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Halle Bailey is not mincing words in a preview of her upcoming single, “Because I Love You.” The Grammy-nominated Chloe x Halle singer, solo star and The Color Purple actress posted a 13-second preview of the song on Instagram on Wednesday (August 21) and the message is perfectly simple, the meaning transparently clear.
“And it’s all because I love you, babe/ Love you babe, love you babe/ I love you babe, love you babe,” she sings breathily in the sneak peek that appeared to be delivered from the back seat of a moving car. As if to put a finer point on it, she adds, “I motherf–king love you babe/ Love you babe, love you babe/ Love you babe/ And it’s all because…”
Bailey said in the caption — which included a bandaged heart emoji — that the single is out August 30.
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The post was the first taste of new music since Bailey, 24, and partner rapper DDG shared the first picture of son Halo last month while the couple were on a European vacation with their six-month-old bundle of joy. She shared another series of too-cute snaps a week ago, when she twinned with Halo in Canadian tuxedos as she prepared for baby’s first concert experience: a Bruno Mars show.
The new mother has been keeping her musical chops sharp lately, including in a smoldering acoustic guitar cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 summer smash “Please Please Please,” adding in some killer vocal runs, as well as an equally intense cover of Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower.”
“Because I Love You” is the follow-up to “In Your Hands,” a ballad released in March that was accompanied by a video that ends with the singer cradling baby Halo in her arms and sweetly rocking him. “In Your Hands” was the second non-soundtrack solo release of Bailey’s career, follow on the heels of 2023’s “Angel,” which hit No. 6 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs chart.
Halle’s name also showed up on the 16-song track list for sister Chlöe‘s upcoming sophomore album, Trouble in Paradise, where the siblings will team up on the song “Want Me” alongside Chlöe’s collabs with Ty Dolla $ign, Anderson .Paak, YG Marley and Jeremih.
Watch the “Because I Love You” preview below.
The 2024 Democratic National Convention has had its fair share of flashy moments – from Lil Jon’s “Turn Down for What” cameo during roll call to Patti LaBelle’s gorgeous rendition of “You Are My Friend” — but the primetime show isn’t the only thing happening in Chicago this week (Aug. 19-22).
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In addition to the main event, which takes place in Chi-Town’s United Center arena, the morning and afternoons are filled with different council and caucus meetings that fire voters up, educate them on grassroots campaign strategies and break down the party’s 2024 platform. Billboard was able to sit in on Tuesday afternoon’s youth council meeting (Aug. 20), where Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vice President Harris’ running mate, made an appearance to remind young voters of their power and responsibility for their own futures now that Dems are seemingly passing the baton along to a new generation.
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Before Walz took the podium, Texas Rep. Greg Casar addressed the room, and by the end of his remarks, nearly every delegate in the room was on their feet. “It is going to be your energy and your work that is necessary to deliver the transformational change that the vast majority of this country wants,” he proclaimed. “Too often we confuse the political center with the moral center!” Casar, who currently represents Texas’ 35th district and was formerly endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, was connecting — and he was connecting with the country’s newest and youngest voters.
Though he only joined Congress about two years ago, Casar has certainly made his progressive presence felt – from leading a nine-hour thirst strike in 2023 to urging President Biden not to recognize the coalition claiming victory in the 2024 Pakistani general election.
Billboard caught up with Rep. Casar after the youth council to talk about some key pieces of music legislation currently floating in Congress, his understanding of “brat summer,” and his love for Grupo Frontera and Peso Pluma.
What are your thoughts on the RAP Act? Can you commit to supporting it in the House?
I’m a supporter of the bill. Before being in Congress, I was on the Austin City Council and led on a lot of music issues in what is the live music capital of the world. I really came to understand during the pandemic that supporting both recording artists and live music is important not just for those industries and not just for music lovers but [also] for building community and joy, and making expensive cities worth living in in the first place, you know.
I think Leader Jeffries and Vice President Harris have embraced pop music, and hip-hop in particular, as part of their events, and as a part of their shared identity with so many of our communities. I hope that we can remind them of that as we prioritize bills like the RAP Act, because it’s not only a clear civil rights bill, but we [also] want people to be able to express themselves without being worried that it’s going to be used in a court case against them. I think that Speaker Jeffries and [Vice] President Harris would be supportive, not only because they understand the importance of hip-hop to American culture, but also because they’re civil rights-first elected officials.
In light of the DOJ suing Live Nation-Ticketmaster, where do you stand on the Fans First Act?
I’m trying to remember the details of Fans First versus all the different ideas on how to crack down on monopolies in the ticketing industry, [but] I’m just generally supportive of whatever it is that we can get done to make it easier to buy tickets, and for more of that money to actually get to the people that make the music and do the tour.
