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After spending the last two years navigating the fulfilling experience of writing for her peers, Sabrina Claudio is entering a new chapter of her career as the R&B singer signs with EMPIRE, Billboard can reveal. “I think my uniting with Empire was divine timing,” says Claudio, who was signed to Atlantic Records from 2018 to […]
Dolly Parton‘s songs have always been there to comfort us, bring joy and, occasionally, put certain people in their when they get a bit too cheeky. So it’s perfectly fitting that following the death earlier this week of her husband of 60 years, Carl Thomas Dean, Parton paid tribute to her lifelong partner with a heartbreakingly beautiful musical testament to their endless love.
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“Carl and I fell in love when I was 18 and he was 23, and like all great love stories, they never end. They live in memory and in song, and I dedicate this to him,” Parton, 79, wrote in an early-morning post on Friday (March 7) announcing the ballad “If You Hadn’t Been There” that featured a sweet throwback pic of the couple in which Parton is smiling and wrapping her arms around Dean’s neck.
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Like so many of Parton’s most beloved songs, “If You Hadn’t Been There” tells a complicated story in plain, powerful language in a way that is pure Dolly. “If you hadn’t been there/ Where would I be?/ Without your trust/ Love and belief/ The ups and downs/ We’ve always shared/ And I wouldn’t be here/ If you hadn’t been there,” Parton sings delicately, her voice just a whisper at times over subtle piano and strings.
As a swaying fiddle comes in and the beat picks up, Parton swells into her full voice while paying tribute to the famously attention-shy partner who she says was truly her other half. “If you hadn’t been there/ Well, who would I be?/ You always see the best in me/ You’re loving arms have cradled me/ You held me close, and I believe,” she sings before exploding into the loving chorus: “I wouldn’t be here/ If you hadn’t been there/ Holding my hand/ Showing you care/ You made me dream/ More than I dared/ And I wouldn’t be here/ If you hadn’t been there.”
The instant classic written by Parton and produced by Gregg Perry swells to a crescendo in the final verse, with a gospel chorus backing Parton up as she repeats the song’s title a few more times like a prayer.
The song’s release came shortly after Dolly posted a note about Dean’s death on Monday (March 3) in which she wrote, “This is a love note to family, friends and fans. Thank you for all the messages, cards and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband Carl. I can’t reach out personally to each of you, but just know it has meant the world to me. He is in God’s arms now, and I am okay with that,” before quoting her own 1982 classic hit: “I will always love you.”
Parton met Dean the day she moved to Nashville at age 18 to pursue a career in music and they got married a short time later in in Georgia in 1966, two years after that first run-in at the Wishy Washy Laundromat. Though Dolly would soon climb to the highest highs as a performer, songwriter and global superstar, Dean preferred to stay out of the spotlight and was rarely seen by the public.
Listen to “If You Hadn’t Been There” below.
Lady Gaga can do it all. At least she’s going to try to when she both hosts and performs as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live tomorrow (March 8). You know, “just like Tiomothée Chalamet” did a few weeks ago, she proudly tells cast member Bowen Yang in the second promo for this weekend’s episode
“Damn,” Bowen says with a dismissive head tilt and crossed arms. “Good luck girl.”
“Thanks,” Gaga responds, seeming a bit peeved, as Yang softens up and gives her a sweet “you’re welcome.”
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The second run finds the two a bit chummier, with Gaga leaning in to touch Yang’s chest as he reveals that he’s sooooo excited to see her perform at Coachella next month. “You’re going?” she asks. “Yeah, but I’ll be at the Chobani tent handing out açaí bowls… for whoever wants açaí,” Yang explains with an annoyed look at his mandatory sponcon gig.
“Well, that’s the best part of Coachella,” Gaga assures him as they bust out their best jazz hands to yell in unison “BRAND ACTIVATIONS!”
After a bit about Gaga’s hit Mayhem song “Abracadabra,” the pair land the plane with a most embarrassing reveal from Yang. Blushing, the Wicked-ly talented break-out star of the show pulls down the collar of his T-shirt to reveal the new chest tattoo he got honoring his favorite Gaga song, “Alejandro.”
“Bowen, who is that?” Gaga says concerned. “Hello? That’s Alejandro, Alejandro Mayorkas, the seventh United States Secretary of Homeland Security? Keep up!” he tells her as if she is dense or something. “Bowen… that’s not,” she says before they bust into the chorus of the 2010 single from her The Fame Monster album.
