Music
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Lorde has released three albums, but it’s been so long since she dropped one that her fourth full-length effort, Virgin — which the star announced at long last Wednesday (April 30) — might just make you feel like she’s doing it for the very first time.
The New Zealand native shared the news via a posting on her website, revealing the LP’s blue-toned cover art and sharing that it will arrive June 27. “100% WRITTEN IN BLOOD,” she wrote, revealing that the project’s collaborators include Jim-E Stack, Fabiana Palladino, Andrew Aged, Buddy Ross, Dan Nigro and Dev Hynes of Blood Orange.
The album’s artwork marks Lorde’s first since 2013’s debut project, Pure Heroine, to not feature the “Royals” singer on the cover. Instead, the photo shows what appears to be an X-ray of a crotch area with a zipper showing up on the scan in the front; between the bones that make up the pelvis, an IUD is visible.
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In a release, Lorde further teased the direction of the record. “THE COLOUR OF THE ALBUM IS CLEAR,” she wrote in an all-caps statement. “LIKE BATHWATER, WINDOWS, ICE, SPIT. FULL TRANSPARENCY. THE LANGUAGE IS PLAIN AND UNSENTIMENTAL. THE SOUNDS ARE THE SAME WHEREVER POSSIBLE. I WAS TRYING TO SEE MYSELF, ALL THE WAY THROUGH. I WAS TRYING TO MAKE A DOCUMENT THAT REFLECTED MY FEMININITY: RAW, PRIMAL, INNOCENT, ELEGANT, OPENHEARTED, SPIRITUAL, MASC.”
“I’M PROUD AND SCARED OF THIS ALBUM,” she added. “THERE’S NOWHERE TO HIDE. I BELIEVE THAT PUTTING THE DEEPEST PARTS OF OURSELVES TO MUSIC IS WHAT SETS US FREE.”
The announcement comes just more than a week after Lorde dropped Virgin‘s lead single, “What Was That,” on April 24. The track arrived with an accompanying music video filmed in New York City, featuring footage of the singer meeting up with fans in Washington Square Park.
Lorde hasn’t released an album since 2021’s Solar Power, which reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200.
See Lorde’s announcement below.
Before she was one of the most recognizable voices in pop music, Chappell Roan was just one of countless aspiring singers whose hopes were dashed by the audition process for competition shows such as The Voice and America’s Got Talent.
In her W Magazine cover story published Wednesday (April 30), the pop star recalled her disappointing experiences trying out for both shows back when she was a teenager, with Roan not even making it past the first round for either. “When I auditioned for The Voice, I was 15 and I sang ‘Stay’ by Rihanna,” she began. “The producer or whoever the f–k was watching did not even look up from his phone. He was like, OK, next.’”
“I went up there and sang a cappella, the scariest thing ever,” she added. “He never really looked at me.”
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At that point, Roan had already auditioned for America’s Got Talent two years prior. “I was 13, and we flew to Austin, Texas, and waited in line with thousands of people at 4 a.m.,” Roan recalled of that experience. “I sang ‘True Colors’ by Cyndi Lauper. Did not make it either.”
The Missouri native wouldn’t get her big break until more than a decade later, and not before she’d endure even more setbacks (such as being dropped from her label, Atlantic Records, in 2020). In 2024, Roan’s career exploded with a hot streak of festival sets and the success of single “Good Luck, Babe!” on the Billboard Hot 100 — it peaked at No. 4 in September — with the star going on to win best new artist at the 2025 Grammys in February.
During her acceptance speech at the ceremony, Roan used her time on stage to challenge the music industry to take better care of developing artists, reading out of a well-loved notebook, “Labels, we got you — but do you got us?” To W, the “Casual” singer confirmed that the book was her actual diary, revealing that she’s been journaling since she was in middle school.
Roan also opened up about her first kiss in the interview — she was 15 and in her parents’ driveway, though she now says that “kissing girls is funner” — as well as her biggest pet peeve. “When people name-drop,” said the vocalist, who recently confirmed that she has a serious girlfriend. “I immediately don’t trust them.”
