Music News

Alicia Keys Readies New ‘Uncharted’ Documentary: ‘Everything Done In This Film Was Done by Women’

From her five Billboard 200 No. 1 albums to her new Tony-winning Hell’s Kitchen musical, Alicia Keys is a true “Superwoman.” Now, “Girl on Fire” is looking to add to those superpowers with a new documentary titled Uncharted. The feature-length film is slated to premiere on Paramount+ on Oct. 22.

Uncharted promises an unflinching look at the lack of access and opportunity the music business grants young Black and brown women. Featuring several bright young songwriters — including rising Chicago R&B star Jean DeauxUncharted examines the young women’s respective journeys as they strive to break through the industry with the next big hit.

“Everything done in this film was done by women in every capacity,” Keys tells Billboard. “You get a true sense of the journey of these artists and the songwriting process which is so special.”

Trending on Billboard

Executive produced by Keys and directed by Emmy and Peabody Award winner Beth Aala, Uncharted takes fans behind the scenes of Keys’ She Is The Music songwriting camp. Launched in 2018, She Is The Music is an initiative founded by Keys, Grammy-winning engineer Ann Mincieli, Universal Music Publishing Group chairman and CEO Jody Gerson, and UTA partner and global head of music Sam Kirby Yoh. The campaign seeks to increase the number of women working in the global music industry, from songwriters to lighting directors.

Uncharted had its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. Additional executive producers include Minicieli, Gerson, Kirby Yoh, Katie Couric, Dr. Stacy Smith, Brenda Robinson, Abby Rodriguez, Regina K. Scully, Geralyn White Dreyfous, and Abby Greensfelder’s Everywoman Studios for MTV Entertainment Studios.

Globally, Uncharted will exclusively premiere on Paramount+ in the U.K., Germany, Switzerland, and Austria on Oct. 23. The documentary will also exclusively premiere on the service in Japan on Nov. 15.

In addition to her five Billboard 200 chart-toppers, Alicia Keys has also earned four Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits, including 2001’s “Fallin’” (six weeks), 2007’s “No One” (five weeks), and 2009’s “Empire State of Mind” (with Jay-Z, five weeks). Her most recent non-holiday studio album, 2021’s Keys, reached No. 41 on the Billboard 200, spawning the Adult R&B Songs top 10 hit, “Best of Me” (No. 8). Recently, Keys was named an Honorable Mention in Billboard’s ranking of the 25 Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century.

Click here to view the official Uncharted trailer.

RIIZE Announces Seunghan Will Return to K-Pop Group After 10 Months of Controversial Hiatus

After a nearly yearlong absence, the seventh member of breakout K-pop group RIIZE will rejoin his band mates.

RIIZE’s official social media accounts announced that Seunghan will gradually participate in select group activities starting in November, marking a return that’s been highly anticipated yet fraught with confusing controversy.

Beginning in August 2023, Seunghan’s break stemmed from pre-debut photos and videos of the young star leaking that ignited backlash within some of South Korea’s more conservative social climate. The images showed Seunghan in a bed with an unidentified woman and smoking a cigarette, leading to some fans labeling his actions as inappropriate for a K-pop idol and demanding his removal from RIIZE. Last November, the group’s label, SM Entertainment, announced that Seunghan would “halt activities indefinitely” while reflecting on his behavior with no further updates from the label in a decision that left fans and industry insiders forced to speculate about his future.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The controversy surrounding Seunghan’s return reflected the broader tension between the global aspirations of K-pop artists and the expectations placed on them by domestic audiences. While RIIZE has earned international acclaim for music and the group’s authentic approach to social media and fan connection — highlighted in a Billboard digital cover touting them as “K-pop stars on the rise” from this past June — Seunghan’s situation highlights the pressure increasingly international idols face to uphold traditional values in a rapidly modernizing industry.

Trending on Billboard

In the statement, SM Entertainment acknowledged both Seunghan’s personal growth during his time away and the label’s internal deliberation on the timing of his return. While many fans will welcome his reappearance (an online petition requesting his return had 20,000 signatures), the decision to reintegrate him into RIIZE marks a pivotal moment in how the group will navigate its future trajectory both at home and abroad and, potentially, how the K-pop industry can more seamlessly navigate controversies of cultural clashes.

