Pop
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Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Lady Gaga supplies an antidote for hungry fans, Halsey channels the greats and Megan Thee Stallion unveils another act. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Lady Gaga, “Disease”
Lady Gaga’s new single was produced and written with Andrew Watt, a guitar virtuoso who’s become a guru to rock veterans, as well as Cirkut, one of pop’s most prolific studio whizzes; that pedigree informs a stomping new track that balances arena heft with nimble melodies, as Gaga sings, “Screamin’ for me, baby / Like you’re gonna die / Poison on the inside, I could be your antidote tonight!” in between fluttering vocal refrains and booming percussion.
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Halsey, The Great Impersonator
Most new albums are knowingly influenced by the artists that predated their creators, but few of them are enacted as purposeful homages quite like Halsey’s The Great Impersonator, which hopscotches across personal heroes ranging from Dolly Parton to David Bowie to Britney Spears; the track list can be a guessing game of who-inspired-what, but more often, Halsey’s own songwriting and perspective power the brightest spots.
Megan Thee Stallion, Megan: Act II
Following her June album Megan with a 13-track deluxe edition, Megan Thee Stallion has given fans an embarrassment of riches to cap off a highly successful year: “Bigger in Texas” sets things off with classic trash-talking Meg and “Mamushi” receives a giddy remix featuring TWICE, but “Roc Steady,” a flip of Ciara’s “Goodies” featuring Flo Milli, is the clear highlight.
Summer Walker, “Heart of a Woman”
Even though Summer Walker’s upcoming album will be called Finally Over It, but the R&B star still isn’t on “Heart of a Woman,” a sumptuous showcase for her complex emotions as she recognizes a relationship she can’t quit: “I try to be strong,” Walker sings, “but how much can I take?”
Addison Rae, “Aquamarine”
As Addison Rae continues making the transition from TikTok superstar to aspiring music A-lister, her pop aesthetic is coming into focus, with “Aquamarine” extracting the breathy flirtations from previous single “Diet Pepsi” and applying them to a sleek, futuristic dance-pop sheen.
Kelsea Ballerini, Patterns
A meditation on personal strength and moving on from divorce, Patterns may be Kelsea Ballerini’s most moving collection of songs to date, as the country-pop star sharpens her pen while examining her regrets and hopes; the opening run of songs on Patterns, including the poignant “Sorry Mom” and rousing “Baggage,” demonstrates why Ballerini remains such a captivating presence in the genre.
Gigi Perez, “Fable”
With “Sailor Song” a viral smash and an Island Records deal in hand, Gigi Perez has quickly returned with “Fable,” an acoustic sing-along searching for answers that replicates the rawness of her breakout single and sounds like it could be another hit for the singer-songwriter.
Jin, “I’ll Be There”
Jin’s upcoming album is titled Happy, and pre-release track “I’ll Be There” certainly lives up to that adjective: here, the BTS member is all smiles while reveling in pop-rock bliss, deploying a woo-oo-oo post-chorus that lodges in your brain before your first listen is even complete.
Linkin Park, “Over Each Other”
On “The Emptiness Machine” and “Heavy is the Crown,” the first two songs released from Linkin Park’s upcoming album From Zero, Mike Shinoda is the first voice heard, a steadying force before new vocalist Emily Armstrong arrives; with “Over Each Other,” however, Armstrong delivers an impressive vocal showcase, unleashing her frustration over miscommunication as the production blinks and shudders.
Editor’s Pick: Soccer Mommy, Evergreen
On her fourth Soccer Mommy album, Sophie Allison expertly finds a middle ground between the lo-fi production of her early work and the hearty, pop-adjacent rock of her more recent output; with personal loss as a central focus, Evergreen feels like Allison’s most complete record to date, and a standout during a crowded season for indie releases.
