State Champ Radio Music
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Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Miley Cyrus returns with a ballad, Sleep Token unveil an opus and ROSÉ joins the F1 fun. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Miley Cyrus, “More to Lose”
As she collected pop smashes over the course of her career, Miley Cyrus has also demonstrated a richness as a balladeer — and with “More to Lose,” a stirring new sample from her upcoming album Something Beautiful, Cyrus drifts above a complex tangle of classic pop production and smashes home the emotion as the song ramps up, making for a song that’s going to sound spectacular whenever it’s performed live.
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Sleep Token, Even in Arcadia
Whether you’re steeped in the lore, headbanging through the breakdowns or both, the masked British alt-metal group Sleep Token has turned its singular combination of detailed backstory and rock ambition into arena-headliner status — and with Even in Arcadia, the group is not only poised to have its biggest commercial moment to date, but will do so with a sprawling, uncompromising collection of songs.
ROSÉ, “Messy”
One week after Don Toliver and Doja Cat dropped “Lose My Mind” to kick off the rollout of the F1 soundtrack, ROSÉ has gotten in on the racing-drama fun with “Messy,” a cinematic love ballad in which the BLACKPINK star declares “If it’s messy / Then you know it’s really love,” while learning to understand her partner’s flaws, on a song that sounds primed to play over a contemplative second-act montage.
Kali Uchis, Sincerely,
On her first full-length since becoming a mother last year, Kali Uchis slows down the tempo from 2024’s Orquídeas and offers the most intimate glimpse of her mental and emotional state yet: Sincerely, revels in its personal flourishes, a new stance from a genre-hopping singer-songwriter who has written anthems in English and Spanish but has never navigated her own feelings this deftly.
PinkPantheress, Fancy That
From the super-short pop tracks of To Hell With It to the commercial breakthrough of “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” to the sonic exploration of Heaven Knows, PinkPantheress has darted through different eras with lightning speed — and Fancy That, a bright, engrossing mixtape that riffs on ‘90s dance and garage, sounds like an artistic reset in the best way, taking the UK pop star back to the effervescent songwriting of her beginnings.
Kid Cudi, “Neverland”
Kid Cudi is a stylistic godfather in modern hip-hop, but that doesn’t mean the veteran is resting on his laurels: “Neverland,” a new single that precedes a short film of the same name, aims at summer-anthem territory, with Cudi gently crooning in the verses and then singing his lungs out on the chorus as trap drums sizzle beneath his full-throated cries.
Maren Morris, Dreamsicle
Maren Morris has described fourth album Dreamsicle as “a love letter to myself,” which explains the new set’s healing aura: Morris has changed up her style and spoken openly about her process of self-discovery over the past few years, and her latest full-length complements that journey with warmth and optimism, briskly moving forward as Morris does the same.
Editor’s Pick: Halsey & Amy Lee, “Hand That Feeds”
During the same week that Evanescence was back in the news — thanks, The Rehearsal! — band leader Amy Lee has released a harrowing new collaboration with Halsey that accentuates both artists’ respective talents: “Hand That Feeds,” from the upcoming Ballerina soundtrack, harkens back to Halsey’s alt-rock streak while giving Lee a much-deserved new platform to showcase her soaring delivery, resulting in what sounds like a no-brainer rock-radio staple.
If it feels like it’s been a minute since you heard from Gretchen Wilson you’re not wrong. The Grammy-winning “Redneck” woman country star known for her independent streak hasn’t released an album of all-new material since 2017’s Ready to Get Rowdy or a single since 2024’s scorching “Little Miss Runner Up,” a one-off sequel to 2005’s “Homewrecker.”
But after winning season 13 of The Masked Singer this week, Wilson tells Billboard she’s ready to crank things up again after a long time out of the spotlight due to a run of serious health issues with an all-star Taylor Swift-style reboot.
“I had some post-COVID health stuff, I’m a long-hauler. I’ve got medications I’ll have to take for the rest of my life — high blood pressure, asthma — these are all things I didn’t have right before COVID,” Wilson told Billboard in her Masked Singer exit interview about why she’s been off the radar a lot over the past few years. “I also was dancing with a 6-year-old boy at a wedding, spinning, spinning, spinning, then I lost myself and I shattered my ankle and my leg, so I spent eight months in a wheelchair in a cast.”