I find that people in places like Austin are actually increasingly happy to pay a decent cover if they know that it’s going to the artist then. So whatever it is that we can do to take on monopolies in the music industry I think is really important. It’s the same problem we have with meat; only four companies control nearly 90% of the meat in the country. The same issues we have in tech we have in music as well.
In that vein, what was the last concert you went to?
I always make sure that when I’m back home in Austin, I go see some shows. Last night, [I got to see] my friend Gina Chavez, who’s a Latin Grammy nominee, play live here. The weekend before that, we had Hot Summer Nights in Austin where a bunch of our clubs on Red River were opened up for free shows, so it was awesome to see a bunch of acts play there.
I just missed seeing Grupo Frontera in Austin because I was over here. I’m a big fan of Grupo Frontera and Peso Pluma. It’s just been awesome to see them really break out. Peso Pluma actually went to middle school in my district in San Antonio for a little while; he was between Mexico and San Antonio. A bigger arena show that I’ve been to recently was Burna Boy. For my birthday, we saw Chicano Batman. They played the 9:30 Club. People catch me at the $25 shows! Also, Thundercat! I’ve seen Thundercat twice in D.C.
What do you think of the Harris-Walz campaign’s embrace of pop music? Do you think it ever veers on the side of pandering, or do you think that they have their finger on their pulse in a smart and balanced way?
I think that you just got to have fun with it, man. If a politician likes that song, good for them! I think that the more we can be our real selves and realize that we’re just normal people, that’s gonna speak for itself. If I’m at your house, put on your playlist, don’t put on the playlist you think I’m going to like. Put on your stuff!
You get that feeling from this campaign? That they’re putting on their playlists?
I think they’re putting on what they like, and I would encourage them to really get relaxed with that. I think people are looking for authenticity.
How do you understand “brat summer?”
[Laughs.] I feel like its meaning has been contorted and twisted, you know? It started out [with] Charli XCX having a good time, then it turned into everybody having a good time. And now Kamala Harris might be president!
What is your personal song of the summer of 2024?
There’s this Karol G song, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” it’s a great one. I’ve been on some long drives this summer, and it’s one of the ones that I [replayed] a decent amount. It’s hot in Texas, like 105° today, so it’s a good “rolling down the windows” and “chilling on the lawn” song.
A$AP Rocky is still adjusting to life as a dad. Rocky and Rihanna welcomed baby No. 2, RZA’s little brother, Riot, in August 2023, and life has never been more different for the Harlem rapper. Rocky — born Rakim Mayers — serves as the latest cover star for Billboard, which finds him touching on all […]
Jordan Adetunji’s “Kehlani” becomes the first song to remain at No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart for more than one week since July, reigning for a second straight frame on the Aug. 24-dated tally.
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The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity from Aug. 12 to 18. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.
“Kehlani” is the first song to reign for more than one week since Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” led between the May 18 and July 20 surveys. Since then, three tunes – Blood Orange’s “Champagne Coast,” Clairo’s “Juna” and Sevdaliza, Pabllo Vittar and Yseult’s “Alibi” – ruled for one week each prior to the rise of “Kehlani.”
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Chiefly, major uploads using “Kehlani” on TikTok adhere to its dance trend, with Kehlani herself (who was added to a remix of the song on June 20, followed by a music video on Aug. 2) participating in many of the highest profile videos.
“Kehlani” concurrently hits a new peak of No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated Aug. 24, lifting 26-25 thanks to 13.1 million official U.S. streams, 9.7 million radio audience impressions and 1,000 downloads sold in the week ending Aug. 15, according to Luminate.
The aforementioned “Alibi” holds at No. 2 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 while Hanumankind and Kalmi’s “Big Dawgs,” following its first time in the top 10 on the Aug. 17-dated ranking, zooms to No. 3.
Many of the top uploads using “Big Dawgs” on TikTok feature emulations of Hanumankind’s stepping dance moves in its music video or reactions to the video itself, as well as soundtracking other general viral content uploads.
For the second week in a row, “Big Dawgs” is the greatest gainer in streaming on the Hot 100, jumping 31-23 via 14.2 million streams, up 18%.
One other song hits the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s top five for the first time: DJ Drama and Gucci Mane’s “Photo Shoot,” which leaps 16-5 in its third week on the list.
“Photo Shoot” was originally released in 2009. Though it’s had occasional blips of activity on TikTok in recent months, its latest rise largely stems from picture-based uploads, highlighting Gucci Mane’s “Come and take a camera flash” lyric.
The song jumps 45% to 324,000 streams in the week ending Aug. 15.
