Music News
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Donnie Wahlberg is heading back to TV. CBS announced on Tuesday (Feb. 18) a new drama series with the working title Boston Blue, which will star the New Kids on the Block member, for the 2025-26 broadcast season. The show will expand on the popular, long-running show, Blue Bloods, in which Wahlberg appears as NYPD […]
Will Smith has a couple of eerie coincidences that he doesn’t like talking about too much. During a sit-down with the Broken Record podcast with co-host Justin Richmond, the entertainer revealed that he talked to The Notorious B.I.G. and Prince before their untimely deaths, with his run-in with Biggie being the first time he and […]
LISA‘s upcoming album Alter Ego might explore the five different sides of the BLACKPINK star, but in a new project coinciding with the LP, she’s downsizing to the two-dimensional world of comic-book panels.
As announced Tuesday (Feb. 18), the singer-rapper is launching a new venture, Lalisa Comics, in partnership with Zero Zero Entertainment, beginning with a 56-page graphic novel titled Alter-Ego: The Official Comic. Authored by LISA and illustrated by MINOMIYABI, the book will give fans a deeper understanding of the five personas the K-pop star individually channels throughout the songs on Alter Ego — Vixi, Roxi, Kiki, Sunni and Speedi — through comic-style storytelling.
“When three ruthless bullies trap Vixi in a virtual reality nightmare, her friends dive headfirst into the digital battleground,” reads a description on the product’s website. “Proving that while Vixi may work alone, she never has to fight alone.”
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Now available for purchase, the comics will ship out March 24, about a month after the Feb. 28 release of Alter Ego. LISA has been teasing the release of her debut solo LP for months, getting fans hyped up with singles “Rockstar,” “New Woman” featuring Rosalía and “Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me).” Most recently, the White Lotus Season 3 star dropped “Born Again” featuring Doja Cat — whom LISA once called her “dream” collaborator — and Raye.
LISA has been teasing the five-persona concept behind Alter Ego since she first announced the LP in November, at which time she dropped an album trailer hinting at each of the alter egos’ contrasting aesthetics. In a January interview with Capital Breakfast‘s Jordan North, the Thai musician revealed which identity is her favorite: Vixi, because “she’s the bada–, she’s a villain.”
“I was trying so many different kinds of music styles while I was recording,” she added at the time. “I was like, ‘Oh, well I’ve never done this kind of stuff before, but it sounds great. Why not just kind of like put all the different styles into the album and call it Alter Ego?’”
A lawsuit accusing Bassnectar (born Lorin Ashton) of sexually abusing three underage girls has been settled ahead of trial. According to court documents filed in U.S. District Court in Tennessee on Tuesday (Feb. 18), the case against the electronic music producer was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled, after the two sides reached […]
Central Cee, Ayra Starr and Vybz Kartel were all winners at the MOBO Awards (Music Of Black Origin) in Newcastle, England, on Tuesday evening (Feb. 18). The ceremony honors homegrown and international artists from diverse scenes including hip-hop, R&B, grime, jazz, and Afrobeats.
First held in 1996, the MOBOs were founded by Kanya King and Andy Ruffell to provide representation for Black artists at a dedicated ceremony. The awards were held every year up until 2017. Following a brief hiatus, they returned in 2021 and 2022, but took a fallow year in 2023 and resumed once again in 2024.
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Central Cee scooped the best male act prize for the second year in a row, and gave the Londoner his seventh MOBO trophy overall. The win puts him level with Stormzy as the most-decorated UK rapper in the Awards’ history.
British-Nigerian Afrobeats star Darkoo was victorious in the best female act category, earning the 23-year-old her debut MOBO Award. She also performed at the ceremony alongside Spice, Krept & Konan, Odeal, Nova Twins, Bashy and more.
The ceremony was hosted by comedian Eddie Kadi and Love Island star Indiyah Polack and broadcast live on YouTube. Highlights from the ceremony will air on BBC One on Friday evening (Feb. 21).