Nicole Scherzinger may have been one of the last people to communicate with Liam Payne before the singer’s death on Oct. 16 following a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In an interview with Billboard about Scherzinger’s “one-of-a-kind” Broadway performance in Sunset Blvd., composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber revealed that Scherzinger — who met Payne when she was a judge on the English X-Factor, where One Direction were formed — had been in communication with Liam on the day of his death.
“She was still texting him that day, and [that evening] the reviewers came in [to SUNSET], she’d just heard that he died,” said Webber of the previews for the musical in which Scherzinger stars as Norma Desmond. “And the fact that she even did the show at all is extraordinary. I mean she is an amazing, amazing woman. She is without any question one of the finest performers I’ve ever worked with.”
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On Thursday (Oct. 24), Scherzinger posted a tribute to Payne on Instagram in the form of a letter to her late friend. “Dear Liam, I will forever cherish and treasure the time we shared together, from fifteen years ago when One Direction was born, right up until just a few weeks ago,” she wrote. “It was such a blessing to get to work with you recently. We shared the same love and passion for music and I will forever remember the meaningful and joyful conversations we had.”
The accompanying photo showed a smiling Payne posing with Scherzinger and former Destiny’s Child member and solo star Kelly Rowlands from the set of their Netflix series Building the Band. The music competition series — which also features host Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean — began filming this summer with the premise of talented singers tasked with forming their own bands without seeing each other first. At press time a spokesperson for the series had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on plans for airing the series in the wake of Payne’s passing.
“It’s been so hard to process that you’re no longer here, but I am grateful to have known your kind heart, sweet soul and character,” Scherzinger continued. “You brought so much joy, light, and laughter to the lives of those that truly knew you. I will ‘miss you’ my friend and carry you in my heart. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.”
In 2022, a previously unseen clip from 1D’s formation on X-Factor revealed that it was Scherzinger who was instrumental in putting solo singers Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson together as a group. “We thought of each of you as individuals, and we just feel that you’re too talented to let go of,” Scherzinger said at the time. “We think it would be a great idea to have two separate groups,” she continued as judge Simon Cowell broke the tension by announcing that the newly formed band would be going through to the next round.
The unseen portion of the video showed that Scherzinger was heavily involved in putting together the members of the group that she gushed at the time would be the “cutest boy band ever! The little girls are gonna love them!… They’re just too talented to get rid of. And they’ve got just the right look and the right charisma on stage. I think they’ll be really great in a boy band together,” she said.
At the time, Cowell predicted that confident Payne would likely the “leader” of the newly formed group. “They’re like little stars,” Scherzinger said of the five boys who had initially auditioned as solo acts; Payne had also auditioned as a solo act two years earlier in 2008. “So you can’t get rid of little stars. You put them all together,” Scherzinger said.
On Wednesday, Buenos Aires police raided the luxury hotel where Payne was staying when he died, reportedly taking away a number of items, including hard drives and CCTV footage. Payne, 31, died after falling from a third-floor balcony, with an autopsy report revealing that he died from a number of injuries, including internal and external bleeding caused by the fall. Investigators reportedly found a number of substances in his body at the time, including a recreational drug called “pink cocaine,” a mixture of substances that often contains ketamine combined with MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids and/or psychoactive substances. Full autopsy details are not expected for several more weeks.
Scherzinger is the latest star to post a tribute to Payne, following on the heels of statements from his former 1D bandmates, 5 Seconds of Summer’s Ashton Irwin, Justin Bieber and the singer’s girlfriend of two years, Kate Cassidy, among many others.
Police in Buenos Aires raided the hotel where Liam Payne was staying before his death on Oct. 16 in a fall from a balcony. According to the Associated Press, a police special investigations unit descended on the Casa Sur Hotel on Wednesday night (Oct. 23) on orders from the prosecutor’s office, reportedly seizing a number of items including computer hard drives and footage from hotel CCTV cameras.
