State Champ Radio Music
Page: 500
Prince Jackson stepped out in Sydney over the weekend to support MJ the Musical, the Tony Award-winning production that brings his father’s legendary career to the stage.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The eldest son of the late Michael Jackson attended the official Australian premiere of the jukebox musical at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre on Saturday (March 8), wearing a dark pinstripe suit paired with a purple tie.
Fresh off its global success—including Broadway, London, and Germany—this four-time Tony Award-winning production transports audiences back to 1992, inside the high-stakes creative process of Jackson’s Dangerous World Tour. Through the lens of an MTV documentary crew, the musical explores not just Jackson’s signature moves and music, but his relentless artistic vision and the challenges behind the scenes.
Trending on Billboard
Producer Michael Cassel, who brought MJ to Australia alongside original Broadway producers Lia Vollack, John Branca, and John McClain, said the response has been overwhelming, “I said Australian audiences would be obsessed with this incredible show, but I couldn’t have imagined just how passionately they would embrace it! From fans dressing up to audiences dancing in their seats, this show has truly captured Sydney’s heart.”
Leading the cast is Roman Banks, whose portrayal of Jackson has already won critical acclaim in the U.S., where he debuted in Chicago in 2023 and has played the role more than 200 times.
This isn’t the first time Prince has shown his support for the production, which debuted on Broadway in 2022 and has since expanded globally. In March 2024, he attended the London preview night alongside his siblings, Paris Jackson and Bigi Jackson, continuing their tradition of honoring their father’s legacy.
Two years prior, he and Paris made an appearance at the 2022 Tony Awards, where MJ the Musical was nominated for multiple awards, including Best Musical. The siblings introduced the cast’s performance of Smooth Criminal that night, with Prince reflecting on their father’s deep love for musicals.
“A lot of people seem to think our dad Michael Jackson changed popular music forever. And who are we to disagree?” he said during the awards show. “But what people may not know is that he loved musicals, on film and on the stage.”
Following its success in New York, the musical has expanded to London’s West End, a U.S. national tour, and now Australia, where it will run in Sydney before moving to other cities.
Michael Jackson remains one of the most celebrated artists in music history, with an influence that continues to be felt across generations. He holds the record for the best-selling album of all time with Thriller and has achieved 13 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. His groundbreaking performances, innovative music videos, and signature dance moves reshaped pop music and cemented his place as the “King of Pop.”
Prince Jackson has remained active in preserving his father’s legacy, often attending events in his honor and sharing personal stories about his upbringing. Alongside his siblings, he has worked on charitable initiatives and music-related projects, ensuring that Michael Jackson’s impact remains alive for future generations.
With MJ the Musical now expanding worldwide, it’s clear that the magic of Michael Jackson’s music still captivates audiences, decades after he first moonwalked into history. Throughout his career, 13 of his solo singles went to No. 1, with 30 of his songs reaching the top 10 and six albums topping the Billboard 200.
Tickets for MJ The Musical are available now at mjthemusical.com.au.
Doechii joined Ms. Lauryn Hill onstage in Miami over the weekend for a surprise duet of Hill’s 1998 Billboard No. 1 hit, “Doo Wop (That Thing).”
The collaboration took place during Hill’s headlining set at the Jazz in the Gardens Festival at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday (March 8), marking the Fugees icon’s second live appearance of 2025.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“I want to introduce y’all to another sister” Hill said before welcoming Doechii to the stage. The rising rapper and singer, who has credited Hill as one of her biggest inspirations, shared the moment with fans afterward, expressing her deep gratitude on social media.
Trending on Billboard
“Thank you Miss Lauryn Hill,” Doechii wrote on X on March 9. “Thank you. My heart is so full. She is my hero. This is the greatest honor hip-hop could give me. Praise God … my entire body is vibrating with joy right now. I’ll never forget this day! EVER!” She added, “I’ve never been so nervous in my life. She is a QUEEN.”
Doechii, fresh off winning her first Grammy for Best Rap Album, becoming the third woman to take home the trophy following Cardi B and Lauryn Hill. The rapper is also set for a massive festival season, including a headline slot on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury 2025—going head-to-head in a much-publicized clash with Charli XCX, who will headline the Other Stage at the same time.
She’s also on the lineup for Rock en Seine in Paris in August, Forwards Festival in Bristol the same month, and Roskilde Festival in Denmark in June.
The 26-year-old rap star is preparing to cement her quantum leap to stardom with her debut album later this year. On March 4, she dropped her “Anxiety” single via Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Records, announcing the drop approximately half an hour ahead of its arrival on X with the single’s cover art, which features a mirrored black-and-white image of the TDE rapper being connected by her braids.
