Music
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Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.
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This week: The Bey Hive buzzes over the Cowboy Carter Tour, Mariah the Scientist eyes a proper breakout hit and Katy Perry sees a less-remembered older hit gain newfound interest.
Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Streams Giddy Up 116% Following Tour Launch
If not for the launch of Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s long-awaited co-headlining Grand National Tour last month, the most-anticipated live kickoff of the month would’ve almost certainly been Beyoncé‘s latest stadium trek, the Cowboy Carter Tour. Taking Bey around some of the biggest venues in the U.S. — and a couple in Europe as well — the Cowboy Carter Tour opened to rave reviews at Inglewood, Calif.’s SoFi Stadium last Monday (April 28), with fans around the globe gobbling up any live clips available and prepping their own costumes for when the Queen’s rodeo comes to town.
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And those same fans — whether inspired by the clips that have circulated, or merely attempting to bone up on its deeper cuts before future live dates — are of course also streaming the album in droves. From last Friday to Sunday (Apr. 25-27), the three days before the tour’s launch, Cowboy Carter generated 4.7 million total official U.S. on-demand streams across its tracks, according to Luminate. For the three days after the launch (Apr. 29-May 1), that number was up to over 10.2 million — a gain of 116%. Some of the songs from the album receiving the biggest bumps over that period include “Ya Ya” (up 147% to 544,000), “Protector” (up 207% to 438,000) and of course Bey’s reinvention of Dolly Parton’s classic “Jolene” (up 118% to 405,000).
The streaming bump can also be seen in the chart performance of Cowboy Carter — which had slipped to No. 193 on the Billboard 200, at risk of falling off altogether, before rebounding all the way to No. 63 on this week’s chart (dated May 10). Will this be a one-week bump for Bey’s latest, or will it extend throughout the tour, Eras-style? That will certainly be one of the many things we continue to monitor about the Cowboy Carter Tour is it gallops around the country from here.
Mariah the Scientist’s New Song ‘Burning’ Up the Streaming Charts
R&B singer-songwriter Mariah the Scientist has developed a strong fanbase and critical reputation over the course of her three studio albums and a variety of one-off singles and feature appearances — including on Billboard Hot 100 hits by 21 Savage (“Dark Days”) and Tee Grizzley (“IDGAF”). But to this point, despite her burgeoning profile — with an added boost in exposure from her romantic relationship with hip-hop icon Young Thug — she’s still yet to notch a true breakout hit of her own as a lead artist.
Well, not until this week, anyway, following the Friday (May 2) release of Mariah’s new love ballad “Burning Blue” — which many have understandably taken to be about her storied beau, who was recently released from prison after submitting a a non-negotiated guilty plea in his RICO trial that resulted in his being sentenced to 15 years probation but no jail time. “Burning” had been teased extensively by Mariah pre-release, and upon dropping, quickly set fire to the Apple Music real-time chart, rising all the way to the top of the listing. In total, the song has racked up over 7.3 million on-demand U.S. audio streams in its first four days of release (May 2-5), according to early estimates from Luminate — an eye-popping number for a brand-new song by an artist with little chart crossover history.
Now, with the loved-up ballad spreading its way through the internet, the song sets its sights on a Hot 100 debut next week — with a good chance of even entering in the chart’s top half — as Mariah the Scientist takes the first big step on what could be a major 2025 level-up for her.
Fans Still “Thinking” About Overlooked Katy Perry Hit
While the headlines haven’t always been the kindest to Katy Perry the past month, she is off on her Lifetimes Tour, and apparently getting fans wistful about some of older hits. One that’s taken off in the past couple weeks is one that didn’t make the tour setlist: lovelorn ballad “Thinking of You,” the lone hit among breakout set One of the Boys‘ first four hits that didn’t make the top 10, peaking at No. 29 in February 2009.
