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Kendrick Lamar stamped his 2024 rap MVP campaign with a brand new album when GNX hit streaming services without any sort of warning on Friday (Nov. 22) around noon ET. Initially, a GNX teaser arrived on YouTube in the form of a one-minute snippet, and fans hoped it meant the start of a rollout. But […]
It isn’t easy being a number one girl — just ask ROSÉ.
In a candid interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe arriving Friday (Nov. 22), the BLACKPINK star got real about the inspiration behind her new solo single, “Number One Girl,” which dropped the same day: reading hate comments about herself. “We wrote that song the day after I went to this event,” ROSÉ explained. “I felt so grateful that I’m at these events, but I didn’t feel fulfilled. I felt like I was chasing after something that I’m like, ‘What am I chasing after?’”
“I felt so empty, and I remember feeling so miserable,” she continued. “And then that night, I ended up finding myself on social media, and then I end up looking for all these comments that are just going to obviously shatter me … I’m so disappointed in myself. Because I think I’ve grown up being like, ‘Be confident in yourself. When people say things to you, don’t let it get to you.’”
Noting that “Number One Girl” overall represents “toxic” relationships, the New Zealand native added, “I was so obsessed with these people who were not nice to me and who really didn’t know me.”
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The new track is just one of many things ROSÉ and the radio host broached during their conversation, which arrives just two weeks ahead of the K-pop star’s debut solo album, rosie. Of the 12-track LP, she opened up about feeling “pressure” to complete the project during her time off from BLACKPINK obligations — especially with the clock ticking down to a band reunion in 2025.
“And us as BLACKPINK, as mature as we are, we got together and decided, ‘Let’s promise ourselves a good year to be inspired,’” ROSÉ told Lowe of bandmates JENNIE, LISA and JISOO. “The first thing that happened was anxiety, because I was privileged to have this one year in my hands to do whatever I wanted with it, but I wanted it to be the right decision and it had to feel right … What if I don’t believe in my thing? And what if I’m in a place where I’m having to do things that I don’t feel like it’s me?”
ROSÉ also touched on a past relationship that inspired some of the other songs on rosie, including “Game Boy,” which she says was the last track she wrote for her album. “I’d never like the person to know about it, but I would talk about [them] so much,” she told Lowe. “I needed to get it off my chest.”
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, ROSÉ wants to hit “Number One,” Jack Harlow wants to make your heart swoon and Wicked wants you to sing along. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
ROSÉ, “Number One Girl”
While “APT.,” ROSÉ’s smash collaboration with Bruno Mars, became her first career top 10 hit and introduced the BLACKPINK’s star solo oeuvre to U.S. radio listeners, “Number One Girl” (which was created with Mars, in fact) effectively swerves in a different direction, a piano ballad that showcases her pleading voice and expands her story.
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Jack Harlow, “Hello Miss Johnson”
“I think it’s a song about courtship, first and foremost,” Jack Harlow recently told Apple Music about his latest single — and indeed, “Hello Miss Johnson” finds the rapper nodding toward OutKast’s “Ms. Jackson” over a lightly sashaying beat while spitting game to try and impress a lady.
Various Artists, Wicked: The Soundtrack
With Wicked hitting theaters this weekend and beguiling families ahead of Thanksgiving, the film’s official soundtrack captures the movie magic thanks to Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo — co-stars, and vocal powerhouses — injecting new life into the musical’s beloved centerpieces. Read the full review.
Jelly Roll, “Run It”
Talk about prolific: on the same day that he dropped “Hurt,” a new collaboration with OneRepublic, and the same week that he announced a stadium tour slot in support of Post Malone, Jelly Roll also unveiled “Run It,” a snappy clap-along for the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 soundtrack that sounds primed to transcend the family film.
Wizkid, Morayo
While Wizkid’s latest full-length features a satisfying array of collaborations (with features from Jazmine Sullivan, Brent Faiyaz and Asake, among others), Morayo, which is dedicated to the Nigerian star’s late mother, hits close to home, with songwriting defined by memories and intimate revelations.
Lil Nas X, “Need Dat Boy”
Although his biggest hits are uptempo, chest-thumping anthems, Lil Nas X also sounds comfortable slowing down the BPM and turning insular — and “Need Dat Boy,” in which he works through his complex feelings of fame and loneliness over sparse production before the beat switches, deserves a big listenership as well.
Quevedo, Buenas Noches
Madrid native Quevedo has made a sizable mark on Latin urban music over the past three years — a line that can be traced back to his enormous Bizarrap session in 2022 — and Buenas Noches sounds like a new star being coronated, his deep voice and springy flow given ample room to dazzle.
Editor’s Pick: Miguel, “Always Time”
Since his last album, 2017’s War & Leisure, Miguel watched his song “Sure Thing” become a viral sensation a decade after its release; now, he’s demonstrating the gorgeous ache in his voice with “Always Time,” a somber new track that sounds like a check-in with new and old fans alike before a major 2025.