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Wilson says the cascade of health issues got her wondering if she might still have the stamina to “do a 75-minute show in Yuma, AZ” outdoors in August. But, after the reality singing show came knocking and she had a season-long run nailing rock, pop, R&B and Latin dance pop she realized she was ready to return to the spotlight.
Saying she has “lots of irons in the fire” at the moment, Wilson, 51, reveals the most exciting thing on tap this year is a “re-creation” of her breakthrough 2004 album, Here For the Party. “I am gonna do my version, sort of the way Taylor did, but on my label [Redneck Records],” she says. “But instead of just recreating it the same way, I am going to have a guest vocalist on each song. I’ve got a few absolute yes’s so far, but I was waiting for this [post-Masked Singer] moment so that when I make the rest of the calls they are quicker yes’s.”
While it’s still a work in progress, so far Wilson is proud to tease a duet with Travis Tritt on an unnamed song, something she’s been wanting to do her whole career. “I can’t think of another voice that would pair up with me perfectly,” she says. In addition, she’s re-worked her song “Chariot” with country trio Chapel Hart and has a number of feelers out to some “huge names” that she’s not able to talk about yet.
“I want to make sure [they know] I’m not trying to reinvent myself with the album, I’ve got other things going on and this will be good for them,” she said of the message to the A-list collaborators she’s shooting for.
One of those other irons is a role as “tour manager” or, as she dubbed it “tour momager” on the upcoming music competition series The Road. The show executive produced by Taylor Sheridan (Landman, Mayor of Kingstown), Blake Shelton, David Glasser, Lee Metzger and Keith Urban is slated to premiere in the fall on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
“Tour manager is the hardest job because it all comes down to you,” Wilson laughs. “Obviously on this production I didn’t have to do all the jobs a tour manager does — I wasn’t wrangling the buses or hotel rooms — but in the venue I was doing all the other parts a tour manager does: getting them on and off the stage, making sure they’re taking care of themselves, discussing songs changes, keys, modulations with the band on their behalf… just being the last face they see before they go on and the first face they see when they get off. It’s more like a tour momager role.”
She says none of the contestants on the show are “super young,” but most are younger than her and she calls them “kids” because, let’s be honest, they don’t have nearly the experience she’s had on the road. From playing in three or four bars bands at the same time at 16, to touring the world, Wilson says her road dog experience is worth its weight in gold as she helps the contestants make their way across the country. “What my role was to bring them my experience, any knowhow I’ve gained over the years, any tricks or secrets I know,” she says. “It’s not hard: go to be early, shut up, don’t talk too much, save it for the show. Just somebody to bounce ideas off of, to yell at.”
In the meantime, Wilson has a summer full of shows on her calendar, including slots at the Natchitoches Jazz and R&B Festival in Natchitoches, LA this weekend, as well as a spot at the Hoofbeat Country Fest in Cadott, WI the weekend of June 26-28 and a Grand Ole Opry House show on July 8 in Nashville.
Susanna Hoffs, Muni Long and more have been added to the lineup for the 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame gala, presented jointly by the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum. The event is set for Friday (May 16) at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. – the site of the first Grammy Awards ceremony in 1959.
Performances will pay tribute to the 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame inducted recordings, which were announced on Feb. 13.
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Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles will perform Cat Stevens’ “Wild World” from the singer-songwriter’s 1970 album Tea for the Tillerman. Emmylou Harris, her producer Daniel Lanois, and jazz drummer Brian Blade will perform selections from Harris’ 1995 album Wrecking Ball. Leslie Odom Jr. will perform the title track from Luther Vandross’ 1981 album, Never Too Much, and Ledisi will perform Clara Ward’s 1951 song “How I Got Over.”
Latin Grammy nominee Leslie Grace will deliver Miami Sound Machine’s 1985 breakthrough hit, “Conga.” Percussionist Cindy Blackman and guitarist Orianthi, joined by longtime Santana band member Andy Vargas, will perform Santana’s “Smooth” from the band’s 1999 album Supernatural; Blackman is married to Carlos Santana.
