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A lot has changed for Aqyila in the four years since she picked up her first Juno Award nod for contemporary R&B recording of the year. She earned that recognition for her debut single, “Vibe for Me (Bob for Me),” and she’s now competing in the same category at this year’s awards with “Bloom” — the song that took her from local talent to one of the most alluring, ascendant R&B stars of the 2020s so far.
Bolstered by TikTok virality in 2024, “Bloom,” a gorgeous love song dedicated to the act and concept of love itself, quickly became Aqyila’s breakthrough single, giving her both a sonic catalyst to build the rest of her debut studio album and a commercial leg-up ahead of its release. Falling Into Place, which arrived Friday (March 28), is a thrilling amalgam of sultry jazz, heart-baring soul, sizzling Caribbean riddims, and a painstakingly particular approach to vocal stacks informed by musical giants like Brandy. The result is a formidable introduction – one that presents a self-assured star with near-limitless potential.
“On this album, I’ve learned to take a step back and allow the vocals to shine. I want people to connect with the feeling, lyrics and sound overall,” she says. “This whole project is about growth and not being so in my head.”
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Instead of rushing out a project to capitalize on the success of “Bloom,” Aqyila bided her time and spent months fine-tuning the lush, soulful soundscape of Falling Into Place, which she crafted alongside key collaborators like Maya J’an B, Jonathan Elkær, Kasey Phillips and Thomas-Ray “Rex” Armstrong. Nonetheless, the Toronto-bred artist didn’t hide in the studio for that entire period. Just two months after “Bloom” dropped, she won the Juno Award for traditional R&B/Soul recording of the year with “Hello,” her biggest pre-“Bloom” hit.
For the first quarter of 2025, Aqyila supported Pink Sweat$ on his North American tour ahead of this year’s Juno Awards (March 30), where she has two nods. In addition to her nod for “Bloom,” “Limbo” is gunning for traditional R&B/Soul recording of the year.
With critical acclaim in tow and even bigger commercial wins potentially on the horizon, things really are falling into place for Aqyila. In a bubbly conversation with Billboard, Aqyila traces her musical roots, goes behind the scenes of her debut album, and bets on a Canadian R&B takeover.
What’s your earliest musical memory?
My mom played a lot of Whitney Houston in the house when I was a kid, so I used to imitate her runs. That’s where I was like, “Oh, singing is kind of cool!” I vividly remember my crib days singing along to Alicia Keys too. When Fantasia was on American Idol, I remember staying up late and watching from her audition to when she won. Ruben Studdard too. I don’t know how I remember these things, but I do! [Laughs.] Those moments really inspired me.
Do you hear or feel the energy of any of those singers on the new album?
I didn’t listen to this artist as a kid, but I started listening to her more as I got older: Brandy. She does a lot of vocal layering and harmonies; I love Brandy’s elements that she puts into her projects. I love the textures on songs like that. To me, that’s really good music — because it feels natural to the person and adds extra, unique elements.
What was the first song written for the new record? When did you start to realize that you had a full album coming together?
The first song written was actually the first song released. “Bloom” was written in November [2023], and that became the start of the album. I was just vibing in that session with Maya [J’an B] and Jonathan [Elkær], and that was my first time working with them. It genuinely was magic in that room that day. Even today when I sing “Bloom,” I have the biggest smile on my face; I love singing about love and being a lover girl!
Did you find that the success of “Bloom” made you want to go in a particular direction for the full album?
Even before “Bloom,” “Hello” was when I realized how much I love doing vocal stacks. I only did it at the end of the song because had never tried that before, but I ended up loving it. That’s why I did the outro to “Bloom” like that because I want to carry the [stacks] as something that I do on every song. I do it on a lot of the outros on the album; it’s something I feel is my little signature piece.
How do you think you’ve grown professionally and personally since your last EP?
I think my writing has gotten even more introspective. I’ve also grown more and been able to do more with my voice; I’m able to sustain my notes more, belt more, and I’m learning different tips and tricks.
Most of the songs [on this album] are [the demo takes]; I didn’t even bother trying to recut them because sometimes when you capture that natural essence in the studio and you try to match that energy later, it just didn’t sound the same. But I’m also a perfectionist. If I hear the note’s off, I’m like, “Hold on, I’m gonna punch that word in.” I get that nitty gritty in the studio.