“I’m not the girl to care about that stuff,” she added. “It is an immediate turnoff in a romantic or a friendship way. I’m like, ‘If you name-drop, I’m probably not going to be your friend.’”
See Roan on the cover of W below.
On its face, Kendrick Lamar and Playboi Carti seemed like an unlikely duo until King Vamp recruited K. Dot for a few features on his Music album. They hit the stage together for the first time on Tuesday night (April 29) when Lamar brought out Carti as a special guest in Atlanta to perform their […]
More than a year after revealing that he had undergone surgery to remove a tumor from his brain, Michael Bolton is opening up about his cancer battle at length for the first time.
Speaking to People for a cover story with his family published Wednesday (April 30), the 72-year-old icon shared new details about being diagnosed with glioblastoma — an aggressive form of cancer that “starts as a growth of cells in the brain or spinal cord” and “can invade and destroy healthy tissue,” according to Mayo Clinic — in December 2023. After receiving the diagnosis, he quickly underwent surgery, something he shared with fans while announcing that he’d be postponing his upcoming concerts in a January 2024 Instagram post.
Fortunately, Bolton’s doctors were able to remove the tumor in its entirety during surgery, and after a second brain surgery in January 2024 to treat an infection — plus a combination of radiation and chemotherapy — the musician has had no new tumors as of early April, when he had his last scan. But the road ahead will still be challenging, with Bolton now undergoing MRIs every two months to stay vigilant against glioblastoma’s high recurrence rate.
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Fifteen months after surgery, Bolton reflects, “You’re reaching into your resources and your resolve in a way that you never would have thought.”
“Succumbing to the challenge is not an option,” he added to the publication, which noted that Bolton’s short-term memory, speech and mobility have suffered as a result of his treatments. “You’re really quickly drawn into a duel. I guess that’s the way you find out what you’re made of.”
Amid the life-changing experience, Bolton says he’s been redefining his definition of legacy. Rather than thinking about it in terms of his career — which includes two Grammys, 19 Billboard Hot 100 hits and two No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 — the “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” vocalist is now choosing to focus on what he’s leaving behind for his family.
“How do I give things that they can take forward?” he told People. “Life lessons, love, any kind of validation that I can give [them] — I want to be on the right side of that so they feel great about who they are. It’s a reality of mortality. Suddenly a new light has gone on that raises questions, including ‘Am I doing the best that I can do with my time?’”
“I want to keep going. I feel there’s still a lot to do on the fight side,” added Bolton, who has deliberately not received a prognosis to keep his hopes high. “I got a title for a song: ‘Ain’t Going Down Without a Fight.’”
Also featured in the cover story were the musician’s daughters Isa, Taryn and Holly, who remembered how their dad started singing in his hospital room just minutes after waking up from surgery. Bolton and his family — which also includes six grandchildren — posed together in a photo for the piece, which Bolton shared on Instagram Wednesday and wrote, “My hope in sharing this part of my journey is that it might offer comfort to other families facing similar challenges, and perhaps even inspire those navigating their own adversity.”
“I also want to thank all of you for the love, support, and patience you’ve shown over this past year,” he added. “I’ve drawn strength from your encouragement, and I continue to draw strength from it every day as I move forward on this journey.”
The interview marks the first time Bolton has shared an in-depth update on his health. In March 2024, he simply wrote on Instagram, “I am healing well and doing better every day,” adding that he was “enjoying the company of my daughters and grandkids during this time at home and practicing on my putting green whenever it’s not raining!”
The following May, he announced that his postponed Greatest Hits Live concert at the O2 Arena in London would be rescheduled for July 5 this year. “Thank you all for your continued support during my recovery!” he wrote at the time. “Although I wanted to be there sooner I’m so looking forward to spending a special evening together at the O2 London next summer!!!”
The Tony Awards, in partnership with Audience Rewards, Broadway’s loyalty program for theater fans, has announced the return of the Official Tony Awards Challenge game. Beginning at noon ET on Thursday (May 1), following the announcement of the 2025 Tony Award nominations, Broadway fans can participate in an interactive ballot-style game in which they try to predict the winners of the Tony Awards in each of the 26 categories. Fans will have a chance to win a number of prizes, including a Dream Week on Broadway that includes airfare, hotel and tickets to five Broadway shows of their choice.