The song has started to spread on TikTok — with some fans comedically taking on her vocal affectations on the track, and others simply pining for Perry at her most Alanis Morissette, a singer-songwriter mode that Perry rarely returned to on her singles after going pop supernova with 2010’s Teenage Dream blockbuster. Whatever the inspiration, the song’s virality has resulted in it nearly doubling in weekly official on-demand U.S. streams, from 279,000 for the tracking week ending April 24 to 539,000 the week of May 1, according to Luminate.
If it’s too late for Perry to work it into her Lifetimes set, maybe opener Rebecca Black could take it on instead? She has previously shown an affinity for covering less-remembered early Katy Perry singles…
Riding the momentum of their viral single “Gnarly,” KATSEYE has announced its second EP, BEAUTIFUL CHAOS, slated for release on June 27 via HYBE x Geffen Records. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The announcement was made on the group’s official social media platforms, where fans were […]
Daddy Yankee hits a new milestone as the music video for his hit “Con Calma,” featuring Canadian rapper Snow, coolly crosses the three-billion-view mark on YouTube. The animated visual, packed with electrifying dance moves and reggaetón flow, marks the Puerto Rican superstar’s second video to hit that milestone, following the 2017 chart-topping smash “Despacito.” Explore […]
back number’s “Blue Amber” debuts at No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Japan Hot 100, released May 7, becoming the popular band’s sixth leader on the chart.
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The track is being featured as the theme song for the ongoing drama series starring Keiko Kitagawa called Anata wo ubatta sonohi kara. After being released digitally on April 28, the track came in at No. 2 for downloads (14,750 units), No. 7 for streaming (6,154,747 weekly streams), No. 8 for video views, and topped radio airplay. The song gives the three-man J-pop band its sixth No. 1 (nine weeks in all) on the Japan Hot 100.
Four other songs by back number are currently charting, with “Takaneno Hanakosan” rising 38-35, “Suiheisen” 46-44, “Hanataba” 65-56, and “Happy End” 78-75 this week.
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List of back number’s No. 1 Hits:
“Omoidasenakunaru sonohimade” (“Until the day I can’t remember”) “Christmas Song” [Three weeks]“Boku no Namae wo” (“(You called) my name”) “Old Fashion”“to new lovers” (Japanese title: “Atarashii Koibitotachi ni”) [Two weeks]“Blue Amber”
Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “KUSUSHIKI” follows at No. 2. Compared to the week before, streaming and video for the The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Part 2 opener decreased to 93%, while downloads and karaoke increased to 108% and 136%, respectively. At No. 3 is the three-man band’s “Lilac,” moving 5-3. Streaming and video for the Oblivion Battery opener gained slightly, while downloads and karaoke showed significant growth of 121% and 135%, respectively.
≠ME’s “Mobunoderella” bows at No. 4. The title track of the group’s 10th double A-side single released April 30 topped sales with 232,441 copies sold in its first week.
King Gnu’s “TWILIGHT!!!” falls a notch to No. 5. The theme song for the animated blockbuster Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback scores its third week on the tally, coming in at No. 5 for downloads (6,333 units), No. 4 for streaming (7,639,298 streams), No. 6 for radio and No. 4 for video.
Cho Tokimeki Sendenbu’s “Sekai de ichiban idol” debuts at No. 7. The title track of the group’s double A-side single was released April 30 and came in at No. 2 for sales (85,438 copies) and No. 45 for radio.
Also debuting at No. 9 is Travis Japan’s “Would You Like One?” The theme song for the animated movie Tabekko Doubutsu The Movie launched at No. 1 for downloads, No. 67 for streaming, and No. 55 for radio.
Outside the top 10, Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s new song “Tengoku” debuts at No. 11. It’s the theme song for the movie Shinso wo ohanashi shimasu starring the band’s frontman Motoki Omori (alongside timelesz member Fuma Kikuchi) in a feature film for the first time. The track comes in at No. 3 for downloads and No. 12 for streaming.
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from April 28 to May 4, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.
Before they reunite in 2025 after nearly two years apart, j-hope says that the members of BTS had to grow separately.
