Pop
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Kesha is celebrating being a “free f–king woman.” The singer sat on the couch on the Kelly Clarkson Show on Tuesday (April 22) for a chat about her upcoming album and her new(ish) status as the owner of the independent label Kesha Records. “My first release is . [Period],” Kesha, 38, said of her upcoming […]
Katy Perry is gearing up to launch her global Lifetimes tour in Mexico City on Wednesday night (April 23), but a pair of Guadalajara, Mexico shows originally scheduled for next week have been scotched due to issues with the venue. “Sadly, I learned that the construction of Arena Guadalajara will not be complete for their […]
Lady Gaga continues to expand her upcoming Mayhem Ball tour. The singer announced on Tuesday morning (April 22) that she has extended the outing with shows in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The seven additional shows will include three nights at the Chase Center in San Francisco on July 22, 24 and 26, as well […]
The Chainsmokers did not let the police squash a good time over the weekend. On Sunday (April 20), the DJ duo posted footage of themselves playing an outdoor frat party in Arizona, a gathering which law enforcement showed up to shortly after it began and warned the crowd that anyone under the age of 21 […]
Justin Bieber and wife Hailey Bieber have not yet shown the world what their seven-month-old son Jack Blues Bieber’s face looks like. But over the weekend, Beliebers got to witness in a major milestone for the couple’s first-born: Jack’s on his belly ready to crawl. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, […]
TOMORROW X TOGETHER will drop their new digital single, “Love Language,” on May 2. The upcoming song from SOOBIN, YEONJUN, BEOMGYU, TAEHYUN and HUENINGKAI was announced on Weverse on Monday morning (April 21) along with a digital cover image featuring a padlock with the password “Love Language” dialed into it. Explore Explore See latest videos, […]
K-pop boy band ENHYPEN wowed the crowed at the Coachella Festival on Saturday (April 19) with a power-packed 45-minute set of hits, plus some unexpected album release news. Backed by a live band, the group — JUNGWON, HEESEUNG, JAY, JAKE, SUNGHOON, SUNOO and NI-KI— ran through such hits as “Blockbuster,” “Blessed-Cursed,” “Future Perfect (Pass the […]
K-pop boy band SEVENTEEN announced the release date for their upcoming fifth studio album on Monday morning (April 21). Happy Burstday is slated to drop on May 26, marking the group’s first full-length LP in almost three years. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The follow-up to […]
American Idol leaned into the Easter Sunday (April 20) holiday with a three-hour episode in which this season’s top 20 sang anthems of faith and devotion, with one contestant turning heads thanks to his original song dedicated to a lost friend.
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“No words can describe how I truly feel/ But I hope these will try/ It’s a feeling that I can’t explain/ Deep and endless like the sky,” sang 18-year-old Addis, LA country singer John Foster on “Tell That Angel I Love Her.” He said he wrote the song for his late friend Maggie Dunn, who was killed, along with another friend, on New Year’s Eve in 2022 when a police officer ran a red light during a high-speed chase and slammed into their vehicle.
“Though we may not know the reason/ It’s not for us to understand/ Lord, won’t you tell that angel/ I love her as soon as you can?” Foster crooned before hitting the moving chorus: “Sure the sun will come up/ But it won’t shine on her skin/ And I’d give anything I have/ To talk to her again/ Each tear that falls on my guitar/ Is a hug from afar/ Lord, won’t you tell that angel that I love her?/ As y’all live in the stars.”
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At the end of the performance, Foster said, “I love you Maggie” as his eyes got watery.
“There’s something wonderfully throwback about your voice, about your style. And I think it’s something that’s lacking in country music today, to be honest. I love that you keep it very traditional,” Underwood said of Foster’s old school country balladeering. “I feel like that’s who you are. I love that in this song, we got to hear a sweet, tender side of your voice that honestly I didn’t know you had.” Bryan noted that Foster had been a “wild card” for him from the beginning but that with that song he’d “removed all doubts in my mind that you deserve to be here.”