Seunghan followed up on the statement with a handwritten letter uploaded to RIIZE’s Weverse account, in which he apologized to his fans, company, and band mates. The 21-year-old shared that he questioned his future as a musician but pointed out that his RIIZE members Shotaro, Eunseok, Sungchan, Wonbin, Sohee and Anton actually reached out to him.

“Because I caused such great disappointment, I continued to have more realistic thoughts such as, ‘Will I be able to stand on stage again?’” he wrote. “During that time, the members held my hand once again. It must have been a very difficult decision, and I am only filled with gratitude and apologetic feelings for giving me another chance. I know there is so much I need to show to the members who have taken my hand again, the fans who are worried that the achievements made in my absence might be tarnished, and the company that made the tough decision. Of course, I feel burden and fear about this.”

Earlier today (Oct. 10), RIIZE released the “KENZIE RE:WORKS” remix of their pre-release buzz single “Memories,” which dropped ahead of the septet’s official debut in September 2023.

Read the full statement below (with translation provided via Soompi):

To the BRIIZE [RIIZE’s fandom] who love RIIZE,

Hello, this is Wizard Production, who is in charge of producing for RIIZE.
We would like to cautiously make a statement regarding member Seunghan’s return and the direction of RIIZE’s future activities.

As the fans know, it has been around 10 months since Seunghan went on a hiatus from group activities due to issues with his pre-debut personal life.

Seunghan acknowledges that his past actions were wrong, and he has currently halted activities for nearly a year while deeply reflecting [on his actions] and feeling apologetic to the other members and his fans.
We also recognized that Seunghan’s past actions were not appropriate as an artist, which is why it took us a long time to debate the timing of his return to activities.

Because there was no announcement regarding Seunghan’s activities, the fans went beyond curiosity to become worried and concerned, and we empathize with those feelings. But as we continued to debate the matter from various angles, [our decision took some time], and we sincerely apologize for the fact that we are only now telling you our decision about the direction of RIIZE’s future activities.

We poured our heart and soul into planning out RIIZE even before their debut, and we have determined that RIIZE’s next chapter would be even more meaningful if the seven members were together. Therefore, after numerous discussions with the staff and members about the direction of the group’s future activities, it has been decided that Seunghan will be returning to the group.
After joining the group and preparing for a certain amount of time, we plan for Seunghan to gradually participate in some of the group’s scheduled activities for November and greet the fans once again.

Even during his hiatus, Seunghan has consistently worked to build his skills, and as he still has a lot to show you in the future, we hope that you will look warmly upon him.

Once again, we sincerely apologize for causing confusion and difficulty for the fans who have watched over and cheered for RIIZE’s growth.
However, as RIIZE is a group that aims to rise and realize their dreams together, the members think of the group as their top priority and are, even at this very moment, working hard to practice [for their future activities].
We ask that you trust our decision so that we can properly show the fans a RIIZE consisting of seven members.

We are certain that many people are curious about what RIIZE’s next chapter will be, how much farther they will rise, what sorts of dreams they are harboring, and how they will realize those dreams in the future.
Because we, the people who are the closest to RIIZE and who are also passionate fans of RIIZE ourselves, are also eagerly looking forward to RIIZE’s next chapter.

We will continue to work hard in the future to repay [the fans] with RIIZE’s great music and performances while sharing the members’ dreams.
We ask that you stay with the members and share all of their moments of rising and realizing that will continue to unfold in the future.

Seunghan’s Weverse letter (via Soompi):

Hello, this is Seunghan.

First of all, I sincerely want to apologize to the members and the fans. When the photos from before my debut were released, although they were photos of me, I was deeply disappointed and regretful about myself. If even I felt that way, I can’t even imagine how the members and fans by my side must have felt.

You must have been angry, shocked, and disappointed. I am truly sorry to the fans who supported us from the very beginning, which was such a crucial time, and to those who were hurt by my immature actions. I also feel sorry to the members, with whom I should have been working hard to move forward together, which led to my sudden suspension of activities. I want to apologize to everyone who had to endure and overcome that situation. I felt both sorry for the situation and a sense of despair at not being able to be with everyone.

Because I caused such great disappointment, I continued to have more realistic thoughts such as, “Will I be able to stand on stage again? Can I continue making music?”

During that time, the members held my hand once again. It must have been a very difficult decision, and I am only filled with gratitude and apologetic feelings for giving me another chance.

I know there is so much I need to show to the members who have taken my hand again, the fans who are worried that the achievements made in my absence might be tarnished, and the company that made the tough decision. Of course, I feel burden and fear about this aspect.

