Abundant Harvest LIFT, a community crisis center that distributes information, financial assistance and connects individuals with critical resources for survivors of the Eaton Canyon fire. Other groups covered by this grant include: Chabad Jewish Community Center of Pacific Palisades, Clery Community Coalition, Inc., Deliverance Tabernacle Church, First AME Pasadena, Flintridge Center, Friends Indeed, Harambee Ministries – Pasadena, Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, Kehillat Israel Synagogue, LA Voice Benevolence Fund, Masjid al Taqwa, NAACP of Pasadena, Pasadena Church, Pasadena City College Foundation, Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center, Pasadena Seventh Day Adventist, St. Vincent de Paul Society’s St. Elizabeth Conference of Altadena, the Santa Monica College Foundation, Victory Bible Church Pasadena and YMCA Metro.
Disaster relief will distribute direct cash aid for Angeleno’s most critical needs, as well as coordinated efforts to clear hazardous waste, test water quality and restore safe living conditions. The grantees for those efforts include: Alliance for a Better Community, Black LA Relief & Recovery Fund, Brotherhood Crusade, CA Conservation Corps, CA Native Vote Project, Change Reaction, CORE, Heal the Bay, Jewish Free Loan Association, LA Conservation Corps, LA County Household Relief Fund, LA Works, Inc., Latino Community Foundation, My Tribe Rise, Pasadena Community Foundation Eaton Canyon Fire Relief Fund and Team Rubicon.
Grants covering food access and security needs for those displaced residents who are in shelters without cooking facilities and who face challenges sourcing nutritious meals will go to: Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, Hollywood Food Coalition, Hunger Action Los Angeles, Los Angeles Food Policy Council, Las Angeles Regional Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, Saint Vincent, Meals on Wheels, West, Office of Food Equity, Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles, Project Angel Food and Westside Food Bank.
Aid for frontline, displaced workers and small businesses to assist first frontline workers possibly facing displacement, financial strain and mental health challenges, as well as workers who commuted to affected areas for jobs and small businesses needing relief to rebuild will go to: CA Firefighters Benevolent Fund, IDEPSCA, Inclusive Action For the City, LA Region Worker Relief Fund, Labor Community Services Program of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Black Worker Center, Philipino Workers Center and Restaurants Care Project.
Health and housing assistance for wildfire survivors facing physical and mental health challenges due to exposure to smoke and poor air quality, as well as stress and trauma, include: Dena Heals, Didi Hirsch, Door of Hope, Foothill Family Service, Greenline Housing Foundation, LA Coalition of Community Clinics, LA Family Housing Corporation, LIFT-Los Angeles, NAMI Westside LA, Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County, Pacific Clinics, St. Joseph Center, The People Concern, Union Station Homeless Corporation, United American Indian Involvement and Vision y Compromiso.
Los Angeles’ vast musical community will also get some assistance after many musicians and artists lost their homes, equipment, studios and income in the fires. The funds will provide direct aid to affected artists, as well as mental health services, employment in community programs and support for small arts organizations to ensure their survival. The grantees include: Armory Center for the Arts, LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund, LA Commons, LA County Arts & Creative Recovery Fund, MusiCares Foundation, Music Health Alliance – Music Industry Mental Health Fund and Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.
Organizations helping Angelenos facing displacement, trauma and having trouble navigating survivor services who will receive funds include: 211LA, Bet Tzedek, Dena Care Collective, Imagine Los Angeles, Inc., Legal Aid of LA, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County – BAILA and Public Counsel.
Schools around the L.A. region have had classes severely disrupted due to the fires while some have faced closure as displaced students — especially those from low-income households in college — struggle with housing, financial aid stability and campus resources. Aid for those groups will go to: California Charter School Association, Communities in Schools of Los Angeles, LA Community College Foundation, LAUSD Foundation, Pasadena Educational Foundation, Palisades Charter HS and Project Camp.
Supportive services for vulnerable populations including seniors and people with disabilities who may confront issues accessing aid, healthcare and stable housing will get a boost with grants to: Disability Community Resource Center, Jewish Family Services of Los Angeles, Malibu Senior Center, Pasadena Senior Center and Special Needs Network Inc.