There were also wins in major categories for Bashy, who scooped best album for Being Poor Is Expensive, which featured in Billboard U.K.’s albums of the year list in December. Song of the year went to Darkoo for her Dess Dior collaboration “Favourite Girl,” while Benin-born, Nigeria-raised Ayra Starr won best international artist (the first African female to win the prize) and best African music act (the first female to win for 16 years).
Vybz Kartel won the honorary MOBO impact award, which in recent years has been awarded to pop trio Sugababes and boxer Frank Bruno. Ezra Collective prevailed in the best jazz category for the third time in their career; the London group are nominated for four awards at this year’s BRIT Awards on March 1.
In recent years the MOBOs has broadened its categories to recognise the contributions made by Black artists to the U.K’s rock scene and its club culture. At 2025’s ceremony, rock duo Alt Blk Era won the best alternative act, while DJ and producer TSHA picked up best dance act.
See the full winners of the MOBO Awards 2025 below.
Best male act
BashyWINNER: Central CeeD-Block EuropeGhettsNemzzzSampha
Best female act
Cleo Sol
WINNER: Darkoo
Jorja Smith
Little Simz
Nia Archives
Raye
Album of the year
WINNER: Bashy – Being Poor Is ExpensiveCleo Sol – GoldGhetts – On Purpose, With PurposeJorja Smith – Falling Or FlyingSampha – LahaiSkrapz – Reflection
Song of the year
Central Cee Feat. Lil Baby – “Band4band”
Chase & Status, Stormzy – “Backbone”
WINNER: Darkoo Feat. Dess Dior – “Favourite Girl”
Jordan Adetunji – “Kehlani”
Leostaytrill – “Pink Lemonade”
Odeal – “Soh-soh”
Best newcomer
Chy Cartier
Elmiene
Fimiguerrero
Flowerovlove
Jordan Adetunji
Len
Leostaytrill
Myles Smith
WINNER: Odeal
Pozer
Video of the year
Meekz – “Mini Me’s” (Directed By Kc Locke)
WINNER: Mnelia – “My Man” (Directed By Femi Bello)
Raye – “Genesis” (Directed By Otis Dominique & Raye)
Sampha – “Only” (Directed By Dexter Navy)
Skepta – “Gas Me Up (Diligent)” (Directed By Steveo)
Unknown T Feat. Loyle Carner – “Hocus Pocus” (Directed By Felix Brady)
Best R&B/soul act
Cleo Sol
Elmiene
Flo
Jaz Karis
Jorja Smith
Nippa
WINNER: Odeal
Sasha Keable
Shae Universe
Sinead Harnett
Best alternative music act
WINNER: ALT BLK ERA
Bob Vylan
Hak Baker
Kid Bookie
Native James
Spider
Best grime act
Chip
D Double E
Duppy
Kruz Leone
Manga Saint Hilare
WINNER: Scorcher
Best hip hop act
WINNER: Bashy
Cristale
Headie One
Nines
Potter Payper
Skrapz
Best drill act
163MargsCentral CeeHeadie OneKairo KeyzK-trapWINNER: Pozer
Best international act
AsakeWINNER: Ayra StarrBeyoncéGloRillaKendrick LamarLattoMegan Thee StallionNicki MinajTemsTyla
Best performance in a TV show/film
Angela Wynter As Yolande Trueman In EastendersCaroline Chikezie As Noma In Power Book II: GhostDiane Parish As Denise Fox In EastendersDionne Brown As Queenie In QueenieGhetts As Krazy In SupacellWINNER: Jacob Anderson As Louis In Interview With The VampireJasmine Jobson As Jaq In Top BoyJosh Tedeku As Tazer In SupacellKingsley Ben-adir As Bob Marley In Bob Marley: One LoveTosin Cole As Michael In Supacell
Best media personality
WINNER: 90’s Baby ShowAJ OduduChuckie OnlineCraig MitchHenrie KwushueMadame JoyceMicah RichardsSpecs GonzalezThe Receipts PodcastZeze Millz
Best African music act
Asake (Nigeria)
WINNER: Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
Bnxn & Ruger (Nigeria)
King Promise (Ghana)
Odumodublvck (Nigeria)
Rema (Nigeria)
Shallipopi (Nigeria)
Tems (Nigeria)
Tyla (South Africa)
Uncle Waffles (South Africa)
Best Caribbean music act
Popcaan
WINNER: Shenseea
Skillibeng
Spice
Valiant
Yg Marley
Best jazz act
Amy Gadiaga