Eddie Floyd and Jody Stephens, drummer of iconic power-pop band Big Star will perform Floyd’s 1966 hit “Knock on Wood.” Stephens is also expected to perform a track from Big Star’s 1972 album #1 Record. The other five 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame inducted recordings are: J.D. Crowe & The New South’s J.D. Crowe & The New South; Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt; Fela Kuti & Afrika 70’s Zombie; Linda Martell’s “Color Him Father”;and Geeshie Wiley’s “Last Kind Words Blues.”
In addition, John Mellencamp, Conan Gray and Long will perform as part of a tribute to this year’s label honoree, Republic Records. Atlantic Records was the initial label honoree at last year’s gala, which marked the first time there was a stand-alone event to honor the inducted recordings. Last year’s gala was held at the Novo Theatre at L.A. Live.
Jon Batiste, the inaugural recipient of the Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award, will also perform. This new annual honor, created in partnership with The Ray Charles Foundation, recognizes an artist whose creative legacy reflects the visionary innovation of Ray Charles.
Returning as host is CBS News journalist Anthony Mason. The show will again be produced by Ken Ehrlich, alongside Ron Basile, Lindsay Saunders Carl and Lynne Sheridan. Ehrlich produced or executive produced the annual Grammy Awards telecast for 40 years. Cheche Alara, a Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning composer, producer and conductor, will serve as musical director for the event.
This year’s additions to the Grammy Hall of Fame meet the main requirements – they exhibit “qualitative or historical significance” and are at least 25 years old. Eligible artist(s), producer(s), engineer(s), and mixer(s) of these 13 recordings will receive a certificate from the Recording Academy.
The Grammy Hall of Fame was established by the Recording Academy’s national trustees in 1973. Inducted recordings are selected annually by a member committee drawn from all branches of the recording arts with final ratification by the academy’s national board of trustees. Counting these 13 new titles, the Grammy Hall of Fame totals 1,165 inducted recordings. The full list of past inducted recordings can be found here.
The Grammy Hall of Fame Gala serves as a fundraiser to support the Grammy Museum’s national education programs. It includes a cocktail reception, dinner, and concert program. Tickets are on sale now. Individual tickets are $1,250. For more information, visit this site.
An online auction is currently underway, featuring a collection of guitars signed by such artists as Chappell Roan, Charli xcx, Chris Martin, Sabrina Carpenter, and Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars. They are also auctioning off platinum tickets to the 68th Grammy Awards and more. Proceeds will benefit the Grammy Museum’s education programs. For more information, visit this site.
E-40 is back with his first solo single since 2023, and Billboard has the exclusive premiere of his new music video. On Friday (May 9), E-40 dropped off his new track “Beating They Ass” alongside a new music video. The minimalistic, black and white visual includes a memorable cameo from Vital Versatility CEO Didier Morais […]
Southern California has long been shaped by the essence of Chicano and cholo culture, a deeply ingrained presence that speaks to the region’s multifaceted identity. Murals and tattoos served as canvases for a range of imagery steeped this subculture — from low riders and clowns to the iconic “smile now, cry later” masks, while vending machines once dispensed prismatic stickers featuring cholas, homies, and pachucos, each paired with the name of a classic oldies song.
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At swap meets and once-thriving CD stores, Lowrider Oldies compilations where the backdrop to nights spent cruisin’ in custom lowriders outfitted with hydraulics — at quinceañeras, damas and chamelanes arrived in similar old school cars to these. This rich tradition boomed as Black and Brown culture intertwined, with the soulful sounds of Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Brenton Wood echoing across the hood.
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For Cuco, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Hawthorne by way of Inglewood in L.A. county, this kind of environment shaped him. With his third studio album Ridin’, out Friday (May 9) — his “love letter to L.A.” and Chicano car culture — the artist reimagines oldies music through a modern lens, blending analog and harmonic richness to bridge generations while honoring his roots.
“The association with oldies and cars is a big thing here [in L.A.],” Coco tells Billboard Español. “I don’t know if that’s culturally relevant for the rest of the world, but I wanted it to be a thing [with my album].” He mentions that each of his upcoming visuals, for singles link “Phases” and “My 45,” will be paired with a classic car. “Obviously, this is my love letter to L.A., but I wanted it to be something that feels like it can be everywhere,” Cuco notes.
From the shimmering stylings of boleros to modern interpretations of timeless soul, Ridin’ unpacks emotion and tradition, making connections between collective nostalgia and personal experience. “[That influence] has always been there,” Cuco explains.