Project Pat’s “Life We Live” and Surf Curse’s “Disco” follow “Photo Shoot” at Nos. 6 and 7, respectively. “Life We Live” debuted at No. 46 on the Aug. 17 tally, while “Disco” is the Aug. 24 list’s top debut.
“Life We Live,” which features Namond Lumpkin and Edgar Fletcher, is the third song from Project Pat to hit the top 10 of the TikTok Billboard Top 50 since the chart’s September 2023 inception, following “Choose U” and “Good Googly Moogly,” both in January. Like that pair of songs, “Life We Live” is an older release, having come out in 2001.
The TikTok trend for the song features its “Gotta take the good with the bad, smile with the sad/ Love what you got and remember what you had” lyric that kicks off its third verse. Creators give a thumbs up or down and smile or frown in conjunction with the corresponding lyrics.
It’s the first time “Life We Live” has ever reached a chart. Its parent album, 2001’s Mista Don’t Play: Everythangs Workin, peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 that March.
As for “Disco,” the rockers’ 2019 track is their first to make the TikTok Billboard Top 50, though Surf Curse had a previous TikTok-fueled resurgence in 2021 via “Freaks,” which peaked at No. 10 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ranking that September.
“Disco” also benefits from a dance trend, generally done between two people while facing each other.
“Disco” sports a 47% bump in streams to 933,000 in the week ending Aug. 15.
See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.
I’m not getting too stressed about bridge lyrics,” says Benjmn, 29. “Because there’s like a 100% chance it’s going to get translated.”
The Los Angeles-based topliner is closing in on his ninth straight hour of songwriting today. And like the 10 other lyricists and producers Universal Music Publishing Group has assembled at Arcade Studios in New York, he won’t stop until he’s achieved perfection. Benjmn, who has written for acts like ENHYPEN and Le Sserafim before, and his cohorts here are all proven K-pop hit-makers, so they’re well aware that much of today’s work will be rewritten in Korean. Still, he and his collaborators on this particular track — 31-year-old SAAY from South Korea and 34-year-old Sandra Wikstrom from Sweden — will continue fine-tuning their already pristine bridge for at least 15 more minutes before moving on. Are there enough syllables? Is it dragging? Can the melody be more expansive?
They know that the punchier the lyrics, the likelier it is that major K-pop labels like HYBE, JYP Entertainment and SM Entertainment will pick up their demos for artists to record. Their current target is a boy band on the rise that UMPG knows is looking for its next hit, although the track — a swaggering dance tune tentatively titled “GLUE” — may very well go to another of the ever-proliferating K-pop groups. (Because of the unpredictable nature of where songs end up and the prejudices a label may have if it sees a song title publicly attached to other acts, UMPG declines to comment on the precise artists for whom the musicians have gathered.)
The three rainy days these writers and producers will spend here mark just the second-ever international K-pop camp UMPG has held in the United States as it pushes to capitalize on the opportunities the genre offers its roster of talent, rounding up its most experienced creatives from all over the world and charging them with completing three songs a day in small groups. After the camp concludes, UMPG Korea senior creative A&R executive Yena Kim will pitch the nine finished tracks to the big three labels, which constantly send her hyperspecific briefs outlining what they’re looking for and for whom; for now, she walks from room to room ensuring everyone understands their assignments.
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“Ultimately, we want releases,” explains UMPG’s head of its global creative group, David Gray. “We can sign K-pop writers and say, ‘Go get us K-pop cuts.’ But we can also be proactive and creative. Let’s put our best K-pop writers together, bring them briefs from Korea and keep it small, focused and strategic so we have the best chance of getting results.”
Benjmn (left) records vocals for an R&B-inspired demo produced by Sam Klempner.
Nina Westervelt
Jeppe London (left) and Lauritz Emil work on a song with guitars.
Nina Westervelt
On day one of camp, delirium is already setting in. “We should do a song called ‘Jet Lag,’ ” Benjmn jokes before he, SAAY and Wikstrom start spitting out catchy rap bars seemingly effortlessly, despite their lack of sleep. “Jet lag, jet lag, gotta go get bags/All around the world, I’m getting whiplash,” they sing, taking turns adding lines.
Down the hall, 28-year-old BLVSH from Germany and London-based Josh McClelland, 27, are writing for the same boy band, penning a punk-rock heartbreak anthem called “Close the Door.” Producer duo Jeppe London, 28, and Lauritz Emil, 26, both from Denmark, speak in rapid-fire Danish while recording electric guitar passes to find a sweet spot between Demi Lovato and Linkin Park, both of whom label SM sent as references. The room’s shared credits include tracks for BTS, ENHYPEN, NCT and TWICE, and an expertise in the subtleties of writing for K-pop artists shows.
