Music News
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JISOO’s AMORTAGE has topped this week’s new music poll, which highlights artists across various genres.
Published on Friday (Feb. 14) by Billboard, the poll saw music fans vote for the BLACKPINK member’s debut solo mini-album as their favorite new music release of the past week.
AMORTAGE received 88% of the vote, securing a strong lead over other major new releases, including Sabrina Carpenter‘s Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe), Drake and PartyNextDoor‘s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco’s “Scared of Loving You,” Bon Iver’s “Everything is Peaceful Love,” and others.
The four-song mini-album arrived on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) and includes the tracks “Earthquake,” “Your Love,” “Tears” and “Hugs & Kisses.” Blissoo and The Wavys produced all of the songs, while JISOO co-wrote each track with Jordan Roman and a team of collaborators. The K-pop superstar previously shared that the album’s unique title represents “a montage of love.”
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JISOO made her solo debut in 2023 with the singles “FLOWER” and “All Eyes on Me,” but AMORTAGE marks her first full project outside of BLACKPINK, following solo efforts from members LISA, JENNIE and ROSÉ. As part of BLACKPINK, JISOO has charted nine songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the third South Korean act ever to top the Billboard 200 with Born Pink.
AMORTAGE is also JISOO’s first project since signing a global label deal with Warner Records for her solo music in January.
“I’m excited about this new era and the continuation of my musical journey,” she said when the deal was announced. “I feel like I’m just getting started and I’d like to thank the BLINKs for all of their love and support. This is just the beginning and I’m thrilled to kick off this seismic moment with Warner Records.”
Trailing behind AMORTAGE on this week’s poll is the deluxe edition of Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet, which earned nearly 6% of the vote. The expanded version features a new rendition of “Please Please Please” with Dolly Parton, along with bonus tracks like “15 Minutes,” “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder,” “Busy Woman” and “Bad Reviews.”
Check out the full results of this week’s poll below and visit Billboard’s Friday Music Guide for more must-hear releases.
Drake has been announced as the headliner for this year’s Wireless Festival.
On Sunday (Feb. 16), the annual U.K. music event revealed that the 38-year-old superstar rapper will close out all three nights of the festival’s 20th anniversary.
“For our 20th anniversary… Drake will headline all THREE nights with three different setlists,” Wireless Festival shared on Instagram, alongside a poster.
The festival returns to London’s Finsbury Park from July 11-13, with Drake performing alongside a variety of guest artists each night and offering a unique setlist for every appearance.
The Toronto MC’s opening night on Friday (July 11) will feature Drizzy alongside PartyNextDoor and special guest Summer Walker. On Saturday (July 12), the 6 God returns with mystery guest “The Mandem,” while Sunday (July 13) will see Drake perform with Burna Boy and Vybz Kartel.
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This will mark Drake’s first U.K. performances in six years.
The full lineup for the 2025 edition of Wireless Festival will be revealed at a later date. General ticket sales begin on Feb. 19 at 12 p.m. GMT at wirelessfestival.co.uk.
Drake is currently celebrating the release of his new collaborative album with PartyNextDoor, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, which dropped on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) and is already breaking records on Apple Music.
$ome $exy $ongs 4 U is Drizzy’s first full album since 2023’s For All the Dogs, which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It’s also his first major project since his highly publicized rap feud with Kendrick Lamar, which saw K. Dot take aim at the Toronto superstar during the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 9, performing his Billboard Hot 100-topping diss track “Not Like Us” in front of more than 100 million viewers.
About 24 hours after its release, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U broke the record for the biggest R&B/soul album in Apple Music’s history by first-day streams worldwide.
The 21-track album, with a 74-minute runtime, follows PartyNextDoor’s P4, released in 2024.
Drake and PartyNextDoor have long demonstrated their strong chemistry on tracks like “Come and See Me,” “Recognize,” “Members Only,” “Loyal,” “Preach,” “Since Way Back,” and others.
Shakira has been hospitalized in Lima, Peru, and will postpone the show she was slated to perform Sunday (Feb. 16) as part of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran tour.
