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Taylor Swift had lots to celebrate on May 30, when the megastar announced that she had officially acquired the masters of her first six albums from private equity firm Shamrock Capital, along with videos, concert films, art and other unreleased content. The firm had acquired the catalog in late 2020 from Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings, after Braun had bought Swift’s old label Big Machine Records the year before.
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The purchase marked the end of a six-year kerfuffle that resulted in Swift’s Taylor’s Version project, where she re-recorded four of her first six albums that she recorded for Big Machine. After announcing her big purchase — which Billboard estimated cost about what Shamrock initially paid in late 2020, around $360 million — Swifties were quick to buy and stream her music, resulting in a big Billboard chart week.
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Let’s break down the impact of Swift’s announcement, by the numbers (on the latest charts dated June 14 — reflecting activity May 30-June 5, the first full week after the news of the deal).
54,000
Swift’s albums catalog sold a combined 54,000 copies in the U.S. in the tracking week, up 235% from the week before, according to Luminate. This includes each of her albums, re-recordings and all. That 54,000 is the most among all artists this week.
The biggest seller in her catalog was her sixth studio LP and final Big Machine project, 2017’s Reputation, which sold 15,000 copies alone (up 1,183% week-over-week). The album is one of two (along with her 2006 debut, Taylor Swift) that the singer hasn’t re-recorded and released yet. In the letter on her website, she wrote, “Full transparency: I haven’t even re-recorded a quarter of it.” She left fans hopeful though, adding, “There will be a time (if you’re into the idea) for the unreleased Vault tracks from that album to hatch.” The gains for reputation help the album rank at No. 4 on the Top Album Sales chart and No. 10 on Top Streaming Albums, and surge 78-5 on the Billboard 200 (marking its highest placement since January 2018).
The second-biggest seller was Taylor Swift, which she wrote she has finished re-recording but didn’t announce a release date yet. That album sold 8,000 copies (up 955%) and ranks at No. 6 on the Top Album Sales chart. The set also re-enters the Billboard 200 at No. 64, marking its highest rank since 2010.
222 million
Swift’s catalog raked in a combined 222 million official U.S. streams in the week following her announcement, up 32% from the week prior.
“Cruel Summer” was her most-streamed song of the week, tallying 5.4 million U.S. streams (up 6%). Her next four-highest-streamed songs are from Reputation: “…Ready for It” (3.8 million; up 70%), “Delicate” (3.8 million; up 76%), “Look What You Made Me Do” (3.6 million; up 70%) and “Don’t Blame Me” (3.4 million; up 84%).
Those 222 million streams in the U.S. are the second-most among all artists this week, following Morgan Wallen. The country star, who just dropped his latest album, I’m the Problem on May 16, raked in 379 million streams.
11
Swift charts 11 albums on the latest Billboard 200, tying her career weekly best. Here’s a look, with re-entries noted:
No. 5, ReputationNo. 18, The Tortured Poets DepartmentNo. 30, LoverNo. 50, MidnightsNo. 52, FolkloreNo. 61, 1989 (Taylor’s Version)No. 64, Taylor Swift (re-entry)No. 73, 1989 (re-entry)No. 147, Red (Taylor’s Version)No. 170, Speak Now (re-entry)No. 185, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (re-entry)
This is the 31st total week that Swift has charted 11 albums simultaneously. The only artists to chart more in a single week — since the list was combined from its previously separate mono and stereo album charts into one all-encompassing ranking in August 1963 — are Prince (who charted 19 albums after he died in 2016, plus 13 the week after that) and the Beatles (14 albums simultaneously for a week in 2010 and 13 during a week in 2014).
More than three years after Young Thug, Gunna and dozens of others were indicted in Atlanta on gang charges, Thug’s last co-defendant has pleaded guilty.
A trial had been set to start Monday (June 9) in Fulton County court for Christian Eppinger, who stood accused of attempted murder for allegedly shooting an Atlanta police officer in 2022. But he instead entered a so-called Alford plea, allowing him to technically plead guilty while maintaining that he is innocent; he was later sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Eppinger was the last remaining defendant of 28 men indicted in May 2022 by Fulton County prosecutors, who claimed that Thug’s “YSL” — nominally a record label — was also a violent gang called “Young Slime Life” that had wrought “havoc” on Atlanta for years. Thug was released from jail in October after a judge sentenced him to just probation, a stunning defeat for District Attorney Fani Willis after her office had labeled him a dangerous gang boss.
Asked Friday (June 6) if the massive prosecution had been a “waste of taxpayer money,” Willis vehemently defended the case and stressed that it had resulted in 19 convictions: “What my constituents say, who just voted me by 68 percent, is she’s doing an amazing job,” Willis told Atlanta’s NBC affiliate. “We are making sure that this community is safe.”
A representative for the DA’s office did not immediately return a request for comment on Monday.
Pitting prosecutors in America’s rap capital against a chart-topping rapper who helped shape the sound of hip-hop in the 2010s, the YSL case captivated the music business for years. Most notably, it relied heavily on song lyrics as evidence, a controversial practice that has drawn backlash from the music industry and efforts by lawmakers to stop it.