“You’re looking for fun keywords instead of poetic structure,” explains BLVSH, who earned a No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last year for her work on Jimin’s “Like Crazy.” “It’s more [about] attention-grabbing visuals and hooky words.”
They also labor over how pleasing each syllable sounds, the cadence and differentiation of each line, whether the melodies will sit in the band members’ varying vocal ranges and how easily choreographers will be able to pair the lyrics with snappy dance moves — all elements they say they don’t necessarily think about when writing for other genres, as many of them started out writing outside K-pop. Phonetics are key, even if most lyrics do end up getting reworked by translators, who generally earn a 12.5% split in royalties when the song is finished; BLVSH and McClelland say Korean labels are more likely to bite when they can imagine from the get-go how a song will sound once translated, which is why the writers make sure to infuse their demos with sharp consonants to mimic the Korean language. (For example: Saying a love interest looks “picturesque” grabs their ears far more than a simple “pretty” or “good.”)
SAAY (left) listens to a demo while BLVSH tinkers on piano.
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Max Thulin produces a track in Logic Pro.
Nina Westervelt
It’s also why the writers focus less on storytelling and more on a certain vibe or attitude in their songs, which they strive to convey even when recording their demos. By nature, many of them are far less extroverted than the acts they write for, so it’s entertaining to watch Benjmn cringe as he listens to a take of himself singing with Justin Bieber-esque sultriness, or to see 31-year-old Feli Ferraro of Los Angeles intuitively flip her hair and pop her hips while recording sexy-confident raps for a song called “8” that’ll be sent off to a brand-new girl group SM is developing (the campers know nothing of its top-secret lineup).
The songwriters aren’t fazed when translators alter the meaning of their lyrics; they understand it’s an often necessary part of ensuring they still rhyme and flow well in Korean. Still, it’s always ideal artistically when their work stays as close to the original as possible — and there are ways of increasing the chances that it does: As McClelland puts it, “Let’s make sure this lyric is fire.”
Toward the end of the day, everyone takes a short break to mingle and eat dinner; last year, UMPG learned that the ever-diligent writers prefer bringing in meals to avoid taking time away from their songs, and tonight’s comes from Joe’s Home of Soup Dumplings. SAAY and Wikstrom excitedly make plans to visit the Times Square Disney store while they’re in town. But there’s minimal time for this kind of pleasant catchup. A mountain of empty plastic containers in their wake, everyone instinctively filters back into their respective rooms.
Most end up staying until 10 p.m. There’s more work to be done.
From a publisher’s perspective, everything changed for global K-pop in 2020. That’s when BTS earned its first Hot 100 No. 1 with “Dynamite” — and the genre “exploded, that’s for sure,” quips Daniella Rasho, international A&R executive at UMPG U.S., who oversees the camp alongside Yena Kim.
“People have seen what BTS has done,” she continues. “Now every K-pop label is like, ‘I’m going to have the next BTS. I’m going to have the next one that goes global or is on U.S. radio.’ ”
“[Korean] labels are aiming for hits on the Billboard charts,” Kim adds. “The artists, most of them now all speak English, as well as local A&Rs. The whole thing is changing. It wasn’t like this five to six years ago.”
As K-pop’s global reach has expanded, so too has foreign songwriters’ interest in the genre, which rapidly transformed from one of the least popular international markets for songwriters to one of the most competitive. It’s an appealing space: Western pop stars are often inclined to stick with the same close circle of collaborators, but K-pop labels are quite open to taking songs from outsiders. Thanks to K-pop fans’ propensity for buying multiple physical variants of singles and albums, the royalty checks for songwriters and producers tend to be higher, too.
Western stars like Taylor Swift have also prioritized writing their own music, while K-pop fans value the glossy, high-production performances their idols have spent years training to execute more than the names on a song’s billing, allowing more space for career songwriters to notch credits. Rasho has a theory as to why: “American audiences want to relate to pop stars. For K-pop, people want to be them.”
Front row, from left: Jeppe London, Celine Svanback, Feli Ferraro, Benjmn and Max Thulin. Middle row, from left: Sandra Wikstrom, SAAY, Sam Klempner and BLVSH. Back row: Josh McClelland (left) and Lauritz Emil.
Nina Westervelt
SAAY (left) with Sandra Wikstrom who reads lyrics off her phone.
Nina Westervelt
Plus, the campers say that K-pop labels are in some ways more forgiving than their Western counterparts. They’re used to receiving detailed feedback on their demos and getting ample opportunity to rewrite or add parts to a song, and Ferraro explains that some will “Frankenstein” pieces of different submissions together to achieve the desired result. “They’ll find a home for it,” says the Connecticut native, who co-wrote “Run BTS” and Le Sserafim’s “Unforgiven.” “It doesn’t feel like you’re wasting your time at all.”