Click here to see the full list.
Organizers says the first phase of funds will be distributed by the end of February. The second phase will focus on sustaining long-term recovery, remediation and rebuilding, as well as addressing environmental issues. Fundraising for the fund is still open.
January’s two shows at L.A.’s Intuit Dome and Kia Forum were seen by more than 50 million viewers across 28 streaming platforms, who tuned in to performances by more than 30 artists including Green Day with Billie Eilish, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, Peso Pluma, Stevie Wonder, Lil Baby, Tate McRae, Sting, Alanis Morissette, Anderson .Paak with Dr. Dre and Sheila E, Dawes, John Mayer, a Nirvana reunion, Joni Mitchell, a reunited No Doubt, P!nk and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, among many others.
As evidenced throughout her career, Serena Williams likes to go big — and she doesn’t do anything for small reasons. That includes her recent appearance during Kendrick Lamar‘s 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, about which the superstar athlete is now shutting down rumors regarding the so-called “petty” reasons she decided to take part in the performance.
Replying to a post on X about the cultural significance of the cameo she made as Lamar performed Billboard Hot 100-topper “Not Like Us” at the big game — shared by her husband, Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian — Williams wrote Monday (Feb. 17), “… def not dancing to be petty lol.”
Trending on Billboard
“I think I proved 23 times over (not counting 4 gold medals) that I simply don’t have time for petty,” she continued.
The tennis champion’s post comes a full week after Ohanian — with whom Williams shares two daughters — posted his initial tweet, in which he reminded followers how much backlash his wife received when she famously crip walked at Wimbledon in 2012. Thirteen years later, Williams reclaimed the narrative by crip walking again, this time for more than 130 million viewers on the Super Bowl stage with Dot in New Orleans.
“Some of y’all have no idea how criticized Serena was for this same dance,” the entrepreneur wrote, sharing a screenshot of an old article calling Williams’ dance at Wimbledon “the height of disrespect.” “This is bigger than the music.”
“That there my baby daddy and husband,” the Olympian added in her reply. “Always got my back. I Love you.”
Williams’ seconds-long appearance during halftime Feb. 9 was certainly one of the most talked-about moments from Lamar’s 13-minute showcase — not only because of its callback to Wimbledon, but also due to the athlete’s rumored romantic past with Drake, whom the Compton rapper taunted multiple times during the show. In addition to cheekily referencing Drizzy’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over “Not Like Us,” Lamar also led the crowd at Caesars Superdome in an ear-splitting “Tryna strike a chord, and it’s probably A-minor” chant seconds after looking straight into the camera and jeering, “Say, Drake, I hear you like them young …”
Because of Lamar’s feud with Drake, many fans assumed that the “Squabble Up” artist was adding insult to injury by inviting his foe’s rumored ex to join him on stage. But according to Williams, she only had pure intentions before getting on the field.
She added in her post, “All love and respect always nothing negative here.”
G-Eazy is a sponge for culture. Young Gerald traded the sunshine of California for the gridlock of the Big Apple in 2023 to avoid stagnation. He delivered his Freak Show album last year and quickly turned the page to a new era in 2025.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The Bay Area native stopped by the Billboard offices in January ahead of his European tour run, where he opened up about rediscovering himself as the new music he’s been cooking up rejuvenated him creatively.
“The process of making this record almost felt like I had rediscovered myself. Everything was about having fun again and getting back to the essence,” he says. “When you lock in and you get in a good space and you have fun and you understand the mission and you feel motivated, then it should flow like water.”
G-Eazy continued: “This was almost a return to the sound of what’s the essence of Gerald? And what does he want to do? Ultimately, man, this new music, I feel incredible about and I’m really excited.”
Gerald dropped off his intoxicating “Kiss the Sky” single to kick off February, and has a project on the way.
He also touched on some of the high-profile collaborations in his catalog, such as teaming with Britney Spears in 2016 for “Make Me…,” which he looks back on with a new sense of gratitude. The track peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“These opportunities I always try to stay in a space of gratitude,” he adds. “Imagine your 12-year-old self was told one day you’re gonna grow up and see this person on TV and you’re gonna get to do that. Never take none of this for granted.”