In a statement in Spanish posted in her Instagram Stories, the global superstar wrote she had to go to the emergency room due to an “abdominal” condition and was currently hospitalized.
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“The doctors who are taking care of me have informed me I’m not in condition to perform a concert tonight,” Shakira wrote, referring to the show scheduled for Sunday (Feb. 16) at Lima’s Estadio Nacional.
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“I’m very sad to not be able to get onstage today,” the singer added. “I’ve been full of excitement and anticipation to see my beloved Peruvian fans again. I hope to be better tomorrow and to be discharged as soon as possible to be able to give you the show I’ve prepared for all of you.
“Our plan is to do this show as soon as possible. My team and the promoter are working on a new date to provide you.”
“Thank you for understanding,” she concluded the note. “I love you very much.”
Shakira launched her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran tour on Feb. 11 in Rio de Janiero, then played a second show Feb. 13 in Sao Paulo. Lima was slated to be her next stop. She is still scheduled to perform in Colombia, beginning Feb. 21 in her native Barranquilla.
Check out the full Latin American tour dates below:
Feb. 11: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Estadio Nilton Santos)Feb. 13: São Paulo, Brazil (Estadio MorumBIS)Feb. 16: Lima, Peru (Estadio Nacional)Feb. 21: Barranquilla, Colombia (Estadio Metropolitano)Feb. 23: Medellín, Colombia (Estadio Atanasio Girardot)Feb. 26: Bogotá, Colombia (Estadio El Campín)March 2: Santiago, Chile (Estadio Nacional)March 7: Buenos Aires, Argentina (Campo Argentino de Polo)March 12: Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico (Estadio BBVA)March 16: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico (Estadio Akron)March 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30 : Mexico City, Mexico (Estadio GNP Seguros)
Chester Bennington‘s child Draven has revealed they are transgender.
In a Valentine’s Day message on Instagram (Feb. 14), the 22-year-old child of the late Linkin Park singer shared that they “came out as transgender” in 2024 and are currently in the process of transitioning.
“As today is a day to celebrate love and what love truly means, whether it’s for a partner, family, or ourselves, I thought it would be the perfect time to show some love to myself,” Draven wrote in a typed note. “For a long time, I tried to be someone, someone I truly wasn’t on the inside. Ignoring it worked for a while, but continuously coming to the crossroads of being happy or being complacent was one I couldn’t keep crossing.”
Draven revealed that in August 2024, they made the life-changing decision to come out as transgender and begin hormone replacement therapy. “It has been the best decision I’ve ever made in my life,” the said.
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Since sharing the news, Draven has received unwavering support from friends and family, including their mother, Samantha Bennington.
“I love each and every one of you who have shown me nothing but love and respect and see me for who I truly am,” they added. “With all the support and love I’ve received, I’ve built the strength to love myself. This is why I’m choosing to no longer hide who I am. Love is love. Happy Valentine’s Day,” Draven concluded.
Samantha Bennington, who was married to Chester from 1996 to 2005, expressed her pride and love for Draven in the comments section of the post.
“I’m so proud of you. I love you with all my heart and soul,” she wrote. “You’re my favorite human on the planet. I just want you happy and healthy forever and always.”
Chester Bennington passed away by suicide in July 2017 at the age of 41. He struggled with drug and alcohol addiction throughout his life. In addition to Draven, the musician shared sons Tyler, 18, and twin daughters, Lily and Lila, 13, with his second wife, Talinda Bentley. He was also father to sons Jamie, 28, and Isaiah, 27, from his relationship with ex-partner Elka Brand.
Draven, who has followed in their father’s footsteps to pursue a career in music, shared in 2023 with People that they hope to leave a lasting impact on fans, just as Chester did.
“Every time I hear somebody’s story, telling like how much my dad’s music impacted their life, I just think it’s really beautiful,” Draven said. “I think that’s really sweet how something that he was just doing as a passion, what he loved, had that effect on so many people.”
See Draven’s full Valentine’s Day post on Instagram below.
