Music
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Here’s the thing. It’s not Cardi B‘s fault that her long-in-the-works sophomore studio album hasn’t been released yet. At least that’s what Cardi said during an Instagram Live session with fans this week, in which the rapper claimed that the real hold-up is the feature verses she’s waiting on from her guests. “I really need […]
SiriusXM has teamed up with Morgan Wallen to launch the exclusive SiriusXM channel Morgan Wallen Radio. The limited-run channel launches Thursday (May 1) and runs through May 31, coinciding with the upcoming release of Wallen’s new album I’m the Problem on May 16. Morgan Wallen Radio is available to subscribers in their cars on channel […]
Counter-terror police in London have announced an investigation into videos of Belfast rap trio Kneecap allegedly calling for the death of elected British MPs and shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah.”
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The update comes after a period of intense scrutiny on the band following the group’s activity following their recent Coachella sets. At the end of their shows, Kneecap displayed messages on the war in Gaza, writing: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F–k Israel; free Palestine.”
The group have since faced criticism from a number of industry figures including Sharon Osbourne who called for the group’s U.S. visas to be retracted. Artists such as Massive Attack, Pulp and Fontaines D.C. have since expressed support for the group in a new open letter.
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On Thursday (May 1), a spokesperson for London’s Metropolitan Police said: “On April 22, we were made aware of an online video believed to be from a music event in London in November 2024. Following this, we were made aware of a further video, believed to be from another music event in London in November 2023. Both videos were referred to the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit for assessment by specialist officers, who have determined there are grounds for further investigation into potential offenses linked to both videos.
“The investigation is now being carried out by officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and inquiries remain ongoing at this time.” The band are yet to be charged with any offence.
A video from the November 2024 concert appears to show one member of the band shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah.” Both groups are ascribed terror status in the U.K., and it is an offense to express support for either under anti-terror laws. A second video from November 2023 later emerged of the group allegedly saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
Earlier this week the band issued a statement on the remarks, offering an apology to the families of Sir David Amess and Jo Cox; both were killed while standing as MPs in separate incidents in 2021 and 2016, respectively. “Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay,” the group said. “We know this more than anyone, given our nation’s history. We also reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever. An extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.”
A number of the band’s shows have been cancelled by organizers in Germany following the remarks, and Cornwall’s Eden Project dropped the band from the Eden Sessions concert program. Festivals such as Glastonbury have faced calls from politicians to remove the band from its lineup.
In an open letter organised by Heavenly Recordings, Kneecap label, artists such as Massive Attack, Paul Weller and more say that “in a democracy, no political figures or political parties should have the right to dictate who does and does not play at music festivals or gigs that will be enjoyed by thousands of people.”
Billboard U.K. has approached Kneecap’s team for comment on the news.
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco are not done saying I love you. The couple announced on Wednesday (April 30) that their debut collaborative album will get a deluxe edition on Friday (May 2) when they drop I Said I Love You First… And You Said It Back. “The deluxe version of my album with @itsbennyblanco is called […]
Even the most patient and forgiving of Wolf Alice fans have had to learn how to love at a different rhythm than the fans of other artists. Waiting for a new record, without knowing if anything is coming at all, seems to have become a primary act of their devotion. “Is it over?” exclaimed one despairing Reddit user a few months back, exasperated by the British rock band’s radio silence throughout 2024. “No more music?”
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On April 22, after a near four-year wait, an eon in an ever-changing industry, their qualms were put to rest. Breaking cover, all posts on the London four-piece’s Instagram page were swiftly archived, while its previously dormant TikTok account began to flicker into life. Soon enough, a carousel of striking, retro-leaning images — including bassist Theo Ellis wearing a leather jacket adorned with a gem-encrusted ‘Wolf Alice’ motif — was uploaded with a call-to-arms caption: “We’ve missed u.” Major festival slots at Glastonbury and Radio 1’s Big Weekend, meanwhile, were also confirmed for the summer.
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Offering a glimpse of what may lie ahead, it’s a new look for the band, and a new way of marketing its music, heralding in the group’s next era with aplomb. Unlike most contemporary acts subject to mass idolatry, Wolf Alice’s online presence (which, historically, has been minimal) has never been part of the appeal. Dozens of accounts have instead become dedicated to posting whatever updates they can find, often rehashing photoshoots from their early career.