Gaga’s seventh studio album, Mayhem, is out now and she will take the stage at Coachella as a headliner at this year’s event, which takes place from April 11-13 and April 18-20.
Watch Gaga and Yang’s promo below.
Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft returns to the top of the ARIA Albums Chart this week, reclaiming the No. 1 position for the first time since mid-July.
The album, which previously spent five non-consecutive weeks at the summit in 2024, surged back to the top following her sold-out Australian tour dates.
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The record finished 2024 as the No. 2 album of the year in Australia and continues to be a strong performer across streaming and physical formats, now clocking in six non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 since its release.
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Blackpink’s Lisa makes a strong debut at No. 5 with her first solo album, Alter Ego. The project features collaborations with Raye, Doja Cat, Future, Rosalia, Tyla, and Megan Thee Stallion. Lisa is the second member of Blackpink to land a solo album in the ARIA Top 10 in the past four months—Rosé’s Rosie peaked at No. 2 in December and is currently at No. 45. Meanwhile, fellow bandmate Jennie just dropped her debut album, Ruby, which is set to make its chart debut next week.
The top five albums on this week’s ARIA Albums Chart are all by female artists. Following Eilish at No. 1, Tate McRae’s So Close To What holds steady at No. 2, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet is at No. 3, SZA’s SOS climbs to No. 4, and Lisa’s Alter Ego debuts at No. 5.
Architects also make an impact this week with The Sky, The Earth & All Between, debuting at No. 8. The British metalcore band has a strong Australian following, with For Those That Wish to Exist reaching No. 1 in 2021.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Rosé and Bruno Mars’ collaboration “APT” extends its reign at No. 1 for a 13th non-consecutive week. The track is now tied with Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Old Town Road” (2019) as the longest-running duet at No. 1 in the past five years. The all-time record for longest-running duet on the ARIA Singles Chart remains The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay,” which dominated for 17 weeks between 2021 and 2022.
With Eilish reclaiming the top spot and Lisa making a major solo debut, female artists continue to dominate the ARIA charts this year.
Peso Pluma and his cousin, Tito Double P, were both fetted with special honors at the 2025 BMI Latin Awards, held March 6 at the Coastal Convention Center in the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami.
Peso Pluma received the BMI Champion Award for is great influence in the global musical landscape, and for opening doors to the exploding Música Mexicana movement. In winning the Champion Award, Peso Pluma joins a select group of honorees that includes Mark Ronson, Keith Urban and Residente. Peso Pluma also received the regional Mexican Songwriter of the Year award.
The Contemporary Latin Songwriter of the Year award went to both global superstar Karol G and producer and songwriter MAG, who each worked on six hit songs, including “Mi Ex Tenía Razón,” where they both have credits.
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Tito Double P also received a special award –the BMI Impact Award– for “his contributions to Peso Pluma’s success and his innovative songwriting that has propelled him into one of the most popular new artists in the Música Mexicana genre.”
Hit song “Lady Gaga,” written by Gabito Ballesteros and Alexis Fierro Román, was named Regional Mexican Song of the Year while “La Bebé (Remix),” written by Peso Pluma and HASA KING Beatz, won Contemporary Latin Song of the Year.
Sony Music Publishing took home the honor for Regional Mexican Publisher of the Year for representing 11 of the previous year’s most-performed regional Mexican songs, including those by JOP and his stable of songwriters at Street Mob Records; and Kobalt Music Publishing won Contemporary Latin Publisher of the Year for representing seven of the previous year’s most-performed contemporary Latin songs.
The evening was hosted by BMI’s President & CEO Mike O’Neill, and Jesús González, VP creative for Latin, with awards given to the songwriters and publishers of the top 50 Latin songs of the previous year, including Ryan Castro and Miguel Armenta.
The gala also featured live performances by FloyyMenor, who sang his smash hit “Gata Only,” and Jasiel Núñe, who, accompanied by his excellent band, performed an impressive medley that blended Mexican, blues and country sensibilities.
Prior to the ceremony, the BMI Foundation presented the 2025 Peermusic Award to jazz pianist Tomás Jonsson, a student at Peabody Conservatory, for his winning song “Ocurrencias.”
For a complete list of 2025 BMI Latin Award winners, click here.
BTS’ j-hope is back with a fresh solo release, teaming up with R&B powerhouse Miguel for the ethereal new single “Sweet Dreams,” out today (March 7).