This year, all entrants who complete a ballot will automatically receive 500 Audience Rewards ShowPoints, regardless of the number of correct guesses. That’s enough points to redeem for an orchestra seat to a Broadway show for as low as $36. To play, visit the Tony Awards Challenge’s website. Players must be Audience Rewards members to enter. The program is free to join.
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“Audience Rewards brings theater fans insider access to Broadway tickets and theater experiences all season long, with the Tony Awards Challenge as the exciting grand finale to a wonderful year,” Katie Dalton, executive vice president of Audience Rewards, said in a statement. “This is always a fan-favorite, and this year is even more exciting since participants will get points just for participating!”
“We’re so excited to partner with Audience Rewards once again for the Official Tony Awards Challenge, which is an amazing opportunity for Broadway fans to become part of the action,” said Jason Laks, president of The Broadway League and Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing. “We hope that all theater lovers all over will participate in the Challenge and continue to support the wide array of incredible Broadway productions.”
By guessing all 26 categories correctly, one grand prize winner could receive a Dream Week on Broadway, including:
Roundtrip airfare for the winner and a guest to New York City
Seven days/six nights in the Tony Awards Terrace Suite at Sofitel New York
Tickets to five Broadway shows of the winner’s choice for that person and a guest
Tickets to the Museum of Broadway and a gift card for iconic Broadway eatery Sardi’s
In addition to the grand prize winner, the runner-up will receive 20,000 Audience Rewards ShowPoints redeemable for Broadway tickets, merchandise and exclusive experiences of their choice.
Hosted by Tony Award-winner Cynthia Erivo, the 78th Annual Tony Awards will return to Radio City Music Hall in New York City, broadcasting live to both coasts, Sunday, June 8 (8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT) on CBS, and streaming on Paramount+.
Audience Rewards is Broadway’s Official Loyalty Program, providing benefits and rewards for more than 3 million members. Free and easy to join, Audience Rewards allows ticket buyers to earn ShowPoints on every purchase, to be redeemed for free tickets, theater collectibles, unique experiences and more. Founded in 2008 by Broadway’s prominent theater owners, including Nederlander, Shubert and ATG, Audience Rewards has offered members first-access presales to more than 100 Broadway shows and 200 VIP experiences and events.
See below for rules and guidelines:
The Official Tony Awards Challenge, hosted by Audience Rewards in partnership with The Tony Awards, will begin on Thursday, May 1, at approximately 12 p.m. ET.
To play, entrants must either be pre-existing Audience Rewards members, or they can join the program for free to participate.
Players will guess/predict who they think will win in each of the 26 Tony categories. The grand prize for correctly guessing all 26 categories is the Dream Week on Broadway package.
Once players complete their ballot, they can adjust their predictions until 3 p.m. ET on Tony Sunday, June 8.
Submit your guesses online and then tune in to the Tony Awards live on Sunday, June 8 to see how many you guessed correctly!
Full terms and conditions are available at the Tony Awards Challenge site.
Eric Church is already gearing up for the release of his new album, Evangeline vs. The Machine on May 2, but this fall he will take that new project on the road when he launches his Free the Machine Tour, with 22 arena shows starting Sept. 12. Joining Church on varying dates on the tour […]
Riding a hot streak that has already established her among 2025’s buzziest names, Doechii lands a historic win on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as the first artist to send her first three charting titles as a lead artist to No. 1 on the radio ranking.
The feat comes as “Anxiety” storms 6-1 to crown the list dated May 3 and was the most played song on U.S. panel-contributing rhythmic radio stations in the tracking week of April 18-24, according to Luminate, a 20% surge from the prior week. Thanks to the boon, “Anxiety” wins the week’s Greatest Gainer award, given to the song with the largest increase in play count.