Seeing the many opportunities K-pop presents for its roster, UMPG has sprung into action over the past few years organizing writing sessions all over the world. Kim handpicked each creative at this year’s camp based not just on skill, but also on who would be most suited to the song briefs at hand — “Specific labels like some writing styles more than others,” Rasho explains — and who would get along best as collaborators.
Figuring out the latter is an art in itself. At last year’s camp, Gray recalls that “there were tears” during a creative dispute over a song that would turn out to be TWICE soloist NAYEON’s “Something.” It ended up being one of the most high-profile releases the inaugural camp created, with the EP it was on, NA, reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart in June.
Next, Kim tailored small groups around who could best match the demands of the individual briefs, which reflect just how tuned in to global trends K-pop labels are. JYP requested a solo song akin to Tate McRae’s “Greedy” for a member of one of its girl groups, while others cited Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” Chappell Roan, Caroline Polachek and Charli xcx’s brat as references.
K-pop’s sonic evolution is a big reason why UMPG’s approach, gathering writers from all over the world, works so well. Swedish and British producers like Max Thulin, 30, and Sam Klempner, respectively, “bring their experimental, cool sounds,” while Germans are masters of “fun, electronic pop,” Rasho says.
“The U.S. writers come and do their rap thing — they have that swagger,” she continues. “They bring out something new and different in each other. They bring the best of their territories, too.”
Celine Svanback records vocals for a girl-group demo.
Nina Westervelt
Celine Svanback and Josh McClelland records vocals.
Nina Westervelt
Only at the end of camp, when all of their songs are finished, do the writers let UMPG treat them to dinner offsite — Cecconi’s on Broadway. Over drinks, McClelland jokes that Universal saved money on hotels by having two couples present. Benjmn and Ferraro are married, and Emil is engaged to fellow Dane Celine Svanback, 28; both couples met in past writing sessions. But aside from a few others from the same close-knit territories who’ve worked together before, like McClelland and Klempner, it’s the first time many of the campers have met — although, in the course of conversation, Benjmn and Thulin realize they share credits on a previous song created remotely, Le Sserafim’s “Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard’s Wife.”
Most of them, it seems, fell into the K-pop world unintentionally, whether they were headhunted by labels or indoctrinated at the nudging of UMPG. It wasn’t the first choice for many but now, it’s become perhaps their best avenue to flex their creative muscles, writing pop, hip-hop, rock and R&B all under the ever-expanding K-pop umbrella.
“It’s not just one sound,” says Wikstrom, who never did come up for air long enough to visit the Disney store. “That’s what I really love — you’re not tied to anything. I used to think, ‘No, I don’t want to do K-pop. I don’t even know what K-pop is.’
“Then, I realized,” she continues, her eyes widening. “K-pop is everything.”
This story will appear in the Aug. 24, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Ariana Grande is giving her fans everything in honor of her sophomore album’s 10-year anniversary.
On Thursday (Aug. 22), the pop star commemorated a decade of My Everything by sharing new vinyl and digital deluxe editions of her 2014 era, a year that found her dominating the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 with hits such as “Break Free,” “Love Me Harder” with The Weeknd and “Problem” featuring Iggy Azalea. The pink-tinted vinyl, which is available for preorder on Grande’s website, features the original set’s track list plus songs that were previously never made available in the format: “Bang Bang,” “Only 1,” “You Don’t Know Me,” “Cadillac Song” and “Too Close.”
The Grammy winner also unveiled a brand new digital deluxe edition of My Everything including “Too Close” and “Cadillac Song,” marking the first time those bonus tracks have ever been available for streaming. The celebration continues next week, with Grande planning to release a limited 7″ vinyl bundle featuring “Problem,” “Break Free,” “Love Me Harder” and “One Last Time” on Monday (Aug. 26), followed by a digital bundle with a capella and instrumental versions of those same singles as well as “Bang Bang” on Tuesday (Aug. 27).
Plus, the star released a new line of anniversary merch on her website, complete with pastel pink, lavendar and black shirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants.
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By the time Grande released My Everything in 2014, opening at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, she was already a full-fledged pop superstar thanks to her debut record, Yours Truly. The latter LP celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, which the Florida native commemorated by releasing filmed live performances of “Honeymoon Avenue,” “Daydreamin,’” “Baby I,” “Tattooed Heart” and “Right There.” She also engaged with fans through Q&As on social media, as well as dropped an extended anniversary edition of the album.
