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The year’s most anticipated tour has arrived. On Saturday (April 19), Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s co-headlining Grand National Tour opened in Minneapolis at the U.S. Bank Stadium. Not every artist has the benefit of kicking off a tour while occupying the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, but the TDE tandem are not […]
Lana Del Rey‘s newest release, the lullaby-like “Bluebird” just released on Friday (April 18), is a song that’s been years in the making. The ballad first came to her while she held a little bird in her hands, shaken up after the small creature had crashed into her window.
The singer shared the story behind the delicate “Bluebird” in an impromptu video filmed on her way to rehearsal on Friday.
“I started humming this chorus to myself, with the words and the melody, a long time ago when I had been seeing someone for a very long time — and we hadn’t seen each other for a while, and he called,” Lana said in the clip uploaded on Instagram. “And he asked me if I wanted to go for a walk. I was kind of excited, but I didn’t think it was a very good idea.”
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Still, she said yes and began to get ready to meet him. She was startled by what happened next.
“All of a sudden a bird smacked in the double-pane window doors of my bedroom,” Lana recalled.
“I was shocked, and I opened the little door and I saw this little, I think it was a little sparrow, little swallow, right there, and I just was so emotional — because you know when you just know that something is meant for you?” she said. “Like sometimes I feel like nature has its own way of communicating with you, especially in extremely severe situations — not in a sacrificial way, just in a way just for you to know.”
Lana continued, “I just wanted to hold it. I was so hoping that it would be OK. I remember before I could even think, I just sat, knelt there, and I just sang, ‘Little bird, little bird, fly away for both of us.’ I was just kind of tearing up for myself and for the bird.”
As the story goes, the little bird did “eventually kind of stumble away,” and did fly away, according to Lana, who didn’t follow suit; she went on that walk anyway.
“That is not the first time that I have had something happen where a bird has been a little bit of a message for me,” she shared.
On the introspective “Bluebird,” she sings: “For your thoughts are small, they can’t keep you from leavin’/ As the wake of my past crashes in/ I hear the door slam, but the window’s wide open/ We both shouldn’t be dealing with him/ Find a way to fly/ Find a way to fly/ Just shoot for the sun ’til I can finally run/ Find a way to fly.”
“Bluebird” is the second song to be released ahead of her upcoming 10th studio album, the first being “Henry, Come On.” The record, once said to have country roots and called Lasso, and then known as The Right One Will Stay, is presently untitled and without a firm release date. Though it was expected just weeks from now, last week Lana casually broke the news to fans that May is no longer looking likely for the follow-up to 2023’s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd: “You know it’s not going to come on time, right?”
She’ll be performing at this year’s Stagecoach, the annual country music festival held in Indio, California, the weekend after Coachella. She’s billed as having “a very special country set” by the fest.
See her talk about the origin of “Bluebird” below.
Megan Thee Stallion‘s “Whenever” is arriving in less than a week. The rapper just announced the new song title, along with its scheduled release date of April 25. The reveal came Saturday (April 19) on Meg’s social media accounts, where she posted movie poster-style art — featuring the promo “It’s whatever b—-, it’s whenever h–!” […]
Zak Starkey is officially back in The Who.
On Saturday (April 19), the band’s legendary guitarist Pete Townshend took to social media to announce that Starkey — Ringo Starr’s son and the iconic group’s drummer for nearly three decades — had been reinstated after what he described as “communication issues.”
“News Flash! Who Backs Zak! He’s not being asked to step down from The Who,” Townshend wrote on The Who’s Instagram account. “There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily.”
The announcement comes just days after Starkey addressed rumors of his firing, reportedly sparked by singer Roger Daltrey’s dissatisfaction with Starkey’s performance during a Teenage Cancer Trust benefit show at London’s Royal Albert Hall in late March.
Townshend elaborated on the situation in his post, saying, “Roger and I would like Zak to tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral line up and he has readily agreed. I take responsibility for some of the confusion. Our TCT shows at the Royal Albert Hall were a little tricky for me. I thought that four and a half weeks would be enough time to recover completely from having a complete knee replacement. (Why did I ever think I could land on my knees?) Wrong!”
