Music
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You can be among the first to find out who is nominated for the 78th annual Tony Awards by tuning into a livestream on the Tony Awards YouTube Page on Thursday (May 1) at 9 a.m. ET. If you’re really a dedicated Broadway fan, be sure to tune in to CBS Mornings at 8:30 a.m. […]
Before Jelly Roll sang a bit of Miley Cyrus‘ “Flowers” to tens of thousands of fans as the day 2 headliner of Stagecoach on Saturday night, the country superstar got a little practice in with his wife, Bunnie XO. Bunnie shared a video of the couple making their way to the Mane Stage over the […]
Goldenvoice must pay a $20,000 fine to the City of Indio for going past curfew for several minutes during Travis Scott‘s set during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival, according to a statement from city officials. On Saturday, April 12, Scott closed out his headlining set three minutes past 1 […]
Lizzo celebrated her 37th birthday on Sunday, and at one point during her party, she was overcome with emotion to the point that it brought the flute-playing singer to tears. The Detroit native took a moment to reflect on her party, and she said time stood still as she took in seeing her family members […]
The members of BTS are just as eager to reunite after their break as ARMY is to see it happen, according to J-Hope.
In a clip from his upcoming interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Low, which Teen Vogue premiered Monday (April 28), the “Chicken Noodle Soup” singer shared an update on the boy band’s future with respect to RM, Suga, V, Jimin and Jung Kook approaching the end of their respective times in the South Korean military. “I look forward to June when our members will have completed their service,” J-Hope began, according to a close-captioned translation.
The star went on to reveal that the septet’s reunion will be speedy once the final five members finish their enlistments. “We will quickly get together and talk about what BTS can do in the future,” he told Lowe. “I think it’s going to be a massive energy.”
The interview comes a little over six months after J-Hope became the second member of BTS to be discharged from the military, after Jin. The bestselling band has been on break for about two years as they each completed their mandatory service periods, with all seven of the members releasing solo projects in the interim.
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“I think that over time, we each refined our unique identities as each of us work on their own music, come out with their solo projects and do their own thing,” J-Hope said on Apple Music 1. “The funny thing for me is when our identities, which have taken shape in various ways, come together as BTS.”
He added of their upcoming reunion: “I’m curious to see how it’ll look like.”
For J-Hope’s part, the South Korean singer has released multiple pieces of solo music since he began his now-complete military service in February 2023. In March of that year, he dropped single “On the Street” with J. Cole, about a year after which J-Hope unveiled EP HOPE ON THE STREET VOL. 1, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard 200.
BTS last released an album in 2020, with Be reaching No. 1 on the albums chart. The LP features smash hit “Dynamite,” which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Hit songs are generally quick — Billboard Hot 100 top 10s ran an average of three minutes and 40 seconds in 2024, according to Hit Songs Deconstructed — but no Hot 100 hit has ever been as brief as Jack Black’s “Steve’s Lava Chicken.”
The track — at just 34 seconds in its original form (with a still-swift 1:15 extended mix also released) — breaks the record as the shortest Hot 100 hit ever by run time, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception. The cut from the soundtrack of A Minecraft Movie debuts at No. 77 on the list dated May 3, 2025. It continues to gain in streaming, surging 62% to 7 million official U.S. streams April 18-24, according to data tracker Luminate.
Black co-stars in A Minecraft Movie, which has grossed $816 million globally over its first four weekends of release. Black and the film’s director, Jared Hess, co-wrote “Steve’s Lava Chicken” and John Spiker produced it.
Black earns his second Hot 100 hit, after “Peaches” reached No. 56 in April 2023. That song was from the soundtrack to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, likewise co-starring Black.
Elsewhere, “Steve’s Lava Chicken” hits the top 10 on the Hot Rock Songs chart, pushing four spots to No. 10.
Meanwhile, the track is one of four by Black on the A Minecraft Movie soundtrack, along with “I Feel Alive” — featuring Dave Grohl on drums — and two others each less than a minute long: “Birthday Rap,” with co-star Jason Momoa, and “Ode to Dennis.”
“Steve’s Lava Chicken” surpasses Kid Cudi’s “Beautiful Trip,” which runs 37 seconds long, as the quickest Hot 100 hit by song length.
Below, take a look, as long as you’d like, at the 10 quickest Hot 100 hits by run time over the chart’s history, with assistance from Paul Haney at Joel Whitburn’s Record Research. (Conversely, here the longest Hot 100 hits.)
:34 — “Steve’s Lava Chicken,” Jack Black
On Friday and Saturday (April 25-26), hundreds of young professionals got a look behind the veil of the music industry with some help from Grammy winners Coco Jones, Samara Joy and Laufey — as well as the Recording Academy’s New York chapter.