Doechii, Billboard’s 2025 Woman of the Year recipient, traces her Rhythmic Airplay achievement to her first No. 1, the one-week champ “What It Is (Block Boy),” featuring Kodak Black, in June 2023. She returned to the summit in March with “Denial Is a River,” which reigned for three weeks, before “Anxiety” completed her third trek to the top spot. As noted, the trio makes Doechii the first act to send her first three entries as a lead artist to No. 1 in the 32-year history of the Rhythmic Airplay chart.
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Expanding to include lead and featured credits, Doechii is the third act in the overall club. There, she joins Ashanti, whose first two No. 1s were through featured slots on Ja Rule’s “Always on Time” and Fat Joe’s “What’s Luv?,” before her own chart-topping “Foolish,” all in 2002. The next year, Beyoncé inaugurated her solo career with three Rhythmic Airplay champs — a featured slot on Jay-Z’s “’03 Bonnie and Clyde,” and her own “Crazy in Love,” featuring Jay-Z, and “Baby Boy,” featuring Sean Paul.
Beyond the three aforementioned No. 1s, Doechii has one other Rhythmic Airplay entry in her account, a featured slot on Sleepy Hallow’s “A N X I E T Y,” which reached No. 31 in February. That track, from 2019, received a second wind thanks to TikTok-fueled virality, that in turn sparked Doechii’s own “Anxiety” single’s release.
Elsewhere, “Anxiety” leaps 10-5 on the Pop Airplay chart with a 21% rally in weekly plays and pushes 15-11 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart (up 14%), and even debuts on the Latin Airplay chart at No. 50. From the developments at pop, rhythmic and R&B/hip-hop and Latin sectors, “Anxiety” explodes 9-3 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart to 45.9 million in all-format audience for the week, a 24% improvement from 37.1 million in the week prior, and enough to win the Greatest Gainer prize.
“Anxiety,” initially a standalone single, was added to the digital and streaming editions of Doechii’s Grammy Award-winning mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, in March. The hit single’s inclusion has helped the project break barriers of its own, including its first time in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 this week.
CeCe Winans banks her fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart as “Come Jesus Come” climbs three spots to No. 1 on the survey dated May 3. The song completes a record 58-week journey to No. 1. It surpasses Ricky Dillard & New G’s “Amazing,” which took 47 frames to reach the summit […]
Brandon Lake dominates Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart for a 20th week, on the list dated May 3, with “Hard Fought Hallelujah.”
The song initially hit No. 1 upon its debut in November, becoming Lake’s sixth leader. A remix was released on Feb. 7 adding Jelly Roll. On April 20, the pair performed the song on ABC’s American Idol. It surged by 52% to 9.1 million official U.S. streams April 18-24, according to Luminate. It also bounded by 204% to 9,000 downloads sold.
“Hard Fought Hallelujah” is the 10th hit to top Hot Christian Songs for 20 weeks or more, dating to the chart’s 2003 start. Lake is the only act with three of those elite leaders:
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132 weeks at No. 1, “You Say,” Lauren Daigle, beginning July 28, 2018
61, “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail),” Hillsong UNITED, Dec. 7, 2013
37, “What a Beautiful Name,” Hillsong Worship, Feb. 25, 2017
31, “Praise,” Elevation Worship feat. Brandon Lake, Chris Brown & Chandler Moore, March 16, 2024
28, “Gratitude,” Brandon Lake, Feb. 4, 2023
26, “Something in the Water,” Carrie Underwood, Oct. 18, 2014
24, “In Jesus Name (God of Possible),” Katy Nichole, March 26, 2022
23, “Word of God Speak,” MercyMe, Aug. 16, 2003
20, “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” Brandon Lake, Nov. 23, 2024
20, “Thank God I Do,” Lauren Daigle, May 20, 2023
Lake authored “Hard Fought Hallelujah” with Chris Brown of Elevation Worship, Steven Furtick, Benjamin Hastings and Rodrick Simmons, with Jelly Roll also now listed among its writers. It was produced by Micah Nichols.
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The song concurrently adds a 20th week at No. 1 on Christian Streaming Songs and a 15th frame atop Christian Digital Song Sales. On Christian Airplay, it rises 4-2 for a new best (3.6 million in audience, up 2%).
“Hard Fought Hallelujah” also becomes Lake’s first top 40 hit on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, jumping 63-40. It marked his first entry on the chart in November.