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He continued, “Maybe we didn’t put enough time into sound checks, giving us problems on stage. The sound in the centre of the stage is always the most difficult to work with. Roger did nothing wrong but fiddle with his in-ear monitors. Zak made a few mistakes and he has apologised. Albeit with a rubber duck drummer. We are a family, this blew up very quickly and got too much oxygen. It’s over. We move forward now with optimism and fire in our bellies.”
Townshend also addressed speculation that Daltrey’s solo drummer, Scott Devours, might replace Starkey in The Who.
“As for Roger, fans can enjoy his forthcoming solo shows with his fabulous drummer, Scott Devours, who it was rumoured might replace Zak in The Who and has always been supportive of the band,” Townshend wrote. “I owe Scott an apology for not crushing that rumour before it spread. He has been hurt by this. I promise to buy him a very long drink and give him a hug.”
Starkey later shared Townshend’s post on his own Instagram, adding, “V grateful to be a part of the who family Thanks Roger and Pete xx. Repost from @officialthewho.”
The Who’s Royal Albert Hall charity shows on March 18 and 20 became a flashpoint after Metro reported that Daltrey grew frustrated during the set and halted several songs, citing issues hearing the band over Starkey’s drumming.
In an April 16 statement to People, Starkey pushed back, expressing surprise that anyone would have a problem with his performance.
“After playing those songs with the band for so many decades, I’m surprised and saddened anyone would have an issue with my performance that night,” the drummer said. “But what can you do?” He also revealed that he had suffered a “serious medical emergency” in January, involving blood clots in his right calf. “This is now completely healed and does not affect my drumming or running,” Starkey noted.
Starkey has been a central figure in The Who’s live lineup since 1996, when he joined the band for their reunion tour, performing their 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia in its entirety.
Lady Gaga didn’t let a technical hiccup put a damper on her Coachella 2025 performance. During her headlining set on the second weekend of the Indio, Calif., festival on Friday (April 18), the 39-year-old pop icon’s microphone began to cut out during just the second song of her set, “Abracadabra.” But ever the professional, Gaga […]
From career milestones to new music releases to major announcements and those little important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
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See latest videos, charts and news
A Celia Cruz Tribute
Celia Cruz will be honored and celebrated at the 2025 Billboard Latin Women in Music Awards to air April 24 on Telemundo. The late Cuban star, who was born in 1925 and passed away in 2003, will be recognized with the Legend Award, and will also be honored with a centennial tribute performance by Puerto Rican powerhouses Ivy Queen, La India, and Olga Tañón. The latter of the three will receive this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
In addition to Cruz and Tañón, other 2025 honorees include Anitta (Vanguard Award), Belinda (Evolution Award), Chiquis (Impact Award), Ha*Ash (Unbreakable Award) and Natti Natasha (Unstoppable Award). Mexican star Ana Bárbara will host the two-hour ceremony. The third annual Billboard Latin Women in Music special will air live April 24 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. Central exclusively on Telemundo, Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean onTelemundo Internacional.
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Nacho’s New Era
Venezuelan singer-songwriter Nacho surprised fans with a new studio album called Sobre La Roca out via Bakno Music and Be Global Music. Home to 11 tracks, with titles such as “Gracias,” “Mi Testimonio,” and “Amén,” the ultra-personal album is charged with powerful and motivational lyrics about faith, hope and peace. The songs are backed by urban, tropical, and pop melodies — genres very familiar to Nacho’s commercial sound. “I hope the songs on this album help us strengthen our relationship with God,” the artist born Miguel Ignacio Mendoza Donatti and known for being part of the famed duo Chyno y Nacho, expressed on Instagram. Stream and listen to Sobre La Roca below:
Periko & Jessi León Rebrand
After a trajectory that spans more than 10 years and includes a best new artist Latin Grammy nomination in 2014, Periko & Jessi León are making a comeback — and rebranding themselves. The Latin pop duo, composed by the Argentine and Peruvian artists and musicians, is returning from a five-year hiatus with a new project called PJ Kids, for which their 4-year-old son Milo is joining as their official drummer. “We had to pause our music, our songs, our dreams, because life called us to become parents,” the duo expressed on Instagram. “After many years, we return to the studio not only as artists, but as parents,” they noted, adding that their new songs are inspired by their son. “Dreams never die, they only transform.”
