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Just over two years since the arrival of their last record, English virtual band Gorillaz have confirmed that a new album will be arriving in 2025.
Word of the forthcoming LP was shared by frontman Damon Albarn in a nascent interview with French publication Les Inrockuptibles, where the prolific artist also touched on the premiere of his new opera, The Magic Flute II: La Malédiction, alongside his plans for the rest of the year.
“I’m finishing a new Gorillaz album,” Albarn explained. “One opera and one new Gorillaz album seems like enough for 2025! Unless someone accuses me of taking my foot off the gas!”
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Albarn’s Gorillaz collaborator Jamie Hewlett reportedly confirmed the news, with an Instagram account focused on the band sharing a DM from the musician in which he stated, “Yes, the new album is coming out this year.” That same post also noted that Albarn confirmed to a French podcast the record would be completed in “6 more weeks.”
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The current influx of French press from Albarn shouldn’t come as a surprise, especially given that his new opera premiered at Paris’ Théâtre du Lido on Thursday (March 27), and will run until Sunday (March 30). The production is a rather ambitious one, with The Magic Flute II: La Malédiction serving as the sequel to Mozart’s 1791 opera, The Magic Flute.
“The idea of me writing an opera and for it to be a continuation of The Magic Flute sounds ridiculous, it was and is, not only was I grappling with the genius of Mozart but I had Goethe to contend with too!!” Albarn said in a statement. “I suppose I took a relatively reductionist approach to the question, how the fuck do I do this? The answer came from a surprising source but one no less brilliant, Kraftwerk.”
Gorillaz last released a new album in 2023, with Cracker Island serving as their eighth record. It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for best alternative music album at the 2024 Grammys.
Albarn has remained busy since the release of the latest Gorillaz record, with Blur releasing The Ballad of Darren – their first album in eight years – in July 2023. It peaked at No. 94 on the Billboard 200 (their lowest-charting release since 1995) and hit No. 5 on the Top Alternative Albums chart, and would become their seventh consecutive release to top the U.K. charts.
Meanwhile, neither Gorillaz nor Blur have not made their return to the stage for some time, with the former not appearing live since the 2023 edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California, and the latter not performing since the 2024 edition of the same event.
Miley Cyrus has upped her platinum records to 23. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), her two hits, “Flowers” and “Used to Be Young,” have been certified 7x platinum and platinum, respectively. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news A platinum certification recognizes one million equivalent […]
The inaugural Femmy Awards kicked off in high style and spirit Thursday (March 27) in Miami.
Happening amid the many (many) events of Miami Music Week, the awards were put on by Femme House, the nonprofit founded by LP Giobbi and Lauren Spalding that works to create and celebrate equity in the music industry by amplifying voices of women, femme, gender-expansive LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC creators.
The afternoon ceremony took place on the waterfront patio at Palm Tree Club, the hotel opened by Kygo and his manager and Myles Shear this past December. In the sunshine and bay breezes, LP and Spaulding presented a variety of awards honoring artists, party brands, festivals, execs and other members across the dance music industry.
The event started with moving speeches by Barbara Tucker and Crystal Waters, who were honored with the Voice of House award for the prolific contributions they’ve made to the genre over the years. So too were DJ Minx and DJ Lady D each honored with the Pioneer Award for their everything they’ve each done to break barriers, reshape the dance and electronic music industries and pave the way for femme, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ artists.
The event also presented awards to a flurry of other artists, with Kaleena Zanders and Aluna Francis winning for best live performance, Coco & Breezy winning the Carolyn Horn Trailblazer Award (named for LP Giobbi’s longtime piano teacher who passed away in 2023), TSHA winning for best producer, Xandra being honored with the Rising Star Award and Sara Landry getting the award for producer of the year.
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The ceremony also honored a number of executives, with WME’s head of electronic music Stefanie LaFera getting the Theresa Velasquez Award for Outstanding Executive award and WME’s Bailey Greenwood winning for agent of the year. Billboard was the official media sponsor of the event.
See the complete winners list below.