However, I am determined to work even harder and do better because of the trust placed in me.

I will strive to be a good member who takes responsibility and does not tarnish the achievements the members have built up. I want to become a necessary presence to the team RIIZE.

Once again, I want to apologize to the members and company staff who made the difficult decision and to the fans who must have been shocked. I will work more diligently and responsibly in the future.

Stop Holding Your Breath, Rüfüs Du Sol’s ‘Inhale / Exhale’ Is Here: Stream It Now

Rüfüs Du Sol‘s much-anticipated fifth album, Inhale / Exhale, is finally here (Oct. 11), and fans have plenty to dive into.

Released via their label Rose Avenue Records and Reprise, the album sees the Australian trio continue to evolve while sticking to the emotional depth that has become their hallmark.

To celebrate the launch of their latest project, Rüfüs Du Sol held a pop-up gig on Sydney Harbour on Oct. 10. The trio performed in front of the iconic backdrop of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“To get to play in that venue, with that backdrop was so special,” frontman Tyrone Lindqvist told Australia’s ABC News Breakfast. “It’s the first show we’ve done semi-in the round where people were in front, to the sides and behind.

He added, “It was a very surreal pinch-yourself moment for me.”

Trending on Billboard

The lead-up to Inhale / Exhale has already been promising, with singles like “Break My Love,” which earned a spot in Billboard’s Friday Dance Music Guide as one of the best tracks of August. It’s a quintessential Rüfüs Du Sol track, driven by a pulsing beat and introspective lyrics that dig into themes of love and resilience.

“We want to try new things and, you know, step out of our comfort zone so on this record we did that a lot,” Lindqvist said.

The band even dropped a playful music video for the track, where they star as ’70s-era secret agents pulling off a heist.

The album itself follows up their Grammy-winning 2021 release Surrender, which earned them a Best Dance/Electronic Recording award for “On My Knees.”

Fans have come to expect a lot from the band, especially since their sound has become a go-to for the late-night festival scene, and Inhale / Exhale doesn’t disappoint, with the album offering 15 tracks that explore everything from euphoric dance beats to more experimental sounds,

The release of Inhale / Exhale also marks a new chapter in the band’s ongoing tour schedule. Just last month, they headlined San Francisco’s Portola Festival, and in 2025, they’re set to bring their sound to Lollapalooza’s South American editions.

You can stream Inhale / Exhale below.

Rod Wave Takes a ‘Last Lap’ With New Album Featuring Lil Yachty & Lil Baby: Stream It Now

Rod Wave has released a project every year of his career since 2017, and he adds to his resume by checking off 2024 with his Last Lap album.

The project is filled with 23 tracks in total and boasts a few guest appearances — typically rare real estate on Wave projects — from Lil Baby, Lil Yachty and Rylo Rodriguez.

Singles “Passport Junkies” and “Fall Fast in Love” are on the LP, both of which made the Billboard Hot 100, with the latter giving him his 72nd entry on the chart. “Passport” sits at No. 97, while “Fall” lands at No. 68 in its debut on this week’s Hot 100.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

With the album finally here, next order of business for Rod Wave is his Last Lap Tour. The singer will hit the road with Moneybagg Yo and Toosii for the North American trek, which kicks off in Phoenix on Oct. 19.

Trending on Billboard

The tour will also make stops for shows in Oakland, Sacramento, Houston, Dallas, Memphis, Lexington, Detroit, Chicago, Brooklyn, Boston, Baltimore, Philly, Nashville and Orlando, before finishing up in Ft. Lauderdale on Dec. 18.

Rod Wave is looking to notch his fourth consecutive album, and he’ll be battling GloRilla and her Glorious debut album for the top spot on next week’s Billboard 200.

Wave’s riding high off the success of 2023’s Nostalgia. The Florida native’s fifth studio LP debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 137,000 total album-equivalent units sold in the first week. All 18 tracks from the LP also made the Billboard Hot 100.

Stream Last Lap below.

Jelly Roll’s ‘Beautifully Broken’: All 22 Songs Ranked

Over the past year and a half, Jelly Roll has ascended to selling out arenas across the country and earning five No. 1 hits on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, as well as Grammy nominations and the Country Music Association’s new artist of the year award — and, in another signifier of his career rise, he’s nominated for the CMA’s coveted entertainer of the year honor at the upcoming ceremony on Nov. 20. He is also up for male vocalist of the year and album of the year for his debut country album (Whitsitt Chapel).