“Anxiety” has been trending on TikTok lately, but Doechii performed the original version five years ago on her YouTube channel. The single samples Gotye‘s 2011 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Somebody That I Used to Know,” featuring Kimbra.
“Denial is a River” from her critically acclaimed 2024 mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal became her highest-charting entry on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 21.
Ubiquitous rockers Imagine Dragons have extended their reach even further, with their music officially touching down on earth’s moon.
Last month, it was revealed that ambitious space startup Lonestar Data Holdings was planning a rocket launch to land the first data center on the moon. If the launch was a success, then one of its first orders of business was to transmit a song back to earth, with Imagine Dragons’ Starfield theme “Children of the Earth” chosen as the lucky track.
“Our goal is to inspire the next generation of kids to be excited about the future of space and technology, which is why we chose ‘Children of the Sky’ as the first song in history to be broadcast from the Moon,” Lonestar investor Ryan Micheletti said in a statement at the time.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Notably, the plan to put music on the moon isn’t exactly a new one. Just last year, the Odysseus craft landed on the moon, bringing with it digitized recordings of musical icons such as Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Sly & the Family Stone, Bob Marley, Janis Joplin, The Who and many more. However, the goal of broadcasting music back to earth from the moon was set to be a first time occurrence.
Trending on Billboard
The Athena spacecraft was launched on Feb. 26 with a planned landing date of March 6. Upon initial news of the touchdown, Inon Zur (who composed “Children of the Earth” with Imagine Dragons), took to social media to express his gratitude. “Success, we’re on the Moon!” he wrote. “Following Athena’s touchdown on the lunar surface, our friends at Lonestar successfully transmitted ‘Children of the Sky’ song and lyrics to their data center on the Moon. The song will now be on the Moon…forever!!”
However, on Friday (March 7), it was reported that the Athena lander (built by Texas company Intuitive Machines), did indeed land on the moon the day prior, albeit on its side and 820 feet short of its intended target. The result was largely the same as the Odysseus’ last year, where a hard landing compromised a landing leg and resulted in an early end to the mission.
Similarly, Intuitive Machines have since stated the most recent mission has officially come to an end due to the failed landing. “The mission has concluded and teams are continuing to assess the data collected throughout the mission,” the company said in a statement.
As a result of the failed landing and the premature end to the mission, Imagine Dragons have ultimately not managed to obtain the honor of having the first song broadcast to earth from the moon. Meanwhile, Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus has claimed the company may hold off on attempts for a third lunar landing which is currently scheduled for 2026.
Legendary KISS bassist Gene Simmons is giving fans the chance to live out their dreams of rock stardom by letting them be his roadie for a day – but it comes with a hefty price tag.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
In 2024, Gene Simmons explained to Billboard that he was saving money on tour by traveling light. “There’s no managers, no private jets, no 20 tractor trailers, no 60-man crew, no huge shows,” he explained, revealing he makes more money now than as a member of KISS. “The local promoters provide the back line, and we just get up there and play,” he adds.
In fact, the whole production is a bit of a skeleton crew. Alongside Simmons, the crew also features drummer Brian Tichy, and guitarists Jason Walker and Brent Woods, with the latter also managing travel and concert production details. Only two others are on the road, including an assistant who helps with business duties and Simmons’ security, and one crew member for the musicians.
Trending on Billboard
Now, Simmons has launched a rather compelling way of saving money while expanding his crew, and it all involves allowing fans to pay for the privilege.
As the Gene Simmons Band prepares to hit the road again in April, the eponymous rocker has launched a handful of Experiences which fans can purchase ahead of the upcoming dates. One of them is the Gene Simmons Bass Experience, which allows you (and three guests) the chance to meet Simmons after the stage.
Alongside the ability to take photos and videos (and the potential to “find that Gene Simmons is very down-to-earth, funny, and knowledgeable on almost any subject”), purchases will also be able to take home one of Simmons’ bass guitars, which can be signed and personalized. In addition to the original ticket price, this experience costs $6,500 for a “non stage played” instrument, and $12,500 for an instrument that Simmons has previously played on stage.
The other of these experiences (dubbed ‘The Ultimate Gene Simmons Experience’) allows the purchaser to become “Simmons’ personal assistant & band roadie for the day.”
Alongside a handful of merch benefits (a crew shirt and hat, a VIP laminate, and a signed setlist), it provides the opportunity to help with load-in at the venue, stage set-up, and the ability to sit in on sound check and hang out backstage. Meanwhile, photo opportunities are plentiful, Simmons will join the purchaser for a meal, and then will introduce the lucky roadie during the show.