Blue Lab Beats
Ego Ella May
WINNER: Ezra Collective
Kokoroko
Yussef Dayes
Best electronic/dance act
Eliza Rose
Nia Archives
Pinkpantheress
Salute
Shygirl
WINNER: Tsha
Best producer
Ceebeaats
Inflo
WINNER: Juls
M1onthebeat
P2j
Sammy Soso
Best gospel act
WINNER: Annatoria
Imrhan
Limoblaze
Reblah
Still Shadey
Volney Morgan & New Ye
MGK is looking forward to his second round of fatherhood. The rocker, who is expecting a child with his ex-fiancée Megan Fox, took to his Instagram Stories on Sunday (Feb. 16) to share a photo of a church stage, which showed the projected message, “Your past is not your purpose—your priority is ahead of you.” […]
Cynthia Erivo‘s next role is the exact opposite of wicked. As announced Tuesday (Feb. 18), the singer/actress is locked in to star as the titular role in Jesus Christ Superstar, running three nights in a row at the Hollywood Bowl this August. The Pinocchio star personally shared the news of her casting on Instagram, as […]
Farruko is back atop Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart as “Cables Cruzados” lifts 2-1 to rule the Feb. 22-dated tally. The Puerto Rican returns with his first song to rule in over a year.
“Cables Cruzados” was the focus track on Farruko’s 26-track studio album Cvrbon Vrmor (2024), his first full-length since the No. 1 set La 167 (2021). The song was a full embrace of the pop side he periodically showcased on past releases and arrived following his transformative spiritual conversion.
“Cables Cruzados” lands at No. 1 on Latin Pop Airplay, where it vaults 5.8 million audience impressions across U.S. pop radio stations in the tracking week ending Feb. 13, according to Luminate; that’s a 22% boost in weekly plays from last week.
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The song dethrones Shakira’s “Soltera” from its 18-week-straight coronation, the third-longest reign in the 2020s decade (Rauw Alejandro’s “Todo De Ti” and Karol G’s “Provenza” dominated for 28 and 21 weeks, respectively, in 2021 and 2022).
“Cables” becomes Farruko’s eighth win on Latin Pop Airplay among 40 career entries. The single also gives him a first champ since 2023, when “Pasa_je_ro” seized the No. 1 slot for five consecutive weeks in 2023, his longest-leading song there.
Farruko’s winning streak began with 2016’s “Obsesionado” (two weeks in charge). That same year, “Chillax,” featuring Ky-Mani Marley, led for one week.
As it has become a norm for Farruko’s leading songs on Latin Pop Airplay, “Cables” lands at No. 1 in its 17th week, a two-digit run to the penthouse as the rest of his eight champs. Let’s take a closer look at those eight winners and their journey to No. 1, from least to most:
Weeks to No. 1, Song, Weeks at No. 1, Year11, “Obsesionado,” two (2016)13, “Perfecta,” with Luis Fonsi, two (2020)13, “Me Pasé,” with Enrique Iglesias, one (2021)16, “Si Me Dices Que Sí,” with Reik & Camilo, two (2020)17, “Cables Cruzados,” (2025)21, “Chillax,” featuring Ky-Mani Marley, one (2016)22, “Pasa_je_ro,” five (2023)25, ‘Calma,” with Pedro Capo, one (2019)
Thanks to a winning performance across radio pop stations, “Cables Cruzados” delivers its first top 10 appearance on the overall Latin Airplay chart, where it climbs 18-10, Farruko’s 18th top 10 there.
All charts (dated Feb. 22, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, Feb. 19, a day later than usual due to the Presidents’ Day holiday in the United States Feb. 17. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Sabrina Carpenter started the month of February by winning her first two Grammys ever, and as it turns out, she was just getting started.