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Hosted at Racket NYC in Chelsea, the Mastercard-presented 2025 Grammy U Conference featured two jam-packed days of networking opportunities, panel discussions, headshot stations and various activations spearheaded by industry professionals across disciplines. The two-day conference aimed to educate 18-29-year-olds actively pursuing careers in the music industry. From publicists and songwriters to DEI coordinators and engineers, virtually every music industry field had a representative at the sprawling conference.
Jones, who released debut studio album Why Not More? on the same day, headlined the first day of the conference, participating in a lively, edifying panel hosted by Grammy U Atlanta chapter representative Jasmine Gordon. Titled “Crafting A Multifaceted Career,” Jones’ panel provided the audience with an honest look at how she balances her multi-platinum musical career with her robust acting portfolio.
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Many students in the audience grew up alongside Jones as she transitioned from Disney starlet to Grammy-winning R&B siren — she took home best R&B performance for “ICU” in 2023 — so her industry insights felt particularly pertinent. From stressing the power of positive affirmations (“You gotta be delulu till it’s true-true!” she quipped) to the benefits of an entrepreneurial DIY mindset, Jones dropped several gems during her talk, while excited audience members quoted lyrics from her hours-old new album.
“The Grammys and the Recording Academy do so much for creatives that I want to help shine a light on,” Jones told Billboard minutes before she graced the stage. “The awards are obviously life-changing, but it’s also about keeping the lights on in that apartment while you’re writing songs. It’s also about helping somebody further their education on what this business is really like. I feel like it’s my duty to help highlight that. I see myself in these students.”
Following Jones’ chat, Grammy U mounted two additional panels — one on the world of sync licensing, and another on the evolution of influencers and digital media — before breaking for the day at 10:00 p.m. E.T. Bob Bruderman, Blu DeTiger and Riggs Morales led the panel on sync licensing, A&R and brand partnerships, while content creators Davis Burleson, Anthony Garguila, Julian Shapiro-Barnum, and Jonathan Tilkin headlined the night’s closing panel.
Pop-soul band Lawrence, who scored a divisive viral hit on TikTok with last year’s “Whatcha Want,” kicked off the conference’s second day by sharing an unflinching look at the studio sessions for their 2024 album Family Business. Band members Clyde Lawrence, Jordan Cohen and Jonny Koh projected their ProTools sessions and broke down how Tower of Power’s influence, hours of improvisation, ambitious songwriting collaborations and meticulous mixing of live and programmed drums gave way to album cuts like “Hip Replacement” and “Death of Me.”
Icelandic-Chinese jazz-pop star Laufey, who won the traditional pop vocal album Grammy for Bewitched in 2023, closed out the day with an equally charismatic and insightful keynote panel, moderated by TikTok game show “Track Star” host Jack Coyne. In their discussion, Laufey stressed the importance of her classical music foundation, detailed her Coachella debut alongside the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and explained how she found the fearlessness to write songs across a range of genres.
“Growing up, I felt like there wasn’t quite enough transparency on how the industry worked, how teams and artists are built, how you build and sustain a career, all of that,” she told Billboard shortly before her panel. “I was so recently a student that I felt this need to talk to kids who are in my footsteps and be transparent about what it’s like and show all the different opportunities that are available.”
Laufey, who dropped her “Silver Lining” single earlier this month, also treated the Grammy U Conference to the first-ever performance of her forthcoming new single, “Tough Luck.” Billed as an “angry, f–k you” song, Laufey performed the track accompanied by just an acoustic guitar. “You say, ‘I can’t read your mind,’ but I’m reading it just fine/ You think you’re so misunderstood, the black cat of your neighborhood,” she crooned, nailing her debut performance of the track.
After a break, the conference reconvened at the iconic Bowery Electric for a Grammy U & DEI showcase, headlined by five-time Grammy-winning jazz sensation Samara Joy. Before the Bronx native took the stage, three talented Grammy U performers — selected in collaboration with the Recording Academy’s New York chapter — treated the crowd to impressive sets. Neo-soul crooner Isea, saxophone-fronted jazz band The Jax Experience and new-school rock band The Millers all repped the region well, with each act winning over several new fans by the end of their performances.
Of course, Joy brought the house down with a rousing set comprised of cuts from her 2024 album Portrait, including standout tracks “No More Blues” and “Peace of Mind / Dreams Come True.” With upcoming performances in Brazil (Aug. 2) — while speaking with Billboard before her performance, she teased a forthcoming bossa nova-influenced single in which she may be singing in Portuguese — and at New York’s legendary Carnegie Hall (April 30), Joy reminded the Bowery crowd why she’s one of today’s most celebrated live vocalists.