This package costs a total of $12,495 (in addition to the original ticket price), and also includes a bass guitar that had been used by Simmons during a KISS rehearsal. Only one experience per concert is available, with 26 dates currently scheduled across North America between April and August.
Though some may balk at such a high price for the opportunity to work on Simmons’ tour, it’s far from the most unique offering that the musician and his bandmates have put on the market. Back in 2001, the Kiss Kasket was introduced, giving fans the chance to take their fandom into the afterlife. Though no longer for sale, the item was however used by a number of individuals, including Pantera and Damageplan members “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and his brother Vinnie Paul Abbott.
“This is the ultimate KISS collectible,” Simmons said at the time. “I love livin’, but this makes the alternative look pretty damn good.”
Finneas has teamed up with The Zombies’ Colin Blunstone for a live performance of the English band’s 1968 single, “Time of the Season.”
Music-lovers were first treated to a performance of the enduring ‘60s psych-pop hit back in January, when Finneas covered the song during his visit to Australia for radio station triple j’s long-running Like a Version cover series.
“ This is a song I’ve loved over the past year,” Finneas explained in a post-performance interview. “I’ve heard it for years, but I think this year is the year that I’ve listened to it the most. I think if you’re a creator, you hope that you make a piece of work that feels prescient and somehow also feels timeless. I don’t know how ‘Time of the Season’ felt to listen to in the ‘60s, but it sure holds up in my mind in 2025.”
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Since Finneas covered the track back in January, it’s become a popular part of his setlist, and on Wednesday (March 5), he brought out the track during a performance at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Palladium. Not content with going it alone, Finneas also brought out Blunstone, who has fronted the band for almost all of its iterations since 1961.
“An unforgettable moment,” wrote The Zombies’ official Instagram account alongside a video of the performance. “Colin joined the incredibly talented @finneas on stage at the Hollywood Palladium for a special performance of Time of the Season—a song that’s resonated for over 55 years. Huge thanks to Finneas for bringing this classic to life in a whole new way!”
Trending on Billboard
The Zombies first formed in Hertfordshire, England in 1961, with their debut album Begin Here arriving in 1965 (a self-titled version was issued in its place for the U.S. market). The group found fame fast, with debut single “She’s Not There” being released the year prior and peaking at No. 2 on the Hot 100.
Though they’d hit the top ten once again with “Tell Her No” that same year, their other big hit was 1968’s “Time of the Season,” which peaked at No. 3 when it was issued as the third single from that year’s Odessey and Oracle.
The group would split for the first time that same year following the release of Odessey and Oracle, though briefly reunited when “Time of the Season” became a hit. The band would remain divided until 1989, when sporadic reunions would take place. Since 2004, they’ve remained an active presence with their most recent album, Different Game, arriving in 2023.
j–hope feat. Miguel‘s “Sweet Dreams” tops this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (March 7) on Billboard, choosing the BTS star’s fresh song with an R&B veteran as their favorite new music release of the past week. There was tough competition in this week’s poll, but the latest from j-hope managed to […]
HARDY and Caleigh Ryan are celebrating the arrival of their newborn baby. Rosie Ryan Hardy arrived on March 7, 2025 at nine pounds, two ounces, the country singer and his wife announced on social media, two days after Caleigh gave birth. The pair were showered with messages of congratulations on their Instagram post Sunday (March […]
Lil Nas X‘s “Dreamboy” will be with you in your dreams tonight. The new track is a surprise drop for Sunday evening (March 9), the rapper/singer, aka Montero, announced on the day of its release.
“NEW SONG DREAMBOY OUT TONIGHT!” he said in a social media reveal on Sunday.
When a fan posted “WHAAAAAAAAAATTT, AM I DREAMING??” as a reaction, Lil Nas X quoted their message and responded, “ur in dreamworld baby!”
The homepage on Montero’s official website directs visitors to pre-add or pre-save the artist’s new music on Apple Music and Spotify.
Trending on Billboard
“IT’S HOTBOX SEASON,” reads the page, which also hints there’s more to look forward to this week: “PRE-SAVE FOR SURPRISES.”
So far Lil Nas X has confirmed new single “Hotbox” is also arriving shortly, on Friday. He’d previously dropped a teaser for the track. Billboard reached out to a rep on Sunday to ask for further details, but didn’t immediately receive a response.
Both “Dreamboy” and “Hotbox” are leading up to the release of his forthcoming sophomore album, also titled Dreamboy. The new studio project follows Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s “Industry Baby” featuring Jack Harlow and “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” from his 2021 debut full-length, and breakthrough hit “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, which spent 19 weeks at the top of the chart in 2019.
