Music
Page: 71
Quavo is always going to do what he can to keep TakeOff’s legacy alive. Huncho joined forces with his late nephew on Friday (May 2) for the posthumous collaboration “Dope Boy Phone.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The Migos frontman announced the single earlier this week with […]
Just weeks after announcing the release of their sophomore LP, English duo Wet Leg have unveiled a run of North American tour dates.
The group’s tour will officially launch in the U.K. in May before a series of festival appearances throughout Europe across the summer. In September, the band will make their way back to North America, launching an 18-date tour in Seattle on Sept. 1, and wrapping up in Los Angeles on Oct. 17.
The Isle Of Wight-formed duo – made up of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers – will be hitting the road in support of their second album, Moisturizer, which releases on July 11 via Domino Records. The pair increased speculation of a new era in March, plotting a handful of U.S. dates before issuing their first new single since 2022, “Catch These Fists,” on April 1.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“We were just kind of having fun and exploring,” said Chambers in a press release, describing the band’s creative process for Moisturizer, which involved decamping to Southwold, East Sussex, to write together in spring 2024. “We focused on: Is this going to be fun to play live? It was very natural that we would write the second record together,” added Teasdale.
Trending on Billboard
The new album was produced by Dan Carey, who also worked on Wet Leg’s debut, and features performances from the duo’s touring band: Ellis Durand (bass), Henry Holmes (drums) and Joshua Mobaraki (guitar, synth).
Wet Leg rose to fame in 2021 with the release of their debut single “Chaise Longue.” Reaching No. 15 and 21 on the Alternative Airplay and Rock Airplay charts respectively, the Mean Girls-referencing track was featured on the band’s self-titled debut LP in 2022, which reached No. 14 on the Billboard 200 upon its release.
Such was the success of Wet Leg that they scored a nomination for best new artist at the 2023 Grammys, with “Chaise Longue” taking home best alternative music performance and their LP winning best alternative music album. The group have also managed to snare high-profile support slots for the likes of Harry Styles and the Foo Fighters in stadiums around the world in recent years.
Wet Leg – 2025 North American Tour Dates
Sept. 1 – Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WASept. 3 – Malkin Bowl, Vancouver, BCSept. 5 – Revolution Hall, Portland, ORSept. 9 – First Avenue, Minneapolis, MNSept. 10 – Salt Shed, Chicago, ILSept. 12 – HISTORY, Toronto, ONSept. 13 – MTELUS, Montreal, QCSept. 14 – Roadrunner, Boston, MASept. 15 – Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PASept. 17 – Summerstage in Central Park, New York, NYSept. 19 – 9:30 Club, Washington, DCSept. 21 – Shaky Knees, Atlanta, GASept. 28 – Ohana Music Festival, Dana Point, CASept. 30 – Fox Theater, Oakland, CAOct. 3 – Arizona Financial Theatre, Phoenix, AZOct. 7 – The Criterion, Oklahoma City, OKOct. 14 – Lowbrow Palace, El Paso, TXOct. 17 – The Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Even as he’s signed to one of Nashville’s biggest labels, Eric Church has amassed more than a little experience over the past nearly two decades in pushing back against the typical Music Row way of doing things, and thus, bursting the confines of how and when artists are expected to create and release albums, approach touring and build a fanbase.
Early in his career, Church was already stacking his albums with songs such as “These Boots” and “Sinners Like Me” that became fan-favorites, regardless of whether they became radio hits. Albums including Sinners Like Me and Carolina spawned hits that broke ever-higher through the ranks on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, and by third album Chief, he earned a double-header of Country Airplay No. 1s with “Drink in My Hand” and “Springsteen.” He’s also been quick to pivot when needed to bring music to his fans the way he wants — like after he was let go from an opening slot on Rascal Flatts’ tour in 2006, when he booked a series of club shows in the same cities, on the same nights as the Flatts tour would play, and dubbed it the “Me and Myself Tour.”
Not content with the status quo, he’s shaken things up with songs such as the marijuana-centered “Smoke a Little Smoke,” and music videos for “Lightning” and “Homeboy” that were filmed the former Tennessee State Prison. He took his 2015 album Mr. Understood directly to fans first, with a surprise release to members of his fanclub. And more recently, he’s displayed his artistic freedom onstage at freewheeling residencies and/or shows at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, as well as at own Chief’s bar in downtown Nashville, and during festivals such as CMA Fest and Stagecoach.
So, it’s no surprise that many songs on Evangeline Vs. The Machine album, out today (May 2), center on the power of music as a healer, encourager, energy lifter, emotional solace and infinite creative source. However, the muses behind the steely-eyed defiance that vibrates through the album run far deeper and wider than the Nashville industry’s machinations. Inspired by the collaborative approach of New Orleans jazz, Church approached the new album with the all-encompassing, spontaneous nature of a live show, teaming again with producer Jay Joyce and bolstering his core blend of country, rock and soul with a choir, horns and full-bodied strings.
What his succinct, eight-song album lacks in length, it more than makes up for in depth of creativity and intention, with songs that stretch well beyond country music’s typical lyrical trifecta of relationships, trucks and alcohol. Evangeline Vs. The Machine finds Church writing and recording songs inspired by his own discomfort with being creatively bound, as well as by the natural disaster of Hurricane Helene and by the tragedy of the Covenant School shooting that took place in 2023.