In a new interview on the Zach Sang Show posted Tuesday (May 6), the K-pop star opened up about how he and his bandmates had to go through the sometimes difficult process of evolving as individuals and solo artists amid BTS’ break, during which the guys enlisted in the South Korean military while releasing music independent of the band. “In order to make music as a team in a healthy way, as each of us are making their own music, we each go through personal growth and growing pains that come with it,” j-hope explained.
“We learn many things,” he continued. “And then when we reunite after doing our own things, these experiences will fill us with new strength and energy. And now that’s very soon. Everyone has grown while pursuing their solo projects. I think that will contribute to the music we create as BTS.”
The interview comes nearly seven months after j-hope was discharged from the military, becoming the second member of BTS to finish his service requirements after Jin. In the two years since the band announced that it would be taking a break as the members carried out their mandatory civic duties, j-hope has released an album, 2022’s Jack in the Box, as well as an EP, 2024’s Hope on the Street Vol. 1; both projects charted in the Billboard 200 top 10. His latest single, “Mona Lisa,” dropped in March.
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RM, Suga, V, Jimin and Jung Kook are currently closing in on the end of their respective enlistments, after which the band is expected to reunite. “We will quickly get together and talk about what BTS can do in the future,” j-hope recently told Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe of the band’s plans post-military. “I think it’s going to be a massive energy.”
On Zach Sang, the “Chicken Noodle Soup” singer also revealed the first thing he did after finishing his own time in the military. “I came to L.A. right away,” he said, laughing. “I wanted to get back into the groove right away. Since I was in a different environment, I wanted to quickly dive back into the places and the culture I loved. I wanted to have fun while gaining new experiences and making music.”
Watch j-hope’s full interview with Zach Sang above.
Los Alegres del Barranco was supposed to perform at Chicago’s Michelada Fest this summer — but after the U.S. government cancelled the group’s visas when they displayed images of a cartel leader at a show in Guadalajara, Fernando Nieto and his team quickly pivoted to replace the Mexican band with Gabito Ballesteros.
A month later, on May 6, event organizers announced that the two-day festival — set to be headlined by Grupo Firme, Anitta and Luis R Conriquez — was cancelled over artist visa “uncertainty” under the Trump administration, and a “rapidly changing political climate,” they said in a statement.
Nieto, co-founder of Michelada Fest (Big Indie produces the festival alongside Zamora Live and Viva tu Música), tells Billboard that the visa situation for regional Mexican artists happened “abruptly,” to the point that they had to cancel the entire event.
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“It seemed at first that Los Alegres was an isolated event but we’ve seen enough over the last few weeks for us to have to make this difficult decision,” he explains. “I can’t comment on a specific artist or whether it’s a pending or revoked visa, but as a small business we needed to make the responsible decision not only for our company but also our consumers. We didn’t feel confident we could give them a complete event between now and July.”
Michelada Fest is perhaps the biggest event to date to cancel over visa issues and uncertainty under the Trump administration, which launched an aggressive crackdown on immigration on day one of the president’s second term in office. The Cinco de Mayo festival in Chicago’s La Villita neighborhood was cancelled over fear of ICE raids. Billboard previously reported how Trump’s immigration policies could impact Latin music, with promoters seeing certain markets being impacted with low attendance.
Now, in a plot twist of sorts and adding to the uncertainty of it all, regional Mexican artists who sing or have sung narcocorridos are under the spotlight, with Mexican states cracking down on banning the style of music, and the U.S. government not only taking notice, but acting on it too. It’s a major blow to the genre, which has only grown significantly in popularity and exposure over the past few years.
“We had been taking everything day by day, a lot of our vendors were also asking what would happen if ICE showed up — that’s what we were focused on,” Nieto says. “Never did we think that it would go from our people being targeted to now our culture also being targeted. I did not see it going this way at all.”
Just last year, Miche Fest — which was launched by locals as a street festival — held its biggest edition to date, taking place for the first time in Chicago’s Oakwood Beach, with superstar headliners Kali Uchis, Junior Hand Los Ángeles Azules.