2025 Ally Award: Le Chev2025 Breakthrough Artist: Alleycvt2025 Most Diverse Festival: Lightning in a Bottle2025 Theresa Velasquez Award for Outstanding Executive: Stephanie LaFera2025 Ableton Instructor of the Year: Mini Bear2025 Pass the Mic Media Award: DJ Mag2025 Pass the Mic Media Award: Billboard2025 Carolyn Horn Trailblazer Award: Coco & Breezy2025 Femme House Community Member of the Year: Shak Jackson2025 Best Live Performance: Kaleena Zanders + Aluna Francis @ Planet Pride
2025 Best Radio Mix: DJ Holographic2025 Album of the Year: Sofi Tukker, Bread2025 Best Sound Designer: Tokimonsta2025 Best Producer: TSHA2025 Best Vocalist: Kaleena Zanders2025 Best Engineer: Jayda Love2025 Best Mixer: Laura Sisk2025 Sonic Innovator Award: FKA Twigs2025 Best Visual Experience: The Blessed Madonna2025 Best Visual Experience: Nora En Pure2025 Activist & Impact Award: She Is the Music2025 Culture Shifter Award: Ronny Ho2025 Best Music Journalist: Katie Bain2025 Best Record Label: HE.SHE.THEY.2025 Manager of the Year: Julia Fugazy2025 Agent of the Year: Bailey Greenwood2025 Hospitality Visionary Award: Carly Van Sickle2025 Talent Booker: Heather Church2025 Best Club: Elsewhere2025 Icon Award: Honey Dijon2025 Song of the Year: Desiree, “Khuluma Nami”2025 Creative Director of the Year: Sophie Muller2025 Best Underground Promoter: Girls Room2025 For the Culture Award: Interna$hional Bounce2025 Voice of House Honoree: Barbara Tucker2025 Voice of House Honoree: Crystal Waters2025 Rising Star Honoree: Xandra2025 Producer of the Year Honoree: Sara Landry2025 Pioneer Award Honoree: DJ Lady D2025 Pioneer Award Honoree: Minx
Yolanda Saldívar, the 64-year-old woman who was sent to prison for the murder of Latin music superstar Selena in 1995, has been denied parole, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles announced Thursday (March 27) in an official statement posted on its website.
“After a thorough consideration of all available information, which included any confidential interviews conducted, it was the parole panels determination to deny parole to Yolanda Saldivar and set her next parole review for March 2030,” the statement reads. “The reason provided by the panel for denial was the Nature of the Offense: The record indicates that the instant offense has elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of victim’s vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety.”
In October 1995, Saldívar was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years after being found guilty of murdering the tejano music icon, whose full name was Selena Quintanilla. It was initially reported that Saldívar had begun the review process earlier this year since she was up for parole on March 30.
The Quintanilla family and the late star’s widower, Chris Pérez, issued a statement just after the board announced its decision. “Today, we are grateful that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has chosen to deny parole for Yolanda Saldívar,” the post reads. “While nothing can bring Selena back, this decision reaffirms that justice continues to stand for the beautiful life that was taken from us and from millions of fans around the world far too soon.”
One of the most consequential artists of her generation, Selena revolutionized Latin music with her tejano twist on norteño music and hip-swiveling techno-cumbias that showcased her versatility. With anthems like “Amor Prohibido,” “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” “Como La Flor” and “No Me Queda Más,” to name a few, Selena’s music has endured decades after her death.
On the Billboard charts, Selena earned 24 entries on Top Latin Albums, 16 of which hit the top 10 and seven of which hit No. 1 — among them Amor Prohibido, which spent 20 weeks at the top in 1994, and the posthumous Dreaming of You, which spent 40 weeks at the top in 1995. On the Regional Mexican Albums and Latin Pop Albums charts, the late artist placed seven and six titles at No. 1, respectively. Amor Prohibido topped the former chart for nearly 100 weeks.
Read the family’s entire statement on the parole decision below:
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For a hot minute back in the early 2000’s, Akon was one of the hottest artists on the streets providing some stellar street cuts and memorable hooks and though he’s gone on to bigger and better things, the artist in him still has that itch to create music in 2025 and we’re not mad at him one bit.
Dropping off some new visuals to the Simien assisted “Never Really Mattered,” Akon gets in his loverboy feelings and pours his heart out of his diamond encrusted grill while the seductive singers of Simien sing the hook and lowkey steal some shine from his iced out teeth.
Speaking of early 2000’s music stars, dancehall legend Sean Paul keeps churning out new work and in his latest clip to “Summa Hot,” the Jamaican artist hits the ocean in a private boat with some stunners of his own and get thing poppin’ out at sea as the man knows how to keep the party going.
Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from J.I. featuring Roy Woods, Jacquees, and more.
