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The Guns N’ Roses drum seat didn’t stay empty for long. Just a day after announcing the departure of their longest-tenured stickman, Frank Ferrer, after 19 years, the hard rock stalwarts revealed who will take over on Thursday (March 20).
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And while he’s not (yet) a household name, Isaac Carpenter has the perfect CV to back up the core trio of singer Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan on their upcoming Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things Tour, which kicks off in South Korea on May 1.
The 45-year-old Washington state native performed in a GNR cover band in high school called .22s and Tulips, before that act transformed into the group Loudermilk, which got signed to Rick Rubin’s American label while the guys were still teens. Following the band’s dissolution, Carpenter played drums in AWOLNATION for a decade, and also spent time playing with McKagan’s side project, Loaded, as well performing and recording with Adam Lambert, Barbarians of California, A Perfect Circle, The Exies, Ours and Black Lab, among others.
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Carpenter will kick off his GNR era with the band for their 2025 tour, which will hit stadiums and festivals in Europe, Asia and the Middle East this summer.
Guns announced the “amicable exit” of Ferrer on Wednesday (March 19), thanking their longest-running drummer for “his friendship, creativity and sturdy presence over the past 19 years, and they wish him success in the next chapter of his musical journey.” Ferrer joined Guns N’ Roses in 2006, taking over from Bryan “Brain” Mantia, who had joined in 2000. Ferrer’s last appearance with the band was at Mexico’s Hell & Heaven Metal Fest in November 2023, which is also the most recent live performance from the GNR.
Check out the band’s first official photo of Carpenter below.
What better way to celebrate the release of your love-drenched debut album as a couple than go on The Tonight Show to prove how good you are at lying to each other? Well, that’s exactly what Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco did on Thursday night (March 20) when they fêted their collab LP I Said I Love You First by playing a round of “True Confessions” with host Jimmy Fallon.
Spoiler alert: they are adorably bad at lying to one another.
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The couple had other business to discuss on the show, of course, including a re-telling of the tale of Blanco’s elaborate engagement plot, which Selena said she almost ruined because she was exhausted after a long day of work. Gomez, who wore a flattering, off-the-shoulder black velvet dress and heels, and Blanco, dressed in a bedazzled, ripped jeans and an equally sparkly pale purple short-sleeved shirt and black cowboy boots, said she had no idea that Blanco was going to propose back in December because the day it happened she was wiped from work.
“We had to do a lot of promo for the album, so I woke up and I was very confused on what was happening, where we were going, because it seemed kind of far,” Gomez said. “I’m kind of a little grumpy. I really am tired. This is too far. So then I tell him, ‘after this shoot I’m going to go hang out with my friends.’”
Blanco said that sent him into panic mode because getting engaged is the “craziest thing” in the world. “It’s like, right before you’re gonna tell someone you’re gonna be married to them forever, they’re like, ‘show me how good you can lie to me!’” Blanco joked. “It’s the hardest thing in the world!” Blanco said the cloak-and-dagger arrangement made for the “scariest week of my life.”
When Fallon predicted the music at the wedding would be “amazing,” Gomez said they are “definitely not planning exactly at this moment,” but that she will for sure leave the music portion of the big night to Grammy-nominated producer/songwriter Blanco.
The pair, of course, also talked about the album, which Gomez described as “an exploration of each other’s present, past and future. The music was very fun, but cathartic, because we got to know each other on a deeper level.”
Earlier in the episode during the lying game, Selena tried to convince Blanco and Fallon that one time her dog ran away on set and Paul Rudd found it. Blanco was immediately skeptical about the tale, asking what year it was, to which Gomez snapped, “what are you, Judge Judy?” Showing off his deep knowledge of Sel’s dog history, Blanco expertly poked holes in her story, leading the singer to complain, “He knows it’s a lie. I told you backstage I’m going to be terrible at this!”
Nobody fell for Fallon’s dumb claim that he almost ruined Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown’s last year by showing up uninvited, especially Blanco who asked, “Who is Millie Bobby Brown?” After proving his expert sleuthing skills, it was Blanco’s turn to lie, pretending he starred in a Burger King commercial as a kid. He put on a good face, but Gomez immediately wondered, “I dunno… why wouldn’t you have told me that?”
Watch Gomez and Blanco on The Tonight Show below.
When Jennie posted the long-awaited trailer announcing her debut solo album, Ruby, she was on a plane heading to London. “It’s hard for me to stay longer than a week in one city,” she confesses — while in the car en route to yet another flight (this time from Los Angeles back home to Seoul).
Jennie chose the commanding “Zen” to soundtrack the album’s January trailer, particularly highlighting the lyric “In the dark I grew,” a sentiment that echoes throughout Ruby. “To me, that song is the core of this album,” she says. “So it only felt right to begin this journey with it.”