But perhaps most importantly, the Antioch, Tennessee, native has forged a reputation as a quick-witted singer-songwriter who traded his criminal past and previous career as a rapper for a mantel as a country-rock music purveyor and exemplar of redemptive change, an artist whose songs offer a vessel of elevation for those with checkered pasts, regrets, current struggles and hopes for a brighter day. Meanwhile, the preacher-fervor in Jelly Roll’s gravel-filled vocal delivery and onstage banter offers listeners an encourager and champion that those aspirations can become reality.

He continues that mission on his just-released new album, Beautifully Broken, a sprawling 22-song set that finds him doubling down on his message of redemptive arcs, starting with the image set forth of a man visiting an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Beautifully Broken‘s opening song “Winning Streak.” Along the way, he touches on the emotional impact of his life-changing success, pens skillful love songs, and gets vulnerable in the hopes he has for his family. Over the past year or so, it seems Jelly Roll has collaborated with the bulk of major country artists in some way; on this set, he nods to his rock and rap roots, through collaborations with MGK, Ilsey and Wiz Khalifa.

Though his 2023-released, 13-track Whitsitt Chapel just missed the crowning spot on Billboard‘s Top Country Albums chart (and debuted at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200), he seems poised to best those numbers with his new album.

One song from the album, “Get By,” has already been chosen as ESPN’s college football anthem for the 2024-25 season. Meanwhile, Jelly Roll has been bringing his redemptive songs to audiences across the country (including coveted performance venues such as Madison Square Garden) on his headlining Beautifully Broken Tour, which runs through November. With this album, he seems set to have plenty more life-giving songs to add to his live shows.

Below, we rank all 22 songs on Beautifully Broken.

Charli XCX Works It Out on the Remix Album With ‘Brat & It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat’: Stream It Now

For everyone who thought the season of Brat ended with the summertime, Charli XCX would like you to think again.

On Friday (Oct. 11), Charli unveiled her long-awaited remix album, Brat and It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat. Revamping all 15 songs from the original album (and one additional song from its deluxe version Brat and It’s the Same But There’s Three More Songs So It’s Not) the pop singer teams up with an all-star guest list of fellow pop luminaries to create a completely different (but also still Brat) sound.

Some of the guests and their respective songs have already been released, including Billie Eilish (“Guess”), Lorde (“Girl, So Confusing”) and Troye Sivan (“Talk Talk”). As for the remaining guests, Charli revealed her newest set of collaborators using a series of billboards around the U.S., before she ultimately unveiled the entire tracklist earlier this week, including Ariana Grande (“Sympathy Is a Knife”), Tinashe (“B2b”), Caroline Polachek (“Everything is Romantic”) and The 1975 (“I Might Say Something Stupid”).

In a recent interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Charli revealed that the album’s minimalist, lime-green branding was born out of a place of fear that the album wouldn’t perform well. “The actual first idea of doing a text cover came from was to save money. I was like, ‘This album is not going to appeal to a lot of people,’” she explained. “I was like, ‘I think I will do a press shoot and then maybe we just save on the album cover.’”

Trending on Billboard

Stream Charli XCX’s Brat and It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat below.

GloRilla Releases Debut Album ‘GLORIOUS’ Featuring Megan Thee Stallion, Latto, Sexyy Red & More: Stream It Now

After drubbing the competition with a fistful of hits including “Yeah Glo!,” “Wanna Be,” and “TGIF,” GloRilla looks to cement her MVP year with the release of her debut album, GLORIOUS. Released today (Oct. 11), GLORIOUS includes marquee names such as Megan Thee Stallion, Latto, Sexyy Red, Kirk Franklin, T-Pain, and more.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“Last year, I was supposed to drop my debut album, but I was still just getting used to stuff and working a lot,” Glo told Billboard earlier this week. When the top of the year came, I had the project basically done. I was like, ‘OK, I gotta give them the mixtape before I give them the album,’ because I went the whole year without dropping anything. That’s why I said I was gonna give them the mixtape first, get em’ back used to me first, give ’em a feel of me, and then that’s gonna prep me for the album. The mixtape did good and did what it was supposed to do, which prepped me for my album.”