Here, Billboard ranks the eight songs on his new project.
“Storm in Their Blood”
Australian music festival Spilt Milk has returned from a fallow year with what is shaping up to be one of the country’s biggest touring events in 2025.
Confirming its 2025 lineup on Friday (May 2), the Spilt Milk festival has announced that the four-date affair will be headlined by Kendrick Lamar and Doechii, with Sara Landry, Dominic Fike, and Schoolboy Q rounding out the topline. While Lamar’s appearance will be his first Australian visit since 2022, and the other headliners have previously performed on Australian soil, Doechii will make her debut visit to the country as part of the festival.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
D4vd, Nessa Barrett, and Sombr also join Australian producer Skin on Skin as second-tier additions, while international names such as Rebeca Black and Chance Peña join local acts The Dreggs, The Rions, Ninajirachi, and more.
Trending on Billboard
Lamar’s high-profile addition to the festival is something of a coup for the event, which first launched in 2016 as a one-day affair in the country’s capital, Canberra.
After three years of events, the festival expanded to the Gold Coast and regional Victorian city Ballarat in 2019, with the likes of CHVRCHES, Khalid, and Juice WRLD appearing on the lineup. The Ballarat edition of Spilt Milk would also serve as Juice WRLD’s final performance before his passing just one week later.
The festival returned from a COVID-induced hiatus in 2022, though announced they would be taking another year off in 2024. “Sorry pookies, we couldn’t get you the Spilt Milk you deserve this year,” event organizers wrote in July. “Sooo imma dip for a bit and come back when I can make all ur dreams come true.”
At the time, concerns were raised for the future of Spilt Milk given the cancellation of other high-profile festivals such as Splendour in the Grass, though organizers confirmed on May 1 that it would return in December 2025. The four-date affair will take place across Ballarat, Perth, Canberra, and the Gold Coast between December 6-14.
Jack Antonoff was named ASCAP Pop Music Songwriter of the Year at a private event at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles on Thursday (May 1). The hitmaker co-wrote six of ASCAP’s most-performed songs of the past year: Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” and no fewer than five songs by Taylor Swift: “Anti-Hero,” “Fortnight,” “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart,” “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” and “Karma.”
Antonoff, 41, has won 11 Grammys, including two in songwriting categories: song of the year for “We Are Young” (which he co-wrote with his fun. bandmates and Jeff Bhasker) and best rock song for “Masseduction” (which he co-wrote with Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent). He won best song musically and lyrically at the 2023 Ivor Novello Awards for “King” (which he co-wrote with Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine).
Trending on Billboard
Teddy Swims’ breakthrough hit “Lose Control” is the ASCAP Pop Music Song of the Year. Co-written by ASCAP songwriter Joshua “Ammo” Coleman, it set a new record for the longest run song in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 (59 weeks, as of this week). The smash is published by Kobalt Music and Top Notch High Quality Music.
ASCAP Pop Music Publisher of the Year goes to Sony Music Publishing. Among their list of honored works are “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (Shaboozey), “Hot to Go!” (Chappell Roan), “Houdini” (Dua Lipa), “Not Like Us” (Kendrick Lamar), “Stick Season” (Noah Kahan) and “Texas Hold ‘Em” (Beyoncé).
ASCAP Pop Music Award-winning songwriters this year also include Amy Allen, Beyoncé, Chappell Roan, Dan Nigro, Dua Lipa, Justin Timberlake, Justin Tranter, Noah Kahan, Olivia Rodrigo, Shaboozey and Victoria Monét.
The ASCAP Pop Music Awards honor the songwriters and publishers of the most-performed ASCAP pop songs of 2024. The winning songs are determined by data for terrestrial and satellite radio and for programmed and on-demand audio streams, all provided by Luminate Data LLC.
More information on the 2025 ASCAP Pop Music Award winners is available at www.ascap.com/popawards25.
Seems like Mary J. Blige has given Travis Scott‘s new snippet from Jackboys 2 — which mentions her — her stamp of approval. In the two-and-a-half-minute, Harmony Korine-directed trailer that Scott posted on his socials Wednesday night, he raps, “I blige bumping Mary.” “I see what he did there,” the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul wrote […]
Benson Boone broke out his signature backflip on Thursday (May 1) to promote his upcoming appearance on Saturday Night Live. When the first SNL promo opens, the pop sensation is nowhere to be found, missing his cue after host Quinta Brunson excitedly introduces him as the episode’s musical guest. “Huh, he was supposed to flip […]
Jill Sobule, the acclaimed folk-pop singer and human rights activist, died in a reported house fire on Thursday (May 1). She was 66 years old. The groundbreaking artist, who identified as bisexual, began her career with her 1990 debut album Things Here Are Different. Five years later, she broke out with her self-titled 1995 album […]
When it comes to the prospect of being trapped on a deserted island, Kelly Clarkson would want to be with a fellow American Idol alum. The hypothetical scenario came up on Thursday’s episode (May 1) of The Kelly Clarkson Show during a round of “Playing Dice With God,” with guests Tina Fey and Will Forte. […]
If you haven’t heard about the 100 men versus a gorilla debate, than you might be living under a rock. The question was first posed by the No Funny Sh– podcast out of Harlem earlier this year and has since gone viral, so it was only right for fellow Harlem natives Cam’ron and Mase to […]