Eleven years ago, Yours Truly also debuted at No. 1 on the albums chart, but Grande told Billboard in 2014 that she allowed herself to celebrate for only about an hour before immediately getting back to work on the project that would become My Everything. “I’m a workaholic, and a perfectionist,” she said at the time. “I never thought I’d be able to say this, but I love this [album] five times as much as I love Yours Truly. They’re different, but I love this one so much more.”
Stream the 10th anniversary edition of My Everything below:
Mr. David Washington stands on the grounds that he has tended for decades, amid the Georgia Pines that flood much of the property, as the early-morning June heat creeps across the lawns. Now in his 70s, he’s quick to laugh and does so often, each one punctuating his thick, Southern drawl as he tells the […]
On his 2023 full-length album, Pretty Little Poison, Warren Zeiders covered a little-known 14-year-old Chris Stapleton song, “Inside Your Head,” which Stapleton had recorded as part of rock duo The Jompson Brothers.
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While many artists would regard a Stapleton-sung song as beyond anything they would dare attempt, the task was undaunting to newcomer Zeiders.
“It’s full circle for me. I’m a huge Stapleton fan,” he tells Billboard. Zeiders includes another Stapleton song, “Love on the Line” on his new album, Relapse, out Friday (Aug. 23) via Warner Records. Zeiders is perhaps one of the few country music newcomers with the growl and grit in his voice capable of making such a song his own.
The Pennsylvania native grew up playing lacrosse and while a student at Maryland’s Frostburg State University, a series of sports concussions forced him onto the sidelines permanently. Zeiders, 24, turned his interests to music. In December 2020, he released the original song “On the Run,” and soon signed with Underscore Works’ Charly Salvatore for management. He quickly followed with his breakthrough hit “Ride the Lightning,” which has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. His EP The 717 Tapes followed in 2021, and this February, “Pretty Little Poison” become his first No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart (the song has also earned RIAA double-platinum status).
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On his new 10-song album, Zeiders seems poised to continue that surge, with the title track currently sitting at No. 36 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart. The album centers around a heart-shattering arc from romance to betrayal on songs including “Intoxicated” and “Stone’s Throw Away.” Scattered across the album are one-word titles, such as “Addictions,” “Betrayal” and “Intoxicated,” which draw on drug and/or alcohol-fueled imagery, but often delve more into entanglements of the soul.
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“In ‘Addictions,’ it’s about choosing my addictions over a lover — and when I wrote that song, I was thinking about the addiction I have for the music industry,” Zeiders says. “I’m choosing that over being with someone. It is saying, ‘I can’t be the person you want me to be right now, because I’m in my 20s and focused on this career.’ It’s fun to take that concept, like a drug term, and flip it on its head.”
Outside of the Stapleton-written song, Zeiders co-wrote very song on Relapse. Sonically, his new album, which Zeiders co-produced with Mike Elizondo and Ross Copperman, traverses a number of genres. Some of the newer songs stem from a June writing retreat in Miami, where he worked with pop hitmakers J Kash, Blake Pendergrass, and Ali Tamposi, who have written tunes for acts like Justin Bieber, Maroon 5 and Selena Gomez, as well as for country hitmaker Morgan Wallen.
“It’s been fun for me, stepping outside of that box and watching those people come into the country scene and want to be part of it,” Zeiders says. “Between JKash [co]-writing one of the biggest songs in country music, ‘Last Night’ for Morgan Wallen, it’s been cool to see.”
As with many songs in today’s data-driven music ecosystem, fans led the way in deciding the release of his new radio single, “Relapse,” after Zeiders and his team saw the response on Instagram and TikTok.
“It was definitely very clear to see on TikTok and Instagram that people were very much so connecting with ‘Relapse,’” Zeiders says.
In-person, Zeiders’ laid-back, joyous persona belies the tough-guy persona crafted in his press materials and album artwork — but his collection of breakup-driven songs are heartfelt.
“People like to joke about it, but I’m a lover boy. I’m a teddy bear at heart. But I know with the long hair and cowboy imagery I give off a different perception. I do have a tendency of breaking my own heart,” he says. “I fall for these women and these kinds of things and maybe it’s not the right fit. It’s like, ‘I’m going away for two months on tour — and can they handle the distance?’”
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“Betrayal” is a song Zeiders relates to all too well, alluding to a past romantic breakup: “That was an interesting part of my life. Not a fun one, but it is what it is. We all got our stories — but more than anything the overall process has been a fun one, and a totally different vibe from the first record.”