Attorneys for the man suspected of killing rap icon Tupac Shakur want to delay next month’s trial, saying more time is needed for investigative work to ensure that Duane “Keffe D” Davis gets a fair trial.
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The motion filed Friday (Feb. 14) in a Nevada court provides insight into Davis’ defense, noting that a private investigator has identified witnesses who can testify that he was not at the scene of the 1996 shooting, nor was he in Las Vegas at the time.
The motion also suggests that someone else may have orchestrated the shooting and that witnesses who could testify on the matter are being interviewed.
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The defense team said in a statement that the new developments and the need to interview key witnesses necessitate a delay. A hearing was scheduled Tuesday to discuss the timing of the trial, currently set to begin in March.
“This case involves decades-old allegations, and with every new piece of evidence, it becomes increasingly clear that critical facts have yet to be fully examined,” said attorney Carl Arnold, who is leading Davis’ defense.
On the night of Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was in a BMW being driven by Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight. They were waiting at a red light when a white Cadillac pulled up next to them and gunfire erupted.
Davis, an ex-gang leader who is accused of orchestrating Shakur’s killing near the Las Vegas Strip, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and has been jailed since his September 2023 arrest.
Long known to investigators as one of four suspects identified early in the investigation, he is the only one to be charged.
Arnold has argued that Davis never should have been charged because of immunity agreements that Davis says he reached years ago with federal and local prosecutors while living in California.
Prosecutors have said any immunity agreement was limited and they have strong evidence against Davis, including his own accounts of the shooting in the tell-all memoir Compton Street Legend.
Davis has acknowledged in interviews and in the memoir that he provided the gun used in the drive-by shooting and that he was in the car. But his court filings say his descriptions in recent years of orchestrating the shooting were “done for entertainment purposes and to make money.”
Defense attorneys also say they have witness information indicating that Shakur was in stable condition after the shooting and that he died suddenly after being hospitalized for a week. They were consulting medical and forensic experts to evaluate potential alternative causes of death.
Este Haim has an especially gleeful photo up on Instagram that hints at an engagement to reported beau Jonathan Levin, tech entrepreneur and CEO of Chainalysis. Este, one third of sister band Haim with Danielle and Alana, posted a selfie that flashed what looks to be a diamond on her left finger on Thursday (Feb. […]
Kid Rock showed some respect for Kendrick Lamar‘s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance in an appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher. He also said he doesn’t think it would’ve happened without the NFL’s DEI initiatives.
“To put it nicely, it wasn’t my cup of tea, but I got to respect it,” he told Maher on the Valentine’s Day episode of Real Time. “And here’s why. You know, I grew up loving, emulating hip-hop, all things hip-hop — break dancing, deejaying, graffiti, rapping, and so I understand the culture a little bit more than most. And when I say most, of course, I mean white people.”
Kid Rock continued, “So when you’re watching it, after, there’s a lot of things going through your head. You know, everyone’s like, ‘That sucked,’ this, that and the other. I’m like, man, this kid pretty much came out figuratively with both middle fingers in the air, doing what he does for the people who love what he does, unapologetically. And I don’t think he gives a frog’s fat a– what anyone thinks about it.”
“So I go, huh, it’s pretty much how I built my whole career. I gotta respect it,” said Kid Rock, who recently performed in support of Donald Trump’s inauguration and said the president is “one of the greatest men to ever walk the Earth” and “screams ‘American Badass,’ just by the way he walks,” and professed his love for Trump again during his conversation with Maher on Friday.
Kid Rock then attempted to theorize how Lamar — a frequent Billboard chart topper and 22-time Grammy Award winner, and the top Grammy winner this year (with five wins, including record and song of the year) — got invited to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show, which made history as the most-watched Halftime Show of all time, with 133.5 million viewers.
“How did he get there?” he wondered out loud. “I’ve heard nobody answer this question. How did he get that gig? Jay-Z. What happened there? I think Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar should both send Colin Kaepernick a Bundt cake and a six-pack of beer and a ‘thank you’ note with a bunch of money in it because without him kneeling and getting everyone’s panties in a bunch over the anthem, self-included, I don’t think that happens.”