Snippet culture played a key role in “Bloom” blowing up. What does it feel like as an artist when fans are upset at the final version of a song sounding different from the snippet?
Because of that experience with “Bloom” — where I teased the demo, and I knew I was gonna go add more stuff – I learned that I’m no longer going to tease a song unless it’s close to the final mix or if it’s a section of the song I know I’m content with. I understand from a consumer standpoint: when you’re listening to something, you want to hear what you heard. When you get the full song and [elements] you grew accustomed to [have] changed, that kinda sucks.
But as an artist, I’m conflicted, because it’s art. It’s my art. If I’m gonna add something new, I have the ability to do so.
“Sunshine” is so jazzy. What’s your relationship with jazz and would you ever explore the genre further?
Again, in my crib days, my mom played a lot of jazz music for me. I used to fall asleep to jazz music. I guess [the jazziness of “Sunshine”] makes sense because another one of my favorite artists is Masego, and he does a really good job of mixing trap, soul and jazz. I really love “Sunshine” because of those elements as well. I would love to tap into that even more because I feel like I [have] a good tone to sing over some jazz music.
How did “Most Wanted” come together? That was an unexpected kick of Caribbean energy near the end of the tracklist.
It’s such a good vibe! And that’s owed to my background because my parents are from Jamaica. My dad played reggae and dancehall while I was growing up, and my mom played a lot of conscious reggae. It was very natural for me to lean fully into it. Kasey and Rex are also Caribbean, so the three of us made some real heat in that room. Before the song was even done, I told my team it needed a music video!
Do you think a Canadian R&B wave could be hitting the States soon?
Oh my gosh, yes! There are so many hidden gems; with the right push — or maybe that right amount of luck – and visibility, it’s game over. I’ll be scrolling on Instagram and hear someone singing, go to their profile, and they’re from Toronto! It’s incredible.
Country Music Hall of Fame group Alabama has set a new slate of tour dates for 2025, with the first leg of its Live in Concert 25 Tour, set to launch April 17 in Phoenix.
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Alabama founders Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry will bring the headlining tour to cities including Lincoln, Calif.; Wichita, Kan.; and York, Pa., as well as a stop in Windsor, Ontario.
“There’s nothing I look forward to any more than performing the songs our great fans have made hits and some surprises along the way,” Owen said in a statement. “Every show I count as one more beautiful blessing! Much love to you, our fans! Looking forward to seeing all of you on the tour!
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“We are eager to get back on the road and make more cherished memories with each of you,” Gentry added. “It is a joy to play for our followers and friends who have supported us through thick and thin. We can’t wait to reconnect and share the music that brought us all together.”
Opening various shows on the two-time Grammy-winning group’s tour will be Lorrie Morgan, Pat Green, Eddie Montgomery, Lee Greenwood, Jamey Johnson, Ned LeDoux, BlackHawk and Alex Miller.
In the 1980s, Alabama became one of country music’s most successful groups, notching 33 Billboard Hot Country Songs chart-toppers, including “Lady Down on Love,” “Down Home,” “Mountain Music,” “The Closer You Get” and “Song of the South.” They earned the CMA’s coveted entertainer of the year three times, from 1982-1984. Following the passing of Alabama bandmember Jeff Cook in November 2022, Owen and Gentry carry on Alabama’s mission of bringing the group’s music to fans.
See the full slate of tour dates below:
April 17: Phoenix – Footprint Center (w/ Lorrie Morgan)
April 19: Lincoln, Calif. – Thunder Valley Casino Resort (w/ Lorrie Morgan)
April 27: Wichita, Kan. – Intrust Arena (w/ Eddie Montgomery)
May 23: Bonner Springs, Kan. – Azura Amphitheater (w/ Lee Greenwood)
May 25: Ridgedale, Mo. – Thunder Ridge Nature’s Arena (w/ Pat Green)
June 5: Windsor, Ontario, Canada – The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
June 7: Bradley, Ill. – Bradley 316 Festival (w/ Eddie Montgomery)
June 14:Creighton, Pa. – Iron City Stage at Pittsburgh Brewing Company (w/ Jamey Johnson)
June 18: Redding, Calif. – Redding Civic Auditorium (w/ Eddie Montgomery)
June 20: Sparks, Nev. – Nugget Event Center (w/ Ned LeDoux)
July 19: Old Washington, Ohio – Old Washington Music Fest
July 25: York, Pa. – York State Fair (w/ Alex Miller)
Aug 9: Galva, Ill. – The Back Road Music Festival (w/ BlackHawk)
Aug 28: Allentown, Pa. – The Great Allentown Fair
Chris Brown is hitting the road again in 2025, as CB announced the Breezy Bowl XX stadium world tour with Summer Walker and Bryson Tiller on Thursday (March 27).