Demi Lovato and G-Eazy united in 2021 for the vulnerable “Breakdown,” which found the pair candidly confronting their personal battles while turning their intimate conversations into a powerful song. Gerald calls Lovato a “kindred spirit” and a “powerful force of a human being.”
“It’s not a linear path it’s a difficult one those ups and downs those challenges — that’s real life. As friends, we’ve talked about that extensively,” he says of their collab. “It’s one thing to talk about that, it’s another thing to find a way to frame it in a song.”
Before any of the fame, Gerald first’s concert was seeing Ye (formerly Kanye West) perform The College Dropout in the mid-2000s, where he remembered the rapper being presented with a gold plaque on stage. “I was, like, a freshman in high school and went with some friends,” G recalls. “I still remember his stage presence. That struck me as much as anything.”
G-Eazy will hit the road once again in April for 26 dates across North America. Marc E. Bassy will serve as the trek’s opener. “I’m really grateful for all of it,” The Bay Area native concludes.
Watch the entire interview above.
Little Monsters have spent the last few months patiently waiting for Lady Gaga‘s long-anticipated seventh studio album. Now, Mother Monster is giving them yet another tease ahead of the LP’s release. In a post to Instagram Reels on Tuesday (Feb. 18), Gaga revealed the full tracklist for her forthcoming album, Mayhem. Featuring already-released singles “Die […]
At the SNL50 anniversary festivities over the weekend, a lot of beloved Saturday Night Live characters returned to the show for the first time in years — including Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer’s Marty and Bobbi Mohan-Culp, who performed a memorable rendition of Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” during the concert special Friday (Feb. 14).
But in an interview with People published Monday (Feb. 17), the actress revealed that she and her duet partner weren’t initially certain whether they should incorporate the Billboard Hot 100-topping Drake diss track into the skit. “We went back and forth,” Gasteyer told the publication.
Trending on Billboard
“We were like … it’s song of the year, obviously,” she continued, referring to Dot’s recent song and record of the year wins for “Not Like Us” at the 2025 Grammys. “The thing about the Culps is they’re just trying to stay current and they want to reach their students where they are. So, song of the year.”
The fictional married couple indeed got the crowd laughing as Ferrell performed Lamar’s famous rap nearly word for word while Gasteyer sang its repeating four-note string hook opera-style. During the sketch, the Culps also put their own spins on songs by Doechii, Britney Spears, Megan Thee Stallion, Chappell Roan and more.
After finishing “Not Like Us,” the Elf star asked the crowd in character, “Are Kenny Lamar and Drake Graham in the house, by the way? Maybe you two can hug it out tonight in the name of love and fellowship.”
“We always kind of start with the premise, which is Valentine’s Day and love, and then naturally, because of the feuding, it was sort of like, you have to have the contrast,” Gasteyer added of the cover. “So, it was just fun to write, and ridiculous.”
The concert kicked off a weekend full of 50th-anniversary celebrations for Saturday Night Live, with the musical show also featuring performances from Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Ms. Lauryn Hill with Wyclef Jean, the Backstreet Boys and more. Two days later, SNL hosted a red carpet and live special, which saw Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Bill Murray, Rachel Dratch, Tom Hanks, Adam Sandler and more all-stars return to the 30 Rock stage for skits and music, and included appearances from musicians such as Bad Bunny and Sabrina Carpenter.
Of sliding right back into her iconic character alongside Ferrell, Gasteyer told People, “It is just the most comfortable, familiar — I wish I had better words to describe it.”
Drake is performing in Australia as part of his Anita Max Wynn Tour, and during the Monday (Feb. 17) Sydney show, a fan launched a DeMar DeRozan basketball jersey on stage, which Drake threw down in disgust.
A clip from the show went viral, which saw Drizzy performing Her Loss standout “Rich Flex.” The OVO rapper unravels the camouflage Raptors No. 10 jersey and immediately spikes the DeRozan jersey like a football after realizing whose name was on the back before getting back to the show.