Zeiders will soon open shows for Jelly Roll on his The Beautifully Broken Tour this fall, while gearing up for a jam-packed 2025 — which includes both a slate of headlining U.K. shows beginning in January, followed by his stateside The Relapse Tour, which launches in March, with shows in cities including Nashville, Atlanta and Pittsburgh.
“I’m going on the biggest tour in the fall and being a direct support artist for Jelly Roll, who is touching so many lives, and [he’s] just massive in pop culture right now — the man is everywhere,” he says. “I feel that being in front of that many people night after night, whether it’s [playing for] my fans [or] having a chance to win over his and bring them into the fold, what’s going to be on my mind night after night is leaving a lasting impact, being a great opener for Jelly, making sure the fans are ready for him.”
Zeiders notes that he’s never traveled to the U.K., but as with picking songs, he’s letting fan demand lead the way on the European tour.
“Just looking at the numbers and looking at the demand, what’s super cool is I’m able to skip some steps. I’m not just going into 400, 500-seat rooms. We’re doing 1,000 and 2,000-seat rooms for my first appearance. It’s exciting to see the fan base and the people supporting my music and wanting me to come over there. The demand is there, and it’s going to be a fun experience.”
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As summer turns to fall, festival lineups for early 2025 are starting to drop. One of the first out the gate is Costa Rica’s Ocaso Festival, which on Thursday (Aug. 22) announced a 2025 lineup featuring house maestro Chris Lake, globetrotting idols The Martinez Brothers and Brazilian phenom Vintage Culture, along with Space Miami resident […]
“I’m here for a day then we’re back out, just coming here long enough to run a few errands and repack a bag,” Lainey Wilson tells Billboard in her signature Louisiana twang, on a rare day in Nashville for the singer-songwriter. She’s preparing for a slate of West Coast dates on her headlining Country’s Cool Again Tour — but even during her brief time in Music City, she’ll also attend the ACM Honors and make a surprise visit to her Bell Bottoms Up Restaurant & Bar, which opened in downtown Nashville earlier this year.
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At the same time, the four-time Billboard Country Airplay chart-topper is gearing up for the release of her new studio album, appropriately titled Whirlwind, out Friday (Aug. 23) via BBR Music Group/BMG.
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That swirl of touring and recording has also come with a swiftly accumulating pile of accolades. In November, Wilson became the first woman since Taylor Swift in 2011 to take home the coveted CMA entertainer of the year honors. In February, she earned her first Grammy win, with her 2022 album Bell Bottom Country taking home best country album. In May, she doubled up on her entertainer of the year win, taking home the same accolade at the ACM Awards. Less than a month later, she was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. On Wednesday (Aug. 21), she was honored with the ACM’s coveted triple crown award and the organization’s milestone award.
The momentum has been hard-fought for this small-town Baskin, Louisiana native, who found work as a Hannah Montana impersonator early on (she recently had a full-circle moment, honoring Hannah Montana actress/singer Miley Cyrus during a Disney Legends event). She moved to Nashville in 2011, living in a camper near Bellevue while pursuing writers’ rounds and co-writing sessions. She released two independent projects before signing with BBR Music Group/BMG in 2018. In 2021, she released her major-label breakthrough, Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’.
That same year, almost exactly a decade after moving to Nashville, she earned her first Country Airplay No. 1: “Things a Man Oughta Know.” She’s followed that with a steady stream of both solo and collaborative hits, including the top 5 hits “Heart Like a Truck” and “Wait in the Truck” (with HARDY), her three-week solo chart-topper “Watermelon Moonshine” and the two-week chart-toppers “Save Me” (with labelmate Jelly Roll) and “Never Say Never” (with Cole Swindell).
She says the process of writing for Whirlwind was markedly different from her previous projects. “I realized very quickly as my career grows and changes, there are a million other parts of this job that I just didn’t know existed,” Wilson says. “For this, it had to be quality over quantity. I couldn’t write 200 songs to get to my 14 [songs on Whirlwind]. I had to map out what I want to share, where do I want to get vulnerable, and really figure out the message I want to bring.”
While the new album includes some of Wilson’s mainstay co-writers, including Dallas Wilson and Trannie Anderson (who, collectively known as the Heart Wranglers, co-wrote “Heart Like a Truck” and several songs on Whirlwind), Wilson also was intentional about adding new writers to the fold — including Aaron Raitiere and Jon Decious, writers on songs like “4x4xU” and the funky kiss-off track “Ring Finger.”
“I knew they had this quirkiness to their writing that I wanted to tap into,” Wilson says, noting that they were going for a Jerry Reed feel on “Ring Finger.” “I had been telling them I wanted a song that showed my speaking voice, because a lot of people talk about my accent — whether they love it or hate it, they talk about it.”