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of his self-titled debut album coming up later this year, Breezy will kick off the trek with a European leg in June before coming to North America in July.
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“TEAM BREEZY !!!!!TEAM BREEZY!!!TEAM BREEZY!!!!!BREEZY BOWL 20th anniversary TOUR!!!!!!!!!! CELEBRATING 20 years of CB,” he wrote on Instagram. “So excited to be able to share this moment with the world and my amazing fans. I CANT WAIT TO SEE ALL YALLS BEAUTIFUL FACES. IMA TAKE YALL THREW THESE ERAS BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY GIVE YALL MY HEART AND SOUL.”
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Tickets will be available through pre-sales starting on March 31, while the general public tickets go on sale on April 3 at 10 a.m. local time on Live Nation’s website. There are also various VIP packages for the North American fans.
Brown also revealed that more dates will be announced, so hang tight if your city isn’t on the list just yet. He also confirmed the viral meet-and-greets are coming back. “OH AND WE DOING THEM MEET AND GREETS,” he wrote to his Instagram Story.
Walker will be present on North America dates, while Tiller will be performing at all shows.
Europe’s shows begin in Amsterdam on June 8 and will hit Germany, Manchester, London, Dublin, Glasgow, Paris and more.
Miami gets the honor of being the first North America show on July 30, followed by stadium dates in Tampa Bay, Fla.; Detroit; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; Toronto; Boston; Chicago; Las Vegas; Los Angeles, Atlanta and many more.
CB is coming off some wins, as he took home best R&B album at the 2025 Grammys for his 11:11 (Deluxe) album. He was also on the road in 2024, dominating arenas across the country as part of his 11:11 Tour.
Find all of the Breezy Bowl XX stadium world tour dates below.
Songwriters often note that the concept of turning a song into a hit, at its core, crucially leans on timing: the right singer connecting with the right song at the perfect time. For 27-time Grammy winner, vocalist/fiddler Alison Krauss, that convergence of artist, song and time sparked the reconvening of one of bluegrass music’s most revered groups, the 14-time Grammy winners Alison Krauss & Union Station, who will release their first album in nearly 14 years, the Down the Road Records project, Arcadia, on Friday (March 28).
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“We didn’t mean for it to take so long, but it did,” Krauss told Billboard.
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Krauss has long had a habit of tucking away songs that she loves, waiting for the right time to record them. Over the years, she’s amassed a collection of those potential recordings, but it wasn’t until she heard the Jeremy Lister song “Looks Like It’s the End of the Road” during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that Krauss felt she’d found that perfect song to kick off a new record with her band Union Station, one that would mark their first since 2011’s Grammy-winning Paper Airplane.
“I had been collecting most of those things since we recorded the last album, so I’d had a lot of them,” Krauss says. “I heard Jeremy Lister’s song and within the first half of the first verse I’m like, ‘There it is.’ A few days later, I texted everybody saying we should get together. I never stopped wanting to [make a new album], but with touring and people recording, there’s such a huge factor, because everybody is scattered.”
The top-caliber talents of each of the band’s members led them to an array of various projects through the years, including studio work, collaborations with other artists and their own solo projects.
In 2017, Krauss released the solo project Windy City. In 2021, she teamed with rock icon Robert Plant for the album Raise the Roof (the sequel to their Grammy-winning Raising Sand project) and a subsequent tour as a duo. Krauss’s Union Station bandmate, dobro player Jerry Douglas has released numerous solo albums, including 2024’s The Set with his own band. Douglas and Union Station bassist Barry Bales also paid tribute to Flatt and Scruggs as part of the group Earl of Leicester. Among other music initiatives, banjoist Ron Block released the 2015 project Hogan’s House of Music. Meanwhile, in 2017, vocalist/mandolin player/guitarist Dan Tyminski released the project Southern Gothic, followed by 2023’s God Fearing Heathen.