A Kelly Clarkson Show Debut
Three months after dropping their collaborative effort, “Querida Yo,” Yami Safdie and Camilo officially performed it on The Kelly Clarkson Show this week. “It’s gone viral in 20 different countries,” Clarkson said ahead of their heartwarming national TV performance. The soft pop ballad is a tribute to personal empowerment and the hope of releasing the vulnerabilities we face by choosing to become our greatest strength and version, conveying the true message of the meaning of faith. “What a dream being able to present this song alongside Camilo, thank you for having us,” the Argentine newcomer and former Billboard Latin Artist on the Radar, shared on Instagram.
A Chicas del Can Film
Famed ’90s all-girl merengue group Las Chicas del Can is getting the film treatment through a documentary focused on its lead singer, Miriam Cruz. The announcement was shared on social media via a trailer of the forthcoming film called La Historia de una Diva directed by Giancarlo Beras-Goico. Based on Cruz’s career challenges and successes, and narrated in her own words, the documentary will “trace back to her beginnings in Las Chicas del Can, her solo career, and her current impact as a symbol of empowerment and perseverance in the music industry,” according to the caption on Instagram. Watch the trailer of La Historia de una Diva below.
MGM+ television series Godfather of Harlem, starring Forest Whitaker as Harlem gangster Bumpy Johnson during his later years in the 1960s, made its return earlier this week for its fourth and final season. And with that comes another original soundtrack curated by Swizz Beatz. The lead single features Swizz teaming up with barbarians (shout to […]
Post Malone’s ex-fiancée, Hee Sung “Jamie” Park, has filed a court petition seeking sole physical custody of their two-year-old daughter. Park is filing for primary physical custody of the ex-couple’s daughter — named in court documents as “DDP” with a birthdate of May 26, 2022 — while allowing Post visitation rights, in addition to joint […]
This Gunna and Young Thug situation isn’t over by a long shot. The two labelmates have had a complicated relationship in the public eye since Gunna decided to take an Alford Plea in 2022 just as YSL’s lengthy RICO trial was getting started. Now we can add another chapter to the drama. Fans have noticed […]
After getting mixed up by the general public for years, one particularly hilarious mixup prompted Michelle Williams and Michelle Williams to finally link up.
In a video posted Thursday (April 17) by the first Williams — as in, the superstar previously in the Beyoncé-led girl group Destiny’s Child — she sits backstage after a performance of her Broadway show Death Becomes Her, telling the camera, “We had an amazing show tonight!”
She then pulls out a stack of photos of the other Williams — aka the five-time Oscar-nominated actress who’s starred in everything from Brokeback Mountain to My Week With Marilyn — that a fan had mistakenly mailed her in the hopes of getting an autograph weeks prior. Turning the camera, the first Williams reveals that the second Williams is sitting there beside her, and the former asks the latter to sign the pictures of herself.
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“Who should I make it out to?” the Blue Valentine star says, to which the “Journey to Freedom” singer replies giddily, “Would you make them out to meee?”
“#FINALLY,” reads the video’s caption.
The sweet meetup comes a little over a month after the singer posted a video of herself reading aloud a letter from a fan, featuring a hilarious twist at the end. “‘Dear Michelle Williams, I hope this letter finds you in great spirits,’” she recited in the March clip. “‘My name is Philip, and I have been an avid fan of your incredible performances in both film and theater.’”
“‘Your work in movies like Blue Valentine, Manchester by the Sea or The Greatest Showman has deeply moved me and many others, showcasing your exceptional talent,’” she continued at the time. “‘I am writing to kindly ask if you would consider signing the enclosed photos I have of you. Having your autograph would mean so much for me and my daughter, as we admire your artistry.’”
That’s when the first Williams showed the photos Philip had sent: snapshots of the second Williams in various movies. “Philip, thank you so much,” she said, laughing. “Thank you, Philip. Thank you so much. Absolutely brilliant. Her hair is fabulous.”
Though the moment was certainly memorable, Philip is far from the first person to get the two Michelle Williamses switched around. With both women working in the entertainment industry since the 1990s, countless others have gotten their identical names confused over the years.
The “Unexpected” artist has been starring in Death Becomes Her since the show opened in New York City in November. On the very first night of performances, her former bandmates Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland came out to Lunt-Fontanne Theatre to cheer her on. Film star Michelle is currently promoting her Hulu miniseries Dying for Sex.
See Michelle Williams Squared meet up below.