Charli XCX is extending Brat summer into Brat spring. The singer announced a run of five 2025 U.S. arena dates on Friday (Nov. 22). The Charli XCX – Brat 2025 – Arena tour is slated to kick off on April 22 with a gig at the Moody Center in Austin, TX , followed by a stop at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN and an April 28 show at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.
The quick-hit run — her first solo U.S. arena tour — will wind down with a two-fer at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 30 and May 1.
Fans can register for first access to tickets in the artist presale which is open how here; the artist presale will being on Tuesday (Nov. 26) at 10 a.m. local time with a general onsale beginning on Tuesday at 2 p.m. local time here. At press time no supporting acts had been announced.
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Fans got buzzing about a possible large-scale tour earlier this week when billboards featuring the album’s signature lo-fi font and lime green color scheme that read “Chicago,” “Minneapolis” and “Brooklyn” in those cities; Charli used a similar scheme in October to tease her Brat remix album, Brat and It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat.
Charli and Troy Sivan criss-crossed the North America on their joint 22-city Sweat tour in September and October, hitting venues from Detroit to Toronto, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Nashville, Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, L.A., San Diego, San Francisco and Portland before winding down in Seattle on Oct. 23.
After hosting and performing as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live last weekend the singer pulled off a surprise pop-up show in New York’s Times Square on Monday night.
The dates will come amidst a busy 2025 for the “365” singer, who is also co-executive producing the score for the A24 movie Mother Mary with Jack Antonoff, as well as producing original music for Benito Skinner’s Amazon Prime Video series Overcompensating. She is also slated to star in Daniel Goldhaber’s remake of the 1978 cult horror film Faces of Death and Greg Araki’s erotic thriller I Want Your Sex.
Check out Charli’s announcement below.
Jelly Roll has had a stellar year, seeing his album Beautifully Broken debut at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200, notching No. 1 Country Airplay hits such as “I Am Not Okay” and “Halfway to Hell” and embarking on his first headlining arena trek, The Beautifully Broken Tour. Plus, he turned in a pair of top-shelf performances at this week’s CMA Awards, including a moving version of “Believe” with Brooks & Dunn.
However, though he had multiple nominations leading into this year’s CMAs, his name wasn’t among this year’s winners. Jelly Roll was nominated for entertainer of the year (which ultimately went to Morgan Wallen, marking his first win in the category), male vocalist of the year (which saw Chris Stapleton pick up his eighth win in that category) and album of the year (Jelly Roll’s Whitsitt Chapel was nominated, but Cody Johnson’s Leather was declared the victor in the category). Notably, Jelly Roll is featured on Leather, collaborating with Johnson on the song “Whiskey Bent.”
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Jelly Roll may not have walked away from this year’s CMAs with any new hardware in his arsenal — he won the CMA new artist of the year accolade in 2023 — but he’s not letting that get him down. Instead, he’s determined to work even harder ahead of next year’s CMA Awards, and he had plenty of praise for this year’s winners.
In a social media post, Jelly said he was grateful for his performance alongside Brooks & Dunn, showered praise on Wallen, Johnson and Stapleton, thanked his family, and revealed a moment of inspiration he took from watching Taylor Swift.
“Standing next to the two people that matter the most to me, we walked into the Bridgestone Arena for my second CMA ever as a nominated artist,” he wrote. “On the biggest night in country music on the biggest stage in Nashville I had the opportunity to stand next to a couple of living legends and praise Jesus in front of the world. Thank you Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, y’all could’ve picked any artist in the world bigger than me, I’ll never be able to thank y’all enough for giving me an opportunity to shamelessly stand on my faith in front of the world.”
He added of this year’s CMA Awards winners, “I know I don’t have to say this but, just so we are clear – Chris Stapleton was and always will be the Male Vocalist of the year as long as he is alive and I think we all agree about that. MORGAN WALLEN MY EAST TENNESSEE BROTHER finally got the flowers he deserves, no one has done more for country music in the last quarter of a century than Morgan has. And Cody, my brother and one of my best friends Cody Johnson, your album Leather is truly one of my favorite albums recorded in the last decade, any win for you is a win for me, you deserved this one, and now I can brag that I’m one of the only features on the CMA album of the year. To my wife and daughter, thank you both. You both stood by me when I wasn’t worth standing by I’m glad we are enjoying this rocket ride together.”
He ended his post by recalling inspiration he has taken from Taylor Swift, when Swift was in a similar situation, after her 2017 album Reputation did not receive a Grammy nomination in the album of the year category — though Reputation did pick up a nomination for best pop vocal album.