Payne, 31, died after falling from a third-floor balcony, with an autopsy report revealing that he died from a number of injuries, including internal and external bleeding caused by the fall. The AP reported that an initial investigation suggests that the late One Direction and solo star was alone before his death and had a “breakdown” following the consumption of drugs; police reportedly found a number of substances in his body at the time, including a recreational drug called “pink cocaine,” a mixture of substances that often contains ketamine combined with MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids and/or psychoactive substances. A handmade aluminum pipe was also found in his Argentina hotel room, according to ABC News. Full autopsy details are not expected for several more weeks.
On Oct. 16, streams and sales of both 1D and Payne’s music have surged in the U.S. and globally in the wake of the singer’s shock passing. Official on-demand U.S. streams of 1D’s five-album catalog totaled 5.9 million, a vault of 174% over 2.1 million the previous day, according to Luminate. On Oct. 17, they rose further to 22.2 million, up 278% over the day before.
In addition, globally, 1D pulled 21.3 million streams on Oct. 16, a 76% gain from 12.1 million on Oct. 15. The group’s catalog soared 298% to 84.9 million streams on Oct. 17.
In the week since Payne’s death, fans have turned the site of his passing into a makeshift shrine, laying candles, teddy bears, photos and other totems around the hotel entrance. Payne’s father, Geoff Payne, is reportedly currently in Buenos Aires helping to make arrangements for the transfer of his son’s body back to England, with officials expected to release it around Oct. 28.
Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, was the latest member of the singer’s inner circle to pay tribute to the beloved star in an Instagram post on Wednesday in which she called him her “best friend [and] the love of my life.” His romantic partner of two years, Cassidy wrote, “None of this feels real, and I can’t wrap my head around this new reality of not having you here. I’m struggling to figure out how to live in a world without you by my side. Together, we got to be kids again, always finding joy in the smallest things.”
The influencer also noted that a few weeks prior to his death Payne wrote her a note confessing his hopes to marry her within the next year. “Liam, I know we’ll be together forever, but not in the way we had planned. You’ll always be with me,” Cassidy said. “I’ve gained a guardian angel. I will love you for the rest of my life and beyond, carrying our dreams and memories with me everywhere I go.”
Billie Eilish will touch down at State Farm Arena on Nov. 3 for the second edition of her Overheated climate sustainability conference. The follow-up to last year’s debut event in London, the first U.S. version will feature an appearance from the “Birds of a Feather” singer, as well as a panel of climate activists, thought leaders, artists and others hosting discussions and offering resources to help take on the climate crisis.
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The event will take place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and though only 300 tickets were made available to fans, those who can’t attend can watch it from home via a livestream on YouTube from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET on the official Eilish channel.
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“I am thrilled that we can bring this unique event to Billie‘s US fans. And to people from all over who can watch the livestream,” said Eilish’s mother, Maggie Baird, in a statement. “At this time, more than ever we need everyone to be a climate activist.” Overheated is a collaboration between the singer and Support + Feed, the plant-based food initiative founded by Baird, with organizers offering plant-based meals to all attendees.
Among the panels on tap for the event are: “Environmental Justice 101,” “The stories We Tell,” “What We Eat Matters,” “Fashion Your Future,” “Climate Optimism” and “Your Vote, Your Power.” The gathering will highlight a variety of “accessible actions for audience members to take in making a positive impact on their communities and the planet,” according to a release. “This year, the event will also be highlighting the importance of political actions that champion climate solutions.”
Panelists and special guests include: Saad Amer, Corinea Austin, Maggie Baird, Xiye Bastida, Daniel Blackman, Brea Baker, Abre’ Conner, Quintin Crumpler, Jasmine Crowe-Houston, Helena Gualinga, Wawa Gatheru, Isaias Hernandez, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Jamila Norman, Samata Pattinson, Maya Penn and Angela Watts; click here to find out more about the speakers.
Check out the Overheated announcement below.
BTS fans got a jolt of fizzy energy in their ears on Friday (Oct. 25) with the release of Jin‘s pop rockin’ solo single, “I’ll Be There.” The effervescent tune with a rockabilly swing will be featured on the K-pop superstar’s upcoming debut solo album, Happy, due out on Nov. 15.