The album, which is entirely in English and arrived March 7, was preceded by singles “Mantra”; “Love Hangover,” with Dominic Fike; and “ExtraL,” with Doechii; and its other features — including genre-spanning artists such as Dua Lipa, Childish Gambino and Kali Uchis — further illustrate Jennie’s wide-ranging taste and global appeal. As a jet-setting artist with a devoted worldwide fan base firmly in place thanks to her role in history-making K-pop act Blackpink, Jennie is determined to build upon that on her own. (She released Ruby on her independent label, OddAtelier, in partnership with Columbia.) “It feels like my power as a superhero,” Billboard‘s 2025 Women in Music Global Force says. “It drives me to put more great things out there and work hard.”
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Join us at Billboard Women in Music 2025 — get your tickets here.
You already have a global fan base thanks to Blackpink. How did that benefit you on your solo journey?
If anything, I’m reintroducing myself to the world with this album. I’m throwing myself out there as if this was the very first time — that’s the commitment that I told myself. So I don’t think it changes so much for me.
You’ve adopted the middle name of Ruby Jane. How did that inspire the album title?
I was contemplating until the very end. I didn’t name [the album] Ruby because it’s a part of my name. To me, Ruby speaks to me as the curtain call of a play, where I’m opening this new chapter of… I don’t want to say new life; life is life, but a different stage in my life and I’m welcoming everyone in. I don’t necessarily see Jennie, Ruby, Jane as three different alter egos of mine. That’s just who I am, all in one.
Annakiki dress.
Songyi Yoon
You released a lyric breakdown of “Love Hangover” in Korean. Why was that important for you to do?
I love the fact that I’m Korean, so I’m just showing my appreciation and giving back the love that [my Korean fans] give me, and I wanted them to understand my music and myself better since this is an all-English album. And I know that they want to be more interactive with me in both languages.
What lyrics on Ruby best sum up how this journey has felt for you?
There’s a song that speaks to me in that sense called “Starlight,” and I think it’s a beautifully written song about how I felt for all this time. It’s a personal song.
Dua Lipa is featured on “Handlebars.” Tell me about that friendship.
I’ve known Dua for a very long time now. I went to her first show in Korea. We’re already good friends, [but] it was our first time doing a song together. That itself was a new experience for us to see each other in a different way, and we just had a great time.
Jacquemus top, David Koma pants, AREA hat.
Songyi Yoon
Between you two, who do you think travels more?
Honestly, we both work hard.
Behind the scenes, you have a strong team of women helping run your label. Why was that important to you?
I consider it to be important to work with people that you share good energy with, and I naturally started to gravitate toward empowering women. I’m still working hard to become one of those women that I look up to myself.
This story appears in the March 22, 2025, issue of Billboard.
03/21/2025
What was new compared to last year’s run of Dead Forever shows?
03/21/2025
Playboi Carti has landed his first-ever No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart with Music, the rapper’s third studio album and most ambitious release to date.
The 30-track project not only marks his first chart-topper in Australia, but also his first entry into the ARIA top 10, following previous peaks at No. 49 with Die Lit (2018) and No. 15 with Whole Lotta Red (2020).
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Music features an all-star lineup of guest collaborators, including Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Future, Young Thug, and Jhené Aiko, adding to the hype that’s surrounded the long-anticipated release.
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Over on the Singles Chart, Doechii rises to No. 1 with “Anxiety,” marking her first-ever chart-topper in Australia. The viral hit samples Gotye and Kimbra’s 2011 smash “Somebody That I Used To Know,” which itself spent eight weeks at No. 1. Doechii also places at No. 23 with “Denial Is A River,” and is featured on Sleepy Hallow’s version of “A N X I E T Y,” currently at No. 41.
Australian singer-songwriter Mia Wray makes an impressive debut, landing at No. 26 on the albums chart with her first full-length release Hi, It’s Nice To Meet Me.
The Melbourne-based artist, who won the People’s Choice Award in the 2012 Telstra Road To Discovery program, has previously toured with acts like Vance Joy, The Rubens, The Teskey Brothers, and Maisie Peters.
Elsewhere on the Singles Chart, Alex Warren jumps into the top 5 for the first time as “Ordinary” rockets up the chart. Chappell Roan also continues her breakout run with “The Giver,” debuting strong, while her earlier single “Pink Pony Club” hits a new peak this week.
The Jonas Brothers have officially kicked off their 2025 with the release of their brand-new single, “Love Me To Heaven.”
The track arrived at midnight on Friday (March 21), serving as the trio’s first new release of the year, following previous collaborations with Marshmello and Rascal Flatts.
Released just ahead of their inaugural fan convention, JONASCON, taking place at New Jersey’s American Dream on Sunday (March 23), the song arrives as part of the band’s 20th anniversary celebrations. The upbeat pop tune, first performed during their anniversary show in Toronto last month, sees Nick, Joe, and Kevin lean into romantic euphoria.