A smooth fusion of R&B, pop, and hip-hop, “Sweet Dreams” pairs j-hope’s effortless melodic flow with Miguel’s signature velvety vocals, creating an ethereal, late-night groove. The song continues the BTS rapper’s journey of blending genres, showcasing his artistic range while adding another solo to his growing discography.
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Renowned producer Johnny Goldstein, songwriters Sam Martin, known for his works with Maroon 5, David Guetta, One Direction, and Sean Douglas, who has collaborated with Madonna, Sia, and more, aided in the creation of the track.
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And there’s even more in store for fans: Billboard recently revealed that j-hope is set to make his solo debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, March 10, where he’ll take the stage for a performance of his new single.
The single j-hope’s first proper release since his special album Hope on the Street Vol.1, which arrived in March last year. The project reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200, his highest solo peak on the chart to date.
The “More” vocalist also paired the LP with a docuseries of the same name. Traveling to New York, Paris, Osaka, Seoul and his hometown of Gwangju in South Korea, j-hope explored his passion for dance in the six-part Prime Video project.
He’s now gearing up to hit the road again, this time on a tour kicking off one week before “Sweet Dreams” drops. The 31-date HOPE ON THE STAGE trek will begin with a three-night stay at Seoul’s KSPO DOME starting Friday (Feb. 28).
Not counting his February feature on Don Toliver’s “LV Bag” alongside Pharrell Williams, “Sweet Dreams” also marks j-hope’s first proper solo release since he was discharged from the South Korean military.
Stream “Sweet Dreams” below.
From ballads like “Die With a Smile” to dance-pop anthems like “Abracadabra,” see where every song on Gaga’s long-awaited seventh studio album wound up on our ranking.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s fourth compilation album More Leaks is out. The embattled rapper out of Baton Rouge is currently serving 23 months in prison after pleading guilty to a federal gun charge late in 2024 and will have to do 60 months of probation after he gets out. His team announced the new project […]
The BLACKPINK solo set quadfecta is now complete, with JENNIE releasing her debut one-woman album, Ruby, Friday (March 7).
The 15-track LP makes JENNIE the final member of her girl group to drop a solo project amid BLACKPINK’s ongoing break, following ROSÉ’s Rosie, JISOO’s AMORTAGE and LISA’s Alter Ego. In addition to previously released singles “Mantra,” “Love Hangover” featuring Dominic Fike and “ExtraL” with Doechii, the album also contains the tracks “Like JENNIE,” “Start a War,” “With the IE (Way Up),” “ZEN,” “F.T.S.,” “Filter,” “Seoul City,” “Starlight” and “Twin.”
Plus, Ruby includes a number of star-studded collaborations, from the FKJ-assisted “Intro” to “Handlebars” featuring Dua Lipa and “Damn Right” with Childish Gambino and Kali Uchis.
The release of Ruby comes about seven years after JENNIE first made her solo debut in 2018 with the aptly titled single “SOLO.” The South Korean star didn’t follow the track up until 2023 with her version of “One of the Girls” from The Weeknd’s HBO show, The Idol, in which she also starred.
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JENNIE has long been working toward a solo album, with the performer opening up about how she “struggled a lot in the beginning” of the creative process in her January Billboard cover story. “A few months, I would say, was just me throwing myself out there, walking into rooms filled with new people,” she continued. “I just had to keep knocking on the door, like, ‘Is this it?’ ‘Is this it?’ and then eventually, we got to a point where I found a good group of people that I linked with, sonically and as friends.”
Now that all four of the BLACKPINK ladies have released their solo projects, the next step is for the band to reunite for a global tour kicking off in July. Dates for the trek were announced in February; around the same time, ROSÉ confirmed that the foursome also has new music in the works.
Of their upcoming reunion, JENNIE told Billboard in her cover interview, “I’ve missed the girls. I’ve missed doing tours with them. I miss our silly moments.”
“I’m excited to see what everyone brings,” she added at the time. “You know, everyone took their own journey [during] this time, and I’m excited to share that with the girls. I want to say it’s going to be the most powerful [versions] of ourselves that anyone has seen.”
Listen to Ruby below.
After five years away from the pop scene, Lady Gaga is back at long last with her long-awaited seventh studio album, Mayhem, out now via Interscope Records. Diving headfirst back into a pop-focused sound, Gaga brings in a new suite of production collaborators — including Andrew Watt, Cirkut and her fiancé Michael Polansky — to […]