The case also saw Thug sit in jail for years while the messy proceedings — the longest in state history — played out in court, turning his charges into a cause célèbre and raising big questions about procedural fairness. Gunna, a frequent collaborator and protégé of Thug, was also initially charged, though he quickly pleaded out.
The charges against Thug and the other YSL members were built on Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, a state-level version of the federal RICO law used against the Mafia, drug cartels and other large criminal enterprises. Prosecutors alleged that members of the YSL enterprise had committed murders, carjackings, drug dealing and many other crimes — and that Thug was the “King Slime” crime boss running the operation from the top.
But when the trial kicked off in January 2023, that sweeping narrative proved difficult to litigate in court.
After an unprecedented 10-month jury selection process, prosecutors slowly worked through a vast list of witnesses that included more than 100 names. Last summer, the case was delayed for weeks due to a bizarre episode over a secret meeting between the judge, prosecutors and a witness — an incident that saw the judge removed from the case. Things got worse for the DA’s office in October, when botched testimony from a state’s witness sparked talk of a mistrial and prompted a wave of plea deals.
Prosecutors offered such a deal to Thug, but it would have seen him spend 25 years in prison. Thug’s attorneys rejected that offer and instead opted to simply plead guilty — a gamble that paid off spectacularly when Judge Paige Reese Whitaker sentenced him to just probation with no time served in prison.
“I know you’re talented, and if you choose to continue to rap, you need to try to use your influence to let kids know that is not the way to go and that there are ways out of poverty besides hooking up with the powerful guy at the end of the street selling drugs,” Whitaker said.
After that, just two key defendants — Deamonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell — remained in the trial, facing some of the most serious charges in the case, including carrying out the 2015 murder of rival gang leader Donovan Thomas that played a central role in the prosecution’s case. But a jury largely acquitted them on those counts in December, and both were released immediately after the verdicts.
Those verdicts ended the trial, but not the case. Eppinger and several others had been separated from the case early in the proceedings to face their own trials on charges related to YSL.
Eppinger, an aspiring rapper who used the performing name “Big Bhris,” pleaded guilty to a slew of charges on Monday, including armed robbery and RICO conspiracy. Though he was sentenced to 40 years, it will be served concurrently with an existing 45-year sentence on an earlier crime, meaning he did not receive any additional prison time.
Though the Thomas killing formed a core part of the YSL case — Young Thug was alleged to have helped rent the car that was used in the drive-by shooting — no defendants were ever convicted of the murder. The last defendant alleged to have been involved, Damekion Garlington, took a plea deal last month that saw him sentenced to five years in prison for aggravated assault.
In the Friday interview, Willis argued that crime had dropped in Fulton County “because of the efforts I have done against gangs.” And she harshly criticized others — media outlets for “glorifying violence,” defense attorneys who “don’t care about the African American community,” and even Judge Whitaker — for how the YSL case has been portrayed.
“It was an amazing time. We had 19 convictions. The community is safer,” Willis said. “We made sure that we got the resolutions that we want. If they’re unhappy with sentencing, they should elect other judges.”
Gracie Abrams, Thomas Rhett, Aaron Dessner and Leon Bridges are performing at this year’s National Music Publishers’ Association annual meeting on Wednesday (June 11) at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. The event, which acts as a state-of-the-union for music publishers, has continued to integrate more songwriters into the event in recent years to honor the talents that publishers serve every day.
Abrams and Dessner are part of a special segment of the meeting, dedicated to the Billboard Songwriters Awards, a collaboration between Billboard and the NMPA which was rescheduled from GRAMMY week due to the Los Angeles wildfires. Abrams is set to receive the Breakthrough Songwriter Award to account for her fast-growing career as an artist, and Dessner will be given Billboard‘s Triple Threat Award for his success as a songwriter, producer and musician. Though to pop fans Dessner might be best known for his work producing and writing with Taylor Swift, Bon Iver, Ed Sheeran and Abrams, he is also lauded in the indie rock space as a longtime member of the band The National. Both are set to perform.
Additionally, the NMPA is giving out awards of its own. It’s Non-Performing Songwriter Award this year is going to Rhett Akins, and as part of that honor, his son, Thomas Rhett, will perform a medley of his father’s vast country catalog, which includes songs like “Dirt On My Boots” by Jon Pardi, “Honeybee” by Blake Shelton, “I Don’t Want This Night To End” by Luke Bryan, “Small Town Boy” by Dustin Lynch, “Look What God Gave Her” by Rhett, and many more.
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The NMPA’s Songwriter Icon this year is Kacey Musgraves, and Bridges is flying in to pay tribute to Musgraves by performing a rendition of two of her songs.
The NMPA Annual Meeting, which is attended by a who’s who of the music publishing business, will also feature a keynote conversation with Oliver Schusser from Apple Music, and an address from the organization’s CEO/president David Israelite this year. Typically, Israelite’s speech includes a major announcement about new action the NMPA is taking to protect publishers and their writers. Last year, Israelite took on Spotify for cutting payments to publishers by about 40% that year through a multi-faceted attack plan, which is still on-going. He has also used the stage to announce lawsuits against Roblox, Twitter and more for using publishers’ copyrights without a license in previous years.