He adds, “There’s a lot of norteño culture out here in L.A., but also cumbias, románticas, and boleros. There’s a different part of Mexican culture blowing up, and oldies have always been around. They influenced a lot of the romantic part of my music. Many people don’t really know that. But there’s a lot of layers to me. I wanted to make an album that felt more old school.”
One of the defining cuts — of the album produced by Tom Brennick (Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars) and mixed by Tom Elmhirst (Adele, Frank Ocean, Travis Scott) — is the title track. “’Ridin’’ was the first track that we worked on for this record, the first that Tommy made,” Cuco says. “I wanted it to feel like a nursery rhyme. There’s also that psychedelic break at the end.”
Other songs like “ICNBYH” (short for I Can’t Ever Break Your Heart) showcase the singer-songwriter’s knack for crafting infectious, big choruses that leave a lasting imprint on listeners. “The chorus feels timeless, and I really wanted to lean into my vocals,” Cuco explains. “For a lot of my older fans, it’s something that would be easier to digest before going into the rest of the album.”
His love for brown-eyed soul also shines in “Para Ti,” a Spanish-language ballad á la Ralfi Pagan. “I think my pen in Spanish is strong,” he shares. “It’s something that comes naturally. It feels like a mix between a bolero and a romántica, that I listened to a lot [too].” It’s the only song in Spanish on the album, but Cuco has also teased a deluxe version with additional tracks en español as currently being in the works.
In addition to nods to old-school greats like Barbara Lewis, including an interpolation of Lewis’ enduring ’60s hit “Hello Stranger” in “Seems So”, Cuco says that “Ralfi Pagan and Joe Bataan were on repeat a lot,” along with Smokey Robinson, Al Green and Brenton Wood. He also acknowledges newer artists blending vintage sounds with fresh perspectives, such as Thee Sacred Souls, Thee Sinseers and Los Yesterdays: “I got to work with some of those folks and meet really cool people that I look up to in that world. It was really dope.”
Emotionally, one of the album’s most striking moments comes in “My Old Friend,” a gently wistful ballad that Cuco describes as his way of connecting to life’s losses without falling into sorrow: “I wanted to write [a song] to the people that have passed away in my life. It’s something that I can still celebrate with the people that are alive around me. My cousin, who was there when I wrote the song, said, ‘Why does it feel sad, dude?’ I was like, ‘It’s not supposed to be.’ But it can be, depending on who you’re thinking about.”
Then there’s “My 45,” the only collaboration on the album. “I don’t generally work with a lot of songwriters, but for this record, a good chunk of the song is with my friend, Jean Carter,” he explains. “That’s my brother right there. We played it at the El Rey [in L.A.] at the live show, and people are geeked over that track.”
Ridin’ not only aims to connect generations through its music but also celebrates the evolution of a culture that remains alive. Or, as Cuco says: “It brings you into the world of the new oldies.”
Cuco
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When you look at the bonkers hard rock roster for the upcoming final Black Sabbath show in Birmingham, U.K. on July 5 at Villa Park, there is definitely one name that is conspicuously absent: Judas Priest. The masters of British leather-and-motorcycle metal simply are nowhere to be found among the head-banging roster of greats lined lined up for the Back to the Beginning show that includes Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Pantera, Lamb of God and many more.
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Apparently, there is a very good explanation for their absence, according to singer Rob Halford: they’re double-booked. Speaking to Metal Hammer, Halford explained that his band is slated to join the Scorpions in Hanover, Germany on that date for a 60th anniversary celebration of the German rock group.
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“I had no idea it [the Sabbath show] was happening. It all got announced and was a big deal,” he said of the Scorpions and Priest concert taking place more than 630 miles away from fellow Brummie Ozzy’s show. “Suddenly I get this phone call [from Ozzy Osbourne’s wife and manager Sharon Osbourne], ‘Robbie, I know you’ve got this gig with Scorpions, but could you consider coming over to do a thing with Ozzy and the guys. He’d love to see you.’”
But Halford said as much as he’d like to be on hand for the last run with Ozzy and the gang, trying to pull double-duty would be too difficult. He said Sharon Osbourne even offered to fly him back to Birmingham on the day of the show to make an appearance a la Phil Collins’ legendary Concord flight from London to Philadelphia to play two sets at Live Aid in July 1985.