The episode opened judge Lionel Richie performing his song “Eternity” accompanied by a full gospel choir and the top 24, just before four of those singers — Grayson Torrence, Kyana Fanene, Penny Samar and MKY — were sent packing. In addition, fellow judge Luke Bryan sang “Jesus ‘Bout My Kids” and Carrie Underwood brought down the house with a moving “How Great Thou Art.”
Also performing on the episode were the rest of the top 20: Canaan James Hill, Drew Ryn, Desmond Roberts, Filo, Josh King, Thunderstorm Artis, Amanda Barise, Mattie Pruitt, Olivier Bergeron, Breanna Nix, Victor Solomon, Baylee Littrell, Isaiah Misailegalu, Gabby Samone, Slater Nalley, Zaylie Windsor, Jamal Roberts, Ché and Kolbi Jordan.
The top 20 will be cut down to the top 14 on Monday night’s (April 21) episode, which airs at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Watch John Foster’s performance below.
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, Morgan Wallen once again finds some help in Post Malone, Addison Rae comes back strong and Lana Del Rey’s country tour continues. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Morgan Wallen feat. Post Malone, “I Ain’t Coming Back”
The follow-up to “I Had Some Help,” last year’s summer-dominating team-up between Morgan Wallen and Post Malone, was always going to generate a ton of attention from casual country fans and Nashville diehards, and “I Ain’t Coming Back” functions like a strong big-budget sequel, with Wallen playing anti-hero and Post shrugging, “Go throw your pebbles / I’ll be somewhere gettin’ stoned.”
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Addison Rae, “Headphones On”
A song like “Headphones On” goes a long way towards dismissing the notion that Addison Rae’s pop artistry is superficial in the slightest; the former social media star’s latest single not only synthesizes ‘90s rhythmic pop with passion and scholarship, but she tucks revealing admissions — “Wish my mom and dad could have been in love,” “I compare my life to the new it girl” — in between sumptuous refrains.
Lana Del Rey, “Bluebird”
Regardless of how closely Lana Del Rey’s upcoming country-leaning album follows Nashville touchstones, songs like “Bluebird,” a breathtaking anthem about escape under uncertain circumstances, nods to the power of Del Rey’s songwriting — particularly when her sprawling hooks get squeezed into more traditional structures, as she repeats “Find a way to fly” to the titular subject and herself.
Davido, 5ive
A press release for Davido’s latest full-length describes 5ive as a “culturally fluid album,” and indeed, the Afrobeats titan has never sounded so expansive: pop, R&B, rock, reggaeton and dancehall are all represented on these 17 tracks, although Davido’s effervescent personality serves as the project’s center.
Tommy Richman feat. Sexyy Red, “Actin Up With Sexyy Red”
Tommy Richman and Sexyy Red have each enjoyed their share of viral moments that impact the pop charts, and with this new version of Richman’s single “Actin Up,” they inject the existing mixture of sensual crooning and steel drums with some of Sexyy’s boisterous energy, turning Richman’s brooding posture into more of a party atmosphere.
Wiz Khalifa, Kush + Orange Juice 2
Fifteen years ago, Wiz Khalifa’s Kush + Orange Juice represented a breakthrough mixtape for a quick-witted MC just months away from topping the Hot 100; now, Kush + Orange Juice 2 serves as a particularly inspired check-in from a beloved veteran, with Gunna, Juicy J and Ty Dolla $ign among the guests stopping by to pay homage.
Xavi & Netón Vega, “Hija de Papi”
Following the Xavi-assisted collaboration “Cuando Me Ocupes,” which was featured on Netón Vega’s debut album Mi Vida Mi Muerte earlier this year, “Hija de Papi” continues to build out the chemistry between two of the fastest-rising stars in modern Mexican music, with harmonies leading into quick spoken-word exchanges over extended instrumental breaks.
Editor’s Pick: Isabel Larosa, Raven
Annapolis singer-songwriter Isabel Larosa has been a buzzed-about name in online pop discourse for months now, and debut album Raven makes good on the promise of her early singles: with a breathy vocal delivery as a signature and a knack for choosing propulsive, alternative-leaning production, Larosa stands out in a crowded field, and should be moving upward from here.