“I’m inspired by my peers and folks younger than me who are passionate about music. I want to be in spaces where I’m surrounded by like-minded people,” she told Billboard moments before lighting up the Bowery Electric. “That’s what my band is, I like presenting that collaboration and sense of community as we develop and grow.”
As diversity efforts and arts education continue to face relentless attacks, the 2025 Grammy U Conference helped equip the next generation with the necessary insight to shape and protect the industry’s future.
Doechii’s 2023 breakout hit “What It Is (Block Boy)” was originally intended to land on Normani‘s debut album according to songwriter Bianca “Blush” Atterberry.
Atterberry explained over the weekend in a TikTok video how she was commissioned by RCA Records to write tracks for Normani and what led to “What It Is” eventually landing with Doechii.
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“This record ‘What It Is’ was intended for Normani. Me, J White [Did It], Verse Simmons and Fresh locked in. Label set it up — they wanted records for Normani,” she said. “We all got together in the studio. We were locked in for like three days and we got about six songs and ‘What It Is’ was one of them.”
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Once the song was finished, Atterberry knew they had a hit on their hands. “We immediately knew,” she stated of the track’s potential. “We were like, ‘This is a smash. This is one of them ones.’ You just be knowing.”
They played it for RCA Records and Normani, but she didn’t think “it was something that fit her vision” at the time. “Which is normal. It happens all the time,” she added. “Sometimes that’s just how this works… It’s not odd. It’s very normal.”
After holding onto the track for a couple of years and disregarding a few other artists who attempted to cut the record, Doechii entered the fold. “We heard it and absolutely loved it. We were like, ‘She’s out of here. She’s a star.’ Always been a star.”
Atterberry made sure to defend Normani’s decision to pass on the track. “We uplift over here,” Blush concluded.
“What It Is (Block Boy)” arrived in March 2023 with a version featuring an assist from Kodak Black. The J White Did It and Brian Kennedy-produced track served as the TDE rapper’s first Billboard Hot 100 entry, which hit the top 40 and peaked at No. 29.
Normani’s much-delayed debut album, Dopamine, was released in June 2024 and landed at No. 91 on the Billboard 200.
Watch the full oral history of “What It Is” from Blush’s perspective below.
There’s nothing messy about Taylor Swift‘s recording process, according to the superstar’s “Clean” collaborator, Imogen Heap.
In an interview with People published Monday (April 28), the producer opened up about the day more than a decade ago that Swift visited her home studio to hammer out one of the most beloved tracks on 1989, with Heap revealing that the pop star was “extremely efficient” the entire way through. “She turned up looking immaculate, and we didn’t really know what we were going to do,” Heap explained.
“She had an idea on her phone, she played it to me, and I was like, ‘That’s good. Should we go and record it?’” the “Hide and Seek” songwriter continued. “We went downstairs, we had our cup of tea by the fire, and she wrote the next verse. I started to make music around us. And then by the time she left, which was, like, just after dinner, we had managed to write the song, produce the song, record the song, chat, meet, have tea, sit by the fire, eat lunch, eat dinner, do an entire record all by ourselves.”
Heap specificially praised Swift for having a clear artistic vision for herself from the outset of her career. “She is extremely efficient. I’ve never done that from start to finish with anyone,” she explained. “And I felt very excited. I really appreciated her. There was one moment when I was trying out something a bit different for the middle section, and I was like, ‘What about these chords?’ … She was like, ‘You know what? I think we’re going to lose them here, so let’s just do this.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, that’s fine.’ What I learned, I suppose, [is] just she’s very good in the studio, and she knows what works.”
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The interview comes more than 10 years after “Clean” arrived in 2014 on Swift’s critically acclaimed fifth studio album 1989, which spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Shortly after the album dropped, Heap gushed in a blogpost that her studio session with the 14-time Grammy winner was a “special one” and clarified, “I’ve also been reading the odd report or tweet here and there that the reason the lyrics to ‘Clean’ are so good is because I wrote the song with her but FOR SURE they are all hers she deserves all the credit!”
In 2023, when Swift re-released 1989 as part of her ongoing Taylor’s Version re-recording project, she once again tapped Heap to produce the updated “Clean.” “This is Taylor playing a bada– card to stay in control of her work in a commercial music industry that largely works against musicians,” Heap wrote on Instagram after the reissue’s release. “Thank you Taylor for inviting me into your world!”
There’s an air of anticipation in the lobby on Mercer Labs. Executives swirl around in controlled chaos — taking phone calls, sending texts, giving instructions to the staff. The art and technology museum in Manhattan’s bustling Financial District is about to welcome Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes and a handful of other celebrated artists to preview a brand new exhibit titled Maestros and the Machines.