“It was great,” Krauss recalls of those first sessions playing with the group and getting acquainted with playing the songs together. “Once we listened to all the material, we started playing all the songs and it’s never a labored process of getting those initial arrangements down for tracking. They are such a great band, cutting the basic tracks that goes really smoothly. So, this is a magical moment for me to be singing my scratches [scratch vocals] over those tracks.”
But as the group began to reconvene, they realized the new project would come with a significant shift in the group’s lineup, when Tyminski revealed he would not be returning to the group, so that he could focus on his solo career.
“Nobody wanted Dan to go, but we respect what he feels called to do,” Krauss says. Tyminski’s influence on the project can still be heard on instrumentation on the album, and he co-wrote the album’s “The Wrong Way” with Robert Lee Castleman.
“He played me that song, it’s got to be 10 years ago at least,” Krauss says. “I’ve had that song a long time and I loved it immediately. I thought it was just beautiful.”
On the new album, Russell Moore, a six-time IBMA male vocalist of the year winner known for his work as part of the seven-time IBMA vocal group of the year-winning group IIIrd Tyme Out, joins Union Station, adding his unmistakable voice alongside Krauss’s ethereal soprano.
“Can you believe his singing?” Krauss gushes. “We all grew up in that same generation and all had the same similar influences of what was happening in bluegrass at the time. We’re all made of the same stuff—we ate the same grass.”
She adds, “So when this came up, we were like, ‘What are we going to do?’ I mentioned Russell and he’s been so respected in this music for decades. The first time I heard him sing, I was 14 and he was 21 — he was playing with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. He and Dan [Tyminski], of that era, were the guys. I can’t even believe we got to play with Dan for 30 years and now we get to play with Russell, too. It’s just amazing, the fortune of this band. It’s amazing to hear [Russell] sing, standing next to him — this amazing voice you’ve heard your whole life.”
Moore’s work with IIIrd Tyme Out will take a brief hiatus as Moore records and tours as part of Union Station.
“I didn’t think he would [join Union Station] because he’s got his own group,” Krauss says of reaching out to Moore. “But he was up for talking about it. And the way we’ve structured this tour is to make sure everybody can still do their own stuff. We’re going out for six months and then the rest of the year is to make sure everybody else’s projects are honored. I don’t think [Russell] would’ve [joined] had we not made sure that [IIIrd Tyme Out] would be honored, too. There was no way he was going to leave his group — he’s built that over 30-something years.”
The new album places vocals and stories at the fore, with the band expertly building each instrumental bed around Moore and Krauss’s voices. Many of the album’s songs center around despairing storylines, with some recording details of long-ago tragedies, such as the Civil War tale “Richmond on the James,” or when Moore takes the vocal lead on “Granite Mills,” which depicts the story of a fire at a mill in Massachusetts in 1874, which took the lives of more than a dozen people. Elsewhere, “Hangman” sets a desolate poem from Maurice Odgen to music.
“One thing that bluegrass tunes have never been afraid of is saying exactly what happened,” Krauss says of “Granite Mills.” “My son asked me not that long ago, ‘How do you sing these sad songs? I can’t even listen.’ I said, ‘I have to sing them, and I feel called to sing them. A lot of these stories you may not even know.’ I talked to someone who lived in the area that the mill tragedy happened in, and he said, ‘I didn’t even know that happened here.’ So here in this song, it’ll live forever. For me, these tragedy songs, they’re survival stories and they bring encouragement to people. Trying to survive will never go away, no matter what time in history. It’s just the human condition.”
The album does have some moments of levity, as when Bales and Block lighten the mood with “North Side Gal,” with twin fiddle work from Alison and Stuart Duncan. The album is bookended with another Lister song, “There’s a Light Up Ahead,” which lends a more hope-filled conclusion to the project.
The album reunites them with the founders of Rounder Records — Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton Levy, and Bill Nowlin — who launched a new label, Down the Road Records, in 2023. As with reuniting with Union Station, it was Krauss who made the first call.
“When I started to hear about them putting the label together, I was like, ‘I wonder if there’s room for us? If I don’t ask, I’ll never know,’” Krauss says. “Because those folks, they’re the real deal. They’re the evangelists of folk music and traditional music. I love being there with people that feel that way about the music, that it has to be heard and it has to be recorded. I love who they are, so I’m thrilled to be with them again.”