The bi-lingual tune that mixes 1960s bubblegum rock and modern dance pop — via Pharrell’s “Happy” and with a buzzy dash of early Hanson — is a joyous ode to devotion, with Jin promising on the chorus, “I swear that I will always sing for you/ Sing for you, oh-oh-oh/ I’ll be there for you.” In the video, Jin sings the tune in a parking lot under a bridge backed by a live band as skater boys and girls and other random fans pull up to check out the impromptu performance.
Dressed in jeans and a blue cardigan (over several other shirts) and rocking some stick-on jewels under his right eye, Jin strikes a series of smoldering rock star poses against the bright blue sky. According to a release, the track “conveys a sincere message, aiming to uplift those who feel downhearted and alone by delivering joy through Jin’s playful yet straightforward style.”
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Jin helped produce the track alongside American singer/songwriter MAX and in the video he channels rock star energy by doing an air guitar windmill move and striking some Elvis-adjacent poses as confetti rains down around him. By the end of the clip Jin is joyfully dancing with himself in the abandoned parking lot, kicking up his heels as the sun sets behind the bridge.
Jin’s upcoming six-track album will feature the focus track “Running Wild,” as well as “I’ll Be There,” “Another Level,” “Falling,” “Heart on the Window” (feat. WENDY)” and “I will come to you.” Jin collaborated with a number of other acts on the album, including Take That’s Gary Barlow, who co-produced and co-wrote “Running Wild.”
So far, Jin, the oldest member of BTS at 31, has released a number of solo tracks, including “Super Tuna,” “Yours,” “Abyss,” “Awake,” “Tonight,” “Epiphany” and “Moon,” as well as contributing to the soundtracks of a number of Korean TV shows and collaborating with Coldplay on his debut solo single, 2022’s “The Astronaut.” Jin was discharged from mandatory South Korean military duty in June and his solo debut comes as ARMY patiently wait for the rest of the band members to finish their required hitches in anticipation of BTS’ expected 2025 return.
Watch the “I’ll Be There” video below.
Kate Bush has given a rare interview and teased the prospect of new music.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Friday morning (Oct. 25) the pop icon said that she has ideas and desires to make a start on a new album. Bush released her last studio album 50 Words For Snow in 2011 .
When asked if she was working on new material currently, Bush said: “Not at the moment, but I’ve been caught up doing a lot of archive work over the last few years, redesigning our website, putting a lyric book together.
“And I’m very keen to start working on a new album when I’ve got this finished. I’ve got lots of ideas and I’m really looking forward to getting back into that creative space, it’s been a long time.”
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When presenter Emma Barnett asked if it was a hope she’d had for a while, Bush responded: “Yes it is, really. Particularly [in] the last year, I’ve felt really ready to start doing something new.”
Bush was appearing on the program to promote a new short film that she has created called Little Shrew, which is soundtracked by her 2011 song “Snowflake.” The four-minute short film, which you can watch below, was created by Bush and an illustrator to help raise awareness and funds for the charity War Child, which supports young people caught up in conflicts.
Speaking on the film, Bush said she “started working on it a couple of years ago, it was not long after the Ukrainian war broke out, and I think it was such a shock for all of us.”
“It’s been such a long period of peace we’d all been living through. And I just felt I wanted to make a little animation that would feature, originally, a little girl. It was really the idea of children caught up in war. I wanted to draw attention to how horrific it is for children.
“And so I came up with this idea for a storyboard and felt that, actually, people would be more empathetic towards a creature rather than a human. So I came up with the idea of it being a little shrew.”
The British artist broke through in the late 1970s and her hits include “Hounds of Love,” “Babooshka” and “Wuthering Heights.” In 1980, she became the first solo female British artist to top the U.K. Albums Charts with her third album Never For Ever. Bush’s creative work in recent decades has been sporadic, and in 2014 she shocked the music world when she announced a return to the stage for a residency in London, her first live performances in decades.