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They are also prepping for the arrival of the museum’s founder, Roy Nachum, as well as iconic producer Timbaland. As everyone stands by the door, an employee is reminded to offer Timbo a drink when he walks in, which he does nonchalantly alongside his fiancée. Timbaland merely asks for a water; Nachum enters just as casually a few moments later, and the two of them embrace like old friends.
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Maestros and The Machines — which opened to the general public on Friday (Apr. 25), and was created in collaboration with Looking Glass, Som Vivo, Bang & Olfusen and Monom — is an exhibit that seeks to disrupt our preconceived notions around what can and can’t be considered art. In one installation, attendees sit around a dimly lit table and are given a handful of Crayola crayons to color in a childlike sketch of a dinosaur, which is then placed on a digital scanner. In an instant, the dinosaur comes alive as a 360-degree projection, then wanders around a digitized forest, interacting with wildlife and taking on a newfound charm in the process.
“Imperfection is perfection,” Timbaland tells Billboard at the museum. Nachum tapped Timbo to handle the exhibit’s sound design — partially out of fandom for the producer, but also because of their shared views on art in the age of A.I. The exhibit’s expansive three floors focus heavily on re-imagining classical works from Da Vinci, Hokusai, Mozart and others, meshing them with 4D soundscapes and other kaleidoscopic technology tools via A.I. to push the piece’s mortal boundaries.
To add in this immersive experience and soundtrack the kaleidoscopic murals, Timbaland curated a lush collection of operatic voices, classical music and, of course, beats. In one foggy, cerulean lit room, we all lie on our backs and listen as distorted reworkings of Mozart’s most famous works swell and fade around us. The sounds twist and turn, suggesting that time itself doesn’t bind art to one historical period, and even the most iconic pieces of art can be re-molded.
“You want the mistake, it’s the organic, it’s the life,” says Nachum. He picks up a half-empty bottle of Coke and holds it precariously in his hand. “To me, this is the most boring thing I’ve ever saw in my life. Why? It’s continued. But if I do this” — he crinkles the plastic bottle in his hands, denting and deforming it — “now it’s much more interesting. I look at the light, I ask, ‘Why is it that shape?’ It takes me to the look.”
Jason Lowrie/BFA.com
Jason Lowrie/BFA.com
Other highlights of the exhibit include a fully functional ball pit, a robot-manned zen garden and a large cello being played by mechanical arms. Timbaland and Nachum often stand off to the side, speaking in emphatic but hushed whispers about new ideas that are coming to them in that moment.
“It kills me when people say, ‘Ah that’s A.I.!’ Timbaland says. “People are so mindf—ked. You been using A.I. since digital came out. That was a form of A.I., but you just had to do it by hand. Now, I’m doing it by thought. It’s all about who you are individually. I can give everybody the same tools, but nobody’s gonna sound like me. The iPhone camera is so good, but not everybody can shoot a music video on iPhone.”
“Using technology doesn’t have to be cold and sterile,” Nachum adds. “To find the organic moment, the humanness, through technology, it’s the hardest thing to do.”
Timbaland has been a staunch advocate for A.I. and technology use in music, and also a longtime fan of Nachum’s. While the pair long followed each other’s work, they both felt the time to collaborate wasn’t quite right until now. A.I. technology hadn’t quite gotten to a place where they felt able they could properly executive their vision.
“Technology allowed people to collaborate,” Timbaland says. “I’m in music, he’s in art. He knows how to make music come to life, but we couldn’t do that before because one would be faster than the other.”
Note Marcado, Alica Keys, Timbaland and Roy Nachum
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While technology plays a big role in Maestros and the Machines, other aspects are surprisingly simplistic. Volumetric lighting bounces off of halls of mirrors; another space is covered in dozens of fake flowers. Its stimulation to the senses in and of itself makes Maestros feel like timeless art. There will always be a childlike wonder that comes from watching LED lights sparkle and bounce around you, and Maestros aims to capture that moment, even if at times it overwhelms the senses.
“The technology of today is perfect for what this is,” Timbaland says. “What used to take me three months only takes me two days. In the beginning, it was like a toy. It was like going to a toy store. You gotta go through gluttony, because you can’t believe that it’s here.”
“How much candy can you eat?” Nachum chimes in. “It’s exactly like the first time I touched oil paints. You take the brush and you assume that if you put paint and go one line from here to here, it’s gonna look consistent. But it’s not, it’s gonna dry, it’s gonna be dark. It takes time to learn the new machine. It’s a tool.”
We get word that Alicia Keys is waiting in the lobby to say hi to Tim and Nachum, who will give a full run through of the exhibit for the first time. Before he leaves, Timbaland offers a piece of advice.
“Don’t be scared of it,” he says. “There’s no need to be.”
Tickets for Maestros and the Machines are available at the Mercer Labs website here.