Maher started to move the conversation along at that point, but Kid Rock kept going.
“And by the way, one more point,” Kid Rock said. “This was the epitome of DEI blowing up. Because the NFL was all this DEI, end racism, all this stuff. They got Jay-Z in there booking this. Kendrick Lamar goes out there and basically turns DEI into an IED. It’s all Black people, or all people of color, speaking to his crowd, in the hood, Black people. It was like the most exclusive thing ever and I’m like, ‘F— yeah, that’s awesome.’ I’m laughing my a– off.”
Later in Friday’s interview, when asked his about thoughts on democrats, Kid Rock reminded Maher he’d also once performed (but didn’t vote) for Barack Obama, and told him, “Half my band’s liberal, or gay, or Black, or this. I have one of the most diverse bands out there. Not because of this DEI s—. Just because they’re the best at what they do. We all love each other and get along.”
As the conversation shifted over to Kid Rock’s upcoming tour dates, he spoke of the need for an upheaval in the concert ticket business. The TICKET Act, a ticketing reform law meant to clean up the concert industry, was recently revived in the U.S. Senate after nearly becoming law in 2024. The TICKET Act would introduce mandatory all-in pricing, require refunds for canceled events and ban speculative ticket sales.
“In the last however long, it’s complete horse s—,” Kid Rock said of what it’s currently like to purchase a concert ticket, adding that “the customers get screwed.”
“What we have to really look at right now is what’s going on in some of these European markets, like France. They basically put a price cap on reselling a ticket of like 10 or 15%,” he suggested.
In another clip from the show, which aired during the “Overtime” segment and can be watched below, Kid Rock confirmed that he’s got a gospel album in the works.
“Early beginnings now,” he told Maher. “Doing a gospel album with my old friend Rick Rubin.”
Rubin previously produced Kid Rock’s 2010 album Born Free, which reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Drake and PartyNextDoor’s new album has already setting records on Apple Music following its Valentine’s Day release.
After dropping on Friday (Feb. 14), the duo’s years-in-the-making project, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, has broken the record for the biggest R&B/soul album in Apple Music’s history by first-day streams worldwide.
Billboard has reached out to Apple Music for more details.
$ome $exy $ongs 4 U marks Drake’s first full album since 2023’s For All the Dogs, which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It’s also his first major project since his explosive rap feud with Kendrick Lamar, which recently saw K. Dot take aim at the Toronto superstar during the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 9, performing his Billboard Hot 100-topping diss track “Not Like Us” in front of more than 100 million viewers.’
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The 21-track album, with a 74-minute runtime, follows PartyNextDoor’s P4, released in 2024.
Earlier in the week, Drake brought out PND during a concert in Melbourne, where the OVO signee surprised the Australian crowd on Drake’s Anita Max Wynn Tour.
“I got an album coming out on Feb. 14 with my brother PartyNextDoor,” Drake told the crowd. “It’s called $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, but it’s some turned-up songs for you on there, too, and there’s some personal feelings on there for you. Hopefully, whoever you’re with on Valentine’s Day, hopefully y’all can share that experience together.”
Drake also revealed the cover art for $$$4U, which features both artists rocking fur coats in front of the Marilyn Monroe Towers in Canada.
The duo has long demonstrated their strong chemistry on tracks like “Come and See Me,” “Recognize,” “Members Only,” “Loyal,” “Preach, “Since Way Back,” and others.
Sheryl Crow is bidding farewell to her Tesla. The Grammy-winning singer, 63, announced on Instagram Friday (Feb. 14) that she’s selling her Tesla and donating the proceeds to NPR. Her decision comes in response to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s push for government efficiency through his unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aims to cut […]
Bad Bunny will soon be soothing babies to sleep with Rockabye Baby!’s upcoming album release, Lullaby Renditions of Bad Bunny. The set, featuring instrumental lullaby versions of 14 Bad Bunny songs, is due out on Friday, Feb. 21. Some of Bad Bunny’s biggest hits are on the track list, including the Hot 100 No. 1 […]