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“Could give me everything, but it ain’t enough / You can’t put a price on the human touch / I could be down, but you love me to heaven / Turns out the Northern Lights don’t impress me much / Guess I’m just a fool for the human touch / I could be down, but you love me to Heaven,” they sing in the track’s soaring chorus.
The Jonas Brothers previously hinted that 2025 would bring a full slate of releases, including a live album, a holiday soundtrack, solo music, and a new Disney+ holiday movie titled Jonas Brothers Christmas Music.
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“Love Me To Heaven” marks the next step in what’s shaping up to be a major year for the band. With JONASCON promising live performances, Q&As, immersive fan experiences, karaoke, merch exclusives, and even a Camp Rock bar, the Jonas Brothers are going all-in to celebrate two decades of music and fandom.
Stream “Love Me To Heaven” now on all major platforms.
Jack Harlow has called on Doja Cat for his newest collaboration, the flirty “Just Us,” which arrived on Friday (March 21). I wish it was just us in this b—h/ But they can’t trust us in this b—h,” Harlow raps on the track. “Because I’m tryna bust nuts in this, huh/ Let’s keep it on the hush-hush in […]
J-Hope has delivered his latest piece of art. The BTS superstar unveiled his newest single, “Mona Lisa,” on Friday (March 21). In a statement, the singer’s label, BIG HIT, described the new song as exuding his “smooth, laid-back charm… expand[ing] his musical spectrum, solidifying his status as one of the most dynamic and sought-after global […]
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco are both romantic and musical partners! The recently engaged couple teamed up for their new joint album, I Said I Love You First, which arrived on Friday (March 21).
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The project features previously released singles “Scared of Loving You,” “Sunset Blvd,” “Younger and Hotter Than Me” and “Call Me When You Break Up” featuring Gracie Abrams. The rest of the tracklist includes “Ojos Tristes,” “Don’t Wanna Cry,” “Cowboy,” “Bluest Flame,” “How Does It Feel to Be Forgotten,” “Do You Wanna Be Perfect,” “You Said You Were Sorry”,” “I Can’t Get Enough” and “Don’t Take It Personally.”
Leading up to the project, Gomez discussed working with her fiancé in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, sharing, “It just felt like it was a little taste of what we are and how we made this together, and how much we loved it and how much we love each other. And it just felt like it was meant to be.”
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Blanco then gushed over Gomez in the same interview, noting, “She’s had such a journey in life, both personally, medically, so many other things. She makes you just believe it. She’s like, ‘I’m not scared of dying young or anyone,’ but she’s scared of the fact of losing someone that she’s finally created a bond with where she feels comfortable enough. And somehow by God’s grace, I happen to be that person. I have no idea why, but I am.”
The couple began dating in June 2023, and got engaged late last year. Gomez shared the happy news with a Dec. 11 Instagram carousel featuring her marquise-cut engagement ring, along with the caption, “forever begins now..”
Listen to I Said I Love You First in full below.
Revered Indian composer, producer, and songwriter A.R. Rahman has announced a 16-date tour of North America for this summer.
Dubbed The Wonderment Tour, the run of shows will be Rahman’s first in North America since 2022. The immersive live concert experience launches in Vancouver on July 18 and sees Rahman performing at arenas throughout the country until the tour’s completion in Boston on Aug. 17. Tickets to the upcoming dates go on sale from 10am ET on Friday, March 28.
Rahman’s career in the music industry began in 1992, and over the ensuing three decades has composed scores for more than 150 films, resulting in record sales of more than 200 million in the process.
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A celebrated figure within the Indian film and music industry, Rahman’s international breakthrough came about thanks to Danny Boyle‘s 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire. At the 2009 Academy Awards, Rahman took home the award for best original score, and shared the best original song statue with Gulzar for the song “Jai Ho.” In 2009, a collaboration with American group The Pussycat Dolls saw a version of the song reach No. 15 on the Hot 100.
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Rahman would again collaborate with Boyle on the 2010 film 127 Hours, while that year’s Grammy Awards would also see him take home two trophies for his work on Slumdog Millionaire. Alongside his prolific composing career, Rahman has also released numerous studio albums under his own name, and also expanded his sights further into the world of film as a producer, writer, and director in recent years.
A.R. Rahman – The Wonderment Tour Dates
July 18 – Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BCJuly 20 – Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WAJuly 25 – Oakland Arena, Oakland, CAJuly 26 – Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CAJuly 29 – Smart Financial Centre, Sugar Land, TXJuly 30 – TTCU Theatre, Grand Prairie, TXAug. 2 – Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NCAug. 3 – EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, VAAug. 5 – Gas South Arena, Duluth, GAAug. 7 – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Hollywood, FLAug. 8 – Amalie Arena, Tampa, FLAug. 10 – Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, TNAug. 12 – Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ONAug. 14 – NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, ILAug. 16 – Prudential Center, Newark, NJAug. 17 – Agganis Arena, Boston, MA