And though Collins’ whirlwind flights, technically, got him to the U.S. before he left due to the timezones he crossed, Halford said as much as he’d like to double-down he thinks it might be “dangerous… Even with a private plane, there’s a word called ‘technical’, where something could go wrong, or the weather that time of year could cause problems… I was absolutely gutted [to miss the show],” he said.
The Sabbath swan song, which will also be Ozzy’s final solo show, has the 76-year-old metal legend pushing himself to deliver a curtain call worthy of his nearly 60-year career. “I do weights, bike riding, I’ve got a guy living at my house who’s working with me. It’s tough – I’ve been laid up for such a long time,” Osbourne said of his workout regimen to get pumped for his first full set since New Year’s Eve in 2018 in the wake of a series of health issues and surgeries that have laid him low for several years and kept him off stages.
“I’ve been lying on my back doing nothing and the first thing to go is your strength. It’s like starting all over again,” he said. “I’ve got a vocal coach coming round four days a week to keep my voice going. I have problems walking. I also get blood pressure issues, from blood clots on my legs. I’m used to doing two hours on stage, jumping and running around. I don’t think I’ll be doing much jumping or running around this time. I may be sitting down.”
Though Halford will not be on hand, former longtime Priest guitarist K.K. Downing will perform at the show alongside members of Limp Bizkit, Smashing Pumpkins, Living Colour, Megadeth, Halestorm, Faith No More, Sleep Token, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Megadeth, Ghost, Soundgarden and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler.
“All my mates are going to be there though, great bands and artists,” Halford told Metal Hammer, saying that Downing’s appearance will represent the “spirt” of Priest. “It’s a wonderful and epic moment for Sabbath and heavy metal — it re-emphasizes that Birmingham is where metal came from.”
It’s one thing for the Virginia Tech Hokies to blast Metallica‘s “Enter Sandman” as the football team’s game-day hype song when they take the field at Lane Stadium for home games. It’s quite another thing for the band to play the song on the team’s home field for the first time in front of a […]
Alice in Chains were forced to call off their planned Thursday night (May 8) show at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT after drummer Sean Kinney fell ill. According to a post on the group’s X feed, “After our soundcheck this evening at the Mohegan Sun Arena, Sean experienced a non-life-threatening medical emergency. We […]
Ahead of the band’s first tour in more than 15 years, Oasis‘ full catalog is now available in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos on Apple Music. Grammy-winning engineer Ryan Hewitt was commissioned by the band’s Big Brother Recordings Ltd. label to re-create the mixes from scratch, spending 18 months on the ambitious project. “Honoring the […]
PinkPantheress is officially back with her new nine-track mixtape Fancy That, out today (May 9) via Parlophone and Warner Records, marking her first full-length project since 2021’s breakout To Hell With It.
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The release comes after a several-month break from the spotlight. In August 2024, the 24-year-old British artist, born Victoria Walker, canceled all remaining tour dates, including festival appearances and high-profile support slots with Olivia Rodrigo and Coldplay, to focus on her physical health.
“It is with the heaviest heart that I will not be able to continue with the rest of my live shows this year,” she told fans at the time. “It appears I have reached a wall which I am struggling to penetrate through.”
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Now, PinkPantheress says taking that time away was necessary for her well-being, despite pressure to push through. “Really the least of my concerns was the money,” she told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “There was something that I needed to address and so I had to leave… But obviously, what goes around comes around, and I’ll be back again.”
That moment of pause, including what she called a turning point when she impulsively cut her hair, ultimately helped set the stage for Fancy That, which finds the singer leaning further into her experimental pop-meets-club sound.
It comes following last month’s release of the single “Stateside”, which arrived three weeks after “Tonight,” the lead single from Fancy That. The club anthem, which samples Panic! At the Disco’s 2008 track “Do You Know What I’m Seeing?,” hit No. 5 on Hot Dance/Pop Songs and No. 25 on Bubbling Under Hot 100. She joked that Doechii “chewed” her up when performing the “Tonight” dance backstage at H&M’s inaugural music festival in Los Angeles in April.
Fancy That is now available to stream across all major platforms.