“Good evening, everybody. I would like for you to grab a glass of wine. Let me talk to you for a minute,” he says in an introductory clip of “Dreamboy” (the song) shared on Sunday. The visual shows Lil Nas X framed in a hot pink Dreamboy doll box.
“I was scared then/ I ain’t scared now/ I wasn’t ready then/ But I’m ready now/ I’m on the way/ I’m on the rise/ On the way, yeah I’m on the rise/ Mind your own business/ I’m minding mine,” he raps before naming some of his favorite things, including “long black dick,” “long conversations” and “cuddling with my cat,” then calling out the “stinky booty bitches” at church turning his fun into misery. “Bitch, I’m still making history,” he says.
Listen to the snippet of “Dreamboy” in the preview below.
Congratulations are in order for Lele Pons and Guaynaa, who are expecting their first child together.
The Venezuelan influencer, 28, and Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, 32, shared the exciting news in a social media post on Sunday (March 9).
“We’re PREGNANT!!!!!” Pons and Guaynaa wrote in a joint Instagram post, alongside a photo gallery showcasing her baby bump. “Can’t wait to meet you! We love you- Mom & Dad.”
In the heartwarming post, which was also translated into Spanish, the YouTube sensation shared several pictures and videos with her husband, including an ultrasound photo, a sweet moment of Guaynaa kissing his wife’s stomach, and another shot of the couple pressing their bare tummies together.
Numerous celebrities, friends and fans flooded the comments to congratulate the happy couple. “Yesssssssss !! 100 meses guardando secreto te amoooo,” Anitta wrote, while Paris Hilton left a smiling face with heart-eyes emoji. “Congrats, los quiero mucho!” Luis Fonsi added.
Pons and Guaynaa first met in 2019 and released their first collaboration, “Se Te Nota,” in 2020. The playful urban pop song spent 18 weeks on the all-genre Billboard Global 200 (where it peaked at No. 44), 25 weeks on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart (No. 19 peak) and 11 weeks on Hot Latin Songs (No. 25).
Trending on Billboard
After months of speculation about their relationship, Pons made it Instagram official in December of that year. Guaynaa proposed during Steve Aoki’s set at Tomorrowland in 2022. The couple tied the knot in March 2023.
The pair released their debut collaborative album, Capitulaciones, in April 2023. The 10-track album, a partnership between Interscope Records and Guaynaa, features eight duets, one solo track from Pons, and another from Guaynaa. The project spans a variety of genres, including urban pop (“Abajito”), reggaetón (“Natural”), reggae (“A Que No”) and bachata (“Todo Sabe Más Rico”).
“Lele and I beat to different rhythms. In music, I can tell you that it is quite cool, because she has a different thinking and approach and drive, she has other filters in her head when she analyzes music,” Guaynaa told Billboard Español in 2023. “My filters are more about the conceptual elaboration of the album, the musicality, the storytelling, the beginning and the end. There were many disagreements for that very reason, but at the end of the day, I think we managed to develop a project, and that makes us very happy.”
Check out the couple’s baby announcement on Instagram here.
Ye has announced the return of Sunday Service.
On Saturday (March 8), the 47-year-old rapper — formerly known as Kanye West — took to social media to reveal that his Sunday Service choir events would be making a comeback. The sessions began in early 2019 and ran sporadically through 2021.
“Sunday Service Returns March 16 2025,” Ye wrote in an Instagram Stories post, accompanied by a screenshot of a text message exchange with Sunday Service choir director Jason White.
Further details had not been revealed as of publication.
Just hours after the Sunday Service announcement, the Chicago native, who recently made controversial remarks online regarding antisemitism and admiration for Hitler, posted a photo of white robes resembling those worn by the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group.
Trending on Billboard
“Outfit of the day,” Ye captioned the photo on Instagram Sunday (March 9).
Ye’s Sunday Service, which began in early 2019, continued through 2021. The sessions — often livestreamed — featured his gospel group performing at large gatherings in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Detroit, Houston, Salt Lake City, and Washington, D.C. Ye’s spiritually-based project Jesus Is Born, credited to the Sunday Service Choir, was released in December 2019 and reached No. 2 on Billboard‘s Top Gospel Albums chart.
Ye has continued making offensive remarks on social media, including a post on March 6 to X, where he wrote, “This next album got that antisemitic sound. My new sound called antisemitic.”
It is unclear if this is related to the release of his Bully album, which he teased at the beginning of 2025. The rapper appeared to have plans to release Bully sometime this year, but it remains uncertain if the project will ever be released.
In February, Ye made several antisemitic comments and expressed admiration for Hitler, though he later walked back his statements, insisting that he wasn’t a Nazi. During an interview with Justin LaBoy in February, he revealed that he was diagnosed with ASD (autism spectrum disorder).