This spring, Alison Krauss & Union Station will launch their first tour in a decade, with 75 North American tour dates set. As for the possibility of another 14 years elapsing between projects for Krauss and Union Station, Krauss says, “No, it won’t be that long. I definitely hope not. I’m thrilled to be back with these guys and getting to make new music and play the older ones again. It’s so nice to hear the old songs.”
Back in 2017, Selena Gomez was coming off her greatest commercial hot streak, having just released 2015’s Billboard 200-topping Revival — which scored a trio of smash pop singles — and keeping her momentum going with a run of successful collabs. Then, she released “Bad Liar,” the most sophisticated, ambitious and generally surprising single of her career to that point, co-written alongside a pair of hitmakers with whom she had an obvious connection. The song was rapturously received by pop fans and critics alike, but the commercial response to it was distinctly muted — seemingly leaving Gomez unsure of what to do next.
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On this week’s Great Moments in Pop Star History episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard‘s executive director of music, Jason Lipshutz, to talk about one of the most fascinating pop songs of the last decade. We look at why the song worked in so many unlikely ways, why it won over so many listeners who’d previously disregarded Gomez but still couldn’t find its footing at radio or streaming — and whether or not the song, which felt like a major turning point in Selena Gomez’s career upon its release, actually ended up being such a pivotal release for her.
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Along the way, of course, we ask all the important questions about Selena Gomez and “Bad Liar”: Why was lifting the bassline from a 1977 Talking Heads song the key to this 2017 pop single? What made Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter such perfect collaborators for Gomez at this point in her career? Why does she love playing multiple characters in the same project so much? Was there really nothing subtle about the Battle of Troy? Can we hear any of “Bad Liar” in Gomez’s new I Said I Love You First album, recorded with longtime producer (and now-fiancé) Benny Blanco? And perhaps most importantly: Would we still name “Bad Liar” the best song of 2017?
Check out our discussion above, and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!
And if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights. (Selena would want you to!)
Transgender Law Center
Trans Lifeline
Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe
Also, please consider subscribing to the trans legislation journalism of Erin Reed, and giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.
Kesha finally revealed the title of her upcoming sixth album on Thursday (March 27). It’s ., as in the punctuation mark period. The 11-song collection due out on July 4 that will feature previously released singles “Joyride” and “Delusional” is described in a press release as an “unapologetic, unfiltered declaration of artistic freedom and fearless authenticity.”
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The latest taste of the album dropped on today, with two versions of the whip-cracking country pop hoedown “Yippee-Ki-Yay,” produced by Pink Slip (Ava Max) and Nova Wav (Beyoncé). “B–ch I just got a brand new car/ Hose me down at the trailer park/ We lit up like a bonfire/ Singing ‘Yippee-ki-yay, yippee-ki-ya-ya,” Kesha sings over the loping plucked guitar and hand-clap beat on a solo version of the track.
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The more fleshed-out lead version of the single features T-Pain, who takes the reins on the second verse where he sings, “I just pulled up in a brand new one/ Bartender, pour me up some damn fluid/ I just wanna see a pretty girl dancing to it/ Drinks on me just ’cause I can do it.”
The singer has been teasing the new song for a week, posting cryptic videos in which the upcoming LP’s signature oversized pink period icon is splashed over her face and body. The album was conceived, co-produced and co-written by Kesha and, according to the release, it, “transcends pop norms to create a raw, daring, and intensely personal sonic journey, a defiant act of self-expression that refuses to adhere to expectations or play it safe.”
Period — the follow-up to 2023’s Gag Order — represents a new chapter in Kesha’s career that kicked off last July when she dropped the first two singles under her own label, Kesha Records. The independent label that has global distribution through ADA gives the singer full creative control and ownership of her work after she settled a long-running defamation suit filed by her former label boss, producer Dr. Luke, in 2023; Kesha filed suit against Luke (born Lukasz Gottwald) over allegations of sexual, physical and emotional abuse in 2014, claims he repeatedly denied.
The full track list for . (Period) is: “Freedom,” “Joyride,” “Yippee-Ki-Yay,” “Delusional,” “Red Flag,” “Love Forever,” “The One,” “Boy Crazy,” “Glow,” “Too Hard” and “Cathedral.”
Listen to both versions of “Yippee-Ki-Yay” below.