In a world of algorithm game-playing and lyrics bundled with gossipy subtext, the band’s songs — which deftly blend garage rock and shoegaze — function as talismans affirming the importance of standing tall by your convictions. The subtlety and class with which they choose to signal meaning to their audience is something that has long defined their music; in knowing relatively little about the band’s own inner lives, fans’ desire to get closer only grows stronger.
Young, terminally online pop fans feel drawn to the notion of artist folklore, having grown up watching the likes of Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande incorporate “Easter eggs” (hidden messages and references) into their videos. It’s an idea that extends to other genres that are popular in stan culture forums, where lost songs and “will-they-won’t-they” social media teasers are analyzed feverishly. In the case of Wolf Alice, the group has earned a committed Gen Z fanbase who gravitate toward them as much for the element of surprise as they do for the music.
The anticipation around the band’s next steps, therefore, couldn’t be greater. Wolf Alice’s last record, 2021’s Blue Weekend, ushered in a new commercial zenith, landing a nomination for the Mercury Prize (which the group won for 2017’s Visions of a Life), topping the Official U.K. Albums Chart and leading the band to its first-ever BRIT award the following year. The campaign steamrolled ahead across a further 12 months, during which they opened up for Harry Styles in stadiums across Europe and completed an extensive headline tour.
In 2025, each of the members are now approaching their mid 30s. No longer the wild-eyed 20somethings they emerged as with fiery 2013 EP Blush, they have spent the past decade quietly unlocking emotional discoveries in their songs, flowing with their shifting perspectives on ambition and desire. Across three studio LPs, it’s become clear that guitarist and lead songwriter Ellie Rowsell focuses on growing privately in order to bloom publicly; she can do huge indie hooks with the best of them (2015’s “Freazy” or the endlessly affecting “Don’t Delete the Kisses”), but has never sounded quite like any of her peers because of the strength of character at the center of her work.
Consistently ducking the expectations of indie’s upper echelons — the ones which the band vaulted into with 2015’s My Love Is Cool — has only further affirmed Wolf Alice’s influence and longevity. You can see the band’s gnarly, incisive showmanship in the likes of Wunderhorse or rising stars Keo, or hear the band’s incandescent take on indie throughout You Can’t Put a Price on Fun, the debut EP from Manchester-based artist Chloe Slater. “Seeing them live was the most joy I’ve ever felt,” the latter recently recalled of a formative Wolf Alice gig, which she credits with changing the course of her burgeoning career.
Intriguingly, the band’s period of downtime was interrupted last year with the announcement that it had left its longtime label home of Dirty Hit — home to The 1975 and Beabadoobee — to sign with Sony imprint Columbia. According to a report from The Independent, the move stemmed from the members wanting “to experience something different,” having previously been in the same deal for nearly a decade, and that Rob Stringer (CEO of Sony Music Group) “is a huge fan” of theirs.
Though Blue Weekend was rapturously received by critics, with The Observer describing it as “alchemically good,” the question of whether the band can level up to festival headliner status has long hung over reviews of its electrifying live performances. Groundbreaking things can happen if a band is given the time and space it needs to truly develop into greatness, and one can hope that with the support of a major label and a new team around Wolf Alice, the group’s music will be able to travel further than ever. It’s fascinating to think what they might do next.
German rockers the Scorpions have run into health issues amidst their 60th anniversary celebrations, cancelling a pair of South American dates due to a respiratory infection suffered by singer Klaus Meine.
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The group took to social media on the weekend to reveal they would be cancelling their Saturday (April 26) date in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Meine’s health.
“It is with great regret that Scorpions will be unable to perform in Buenos Aires tonight,” the band wrote. “Klaus has contracted a virus and suspected laryngitis and is unfortunately unable to sing. The band send huge apologies to all their beloved fans in Argentina and are extremely disappointed not to be able to play.”
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Now, the group have been forced to cancel another date as Meine’s condition fails to improve, with the band again noting that their appearance at the Monsters of Rock festival in Bogotá, Colombia has now been axed.
“Klaus has still not recovered from the virus and respiratory infection that forced the recent Buenos Aires cancellation for Scorpions and is unfortunately still unable to sing,” a statement read. “The band send massive apologies to all their loyal fans in Colombia and are again extremely disappointed not to be able to play in one of their favourite countries.”
In both instances, the group noted their determination to “make every effort to return” to Argentina and Colombia.