DeRozan was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in 2009 and spent the first nine years of his career north of the border. The Compton-bred baller and Drake were tight throughout his tenure in the 6, and even appeared on the cover of Slam Magazine together in 2016.
Trending on Billboard
“No matter what, when it comes to him, he’ll forever have a friend in me and loyalty out of me because he cared,” DeRozan said of Drake in 2021 after leaving the Raptors. “He was there for me when everything was kind of going crazy.”
The relationship appeared to go sour when DeRozan made a cameo in Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” video after K. Dot shouted out the hooper on the track. DeRozan also made an appearance at Lamar’s Pop Out concert on Juneteenth, where Kendrick performed “Not Like Us” for the first time live.
Even after the “NLU” cameo, DeRozan attempted to show love to Drake and play it down the middle.
“We love Drake, we always can play him,” he said during an interview last summer. “Kendrick been a friend of mine, family. Damn near family, for a long time, for a while. We’re from the same city, we grew up damn near in the same neighborhood … It’s always been there. It hasn’t always been publicized, but, you know, that’s basically family.”
Drake wasn’t going for it and blasted DeRozan along with the idea of the franchise ever retiring his No. 10 during a Toronto Raptors broadcast in November. “Unfortunately we’re playing this goof tonight,” he said at the time. “If you ever put up a DeRozan banner, I’ll go up there and pull it down myself.”
The Sacramento Kings star brushed Drake’s comments off during a postgame presser. “He’s going to have a long way to climb,” DeRozan quipped. “Tell him good luck.”
Back in 2018, Paul Simon performed the final show of what he called his farewell tour. The gig at Queens’ Flushing Meadows Corona Park in September 2018 came after Simon, 83, revealed that he was suffering from significant hearing loss, a situation that ramped-up significantly during the sessions for the singer’s 2023 song cycle, Seven Psalms.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Quite suddenly, I lost most of the hearing in my left ear, and nobody has an explanation for it,” he said at the time. “So everything became more difficult.” Simon said he thought the issue wold “pass” or “repair itself,” though it did not and he conceded back then that he would likely never tour again.
Trending on Billboard
Then, surprisingly, there Simon was on Sunday night (Feb. 16) opening the three-plus hour SNL50 Celebration special singing a duet with Sabrina Carpenter on his song “Homeward Bound.” And on Tuesday (Feb. 18), Simon announced that he’s hitting the road this spring and summer for a run of North American dates on the “A Quiet Celebration Tour.”
The shows that will have the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer playing multiple nights in a row in most cities, and it’s slated to kick off on April 4 at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans, followed by stops in Austin, TX, Denver, Minneapolis, Kansas City, St. Louis, Dallas, Nashville, Milwaukee, Chicago, Toronto, Vienna, VA, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Long Beach, CA, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver before winding down with three shows at Benaroya Hall in Seattle; see the announcement poster here.
The gigs in smaller rooms than Simon has typically played, will allow the singer to perform the songs from Seven Psalms live for the first time. According to a release, the settings are “in intimate venues where the acoustics are optimal in consideration of the severe hearing loss that he incurred over the last few years.”
A presale for select shows on the tour will kick off on Thursday (Feb. 20) at 10 a.m. local time, with a public on-sale slated for Friday (Feb. 21) at 10 a.m. local time here.