Before she travels the world for her Lifetimes Tour, Katy Perry will check out the planet from above. On Thursday (March 27), Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin announced the date of the singer’s ascent into the stars as part of the space exploration company’s first all-women flight crew, with Perry set to embark on the trip just before her upcoming global trek.
According to Blue Origin’s Instagram post, the spacecraft’s launch window begins at 8:30 a.m. CT on April 14 in the West Texas high desert. The company also unveiled the flight’s official patch, which features the last names of each member of the crew emblazoned on the border as well as symbols that are meaningful to the women.
Perry, for instance, is represented on the artwork with fireworks, a nod to her 2010 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Firework,” as well as her “global influence across music, pop culture, and philanthropy,” according to Blue Origin’s website.
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The news comes one month after it was first announced that the “Woman’s World” artist would be joining CBS Mornings‘ Gayle King, NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen and entrepreneur/film producer Kerianne Flynn on the NS-31 expedition. The trip will be led by Lauren Sánchez — who is engaged to Bezos and is vice chair of the billionaire’s Earth Fund — and marks Blue Origin’s 11th human space flight.
At the time of the announcement, Perry wrote on Instagram, “If you had told me that I would be part of the first ever all-female crew in space, I would have believed you … Nothing was beyond my imagination as a child.”
“Although we didn’t grow up with much, I never stopped looking at the world with hopeful WONDER!” continued the former American Idol judge, who shares daughter Daisy with Orlando Bloom. “I work hard to live my life that way still, and I am motivated more than ever to be an example for my daughter that women should take up space (pun intended). That’s why this opportunity is so incredible — so that I can show all of the youngest & most vulnerable among us to reach for the stars, literally and figuratively.”
The expedition will take place in between Perry’s rehearsals for the Lifetimes Tour and the trek’s kickoff in Mexico City April 23. Supporting new album 143 — which debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 — the run will also see the musician lapping the United States, Canada, Australia, South America and Europe with shows scheduled through mid-November.
See Blue Origin’s flight date announcement below.
With Spotify leading the way in subscriber counts, the number of global music subscribers grew 11.6% to 818.3 million in 2024, according to MIDiA Research’s music subscribers market shares Q4 2024 report. That was about the same number of subscribers added in 2023, but where those new subscribers originated continues to change.
“The continued fast rise of the Global South is the market-defining dynamic, pointing to a rebalancing of the global music industry,” Mark Mulligan, managing director/senior music industry analyst, said in a statement. MIDiA Research defines the Global South as regions other than Europe and North America, where subscription penetration rates and prices are the highest in the world. “Revenues still skew heavily to the West but user growth is now consistently coming from elsewhere.”
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Nearly four out of every five new subscribers added in 2024 came from the mid-tier and emerging markets in the Global South, accounting for 78.4% of the 84.8 million new subscriptions last year and nearly three of five global subscribers overall. In turn, the mature streaming markets in Europe and North America represented 41.0% of global subscribers, down from 52.3% in 2020 and 62.0% in 2015.
The Global South has relatively small but fast-growing regions, often places where streaming has enabled a legal music ecosystem to thrive where little to none existed a decade or two ago. As Billboard reported last week, Mexico replaced Australia as the No. 10 market in 2024, according to the IFPI. The Middle East-North Africa region grew 22.8% while Sub-Sahara Africa improved 22.6%. China, the No. 5 market, grew revenues by 9.6%.
Spotify had a 32.2% share of global subscribers and finished 2024 with 236 million global subscribers, according to its latest earnings release. Spotify had more than double the No. 2 company, China’s Tencent Music Entertainment, which had a 14.7% share based on 121 million subscribers. Tencent Music Entertainment operates Kugou Music, Kuwo Music and QQ Music.
Apple Music was No. 3 at 11.6%, which works out to 95 million subscribers. YouTube Music and Amazon Music were tied for fourth at 10.1%,, or 83 million subscribers, each. Neither Apple Music, YouTube Music nor Amazon Music publicly releases their subscriber counts. YouTube’s latest number of 125 million subscribers announced on March 5 includes both YouTube Music and YouTube Premium, the ad-free tier of the video streaming service.
Apple Music and Amazon Music each lost nearly a percentage point of market share and added fewer subscribers than in the previous year. Of all globally available platforms, YouTube Music was the only major streaming service to post accelerated subscriber growth compared to 2023. That tracks to comments made last year by Universal Music Group CFO Boyd Muir. While Spotify, YouTube [Music] and some regional and local platforms showed “healthy growth,” Muir said during the company’s July 24 earnings call, some other, unnamed platforms “have seen a slowdown in new subscriber additions.”