Last week, Carpenter graced the cover of Vogue for the very first time — earning praise from Madonna for her Marilyn Monroe-inspired photo shoot that recalled Madge’s own Vanity Fair spread from the early ’90s (“Is this a Valentine’s present to me?”). Then first thing Friday, she dropped the deluxe edition of her Short n’ Sweet album that included a remix of her Billboard Hot 100-topping “Please Please Please” with none other than Dolly Parton.
Then on Sunday night, Carpenter got not one, but two looks on the blockbuster Saturday Night Live 50th-anniversary special, opening the show alongside Paul Simon with “Homeward Bound” and then joining a Domingo sketch alongside Bad Bunny and Pedro Pascal. Whew.
On the new Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking all about Carpenter’s big week and recapping all the music moments on the SNL50 special.
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Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on Kendrick Lamar’s post-Super Bowl splash on both the Billboard 200 albums chart and Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, as the GNX album returns to No. 1 on the former and “Not Like Us” is back at No. 1 on the latter. Plus, could Drake — the subject of the diss track “Not Like Us” — actually replace Lamar at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 next week? His new collaboration album with PartyNextDoor, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, came out last Friday, so it could happen.
And we finally got our first pop headliner at the Sphere in Las Vegas, with the announcement of a Backstreet Boys residency in July.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” adds another honor to a triumphant February for the artist, breaking the record for the most weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The culture-shaping hit re-enters directly at the summit on the list dated Feb. 22 after its high-profile inclusion at Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show (Feb. 9) and five wins at the Grammy Awards (Feb. 2), including record and song of the year.
With its recovery, “Not Like Us” picks up an unprecedented 22nd week atop Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It breaks from a tie with SZA’s “Kill Bill” to stand alone as longest-leading No. 1 in the chart’s history, which dates to 1958. The returning champ, which debuted in May and charted through November, is the first track to re-enter at No. 1; the previous return high was a No. 3 comeback for Juice WRLD’s “Lucid Dreams” on the list dated Dec. 21, 2019, following the rapper’s death that month.
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“Not Like Us” wins its record week at No. 1 through a combination of 49 million official U.S. streams, 20.5 million in airplay audience and 33,000 digital download sales in the Feb. 7-13 tracking week, according to Luminate. The single surged by 156%, 31% and 432% in the metrics, respectively, compared with its results last week.
As the record of the year winner rewrites the record books, here’s a look at the longest-running No. 1 hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart:
22, “Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar, 2024-25
21, “Kill Bill,” SZA, 2022-23
20, “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, 2019
18, “Industry Baby,” Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow, 2021-22
18, “One Dance,” Drake feat. WizKid & Kyla, 2016
16, “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke feat. T.I. + Pharrell, 2013
15, “Be Without You,” Mary J. Blige, 2006
15, “Lovin on Me,” Jack Harlow, 2023-24
Elsewhere, “Not Like Us” re-enters at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart to secure a record-extending 26th week in charge, while it flies 15-1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 for a third leading week.
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“Not Like Us” leads a parade of 17 Lamar tracks on the 50-position Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, including a full occupation of the top six slots. Former champs “Luther,” with SZA, “TV Off,” featuring Lefty Gunplay, and “Squabble Up” book Nos. 2-4, respectively, and each gains in all three tracking metrics after their inclusion in the halftime show set.
Another SZA-Lamar collab, “30 for 30,” climbs 6-5 despite not being performed at the Super Bowl, though as a current single, it continues to grow at radio and earns gains in other metrics from fans’ wider streaming of SZA and Lamar’s larger catalogs. Finally, yet another team-up from the pair, 2018’s “All the Stars,” re-enters at No. 6 following its halftime show presence.
With 11 of Lamar’s songs this week from his GNX album, it’s little surprise that the set rebounds 3-1 for a fifth week at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album, released last November, earned 236,000 equivalent albums in the tracking week, up 264%. The sum also powers it 4-1 on the all-genre Billboard 200, where it captures the summit for the first time since its debut week.