In 2024, the NMPA gave the Songwriter Icon award to Lana Del Rey and the Non-Performing Songwriter Icon award to Savan Kotecha, who has written hits like “Azizam” by Ed Sheeran, “God Is A Woman,” “Break Free” and “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” by Ariana Grande, “I Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd, “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction and more.
Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” remains the biggest song in the world, as it scores a sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and a fourth week atop Billboard Global Excl. U.S.
Meanwhile, two songs are new to the Global 200’s top 10: MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng and Shenseea’s “Shake It to the Max (Fly)” bounds 12-6 and Tate McRae’s “Just Keep Watching,” from the forthcoming film F1, races onto the chart at No. 8.
The Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.
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Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
“Ordinary” leads the Global 200 with 70.2 million streams (essentially even week-over-week) and 12,000 sold (down 10%) worldwide May 30-June 5.
The rest of the Global 200’s top five is likewise static, with Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” at No. 2, after 18 weeks at No. 1 starting last September (second only to the 19 weeks at No. 1 for Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” since the chart began); ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” at No. 3, after 12 weeks at No. 1 starting in November; Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” at No. 4, following three weeks at No. 1 last August; and Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” at No, 5 after seven weeks on top starting in February 2024.
MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng and Shenseea’s “Shake It to the Max (Fly)” surges 12-6 on the Global 200 with 44.1 million streams (up 15%) and 3,000 sold (up 42%) worldwide. The first top 10 on the chart for each artist leads the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a fifth week.
Tate McRae’s “Just Keep Watching” speeds onto the Global 200 at No. 8 with 33.8 million streams and 2,000 sold following its May 30 release. Her third top 10 is from the Brad Pitt-starring film F1, premiering internationally June 25 and in North American theaters June 27, the same date as its soundtrack. (The song marks McRae’s latest vehicle-related … vehicle; her “Sports Car” revved to the chart’s top 20 in February.)
“Ordinary” commands Global Excl. U.S. with 50.6 million streams (down 1%) and 5,000 sold (down 5%) outside the U.S.
“Die With a Smile” is steady at No. 2 after 17 weeks atop Global Excl. U.S. starting last September. Only “APT.,” which holds at No. 3, has led longer: 19 weeks, beginning in November. “Birds of a Feather” ascends 5-4, following three weeks at No. 1 last August, and “Shake It to the Max (Fly)” shimmies 10-5, a week after it became each act’s first top 10 on the ranking.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated June 14, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, June 10. For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
“Weird Al” Yankovic has amassed countless fans over the decades, including some of the artists he’s spoofed. And in the musical parody pioneer’s new Billboard cover story published Monday (June 9), Don McLean shared that he thinks Yankovic’s take on one of his classic hits is even better than his.
Speaking to executive editor Rebecca Milzoff, the folk-rock legend praised “The Saga Begins,” Yankovic’s iconic take on “American Pie,” in which he hilariously describes the plot of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. “When I heard his version, I thought it was better than the original,” McLean said.
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“The sound quality was superb,” McLean continued, adding that he sees Yankovic as a “straight-ahead good boy” who “could be on Leave It to Beaver.”
Though it didn’t exactly match the commercial success of “American Pie” — which for many years was the longest song to top the Billboard Hot 100, before Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” dethroned it in 2021 — “The Saga Begins” is one of Yankovic’s best-loved creations. It appeared on his 1999 album, Running With Scissors.
“Oh my, my this here Anakin guy/ Maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry,” Yankovic sings on the track from the perspective of Obi-Wan Kenobi. “He left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye/ Sayin’, ‘Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi.’”
The quality of Yankovic’s vision for an “American Pie” spoof was such that McLean gave him rare permission to remake it. McLean was one of several musicians who praised the oddball hitmaker for Billboard, with Clairo and Lin-Manuel Miranda also sharing thoughts on how they both look up to Yankovic.
“Growing up with his videos was a massive thing in my generation,” the “Bags” singer told Milzoff. “Back when YouTube was really simple, it really hit home for us in middle school to watch his parodies. He always knew how to draw people in.”
“When I was a kid, I used to fantasize about being the next Weird Al, like it’s a position he applied for and got,” added the Hamilton creator. “And then you grow up and realize, ‘Oh, there’s only one of that guy.’ We’re not going to see another Weird Al.”
See Yankovic on the cover of Billboard below.
There are few things more daunting for a rising star than following a breakthrough hit that just won’t stop breaking through. Such is the case for Benson Boone, whose 2024 smash “Beautiful Things” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, ended as the No. 1 song on the year-end Global 200, and, 70 weeks into its Hot 100 run, is still in the chart’s top 10.
But Evan Blair, the song’s co-writer and producer — and a regular collaborator of Boone’s, along with co-writer Jack LaFrantz — says that when the “Beautiful Things” dream team reassembled in the studio, they couldn’t feel the specter of their previous smash hanging over them.