Below, Nieto reflects to Billboard about the team’s decision to cancel this year’s Michelada Fest, and discusses what comes next.
What was your thought process throughout all of this, which ultimately led to cancelling Michelada Fest?
First and foremost, we want to treat consumers with respect. We’ve been doing this for eight years now, we started as a street festival and our fans have been there since day one. The last thing we want to do is put their money at risk. We felt the best thing we could do was to be transparent about what’s going on. Our consumer [base] works extremely hard for their dollars, and especially right now, we’re living in a time where everything is more expensive — not just on the events side, but the daily cost of living… That’s why we’re doing a 100% refund instead of saying your ticket will be good for next year.
What does not having a Michelada Fest this summer mean for Chicago’s Latin festival scene?
We’re leaving a major gaping hole in the Chicago summer season. We feature a bunch of small businesses, merch vendors, local food vendors, and we were about to announce a stage to highlight local Chicago artists — and that’s not taking into account the impact that we have financially when it comes to stimulating the economy through small businesses.
For a lot of our vendors — and I’m talking about the generator company, security company — we’re their biggest contract of the year. We have a $9 million dollar operating budget for our event. And unfortunately I had to make really difficult calls over the past few days to tell them the news, and now they’re trying to find another big [gig] for the year. There’re so many layers to the impact this festival has, from artists to small businesses and a cultural impact. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it was the responsible thing to do.
Michelada Fest is the biggest event to cancel because of the political climate …
We were the first major event to really make a statement — and I hope no one else has to deal with this, but a lot of visas are pending, tours are getting pushed back. There’s so much uncertainty.
What’s next for Michelada Fest?
We’re going to take the next few months to regroup and strategize, maintain the trust [with our base] and have a major comeback next year. Chicagoans know we’re a grassroots organization that started as a street festival by a bunch of South Siders. At the end of the day, they deserve this transparency. It only sets us up for a bigger year next year.
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard 200 dated May 17, we look at the chances of Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos to reclaim the chart’s top spot now that the set’s vinyl has finally shipped.
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Bad Bunny, Debí Tirar Más Fotos (Rimas): Bad Bunny’s sixth solo studio album has unquestionably been one of the biggest hits of 2025, spending three consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200 in January and February, and still residing in the chart’s top 10 three months later. The set stands at No. 7 on this week’s listing (dated May 10), but may very well be headed back to a fourth total frame at pole position next week.
That jump should be coming thanks to the set’s long-awaited release on vinyl – pre-orders for which were started back in February, but which is only shipping to customers this week. The album was sold on his webstore in a double-vinyl gatefold edition, and had been estimated to ship sometime around the end of April. The physical release is now sold out on Bad Bunny’s webstore — with no plans yet announced for future availability – but the sales boost from it, combined with the set’s continued streaming success, should be enough to put it back in heavy contention for the Billboard 200’s top spot next week.
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If Fotos does capture a fourth week atop the chart, that will break its tie with SZA’s SOS and Playboi Carti’s Music for the longest-reigning album on the chart in 2025 – though it will still be nine weeks shy of the 13-week run of Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti in 2022 for the longest of the singer-rapper’s career.
Fuerza Regida, 111xpantia (Street Mob/Rancho Humilde/Sony Music Latin): If there is a brand- new album that could provide competition for Bad Bunny on the Billboard 200 this week, it’s likely the latest from música Mexicana star quintet Fuerza Regida. Last Friday (May 2), the group released ninth album 111xpantia — which runs a modest 12 tracks and includes no features on its standard edition but does boast the Billboard Hot 100 hit “Por Esos Ojos,” and follows the group’s Mala Mia EP teamup with fellow hitmakers Grupo Frontera, including the breakout single “Me Jalo.”