The Scorpions launched their 60th anniversary tour in March, launching with a series of dates in Mexico before appearing in Brazil and Chile. Initially, the shows were scheduled to launch in February with a Las Vegas residency at PH Live at Planet Hollywood. However, these dates were postponed due to drummer Mikkey Dee’s ongoing recovery process following a diagnosis of sepsis.
“We regret to inform you that due to Mikkey Dee’s ongoing recovery from his recent hospitalization, we have made the decision to postpone our Coming Home to Las Vegas Residency to August 2025,” Scorpions wrote at the time. “The health and well-being of our brother is of the utmost importance. We wish Mikkey a full and speedy recovery and look forward to rocking with you all again soon!”
Currently, Scorpions are scheduled to resume their tour with a Ecuador show on May 3, with shows in Mexico to follow days later. A series of European dates throughout June and July will precede their U.S. return in August, where they will perform their postponed Las Vegas residency.
Two decades on from the release of their critically-acclaimed debut album, English indie-rock veterans Bloc Party have announced a reissue of their Silent Alarm LP.
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Set for release on September 26, the group will be reissuing the record as an extensive four LP box set. The first two LPs feature the original record, while the remaining LPs collect a number of B-sides and rarities, alongside their 2004 BBC Radio 1 John Peel session, and seven demo recordings. A two CD reissue and a two LP repress of the record will also be made available.
Silent Alarm was originally released in February 2005 as Bloc Party’s eagerly-anticipated debut release. Following a string of singles and a self-titled EP released across the previous year, the record generated widespread acclaim upon its arrival, and went on to hit No. 3 in the band’s native U.K.
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In the U.S., the record would hit No. 114 on the Billboard 200 and No. 7 on the Independent Albums chart. It also received a nomination for the 2005 Mercury Prize, and helped to establish the group on the global stage amidst the mid-’00s indie-rock explosion.
In 2018, Bloc Party announced a series of international tour dates performing the record in full for the first time, with the band set to reprise this undertaking this year. Launching in Mexico in May, the group will visit California for the Just Like Heaven festival on May 10, before returning to the U.S. later in the month for a series of shows to perform the album in full alongside a selection of other hits.
“It’s nice to be able to go back and listen to those records, and to remember where I was when I wrote them, the conversations that I was having and the people that were in my life,” frontman Kele Okereke told Billboard in January. “That’s the stuff that comes back to me when I go back to these songs and I don’t really do that so often.
“I had to do it for Silent Alarm as I had to relearn the songs. I’ve always been obsessed with looking forward, but I am recognizing that we’ve done something quite good and it’s nice to bask in that sometimes.”
Bloc Party’s biggest U.S. success came about in 2007 with second album A Weekend in the City, which hit No. 12 on the Billboard 200. Their most recent record, Alpha Games, was released in April 2022, while Okereke’s latest solo album, The Singing Winds Pt. 3, arrived in January.
English trip-hop outfit Massive Attack have shared their support for Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap in response the controversy that has followed their pro-Palestinian messaging.
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Massive Attack shared their comments on Instagram on Wednesday (April 30), criticizing the disproportionate amount of condemnation that Kneecap have received when compared to the attention received by pertinent matters in Gaza.
“If senior politicians can find neither the time, nor the words to condemn, say, the murder of fifteen voluntary aid workers in Gaza, or the illegal starvation of a civilian population as a method of warfare, or the killing of thousands & thousands of children in the same territory, by a state in possession of the highest precision weapons on earth; how much notice should a music festival take of their moral advice on booking performing acts?” the band wrote.
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“As a band that has spoken publicly for more than 30 years about the illegal occupation, apartheid system and killing with impunity of thousands of Palestinians, we are hyper aware of the both the human cost of abject political silence, and the commercial implications of publicly expressing solidarity with an oppressed people.”
Kneecap’s overtly political messaging made global headlines following their appearance at the Coachella festival in April, where they projected strong anti-Israel sentiments during their set – sentiments which they had claimed were censored during their first weekend appearance.
“Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” the projected messages read. “It is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F–k Israel; free Palestine.”
The backlash to Kneecap’s comments were swift and varied, with Sharon Osbourne calling for the band’s work visas to be revoked ahead of another North American tour later in the year, while the trio would soon split with their booking agent, Independent Artist Group.
More recently, Kneecap issued an apology for archival footage which showed the group allegedly calling for the death of British MPs (members of parliament).
Filmed at a London gig in November 2023, it appears to show one member of the band saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” At the time, the Conservative Party – also known as the Tories – were in government with a large majority.