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“I’ve been in situations in the past where [following such a big hit] has sunk us, and we haven’t been able to get out of the shadow,” Blair says. “But for whatever reason, [when we got back together], I don’t think we one time even talked about it.”
It also helps, of course, when you come up with new songs like “Mystical Magical.” Crafted toward the end of the recording sessions for Boone’s upcoming new album American Heart, the sparkling “Mystical Magical” finds Boone leaning into his increasingly fantastical stage persona, with a falsetto-laden chorus, lyrics about “moonbeam ice cream” and chirping synths reminiscent enough of Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” that that song’s scribes were also given writing credits along with Boone, Blair and LaFrantz. (“Damn, it does sound like that,” recalls a laughing Blair of the group’s reaction when the similarity was first pointed out to them.)
The early response to the group’s new effort has been very positive. Despite the refusal of “Beautiful Things” to recede from the Hot 100’s top 10 — and despite the positive momentum behind his prior single “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else,” which has climbed into the chart’s top 30 — “Mystical Magical” became Boone’s fourth song to crack the top 40, and is still hanging around at No. 42, seemingly waiting its turn to officially become Boone’s single of the moment, as he backflips from one high-profile cultural moment to the next.
“I think that is a testament to Benson as an artist — he’s existing in culture in such a way that culture is interacting with him,” Blair says of the way his star collaborator has been able to move on from his breakout hit, even as his breakout hit has refused to move on from him.
Below, Blair talks about his work catching “lightning in a bottle” as Boone’s collaborator, why he never feels like he has to tell Benson no, and what fans might be able to expect from the rest of American Heart, out June 20.
Your relationship with Benson goes back further than “Mystical Magical.” How did you two come into each other’s orbit?
Benson is with Warner Records, and I’ve done a lot of stuff with them in the past. His A&R Jeff Sosnow has been a big part of my music career — and the first person to ever really give me a shot years ago — and he thought Benson and I would get along really well. He was right: The first session we ever did was “Beautiful Things.”
What was it about the two of you that clicked?
The main thing that drives it is that both of us put a priority on being friends as well as being musical partners. I can definitely take making music very seriously, and Benson…
Less so?
Well, Benson can too. But I think there’s something about the two of us — and then the three of us, with Jack [LaFrantz] — there’s an environment of like, “Let’s also have some fun.” Benson is such a musical super force that he’s almost like this lightning in a bottle that I have to try to catch every day in the session. He’ll sit at the piano, or him and I will start creating something that seems to come from nowhere. He’s one of those artists where you don’t know where he’s getting these ideas. It’s like he’s got some sort of channel that [only he’s] getting. It’s my job every day to try to capture it and make it into something that sounds good and can be recorded.
“Beautiful Things” [is] a great example — with time signature changes and very bizarre arrangements. I get to let him just kind of go wild, and it really tests musical ability and years of production experience to be able to not mess with that, but also to put it in a container and somehow harness it. And for me, it’s the most fun challenge, because he’s just straight inspiration. And I get to play with it.
You said that you guys recorded “Beautiful Things” on the first day that you worked together. Have you been working together regularly since then?
It’s been pretty consistent since then. I knew from the first time we worked together — and Jack also being a part of that — that there was something really special here. The creation part of it felt very easy, which is not a feeling that comes very frequently. There was just something about the chemistry between the three of us where it seemed pretty clear that we were only at the beginning of something.
“Beautiful Things” was done at the tail end of his last album, and then there was a break where he went on tour. We were continuing to work together a little bit after that, but he wasn’t really around for a lot of writing until later when we started on this album. We worked together a lot for the last year.
In what part of the process did “Mystical Magical” come into it?
Towards the end, actually. [At] the beginning of the process, we got a good chunk of the best work. There was so much inspiration, and Benson had such a clear idea of what he wanted to do. And then “Mystical Magical” was kind of the last one that we put in the pile. I don’t remember ever saying, like, “Oh, this has to be a single.” We try not to say that kind of thing — but we all knew it was really great.
We were in Utah at June Audio [Recording Studios], and at that time, we were supposed to be finishing songs. All of the powers that be were calling me before the session, and they’re like, “You guys got to buckle down and finish these songs.” And I was like, “Don’t worry. We’ll do it.”
Just the way that the three of us work together — we’re almost always going to try to start something new, even if we are supposed to be doing something else. We’ve had so much luck together that it would be almost stupid not to try. What if the next “Beautiful Things” happens? It feels possible every time we’re together.
I don’t know that it was always apparent that Benson had this kind of flair to him. It seems like, as he’s kind of coming into his own as a performer, the music is starting to match that a little bit better. Could you tell that he had this more fantastical side to him?
Not in such a hyper-specific way where I could be like, “I feel like you’re going to be a little bit more jumpsuit-y on the next album.” But there’s something so alive in him that is very apparent when you meet him, that it doesn’t at all feel surprising when you’re like, “Oh, he wants to do that? He’ll be great at it.”