Just as importantly, while many of Fuerza Regida’s previous sets were only available digitally, 111xpantia is getting the full physical push, via the band’s webstore. The album has been released as four different-colored vinyl variants, as well as both a standard and signed CD (by singer Jesús Ortíz Paz) – all with the same standard tracklist – and four deluxe boxed sets, all with a signed CD, but two with a T-shirt and two with a hat. Meanwhile, the set was also issued on a deluxe digital edition, initially released only for sale through the webstore, but later to all digital retailers and DSPs.
It may not be enough to fend off a big name like Bad Bunny, but it should likely get the group its first top 10 album on the Billboard 200, after previously peaking at No. 14 with 2023’s Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada.
IN THE MIX
Key Glock, Glockaveli (Paper Route Empire/Republic): Long-rising rapper Key Glock’s first album since signing to major label Republic, Glockaveli includes 18 tracks but no features – which Glock has explained he doesn’t like hosting on his albums – on its standard edition, with an extra three tracks coming on the deluxe (subtitled The Don). The set is also available on CD and vinyl and via various package sets with additional merch on his webstore. Key Glock’s previous best performance on the chart came with 2022’s Yellow Tape 2, which peaked at No. 7.
Eric Church, Evangeline vs. The Machine (EMI Nashville): Country star Eric Church has hit the Billboard 200’s top five with each of his last seven studio albums – a streak that began in the early 2010s with the No. 1-reaching Chief (2011) and The Outsiders (2013). That run may be ending with this month’s Evangeline vs. The Machine, which only runs eight tracks and has only one minor Hot 100 hit in the No. 94-peaking “Hands of Time” to its credit so far – though its sales numbers should be helped by its availability for purchase in four vinyl variants, as well as a standard CD, and a boxed set with a shirt and CD.
Pink Floyd, Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII (Pink Floyd Music/Sony): Originally released as a documentary concert film back in 1972 – just before the band’s true stateside breakout with the release of blockbuster prog-rock opus The Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd’s famous show at the ancient Roman amphitheater in Pompeii, Italy not only gets a theatrical release this year, but also an audio reissue this month on vinyl and CD, and for streaming and digital download. The 11-track, two-disc set includes early Floyd classics like “One of These Days,” “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” and a version of the epic “Echoes” split into two separate parts, both of course lasting over 10 minutes.
PinkPantheress is ready to step back into the spotlight after taking a few months to herself. You might recall that last August the 24-year-old British singer born Victoria Walker canceled all of her remaining 2024 tour dates — including festival shows and slots opening for Olivia Rodrigo and Coldplay — to focus on her physical health after saying she’d “hit a wall.”
Now, in a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, the singer says that despite the pushback from her team on hitting pause when things were really starting to hit for her she knew it was the right thing to do.
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“100%. But not even just because things are rolling, but more because of financial reasons why,” she told Lowe. “If you agree to do shows and you don’t follow through, there’s a lot of money being missed out on. There’s also a lot of… the opportunity for backlash to be. Really the least of my concerns, was the money.”
Pantheress said she’s naturally someone who is prone to not looking after herself in an effort to “push through” difficult times, which has caused problems in the past. “And that’s honestly one of the reasons I lost my hearing this ear because of that,” said the singer who in 2022 called off a performance at Spain’s Primavera Festival due to “partial hearing loss” that left her 80% deaf in her right ear. “So after that happened, I don’t know what it was. I think it was when I started cutting my hair with razor blades where I realized, you know what? I’m actually going to stop now.”
The singer who moved to Los Angeles two years ago and now spends her time bouncing between L.A. and London debuted a chopped bob earlier in January and told Lowe that when she cut her hair off she had an epiphany. “I was like, ‘you know what? I’m going to probably take a step back and chill,’” she said. “And I’m not someone that generally… I don’t really suffer with any kind of lapse in judgments when it comes to myself usually, but that’s when I knew… I had an impulse to literally get follicles of hair off of me. So I needed to… I was full up.”
That’s whey she made a decision to step out of the spotlight, something she has no regrets about. “There was something that I needed to address and so I had to leave,” she said. “And I did that for my own good. And obviously it was a very sad moment for people that wanted to see me but couldn’t see me. But obviously, what goes around comes around, and I’ll be back again.”