“Language matters of course. The hideous murders of elected politicians Jo Cox and David Amess means there’s no scope for flippancy or recklessness,” Massive Attack continued.
“But do politicians and right-wing journalists strategically concocting moral outrage over the stage utterings of a young punk band, while simultaneously obfuscating or even ignoring a genocide happening in real time (including the killing of journalists in unprecedented numbers) have any right to intimidate festival events into acts of political censorship?
“Kneecap are not the story,” they concluded. “Gaza is the story. Genocide is the story. And the silence, acquiescence and support of those crimes against humanity by the elected British government is the real story. Solidarity with all artists with the moral courage to speak out against Israeli war crimes, and the ongoing persecution and slaughter of the Palestinian people.”
Soon after Massive Attack’s message, London-based independent label Heavenly Recordings also shared a statement which was signed by Massive Attack alongside Fontaines D.C., Pulp, The Pogues, Thin Lizzy, Sleaford Mods, Paul Weller, and myriad others.
“This past week has seen a clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform the band Kneecap,” the statement read. “In Westminster and the British media, senior political figures have been openly engaged in a campaign to remove Kneecap from the public eye, with veiled threats being made over their scheduled performances at gigs, outdoor events and music festivals, including Glastonbury.”
“In a democracy, no political figures or political parties should have the right to dictate who does and does not play at music festivals or gigs that will be enjoyed by thousands of people,” it continued. “The question of agreeing with Kneecap’s political views is irrelevant: it is in the key interests of every artist that all creative expression be protected in a society that values culture, and that this interference campaign is condemned and ridiculed.
“Furthermore, it is also the duty of key leadership figures in the music industry to actively defend artistic freedom of expression — rather than seek to silence views which oppose their own.”
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross were passed over for an Oscar nomination for their acclaimed score for Challengers, but Reznor’s fellow members of the ASCAP composer and songwriter community voted that score the year’s best — and on Wednesday (April 30), Reznor was honored with the ASCAP Composers’ Choice Award for film score of the year at the 2025 ASCAP Screen Music Awards, held at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
Elsewhere, Jeff Toyne won two ASCAP Composers Choice Awards — television score of the year and television theme of the year, both for his work on work on Apple TV+’s Palm Royale. Toyne earlier won a Primetime Emmy in September for outstanding original main title theme music for his work on the show. He was also nominated for a second Primetime Emmy for outstanding music composition for a series (original dramatic score).
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Chosen by the ASCAP composer and songwriter community, ASCAP Composers’ Choice Awards are presented in five categories. Here’s a complete list of this year’s winners:
● Film Score of the Year: Challengers – Trent Reznor
● Television Score of the Year: Palm Royale – Jeff Toyne
● Television Theme of the Year: Palm Royale – Jeff Toyne
● Documentary Score of the Year: Jim Henson: Idea Man – David Fleming
● Video Game Score of the Year: Tales of Kenzera: Zau – Nainita Desai
In other categories, Andrea Datzman was honored with top box office film of the year for the animated family film Inside Out 2. Composer Jeff Cardoni earned top network television series for the sitcom Young Sheldon, while John Sereda received top cable television series for the historical drama When Calls the Heart. David Vanacore was the top winner in the most performed themes & underscore category.
In addition, ASCAP recognized some of the top composers of the past year’s hit streaming series and films. The top streaming series winners include Bear McCreary for the epic fantasy series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Michael Abels for his tone-setting score in the sci-fi mystery-thriller The Acolyte, Jamie Jackson and WAZ for the comedy crime drama Bad Monkey, and Rupert Gregson-Williams for his score and Josh Kear & Meghan Trainor for their theme to the whodunit crime drama The Perfect Couple.
Among the top streaming films winners, Hans Zimmer was honored for his score to the historical World War II drama Blitz, Lorne Balfe received recognition for the action thriller Carry-On, Amelia Warner was recognized for the biographical sports film Young Woman and the Sea, and Siddhartha Khosla was celebrated for the romantic book-to-film adaptation of The Idea of You.
The complete list of winners is available on the ASCAP website: www.ascap.com/screenawards25.
So far, the NHL‘s Los Angeles Kings have played three home games in their first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. For all three of those games, the Koreatown Senior and Community Center harmonica class was also in Crypto.com Arena. The L.A. hockey team invited the amateur harmonica troupe to play the national […]