In 2022, Bush’s 1985 single “Running Up That Hill” featured heavily in the fourth season of Netflix’s Stranger Things and saw a flurry of interest and streams in her back catalog. The song peaked at No .3 on the Billboard Hot 100, bettering its placement of No. 30 upon its original release, and topped the U.K. Singles Chart for three weeks to give Bush her second No. 1 single. In 2023, the song topped 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Declan McKenna is in a transitional state. When Billboard speaks to the British musician in early October, he’s surrounded by boxes while he moves apartments in London. He’s also packing his gear for a string of live headline dates in North America, which include a role as a special guest on Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet tour, his first-ever arena gigs. It’s a period of fresh beginnings and new opportunities.
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Then there’s the biggest change: after a decade signed to Columbia Records, McKenna is going independent. McKenna signed with the label in 2015 aged 16 following the success of his viral single “Brazil” and his victory in Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition. The indie–pop song was a riposte to soccer governing body FIFA and their decision to name Brazil as hosts for the 2014 World Cup without addressing deep-seated inequality and poverty. The track is approaching 675m streams on Spotify.
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McKenna released three LPs on Columbia, most recently What Happened To The Beach? which charted at No.3 on the UK Albums Charts in February. There were shades of Paul McCartney’s 1971 solo record Ram and a looser West Coast feel to the record which was made in LA with producer Gianluca Buccellati, whose credits include Arlo Parks and RAYE. McKenna also played a 10,000 capacity headline show at London’s Alexandra Palace to accompany its release.
As the deal was approaching its end, McKenna started plotting a new path forward. Now, he’s self-releasing his music via his label Miniature Ponies, a joint venture with ADA, a distribution company owned by Warner Music Group.
“I did like the idea of being independent and not having to explain what you’re doing and why you’re doing it,” McKenna says. “I feel quite confident that I know how to do it, and it felt like the right time to try and get something else out.” He’s effusive with praise with some of his collaborators at the label, but says the relationship had met its natural end having fulfilled his obligations for three studio albums.
McKenna toasts to the new era with a double AA-side single “Champagne” and “That’s Life,” the first release on Miniature Ponies. On the two tracks he fuses more electronic elements into his sound, and retains his passion for hooky songwriting; McKenna’s melodies and choruses are some of the best to come out of British pop in recent years. Both songs examine the ludicrous excesses and follies of success, and on “Champagne” we’re drawn into vacuous conversations where the social currency is attention: “Of course I didn’t mean what I said, I just wanted them to laugh,” he begrudgingly admits.
A key reason behind the decision to go independent, McKenna says, was to streamline the decision making process and to work freely with potential collaborators across his music and visuals.
“If I were there advising my younger self I would say ‘you need to stick to your guns on this,’” McKenna says. “There’s a lot of working through fear from all different corners of the industry but pushing past that and letting creativity happen naturally is so necessary and important.”
Outwardly facing, his catalog so far has shown little signs of compromise. His ambitious 2017 debut What Do You Think About The New Car? was produced with former Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij and James Ford, whose credits include Arctic Monkeys and Florence + The Machine. 2020’s Zeroes, meanwhile, nodded to ‘70s glam-rock and embraced the imperfect nature of the creative process, and boasts one of his finest songs in “The Key To Life On Earth.”
Likewise, McKenna’s voice continues to be forthright. In 2019 he released the single “British Bombs” which highlighted the role that British arms companies play in fuelling conflict on a global scale; it’s now a fan favorite and a staple of his live performances.
The new independent era dovetails with some of McKenna’s biggest shows. From Nov. 1, he’ll join Carpenter as her main support at arena shows in Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver and more. He said the pair met at Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago last summer where Carpenter revealed she was a fan of his work. Earlier this year Carpenter invited McKenna to join as a special guest, following on from fellow British artist Griff who also got the call for the tour.