China’s NetEase Cloud Music was No. 6 at 6.7%, which works out to approximately 55 million subscribers. Russia’s Yandex was No. 7 with a 5.0% share equal to 41 million subscribers. All others—including TIDAL, Qobuz, SoundCloud, Deezer, Napster and South Korea’s Melon—had a combined 9.5% share, which equals roughly 78 million subscribers.
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Meek Mill has denied recent claims by Los Angeles gang member Luce Cannon, who alleged that he once kidnapped the rapper and held him for ransom.
Luce Cannon claimed that he and a group of about 50 gang members caught Meek off guard at a club, forcing him to call Rick Ross, who allegedly paid $50,000 for his release. However, Meek quickly took to social media to dismiss the story as entirely false. Responding on X (formerly Twitter), the Philadelphia rapper wrote, “This guy must be using a story to confuse his indictment because I never seen him B4.” Meek made it clear that he has never encountered Luce Cannon and would have handled the situation differently if he had. He went on to say, “I woulda put him to ‘gods test’ on the spot! I never even met buddy but I don’t ‘negotiate’ with fake thugs.”
He also questioned which of his chains were supposedly taken, boasting that all his jewelry is high-end and worth significant amounts. Meek Mill has often been the subject of rumors and controversy, but he consistently responds to false claims. His quick denial suggests he sees this as just another attempt to gain attention at his expense. While Luce Cannon’s claims may have stirred up some discussion online, Meek’s response shut down any speculation, making it clear he believes the story is completely fabricated.
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The LeBron James versus Stephen A. Smith “beef” has become more comical.
In his 22 seasons, LeBron James has given all indications that he gives zero f***s and is clapping back at anyone who he feels did him or his family dirty or has some wild takes.
James has clearly grown tired of ESPN workhorse Stephen A. Smith constantly talking about him, but the final straw was the analyst talking about James’ firstborn son and now Los Angeles Lakers teammate Bronny James, which led to a now-infamous confrontation that Smith can’t seem to stop revisiting.
The Chosen One got Stephen A. Smith in his feelings again after he stopped by The Pat McAfee Show and addressed Smith’s behavior following the incident.
“He’s on a Taylor Swift tour run right now. It started off with ‘I didn’t wanna address it, but since the video came out, I have to,’” James told McAfee, explaining the ongoing beef with the sports pundit, who is now dipping his toes into politics.
James continued, “Never would I not allow people to criticize players about what they do on the court. That is your job. That’s all part of the game. But when you get personal with it it’s my job to not only protect my damn household but protect the players,” James says before imagining the pundit’s reaction to the clip. “He’s going to be smiling from ear to ear when he hears me talking about him. He’s gonna get home and get some ice ream out of the f-cking freezer and sit in his chair in tighty whiteys on the couch. Like, dude, relax.
Stephen A. Smith Says He Would Have “Swung On” James
Of course, Smith would have something to say on the matter, and he responded via his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, where he spent the entire show blasting James, even claiming he would have “swung on” the professional hooper if things got physical.
He also added that he’s pretty sure he would have gotten his “ass kicked” by James if the two were to have thrown hands.
“When he approached me sitting courtside at that game against the New York Knicks, when he rolled up on me I didn’t know he was gonna roll up on me,” Smith said. “I had no idea, but when he said what he had to say I was in no position to give any kind of retort without making a scene. It was during the third quarter, it was fresh out of a timeout, it was him walking to the basketball court. It was on national television, the cameras were rolling and had I done something what do ya’ll want me to do? You want this to be a reincarnation of Chris Rock and Will Smith?”
“And let me state for the record while we bring up that, let me assure you it wouldn’t have gone down like that. I would have gotten my ass kicked because if that man put his hands on me I would’ve immediately swung on him. Immediately. That I’m not going to tolerate,” he continued.
Nobody Believes You, Stephen A. Smith
As expected, everyone is clowning Stephen A. Smith. LeBron James didn’t waste time responding via Instagram, sharing a video of Smith participating in boxing training and looking ridiculous.
James’ Cavaliers teammate, Kevin Love, even got in on the action.
LOL.
Stephen A. Smith is looking quite foolish. You can see more reactions in the gallery below.