Jelly Roll wrote, “Lastly I seeen [sic] a clip the other day of Taylor Swift when she found out her album Reputation was not nominated for album of the year at the Grammys and her first response was “it’s ok, I just have to make a better record” – man that lit a fire under me in a way I’ve never had lit,” he said. “That was ultimate accountability in action in the real moment and that’s why Taylor is the legend she is. That was all said to say, I’m going to write a better album, I’m going to work harder and I’ll be back baby, I will be back. PS REPUTATION was one of the greatest albums ever written.”
See Jelly Roll’s post below:
Miley Cyrus has six new pieces of hardware in her collection, one for each of her biggest hits. And in a new episode of Spotify‘s Billions Club: The Series, the 31-year-old pop star opened up about each of her tracks that have crossed into 10-digit territory on the streaming service, including 2009’s “Party in the U.S.A.” — which she lovingly referred to as the “ultimate grocery aisle music” — 2013’s “We Can’t Stop,” 2018’s “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” with Mark Ronson and 2020’s “Angels Like You.”
The celebration of her milestones comes as her first-ever Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single, “Wrecking Ball,” becomes her sixth track to reach a billion listens.
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While discussing the pop-rock heartbreak anthem with sister Brandi Cyrus, Miley revealed the straightforward inspiration behind “Wrecking Ball”: “My man wasn’t acting right.”
Released in 2013, the song is widely believed to be about the star’s ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth — as is “Flowers,” her second-ever Hot 100 chart-topper and the fastest of her tracks to reach a billion streams. It was also Spotify’s most-streamed song of 2023 and earned Miley her first and second Grammy Awards (record of the year and best pop solo performance) earlier this year.
Of the speculation into the subject matter of “Flowers,” Miley quipped, “The only rumor I can confirm to be true is that the gold dress I am wearing is museum-quality from Yves Saint Laurent that is in an exhibition in Paris right now.”
In another clip from the shoot shared exclusively with Billboard on Thursday (Nov. 21), the Hannah Montana alum reflected on how she’s inspired younger stars such as Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo. “You never think about in the future, someone replicating what you do,” she said in the snippet. “You’re just doing it because it’s honest in the moment … It’s really important they do it their own way, because that’s what my career has represented above all else.”
Miley’s Billions Club episode makes her just the latest artist to be honored by the series, with past installments focusing on Ariana Grande, Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran and more.
Watch Miley’s Billions Club episode above.
Model Cara Delevingne is opening up about one of her former A-list roommates. In a chat with comedian and uber-Swiftie Nikki Glaser for Interview magazine, the two, naturally, got around to talking about Delevingne’s longtime friend Taylor Swift, with Cara assured Glaser that the singer is exactly the kind of caring friend you want to […]
London DJ PAWSA has announced his biggest U.K. show to date, with a homecoming gig at the city’s Gunnersbury Park next summer.
The dance producer, born David Esekhile, will host PAWSA In The Park – All Day Long in the capital’s Gunnersbury Park on Aug. 8, with more acts to be revealed at a later date. The news follows the 34-year-old’s recent viral success with his latest single, a reimagined version of The Adventures of Stevie V’s iconic 1989 track “Dirty Cash (Money Talks).” Watch the video below.
A fan presale will begin at 10 a.m (GMT) on Nov. 27. General tickets are set to go live at 10 a.m on Nov. 29 via Ticketmaster.
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As one half of the duo behind scene-leading label Solid Grooves, PAWSA has enjoyed an ever-burgeoning career over the past decade. Since 2016 he has held annual residencies in Ibiza and regularly tours clubs across mainland Europe. In 2021, he won Best Producer at DJ Mag’s Best of British Awards.
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PAWSA released his debut EP, Pilot, in 2014 via the renowned Lost Records label, a key player in the U.K.’s techno and house music scenes. The following year, he founded Solid Grooves alongside DJ Michael Bibi – the sister company of Solid Grooves club night, which hosts regular happenings in London, Ibiza and Berlin.
This past summer has seen PAWSA perform at Circoloco Amsterdam and Chicago’s ARC Music, among many other major festivals. In July, he made a surprise appearance at Bibi’s One Live event at London’s Finsbury Park.
Meanwhile, Gunnersbury Park, which can hold up to 30,000 fans, has become something of a central hub for major British dance music events in recent years. Throughout summer 2024 alone, the park played host to the electronic-focused Waterworks Festival, a drum ‘n’ bass weekender (DnB Allstars), and headline gigs from Annie Mac and Fisher.
Former American Idol contestant Caleb Kennedy was sentenced to eight years in prison this week for a 2022 DUI car crash in South Carolina that killed 54-year-old Larry Duane Parris. According to WSPA, Kennedy, 20, plead guilty to driving under the influence resulting in death on Monday and was sentenced to 25 years in prison […]
The reunion tour rolls on: Oasis have announced a trio of shows to take place in Asia next year, the latest gigs added to their Live ‘25 reunion tour. The Gallagher brothers will head to Seoul, South Korea on Oct. 21. for a show at the Goyang Stadium before heading to Tokyo, Japan for a […]