Check out the dates for Paul Simon’s 2025 A Quiet Celebration North American tour below:
April 4 – New Orleans, LA @ Saenger TheaterApril 5 – New Orleans, LA @ Saenger TheaterApril 8 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert HallApril 10 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert HallApril 11 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert HallApril 14 – Denver, CO @ Paramount TheatreApril 16 – Denver, CO @ Paramount TheatreApril 17 – Denver, CO @ Paramount TheatreApril 20 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum TheatreApril 22 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum TheatreApril 23 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum TheatreApril 26 – Kansas City, MO @ Midland TheatreApril 28 – St. Louis, MO @ Stifel TheatreApril 29 – St. Louis, MO @ Stifel TheatreMay 7 – Dallas, TX @ AT&T Performing Arts CenterMay 8 – Dallas, TX @ AT&T Performing Arts CenterMay 11 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman AuditoriumMay 13 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman AuditoriumMay 14 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman AuditoriumMay 17 – Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside TheaterMay 18 – Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside TheaterMay 21 – Chicago, IL @ Symphony CenterMay 23 – Chicago, IL @ Symphony CenterMay 24 – Chicago, IL @ Symphony CenterMay 27 – Toronto, ON @ Massey HallMay 29 – Toronto, ON @ Massey HallMay 30 – Toronto, ON @ Massey HallJune 6 – Vienna, VA @ Wolf TrapJune 7 – Vienna, VA @ Wolf TrapJune 10 – Boston, MA @ Boch Center, Wang TheatreJune 12 – Boston, MA @ Boch Center, Wang TheatreJune 13 – Boston, MA @ Boch Center, Wang TheatreJune 16 – New York, NY @ Beacon TheaterJune 18 – New York, NY @ Beacon TheaterJune 20 – New York, NY @ Beacon TheaterJune 21 – New York, NY @ Beacon TheaterJune 23 – New York, NY @ Beacon TheaterJune 26 – Philadelphia, PA @ Academy of MusicJune 28 – Philadelphia, PA @ Academy of MusicJune 29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Academy of MusicJuly 7 – Long Beach, CA @ Terrace Theater, Long Beach Performing Arts CenterJuly 9 – Los Angeles, CA @ Disney HallJuly 11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Disney HallJuly 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Disney HallJuly 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Disney HallJuly 16 – Los Angeles, CA @ Disney HallJuly 19 – San Francisco, CA @ Davies Symphony HallJuly 21 – San Francisco, CA @ Davies Symphony HallJuly 22 – San Francisco, CA @ Davies Symphony HallJuly 25 – Vancouver, BC @ The OrpheumJuly 26 – Vancouver, BC @ The OrpheumJuly 28 – Vancouver, BC @ The OrpheumJuly 31 – Seattle, WA @ Benaroya HallAugust 2 – Seattle, WA @ Benaroya HallAugust 3 – Seattle, WA @ Benaroya Hall
With the NBA All-Star Game returning to The Bay Area for the first time since 2000, Saweetie — a proud Bay Area native — is booked and busy throughout the weekend’s festivities.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Saweetie shined as part of DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic Live! Bay Area celebration during the NBA All-Star Game Halftime Show on Sunday (Feb. 16) alongside fellow Bay dignitaries like E-40, Too Short and En Vogue.
A day earlier, while wearing a flashy top made of metallic keys, Saweetie rocked Chase Freedom’s Cashback Courts with a 20-minute set of hits from “My Type” to “ICY GRL” and “Best Friend.” Hundreds of San Francisco fans filled the City View Metreon with many little girls representing younger versions of Saweetie in the audience gawking at their hero.
Trending on Billboard
“I love that I’m able to reach out to girls who are able to identify with me because I remember what it felt like looking up to some of my favorite artists and finding a common denominator and making it that much closer to them,” she tells Billboard in her green room following the performance. “I love seeing my Filipina queens and princesses. It always feels like a magical moment.”
With the calendar turning to 2025, Saweetie says she still has her sights on finally dropping her long-awaited, much-delayed debut album. “Yeah, it’s coming this year,” she promises. “I feel like it will really encompass who I’ve grown into over these past couple of years. Lots of stories to tell.”
Elsewhere in our conversation, Saweetie recalled working with Sabrina Carpenter in 2019 on “I Can’t Stop Me,” whom she championed a “magical woman” and detailed the full-circle moment of collaborating with LL COOL J for his The Force album last year as her mom once starred in one of his videos.
Check out the rest of our All-Star Weekend interview with the rapper who touches on her hopes for more acting roles, getting the Jill Scott co-sign and why she can’t stop playing Kendrick Lamar’s “TV Off.”
It’s dope to see a lot of the little girls that look up to you out here. To live that out is cool. Are you used to that?
It always feels like the first time because you never know what kinda response you’re gonna get when you come out.
What’s it like partnering with Chase and having it come full-circle with The Bay having All-Star Weekend for the first time in forever?