AKON FT. SIMIEN – “NEVER REALLY MATTERED”
SEAN PAUL – “SUMMA HOT”
J.I. FT. ROY WOODS – “LOVE ME LOVE ME NOT”
JACQUEES – “WHEN I’M AROUND HER”
GYPTIAN – “SLOW WALK”
LEOSTAYTRILL – “YA GET DAT”
SEAN PAUL & SQUASH – “LIFE WE LIVING”
MUNGA HONORABLE – “AVOID PEOPLE”
La T y La M’s “Amor De Vago,” featuring Malandro de América, rebounds for an 11th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart (dated March 29). The song trades places with Jombriel, Ryan Castro, Jotta and Alex Krack’s “Parte & Choke (remix),” which dips 2-1 after one week in charge. Explore […]
Doja Cat is the first headliner to be revealed for Hey Neighbour festival in South Africa this summer, marking the star’s first time performing in her motherland. The three-day festival will be held at Legends Adventure Farm in Pretoria, South Africa from August 29-31. Kendrick Lamar, Khalid, The Chainsmokers, Swedish House Mafia and H.E.R. performed […]
The No Fun League is back at it again. On Monday night (Mar. 26), ESPN NFL analyst Benjamin Solak posted a screenshot from the league’s rules report that was sent out to teams recently highlighting that the “nose wipe” celebration is now deemed unsportsmanlike and will cost teams a 15-yard penalty. According to the full […]
Fresh off their appearance on Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea X cruise, Grammy winning sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe have announced their 2025 Bloom tour in support of their new record of the same name.
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Born in Georgia and currently residing Nashville, the pair begin their trek on April 8 in St. Louis, Mo., and run coast to coast with stops across the country. On March 31, days before the tour opens, Larkin Poe and Emmylou Harris are set to perform at Woofstock at City Winery in Nashville.
Bloom follows last year’s Grammy winning album Blood Harmony from 2022. Bloom debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Blues album charts.
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“History isn’t quick to point it out, but Rock ‘n’ Roll has been underpinned by a strong, matrilineal root that has been growing deep for generations, abiding. And now, more than ever, that root is coming to bloom,” a statement attributed to the band reads. “As female songwriters, producers, instrumentalists, and record label owners — we are proud to be standing on the shoulders of the strong women who have come before, and to be a part of the empowered chorus that is climbing to sing from the rooftops. When we won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2024, for the first time ever, that category was represented by a female majority of talent. This is just a taste of what’s coming. In the prophetic words of Shania Twain, ‘let’s go girls.’”
Dates for Larkin Poe’s Bloom Tour 2025 can be found below:
3/31 – Nashville, TN – Woofstock at City Winery with Emmylou Harris4/8 – St. Louis, MO – The Hawthorn *4/10 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman *4/11 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre *4/12 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot *4/15 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall *4/17 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox *4/18 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom *4/19 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom *4/22 – Grass Valley, CA – The Center for the Arts *4/23 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre *4/25 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore *4/26 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues *4/27 – Santa Barbara, CA – Arlington Theatre *5/8 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer ^5/9 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club ^5/10 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza ^5/12 – Boston, MA – The Wilbur ^5/14 – Toronto, ONT – The Concert Hall ^5/16 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue ^5/17 – Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre ^5/22-26 – Cumberland, MD – DelFest †5/29 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium5/30 – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern5/31-June 1 – Lexington, KY – Railbird Music Festiva6/1 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel6/22 – Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Lanes7/23-27 – Floyd, VA – FloydFest †9/4-7 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender †10/3 – Miramar Beach, FL – Moon Crush Avett Moon10/9-12 – Nashville, TN – Tommy Emmanuel’s Guitar Camp10/17 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy10/18 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy10/19 – Bristol, UK – Bristol Beacon10/21 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo10/22 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute10/24 – Paris, France – Salle Pleyel10/25 – Tilburg, Netherlands – 013 Poppodium10/26 – Cologne, Germany – E-Werk10/28 – Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene10/29 – Stockholm, Sweden – Circus10/30 – Frederiksberg, Denmark – Falkoner Center11/1 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom11/2 – Warsaw, Poland – Klub Stodola11/4 – Vienna, Austria – Gasometer11/5 – Munich, Germany – Tonhalle11/8 – Geneva, Switzerland – Salle De L’Alhambra11/9 – Nimes, France – La Paloma11/12 – Lisbon, Portugal – Coliseu Dos Recreios11/14 – Madrid, Spain – Sala Riviera11/15 – Barcelona, Spain – Razzmatazz 111/16 – Bordeaux, France – Le Rocher de Palmer11/18 – Clermont-Ferrand, France – Le Cooperative de Mai11/19 – La Rochelle, France – La Sirene11/21 – Antwerp, Belgium – De Roma
w/ Special Guest Parker Millsap^ w/ Special Guest Amythyst Kiah† Festival Appearance
Larkin Poe’s Bloom tour
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Hitomitoi dropped her new album Telepa Telepa via Billboard Japan Records on Mar. 26. The latest release by the Japanese singer-songwriter is her first album of original works since July 2017. The project’s theme is her connection to people and places overseas, which were some of the most memorable things that happened to her over […]