After previously dishing out “Wanna Be” and “Accent” with her Megan Thee Stallion, the pair connected again for a trifecta on their newest collaboration, “How I Look. “I don’t really have a lot of industry friends,” said Glo regarding her friendship with Megan. “I got associates and they’re cool, but me and Meg really got cool. I didn’t expect it. She FaceTimed me when I was getting on the plane, just talking crazy and funny. We really gained a bond.”

Trending on Billboard

Listen to GLORIOUS below.

Tyla Drops Deluxe Edition of Self-Titled Debut Album: Stream It Now

Tyla dropped the deluxe edition of her self-titled debut album on Friday (Oct. 11) via FAX and Epic Records.

The new version features three more songs: “Shake Ah,” featuring Tony Duardo, Optimist and Maestro, “Push 2 Start” and “Back to You.”

The original version of Tyla was released on March 22, 2024. The 14-track project included previously released singles like her Billboard Hot 100 No. 7 smash “Water,” “Truth or Dare,” “Art” and “Jump,” featuring Gunna and Skillibeng, and additional collaborations with Kelvin Momo (“Intro”), Tems (“No.1”), Becky G (“On My Body”) and Travis Scott (“Water – Remix”). The set reached No. 24 on the Billboard 200, No. 2 on Top R&B Albums and No. 1 on World Albums (five weeks).

The 22-year-old South African artist won the inaugural best African music performance Grammy earlier this year for “Water,” which recently won Best Afrobeats at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards. She also won the Global Force award at Billboard‘s first-ever R&B No. 1s party in New York.

Tyla is set to perform during the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show next Tuesday, Oct. 15 in New York City, which will be available to watch live at 7 p.m. ET across Victoria’s Secret’s Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, and on Amazon Live & Prime Video. She will be joined by Cher and LISA on the first-of-its-kind all-female lineup. She also joined the 2024 Coke Studio lineup, alongside Usher, Peggy Gou, NewJeans and Karol G. As part of the partnership, Tyla will perform in her native Johannesburg and live debut a new song produced for Coke Studio.

Listen to the deluxe version of Tyla below.

Trending on Billboard

Jelly Roll’s ‘Beautifully Broken’ Album Has Arrived: Stream It Now

Jelly Roll is Beautifully Broken, and is sharing his journey with fans on his vulnerable album that arrived on Friday (Oct. 11).

The 22-track album features previously released singles “I Am Not Okay,” “Liar” and “Get By,” as well as collaborations with Ilsey, Wiz Khalifa and MGK.

Beautifully Broken serves as the follow-up to Whitsitt Chapel, which was released in June 2023. The album peaked at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200, reached No. 2 on Top Country Albums and took the No. 1 spot on Top Rock Albums. Jelly also got two 2024 Grammy nominations for best new artist and best country duo/group performance for “Save Me,” his collaboration with Lainey Wilson.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The album roll out also involved giving back. The net profits from every pre-order of the project made via his website went to mental health and addiction organizations. The four organizations who will benefit are Wounded Warriors Project, Folds of Honor, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and Shatterproof.

Jelly Roll is currently in the midst of a nationwide arena tour, which kicked off in August and will wind down with an Oct. 27 gig at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

Trending on Billboard

Stream Jelly Roll’s Beautifully Broken in full below.

BLACKPINK’s Jennie Drops Empowering New Single ‘Mantra’: Stream It Now

Jennie has created the ultimate anthem for pretty girls all over the world. The BLACKPINK superstar unveiled her brand new solo single, “Mantra,” on Thursday (Oct. 10).

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“This that pretty girl mantra/ This that flaunt ‘cha/ Just touched down in LA,” she sings in the anthemic, dance-ready chorus. In the promo photos and corresponding music video, the 28-year-old singer is seen amid a slew of high-end convertibles and sports cars.

Jennie has had a groundbreaking few years. In addition to releasing long-awaited solo music, she also made her acting debut in 2023 in the HBO drama series The Idol and was named an honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire. In March 2024, she teamed up with Brockhampton’s Matt Champion to release a brand new collaboration, titled “Slow Motion.”

She announced in December that she is launching a new label and company called OA. “Hi, this is Jennie. This year was filled with many accomplishments, and I’m so thankful for all the love I’ve received,” the K-pop singer wrote on her Instagram Story. “I’m also about what’s to come, as I start my solo journey in 2024 with a company that I have established called OA. Please show lots of love for my new start with OA and of course BLACKPINK. Thank you.”

Trending on Billboard

Stream Jennie’s “Mantra” below.