When [other] artists come to me and they’re like, “I’m going to do this,” you can kind of be like, “I see what you want to do, but maybe we could go somewhere else.” With Benson, he’s so easily able to accomplish things that it felt very natural to me. Even as far down to his piano playing — a lot of the best songs on this album came from him sitting down at the piano, and he would play these little riffs that were like, “Did you just make that? I could have sworn it was, like, a Hall & Oates classic piano [riff].”
What was the first part that poured out of him that ended up becoming “Mystical Magical”?
On that Utah trip, I think we had four days in a row at the studio. The first three, candidly speaking, were not that fruitful. We weren’t finding the answer to some of these songs, and we were having a lot of fun as friends, but we weren’t really getting done what we needed to get done. On the fourth day, perhaps through a bit of frustration, we just said, “You know what? F–k it. Let’s just have some fun and get back to what we do best.” It ended up being the very beginning of “Mystical Magical.”
It started out very differently from how it ended up, but the bass line in it was something I was playing — and it almost felt like a My Morning Jacket song or something. That bass line is now what is in the verse of the song, and it’s a midtempo, funky sort of thing.
We couldn’t really get out of the verse into a chorus that that excited us for a long time, and then Jack and Benson said, “Let’s just try the piano.” Benson starts playing it with these staccato eighth notes high up on the piano. They looked at me, I looked at them, and I said, “When you’re right, you’re right, boys.” We record that plucky piano, and it just made sense all of a sudden. We got Benson in the booth to start singing it, and as he went on, this performance got more whimsical — and I answered that in the production.
A day that started in frustration ended in being one of the best music making days we’ve ever had together. It felt like when that chorus moment happened, it was just unfolding in front of our eyes.
Who came up with “moonbeam ice cream” lyric?
I can’t recall exactly, but I’m going to say Jack. Jack is often coming up with these very bizarre things that you’re like, “Is that a thing? Because if it’s not, it should be.” That happened a number of times on this album.
When you heard that, were you guys just like, “Yes, absolutely, let’s go with that”?
Absolutely. We all had that moment where we’re like, “Does it make sense? Does it matter?” And you know, to us, it made sense. But I’m also big on letting people decide on their own what it means.
Is it difficult to make headway with a new song when your older song is still percolating the way “Beautiful Things” is?
It can be, but with Benson, no. With Grammys performances and Coachella, he’s carving a lane so effectively that it doesn’t feel like that at all. I tell this to people all the time: [They say,] “Oh, congratulations on ‘Beautiful Things.’ ” And I’m like, “You can have an amazing song that’s going to be a hit — but do you have the artist that can carry it?” Benson carried it and then threw it into the stratosphere like a Hail Mary. Having Benson behind the songs every time feels like you’re doing something new and meaningful. So we’re kind of immune to that so far because of the artist we have.
I know you say you can’t really talk that much about the rest of American Heart, but do you feel like it comes from the same place as “Mystical Magical”? Or is it a little bit more of a swerve than people realize?
I wouldn’t say it’s a swerve. “Mystical Magical” is the most mystical and magical song on the album. It is definitely the most of that thing; it’s as far as we go in that direction. My two favorite songs on the album are still yet to come, which is super exciting. But I think in terms of a sonic palette, there’s still a lot of synths, there’s still bold choices. I think people who like the first two [singles] will only love the forthcoming ones even more. There’s some that are a little more emotional, for sure. I’m just super-pumped for people to hear them.
A version of this story appears in the May 31, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Shortly after debuting his new song “Good Times & Tan Lines” on the main stage at Nissan Stadium on Sunday night, Zach Top released the new song as a glimpse into his upcoming August release Ain’t In It For My Health.
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The song tops a slate of new releases this week, including Hailey Whitters’ romantic, retro sound on “White Limousine.” Meanwhile, Old Dominion, LouieTheSinger and Lanie Gardner also offer up fresh new tracks. Check out all of those below.
Zach Top, “Good Times & Tan Lines”
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Zach Top, the ACM’s reigning new artist vocalist of the year, just might have released what will be one of this summer’s top country anthems, with its strongly Alan Jackson-coded, twangy guitar intro and piles of fiddle, as he wraps his distinct twang around lyrics that look back lovingly on a time when summer meant a more laid-back time of friendship, chilled beverages and ample time on a beach or lake. Top reunites with two co-writers who played essential roles in his debut album, Cold Beer and Country Music, teaming again with Carson Chamberlain and Wyatt McCubbin.
Hailey Whitters, “White Limousine”
From her new album Corn Queen, Whitters issues this dreamy, 1970s haze-wrapped romantic ode. “I want to paint the town with the sunroof down,” Whitters sings, her twangy voice taking on a sultry smooth tone, as the song’s cinematic lyrics etch a story of a couple who know they only need each other to have a glamorous, romantic night out. This track leans slightly more gloss-pop than the twangier country tunes she’s known for, but she puts for this track with finesse. Whitters wrote the song with Jessie Jo Dillon and Jesse Frasure.