“It might be surprising for some people, and it was surprising for me to an extent, because I’m not exactly the bookies favorite to do this gig,” he laughs. “Sabrina, along with a couple other pop artists that are quite obvious, has brought a sense of fun back to pop music”
He adds: “Most of the music I love isn’t super clear about the lyric meanings and intentions. Sabrina has a bit of that. She can hammer home a concept, but also have fun.”
After that he’ll head to Australia for a string of co-headline dates with Northern Irish indie heroes Two Door Cinema Club and next summer McKenna will join Imagine Dragons on their stadium run through Europe, his biggest ever venues. The final date will arrive at his beloved soccer team Tottenham Hotspur’s Spurs Stadium in London. “I feel very lucky as that is a dream gig,” McKenna says.
Next step in his journey as an independent artist is to increase the speed of releases. He says he’s still “hoarding” music that he’s keen to share, something that falls squarely on Miniature Ponies’ label boss: himself.
“I’ve always spearheaded what I’m doing and who I’ve worked with creatively, but there’s a different layer to it now where I don’t have someone looking over my shoulder,” he concludes. “It’s a freeing thing.”
Seven years after delivering “The Cure,” Lady Gaga is finally diagnosing the “Disease.” After some sly teases through a Spotify playlist and a pair of custom websites, Gaga finally confirmed the single’s release date via Instagram on Monday (Oct. 21). In the post, the Grammy and Oscar winner shared the single’s cover art, which finds […]
Halsey is back with yet another trick up her sleeve. The singer dropped her latest album, The Great Impersonator, on Friday (Oct. 25). In addition to previously released singles “The End,” “Lucky,” “Lonely Is the Muse” and “Ego,” the LP also features songs such as “Only Girl Living in LA,” “Dog Years,” “Panic Attack,” “I […]
Glory be to the father (Charli XCX), the son (Sabrina Carpenter) and the holy spirit (Chappell Roan). Amen.
Shortly after the Primavera Sound lineup was announced Thursday (Oct. 24), featuring all three women with top billing, the “365” singer took to X to declare that she and her co-headliners have now officially formed a sacred union.
“headlining primavera sound next year with sabrina and chappell,” Charli tweeted. “finally holy trinity unlocked ;)”
Taking place at Barcelona’s Parc Del Fòrum June 5-7, the festival’s lineup will also feature sets from LCD Soundsystem, FKA Twigs, Fontaines DC, Clairo, Haim, Turnstile, Wet Leg, Beach House, Waxahatchee, Beabadoobee, Caribou, Anohni, Denzel Curry and more. The Brat summer ring leader previously performed at 2024’s iteration of Primavera Sound, which was headlined by Lana Del Rey, SZA and more.
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Regarding Charli’s tweet, it’s easy to see the connection between her, the “Espresso” singer and “Good Luck, Babe!” musician. All three pop stars had explosive breakthrough years in 2024, with the “Von Dutch” artist’s LP Brat reaching No. 3, Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet hitting No. 1 and Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess ascending to No. 2 on the Billboard 200. All three of those chart peaks mark career highs for the artists.
Charli is now in the midst of her Sweat Tour with Troye Sivan in support of Brat. In a recent interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, the “Boom Clap” artist revealed that she originally didn’t think her latest album would “appeal to a lot of people,” something that partially inspired her now-iconic lime-green text-only cover art.
“Where the actual first idea of doing a text cover came from was to save money,” she said at the time. “It actually feels like it very much embodies the word ‘brat’ to kind of not be there, because that is sort of less of the norm, I suppose, for female artists. That felt punchy. The pixilation makes it looks like it’s kind of been done in this rush … you didn’t get the proper hi-res file… I knew it would generate this conversation. I knew that a lot of people would be sort of frustrated or disappointed by it.”
See Charli’s tweet below.
headlining primavera sound next year with sabrina and chappell. finally holy trinity unlocked 😉— Charli (@charli_xcx) October 24, 2024