At the time she hopped off the tours, PinkPantheress told fans, “It is with the heaviest heart that sadly have to announce that i will not be able to continue with the rest of my live shows this year in order to focus on my physical health and overall wellbeing. It appears i have reached a wall which i am struggling to penetrate through. this will include my GUTS tour, Field Day, Summer Sonic, FORM, III Points, and Australia/NZ appearances.”
In January, she was featured on Shygirl’s “True Religion” single, which she followed up in April with her own songs, “Tonight” and “Stateside,” which will appear on her upcoming nine-song sophomore mixtape Fancy That, due out Friday (May 9).
Watch PinkPantheress describe her break to Lowe below.
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Kai Ca$h first appeared on our radar by way of his excellent 2021 album, 711 (Deluxe), and has been featured on past CRT FRSH (Certified Fresh) playlist roundups. The Brooklyn native spoke with Hip-Hop Wired about his persistence and consistency as an artist, which has positioned the humble and talented rapper’s career to soar even higher.
Kai Ca$h took time out of his busy recording schedule to talk with Hip-Hop Wired about his early beginnings, finding his voice as an artist, and where he hopes to take his craft now that he recently signed a deal with the stacked Generation Now collective founded by DJ Drama and Don Cannon and distributed by Atlantic Records.
For Kai, his current position was something he honed in on early on.
“I was born into music, and it’s what I’m most passionate about,” Kai explains, adding, “I never really gave myself a second option when it came to what I wanted to do in life. I’m really proud of that because I put my blood, sweat, and tears, everything I have, all into the music.”
Kai credits his mother’s diverse ear for music for increasing his palate as a listener first. His father was a close friend of The Notorious B.I.G. and a member of Junior M.A.F.I.A., giving a young Kai access to meet buzzing rap stars such as Lil’ Kim and Lil Cease, among others.
“Just being around those types of environments and that energy and then going back home with my mom listening to music, it just reassured me that this is the thing I wanted to do,” Kai said.
As mentioned above, Kai’s 711 (Deluxe) was a wider introduction of his sound after dropping his debut in 2019, and he shared what his journey was like between that project to his latest project, CASH RULES.
“At that time [during 711], I was independent. Being an independent artist is one of the hardest things ever, ” Kai shared. “I champion every independent artist that figures it out and develops a system that works for them because you might not see any money from it in a long time.”
Surprisingly, Kai revealed that he was shy and reserved, but the independent grind motivated him to work on his craft and transform his timidity into the ferocity fans witness now during his energetic live performances. He recently performed at this year’s Dreamville Festival alongside his longtime collaborator and friend, Niko Brim, who also hails from Hip-Hop royalty.
Source: Kai Ca$h / Generation Now/Atlantic Records
Our conversation with Kai moved to CASH RULES, his first body of work under the Generation Now imprint. Clocking in at 10 tracks, CASH RULES covers several lanes, including soul sample-driven beats, songs for “outside,” and plenty of moments of self-reflection. Don Cannon’s guiding hand opened the way for production from notable names like Bink, 2forwOyNE (Jack Harlow), Buddah Bless (Travis Scott, Megan Thee Stallion), and more. However, Kai’s already sharp and focused delivery sounds immediately improved.
“I still have a lot of work to do,” Kai said, not content to rest on recent successes. “I feel like a freshman walking through these doors. It’s just as important as everything I did before, and in some sense even more, because now I have eyes on me and a different kind of pressure. But this has been my dream since a kid, so I don’t feel any pressure at all.”
Check out Kai Ca$h online on Instagram here, and keep up with his movement on his site here.
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Photo: Kai Ca$h / Generation Now/Atlantic Records
Sabrina Carpenter was the lucky lady in Usher‘s crowd at the 2025 Met Gala who got to share a sensual moment with the R&B powerhouse Monday (May 5) — but the cherry on top was her dad’s hilarious reaction to the moment after the fact. In a photo taken that night inside New York City’s […]