Lots of full-circle moments because I’m from The Bay and participating in such a global activation is phenomenal. We just had rehearsals this morning and it felt like a surreal moment. And to be part of the Chase Cashback Courts is another full-circle moment too because I had a college card with Chase. It was my first debit card. I opened it on my own and went into the bank and sat and did the whole process myself. Lot of full-circle moments happening in my life right now so this whole weekend feels surreal.
Your bank account’s looking a little different nowadays I think.
Very different.
What’s next for you musically?
Me and OhGeesy just dropped. I love collaborating with West Coast artists. I was in Africa for some time and I did some collaborations out there, one with ODUMODUBLVCK. It’s nice to tap into different communities. I can see myself more international with my features this year.
How was linking up with LL Cool J?
That was so amazing. You know my mom was in her video? I think “Luv U Better.” All these full-circle moments. I showed him. That was really cool too, and the video was super hot. His team felt like family and it’s nice to be welcomed by a fellow icon. You never know how those moments are gonna go, but it was so much fun.
Another one is a throwback with Sabrina Carpenter. How did that come together?
She’s always been a magical woman. When we did our collaboration, we met and she’s full of light, talent and energy so to see her blossom into something bigger than life has been such a joy to see this past year.
I think you’re the only rapper she’s ever worked with.
Oh, wow! Well, shout-out to her — we gotta do something else.
How was getting the Jill Scott sample cleared? Did you end up talking to her?
Absolutely, she is such an icon. It took some time and I had to work for it. I’m happy that we’re here now and I’m able to gladly say that she blessed me with an opportunity to make something into my own and I’m really grateful for that.
You had a cameo in BMF — more acting on the way? What’s the dream role for Saweetie?
A lot of more acting. I want to play something with action — like sci-fi/action. Something fantasy. Like a superhero or supervillain.
How many Saweetie meals did you eat at McDonald’s?
I lost count. I’m happy you liked my concoctions.
What’s your favorite Zaytoven beat?
Personally, my song “Expensive.” I don’t think it made streaming platforms, but I remember falling in love with that beat to write over it so effortlessly.
Why is your Instagram profile picture Stewie Griffin giving the middle finger?
That’s my mood. It’s facetious.
What’s one song you’re rocking with right now?
I’m telling you this, if you’re in my car and “TV Off” comes on you’re getting a full performance. The volume is high — it gets a little crazy, so put your seatbelt on.
ROSÉ isn’t slowing down any time soon. Just over two months after she dropped her debut solo album, the BLACKPINK star revealed that her girl group also has new music coming out soon in a new interview with The Cut published Tuesday (Feb. 18), in which the Aussie performer also opened up about her relationship with collaborator Bruno Mars and her thoughts on K-pop trainees needing therapy.
Fans already knew that BLACKPINK was heading for a comeback in 2025, with the group announcing earlier this month that a world tour was imminent. But in the new interview, ROSÉ went another step further and confirmed that the band will soon have fresh songs to perform once they take the stage, telling the publication straightforwardly, “We will be coming out with new music soon.”
Trending on Billboard
Of the group’s reunion, the “Toxic Till The End” singer added, “We just knew there was no reason for us to stop it, right? As much as we all needed some time to go out and explore and be our own people, we still have business left to do. We’ve got to do some more damage.”
Whenever the new music does drop, it’ll follow 2022’s Billboard 200-topper Born Pink. After touring the album across the world throughout 2023, ROSÉ and bandmates LISA, JENNIE and JISOO temporarily paused group activities to focus on solo projects for about a year.
And in ROSÉ’s case, that year “off” has seen her drop her first-ever solo LP, rosie, featuring Billboard Global 200 No. 1 single “APT.” with Bruno Mars, with whom the “On the Ground” artist says she’s grown “very close.”
Detailing how the Silk Sonic star helped her finish rosie track “Number One Girl” when she was struggling, ROSÉ shared one of the most valuable lessons she’s learned from Mars: You can’t rush the songwriting process, no matter how much you might want to. “I’d always feel like, ‘It’s my fault, I should have an idea by this time,’ or, ‘Maybe I’m just not good enough,’” she told the publication.