Crawford’s First No. 1
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Leanna Crawford, originally from Stanwood, Wash., earns her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart with “Still Waters (Psalm 23).” The song ascends a spot via 3.6 million impressions in the tracking week.
Crawford co-penned the single with Jonathan Gamble and Justin Richards. It’s from her same- named LP, which arrived as her first Top Christian Albums entry, at its No. 7 best, last August.
Crawford previously peaked at a No. 14 Christian Airplay high with her Seph Schlueter duet, “We Sing (Joy to the World),” this past holiday season. She has also hit the chart’s top 20 with “Mean Girls” (No. 20, April 2021).
Global Citizen announced additional details on Wednesday (April 30) about the first Latin American edition of its signature event, Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia. Revealed during the Global Citizen NOW summit in New York, the world’s leading international organization advocating for an end to extreme poverty said the inaugural Amazonia show will take place on Nov. 1 at Estádio Olímpico do Pará (aka Mangueirão) in Belém, Brazil.
The show will feature sets from Brazilian superstar headliners Anitta and Seu Jorge, as well as Belém-bred singer Gaby Amarantos, as well as speakers including indigenous leaders Chief Raoni Metuktire and a special guest performance from Coldplay‘s Chris Martin.
Organizers said in a press release the event will focus on “amplifying the voices of indigenous peoples and local communities in the Amazon rainforest” and aim to raise $1 billion to protect, restore and rewild the Amazon rainforest.
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Free tickets to Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia can be earned exclusively for the people of Belém and Pará State in Brazil by taking action on the Global Citizen app or its website. Tickets are also be available by sending a WhatsApp message to +55 (11) 4040-7099 demanding action to end deforestation and support communities on the frontlines of climate impact. The show will be broadcast for free across Brazil on Globo’s platforms.
In an effort to make sure tickets get into the hands of local Pará State residents, including ones without internet or smartphone access, tickets will also be available to people who participate in community volunteering activities in Belém and Pará State, including tree planting, riverbank cleanups and other environmental service projects.
According to Amazonconservation.org, the Amazon — often referred to as the “lungs of the world” — is getting closer to its “tipping point,” when it will no longer be able to generate its own rainfall and support its rainforest ecosystems. Quickly approaching the tipping point of 20%-25% of deforestation, experts say if that point is passed, it could turn the planet’s largest rainforest into a dry grassland.
“In our visits to the Amazon and conversations with Indigenous leaders and community elders, Global Citizen has heard their call, and we are honored to accept their invitation to partner with their communities,” said Michael Sheldrick, co-founder and chief policy, impact and government relations officer for Global Citizen, in a statement. “We acknowledge our responsibility to listen, learn, stand alongside, and amplify — as loudly as we can — both the voices and the urgent needs of Indigenous and local communities. That’s what the Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia campaign is all about. Not only are we laser focused on building a global coalition to raise $1 billion for the rainforest’s preservation, but we are dedicating our advocacy, energy and platforms to centering and amplifying these powerful calls to action, culminating on our festival stage on November 1st to ensure their voices cannot be ignored.”
Organizers pledge that given the event’s efforts to preserve the natural environment in the host nation, the show will be one of the most sustainable, low-impact large-scale events ever in South America. Among the mitigation efforts on tap are a mobile, rechargeable battery-powered stage using solar generation that will be made available to other events in Brazil to reduce their energy impact, as well as a dramatic reduction in waste through compostable packaging, no single-use plastics and the local donation of excess food.
“It is an immense joy to be part of Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia, which is taking place in my homeland, Belém,” added singer Amarantos. “This event is much more than music; it is a global call to protect and value the Amazon, its biodiversity and the people who live here. As an artist from the Amazon, I feel both the responsibility and the pride of bringing the voice of my region to the world, showing how urgent it is to care for our forest, our culture, and our communities. The Amazon is a source of life, resilience and hope. Participating in this collective movement is an important step toward the future we want, where development and preservation go hand in hand. I invite everyone to join in this vital struggle for climate justice and respect for Indigenous and traditional peoples.”