Louie TheSinger (feat. Chris Perez), “If I Die Tomorrow”
Louie TheSinger just dropped his major label debut album One For the Hometown (which released June 6), issuing a project that celebrates his Mexican-American heritage while also honoring his love of a range of sounds, including country, Tejano, hip-hop and more. Among the songs on this project is this heartfelt collaboration with Chris Pérez (Pérez also sings on the album’s title track). Over an underpinning of country-rock instrumentation, Pérez and Louie TheSinger center this new track on family connection, making an unfiltered, stark imagining of the messages they most hope their loved ones keep close if either of them should pass away unexpectedly.
Old Dominion, “Water My Flowers”
Eight-time ACM group of the year winners Old Dominion is known for its sunny pop-country tunes, but on their latest, the group gets more personal and introspective than ever — wrapping somber musings of finding a love who will be there in their final moments, mourn them and take care of the things they leave behind. Lead singer Matthew Ramsey turns in a powerful vocal, bolstered by hazy meldings of soulful pop, rock and country, and with a slightly retro vibe and insistent rhythm underpinning the heartbreak as Ramsey ponders, “Who’s gonna cry my name/ When they lay me down in the cold hard ground.” “Water My Flowers” previews the band’s upcoming album Barbara, due Aug. 22.
Lanie Gardner, “Takin’ the Slow Ride”
Gardner’s “Buzzkill” gained traction earlier this year, and on her newly released EP Polaroids, she builds on that momentum with this breezy summer jam that relishes time spent in a sweet car with her feet on the dashboard and her lover in the driver’s seat. Her sinewy voice lends the song an effortlessly cool vibe, one perfect for the warm days ahead. Gardner wrote the song with Matt Jenkins, Jesse Frasure and Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi.
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Nobody does Y2K style better than pop star Addison Rae.
With help from her stylist Dara, the “Aquamarine” singer has quickly become a major fixture of the fashion scene, creating statement after statement in pieces that draw inspo from pop divas like Britney Spears and Madonna. Rae’s style is hard to pinpoint, but she often gravitates towards pieces that straddle aesthetics, both sporty and girly all with an early 2000s undertone.
She’s certainly come a long way from her TikToker days, evolving her style to reflect her stardom and pop diva persona. Rae’s athletic today is simply a masterclass in the art of rebranding. You’ve got baby tees and micro shorts along with kitten heels and low-rise denim.
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For formal occasions, she’s keen on referencing some of the greats, pulling inspo from the past ala Marilyn Monroe or present like Lady Gaga. You’ll find the star in a mix of brands both high and low, vintage and new, emulating that iconic “trashy chic” vibe we’ve seen on stars like Paris Hilton. The singer currently pulls pieces from brands like Intimissimi, Agent Provocateur, The Row, Adidas, Hoka, Vivienne Westwood, Free People, Urban Outfitters and Christian Louboutin.
To celebrate the release of Rae’s first namesake album Addison, we’ve picked out a few pieces from SSENSE that we think match the singer’s aesthetic to a T. If you’re looking to emulate the performer’s wardrobe, you’re in the right place.
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Repetto Red Cendrillon Ballerina Flats
$209.00
$380.00
45% off
Red patent leather flats with bow detailing at the toe.
Currently retailing for $209, these flats are a classic example of Rae’s off-duty style. We’ve seen the singer sporting similar styles on numerous occasions with and without a heel. Repetto’s flats are simply iconic and these are no exception. The silhouette is made of glossy patent leather in a striking bright red hue. The shoe is affixed with bow accents on the toe and short and sturdy block heels.
Rubber-injected soles offer the style a non-slip feel while keeping the soles protected from scuffing and wear. Rae will often style flats with more feminine pieces like a miniskirt, cropped cami tops or babydoll dresses. The look is reminiscent of the casual nature with which stars like Amy Winehouse wore ballet flats until they were basically falling apart.
Anna Sui Pink Arcadia Blossom Babydoll Minidress
$288.00
$575.00
50% off
A pink floral babydoll dress with lace trim and a collar.
Florals for spring? Groundbreaking. Hear us out. Rae has a deep affinity for feminine silhouettes and nobody does fem silhouettes better than Anna Sui. This piece from the beloved designer brand is pastel pink in a mini length with pink and green florals throughout. The dress includes a Peter Pan collar and lace trim on the sleeves. The garment’s slightly sheer nature is very Rae, given the star usually opts for pieces that are often provocative and boundary-pushing. We can envision the “2 Die 4” singer wearing this dress with chunky leather biker boots or rain boots, juxtaposing the girly nature of the piece, a styling route she often takes.
Haight Black Cotton Jumpsuit
$118.00
$295.00
60% off
A black stretchy cotton jumpsuit with a plunging neckline.
Basics are a constant in Rae’s wardrobe. When she’s heading to a Pilates class or grabbing matcha, she’ll often wear jumpsuits or one-pieces in neutral tones layered beneath baggy graphic tees or zip-ups. This piece from Haight is perfect for layering and accessorizing because it’s so simple. Retailing for $118.00, the jumpsuit is crafted of breathable and ultra-stretchy cotton for a comfortable form-fit.