“Bruno showed me that, as a creative, you have to listen to your intuition and your timing, and you’re allowed to trust in it,” she continued of her duet partner. “I’ve become more confident in what feels right to me and in doing whatever it takes to have that come to life.”
But before she was a chart-topping soloist or part of the world’s biggest girl group, ROSÉ was a teenager training for future superstardom at YG Entertainment. While reflecting on her career start, she shared her thoughts on whether young signees should have built-in access to therapy as K-pop trainees — echoing what Ariana Grande recently said about young stars needing counseling in their record label contracts.
“Oh yes, please,” ROSÉ said of the idea for mandatory mental health resources. “I think toward the end of my training, there was. But now if I were to do an academy, I’d give them a therapist. Once a week.”
See ROSÉ for The Cut below:
Fashion-forward singer Tyla dropped into the Jennifer Hudson Show on Tuesday (Feb. 18) to give a sneak peek at her new British Vogue cover and tease her anticipated look at the upcoming Met Gala. She also talked about performing at last year’s Victoria’s Secret fashion show and performing with her musical mirror, Sabrina Carpenter.
“She’s literally like me, like we don’t take things too serious, so it was a lot of laughing,” Tyla said of appearing on Carpenter’s first-ever holiday special in December, during which the two women collaborated on a rendition of “This Christmas.”
Trending on Billboard
“It was really fun doing that and being… because I haven’t done a duet like that with another artist,” Tyla said. “Yeah, it was cute.” Now that she’s got Carpenter ticked off her bucket list, Hudson asked if there is anyone else Tyla dreams of teaming up with. “Like a dream song, just passion, like not serious, I would want to do something with… an older artist,” she said. “Like Brian McKnight… or a Babyface, something like old R&B.”
Tyla also responded to silly internet rumors that she “stole” some wings at the VS runway special, telling Hudson that at one point someone told her she could go into the “wing room” and “pick any wing” she wanted. “So I was having the time of my life, trying on all the wings,” Tyla laughed, as the image of the white feather version she chose flashed on the screen behind her; at the time, she captioned a stunning pic from the special with the words, “Earned my wings” in the post that got a heart emoji from Carpenter.
“‘That’s mine!’” she remembered thinking when she saw them at the show where she walked alongside Angels Gigi Hadid, Tyra Banks and Adriana Lima, at the event that also featured a performance from BLACKPINK’s LISA.
And, not that she’s looking to take all the gigs, but asked if she’s interested in moving into acting, Tyla said she’d love to “do something more creative” with a fellow envelope-pushing musician, such as Frank Ocean, Childish Gambino or Tyler, the Creator. “Something more creative… but dream role? I want to be a princess,” she said with a smile. “Like an African princess. I think that would be cute.”
After making the scene at her first Met Gala last year, last week it was announced that Tyla will be part of the 2025 Met Gala Host Committee team alongside André 3000, Simone Biles, Dapper Dan, Doechii, Ayo Edebiri, Regina King, Spike Lee, Janelle Monae and Sha’Carri Richardson, among others. Though she’s not sure what her outfit will be yet, Tyla promised that it “will be hot… you know that,” without revealing any additional details.
In her new British Vogue cover, the 23-year-old South African native charted her quick rise to fame and gave a hint of what musical direction she is headed in after the worldwide breakthrough of “Water,” the debut single from her self-titled first album that topped out at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“I really feel like I have changed so much since ‘Water’ and my debut album. I have grown into a different version of myself. A little more spicy, a little more bold. I’m excited to just put that into the music,” she told the magazine. And while her global acclaim could easily lead to product extensions into a beauty or booze line like other pop stars, Tyla said she’s focused on her main gig.
“Music is my first love,” she said, while keeping her options open. “Maybe one day I’ll want to dabble in acting, beauty, creative directing, fashion… I really have a love for it all and I know I can do it all.”
Tyla will appear alongside aespa, Erykah Badu, GloRilla, Angela Aguilar, Gracie Abrams, Jennie, Megan Moroney, Meghan Trainor and Muni Long at March 29th’s 2025 Billboard Women in Music event.
Check out Tyla on the Jennifer Hudson Show below.