“It’s fun for me to step out of my comfort zone and write from someone else’s perspective,” she continues. “But as I got deeper into the song, I think it was like verse two that I realized maybe I’m not stepping into someone else’s shoes—maybe this is really me. I do have a bit of a crazy side and a little spunk, and I haven’t gotten to show that side of my personality as much as I have with ‘Ring Finger.’”
Despite her success with duets, Whirlwind features just one collaboration—with a woman she calls “my sounding board for a lot of things,” Texas native and fellow singer-songwriter Miranda Lambert. The two, along with songwriter Luke Dick, wrote “Good Horses,” an ode to the pull of both the adventure of the road and the comforts of home, while spending a day at Lambert’s farm outside of Nashville.
“Miranda said, ‘Come hang out and take a nap. Me and Brendan [McLoughlin, Lambert’s husband] will feed you and then maybe we can write a song.’ They made burgers and pasta, we had everything,” Wilson recalls. “I had this [song] idea for quite a while and a lot of people had passed us up on writing it. Looking back on it, I’m glad they did because it was supposed to be us who wrote it together. But I think the magic kind of came from me and her having a lot in common when it comes to that love of the road, having a gypsy soul.”
“As we were sitting up on her balcony, three bluebirds flew up and landed on the balcony,” Wilson adds. “She and Luke were sitting in the same spot where those bluebirds had landed when they were writing [Lambert’s 2019 hit ‘Bluebird’].”
Lainey, who has become a mentor for rising women artists like Anne Wilson and Ella Langley, says of Lambert, “She’s become that girl in my life in the industry that just calls and checks on me. Even yesterday, she just sent me a text and said, ‘Love you. Wherever you are, I’m thinking about you. Sending you all the good vibes.’ I think it’s really important to have women like that in your corner in general, not with just the music industry, but you just got to have those folks around you. I met her about three years ago, and I’ve been able to go to her and she just has some good insight. I try to make sure that I go to people like that who have been there and done it.”
Another album standout is closer, “Whiskey Colored Crayon,” sparked from a word exercise from co-writer Josh Kerr, who took lists of hundreds of words, mixing and matching them to see if ideas spark. Landing on the words “whiskey” and “crayon,” they began etching the tearful-yet-hopeful story of how a young child’s innocent question to his teacher — asking for a whiskey-colored crayon to complete a drawing of his father — catalyzed change in his father’s life.
“I come from a family of teachers. My mama was a teacher, all my aunts, my grandma, my daddy taught for a minute,” Wilson says. “I see how much of a difference they make in kids’ lives and I know they hear so many different things from these kids. In country music, I think of sad stories and storytelling, but even when I’m telling a story like that, I can’t help but have some kind of triumph or resilience.”
Of course, some songs lean into Wilson’s own life, from the title track to a few love songs inspired by her boyfriend of over three years, Devlin “Duck” Hodges. “It is really fun to sing about love when you mean it,” she says of songs such as “4x4xU” and “Call a Cowboy.”
Simultaneously with her surging music career, Wilson has further been elevated in the spotlight through her role as Abby, a musician, on the hit series Yellowstone. This week, it was revealed that Wilson will be a part of the upcoming season of Yellowstone, through an ad calling for extras for a concert scene featuring the singer. The second half of season five, the final season of the show, premieres Nov. 10.
“I’ll tell you, I’m so excited,” Wilson says of her upcoming work on the series, though she’s mum on specifics. “We’re waiting to hear all of those details about how much involvement I’m going to have. But as soon as they let me know, I’m going to learn the lines and do my thing.”
Beyond Yellowstone and a seemingly ever-expanding slate of brand partnerships, which have included Kendra Scott, Wrangler, Charlie 1 Horse and Stanley, Wilson says she’s “starting to realize other opportunities are coming that I never knew existed. There is so much I want to do — I want to try voiceover acting. I would love to do a country cartoon; if you need a redneck cartoon, I got you. I’d love to play another role of some sort or write a whole soundtrack.”
She adds, “There’s so much I want to do, but as long as I can get up and do what I love to do every day, this ain’t a bad life to live.”
Having forged a reputation for relentless work ethic and having piled up accolades and milestones over the past few years, Wilson has allowed herself at least one splurge — though, true to her nature, it’s a practical one.
“I got me some land,” she says proudly. “I’m going to try to develop it here [near Nashville] soon and get it going, but it’s got some beautiful trails and eventually I’m going to build a barn on it and get some horses of my own up here. All of my horses right now are back home in Louisiana. Those are the things I guess my family just taught me to be super proud of — owning a piece of America. I don’t see myself going out and splurging on ridiculous things. I enjoy doing things for my family and stuff like that, but I don’t see myself changing much.”