The garment consists of a plunging strappy neckline and biker-esque shorts on the bottom. It’s athleisure at its finest. To get like Rae, we suggest wearing this jumpsuit with white ankle socks, black loafers and a coordinating shoulder bag. You could also opt for the sporty route and wear an eye-catching graphic tee, chunky sneakers and sunglasses. This piece is best styled casually for those moments when you want to look cute without much effort.
Belle Gray & White Flounce Miniskirt
$144.00
$160.00
10% off
A gray and white cotton and rayon miniskirt with stripes and an asymmetric hem.
Rae is a balletcore girly. As we’ve mentioned, she loves a good feminine piece. The singer’s everyday outfits often consist of something dancerly like tights, legwarmers, ballet flats or wrap skirts. We think this skirt from Belle coordinates with Rae’s aesthetic to a tee. Retailing for $144.00, this skirt is made of a mix of cotton and rayon and sits mid-rise. The skirt is equipped with a striped print throughout in shades of gray and white. The asymmetric hem offers visual interest, leaning into styles we’ve seen in the 2000s. Rae would likely wear this piece sat low on the hips accompanied by a graphic baby tee and ballet flats or dressed up with kitten heels and a cowl-neck top.
I’m Sorry by Petra Collins SSENSE Exclusive Pink Mimi Wade Edition Baby T-Shirt
$48.00
$105.00
54% off
A pink cropped baby tee with a mermaid printed on the front.
This baby tee takes Rae’s mermaid-esque aesthetic literally. Inspired by her “Aquamarine” music video, we picked this piece from I’m Sorry by Petra Collins because it was practically made for the singer. Add to this theory the fact that Rae and Collins worked together on the launch of Collins’ brand for SSENSE. The tee is the 2000s in a nutshell, featuring a pink color scheme and a kitschy mermaid graphic on the front. It’s whimsical and childish, while the cut of the tee is more adult. Rae would likely wear this t-shirt styled with low-rise jeans or yoga pants paired with low-top sneakers. She’d likely even up the Y2K ante with a newsboy cap or large sunglasses.
Staud Blue & White Brigitte Mule Heeled Sandals
$201.00
$295.00
32% off
Blue and white gingham mules with short stiletto heels.
On her formal days, Rae seems to gravitate toward mules and kitten heels. She’s been spotted in styles from brands like Miu Miu in the past. These Staud Brigitte mules play off of Rae’s love of vintage styles thanks to the nifty gingham in shades of blue and white. The 2.25-inch heel and open toe make the style both easy to walk in and comfortable respectively. Plus the backless silhouette allows for easy on and off for those on the go. Rae has worn kitten heel or mule silhouettes with matching sets and maxi skirts in the past. We could also easily see her in these worn with mirco shorts and a halter top.
Anna Sui Black Polka Dot Ruched Lace Camisole
$347.00
$385.00
10% off
A black and white polka-dotted cami with lace trim.
Polka-dots are having a resurgence this year. The print was largely avoided in the past because it was deemed “too bold” for some (looking at you minimalists). While the print is striking, this Anna Sui cami strikes a balance between maximalism and minimalism by incorporating polka dots in neutral black and white hues.
The “Fame Is A Gun” singer wears cami tops on the regular, usually in cropped styles and this seemingly fits the bill. The lace trim is also a nice Rae-approved touch, playing on her love of fem pieces. For a Rae-approved look recommend wearing this with a matching polka-dotted maxi skirt or shorts. If you want to lean less into the polka-dot-forward look, wear the cami with baggy jeans in black or blue.
Acne Studio Black Metal Frame Sunglasses
Shield-esque sunglasses with a little heart charm fixed to the frame.
If you take a close look into Rae’s personal style, you’ll likely see a bunch of big sunglasses. These from Acne Studios are very similar to eyewear the musician has worn in the past, leaning into her love of the early 2000s. The metal frame of these sunnies are affixed with a cute silver heart charm, imparting a playful touch that contrasts the structured all-black frame. The lenses are large and shield-like, eclipsing the wearer’s face. These are for those days when you may or may not be hungover and don’t want to be perceived.
The definitive ranking of Weezy’s solo albums.
How did Angie Martinez become The Voice of New York? She remained true to Angie Martinez.
After beginning her tenure at HOT 97 as a teenager answering phones, Martinez skyrocketed to fame with “The Angie Martinez Show.” Interviewing hip-hop icons such as The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z, the show quickly became one of urban radio’s most influential programs. Martinez has continued at Power 105.1, her “Voice of New York” nickname hard won after years of being as authentic as possible within radio’s parameters. On June 2, Martinez took the leap into podcasting to break out of those parameters. Titled IRL, the new pod aims to further expand on the radio host’s signature brand: Exploring the human truth that binds us all together.
“What is the truth of that?” Martinez tells me over Zoom. “It sounds basic and simple, but [that question] really is what motivates me and pushes me. That’s the button I’m always looking to hit. What’s real here? What can we really get into?”
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While IRL was initially a grassroots-led effort via Martinez herself, she has now joined forces with The Volume to take this self-financed passion project to the next level. Having helped create some of hip-hop media’s most successful podcasts (Club Shay Shay, Joe and Jada, Rory and Mal), The Volume will turn Martinez new pod into a weekly endeavor, with a big budget and even bigger expectations.
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“I’ll be honest, it is a little scary,” Martinez admits. “Cause I don’t ever wanna not give it the full effort that I’m giving to them now. There will need to be a little more time and effort to make sure every episode delivers in the same way, at a higher volume.”
Regardless, Martinez reaffirms that she’s up to the challenge. Below, Billboard talks with The Voice of New York about her new pod, some of her favorite interviews so far and how reflections on her own mortality inspired her to enter the crowded podcasting sphere.
How did IRL come together and how are you feeling about podcasting so far?
It’s been exactly what I wanted it to be. I started quietly and was self-funding it at first because I really wanted to control the creative and the narrative because it was special to me. I really wanted to have meaningful conversations. I had a really bad car accident five years ago and, you know, when something like that happens and you’re reminded of your mortality, you ask yourself those important questions: “What do you really care about?” “What do you really wanna do?”
I just wanted to have more meaningful conversations on that level. So that’s why Lauren London was my first guest. She set the tone of the type of conversations I wanted to have, and people really resonated with it. I just did it from a place of purpose.
That’s interesting what you said about having authentic conversations, because to me that’s been the Angie Martinez brand for years now. How have these conversations been different from the ones you have on radio?
Any conversation I have whether on the podcast or radio or in my real life I’m always searching for authenticity. That’s the core of who I am, so that’s gonna be with me no matter where my conversation is, but the difference is radio is more about what’s happening today. What is current? What is trending? What is the news story of the day? It’s very current, and I love that!
But the conversations on the podcast are specifically designed to be tools for people in their real life. So yes, somebody happens to be really famous or talented, but these are the things real life has taught them. It’s a very specific conversation that’s different than what we’re doin on the day to day with radio.
How have you navigated the challenges of carving your own lane in the podcast space? It feels like everyone’s got a podcast.
It really has gotten bloated, even from the time we launched to now! But you can’t worry about that. It’s the same thing as music. There’s a lot of music out, but there’s podcasts of certain things people need from certain artists. I just think people who know me and know my brand they know what they’re gonna get. Actually — how’s this for a name drop? — I was talking to Michelle Obama the other day.
Casual.
That might be the coolest thing I’ve ever said! She was calling into my show, because she has [a show too] and she told me there’s always white space, there’s always a need. There’s always people out there — even though it’s busy in a lot of spaces. When you have a unique perspective and viewpoint, there’s space for that. So I try not to [overthink], I’m gonna let the Volume deal with that. When I get in the chair I just try to make content that matters to someone.
Tell me more about this deal with Volume, how is this gonna bring the podcast to the next level?
We’re definitely gonna be regular now. [IRL] kinda just came when the wind came and we had time to shoot it, now this will be a weekly podcast, for sure. You’re gonna know when to expect us.
After all your years talking to people, what do you think the key is to conducting a good interview?
I don’t think there’s one thing, but I think it starts with listening. Sometimes you can have an agenda, or a thought like, ‘Oh this would be a really cool thing to talk about with this person.’ That person sits in the chair and that’s not where they’re at in their life! Or they just had something happen in their life the day before — which, if you’re not paying attention to them, listening to their story or being present with them, you could miss it.
But also, I find my best interviews are when there’s something going on in my life that connects. I try to find the common denominator, the little piece of life that this person and I can look at and see each other. It goes back to meeting people at an honest place.
What are a few of your favorite moments on the podcast so far?
Some of my favorite conversations so far have been one’s where it’s not an interview at all. I did an interview with Kelly Rowland, [she] had a very similar situation where she grew up without her father, reunited with him later in life. I shared an experience with her that I just recently had where I found out my father was alive when I thought he was dead. The way Kelly saw me, it became two women talking about a situation we both felt deeply and could understand. There’s so many great ones, Kelly Clarkson was great. Lauren London taught us so much about grief and how to survive on the other side of that, because I was coming off of having lost some family members while I was launching this pod. So talking about that was really the blueprint for how I wanted this show to go.
I had an interesting conversation with Mike Tyson about anger and rage, Mike was telling me they did a scan of his brain and you could literally see rage in his brain. Something about knowing that you can see the rage inside Mike Tyson on a brain scan, it made me look at him in a different way. Knowing he walks around life trying to manage that.
On other radio programs like The Breakfast Club, there are other people to bounce off of in these environments. But it’s been just Angie Martinez the whole time. With people coming to IRL specifically for you and your takes, how do you make sure the goal of the pod gets met while also keeping your personal boundaries stay in tact?
Yes, thank you for noticing that! Honestly, If I take anybody to a certain place, I have to be prepared to go there with them. We’re in the boat together, and it’s come up a lot more in the pod. But at this point in my life, I’m not afraid to share, so I feel the pod is giving me that opportunity to dig into that a little more…you’re either in it or you’re not, and I’m in it! If not me, then whom — and if not now, then when?
