Pop

Demi Lovato Drives the Fast Lane in Return to Pop With ‘It’s Not That Deep’ Album: Stream It Now

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Demi Lovato’s “Here All Night.” The singer returns to her pop roots for her ninth studio album, It’s Not That Deep, which hits streaming services on Friday (Oct. 24).

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After seemingly throwing a funeral for her pop era with the rock-tinged Holy Fvck in 2022, Lovato pivots into her electro-pop bag for It’s Not That Deep, and she wants to see fans let loose on the dancefloor.

The 11-track LP is free of features and was preceded by a trio of uptempo singles, including “Fast,” “Kiss” and “Here All Night.”

“This music is a perfect reflection of where I’m at today. I had such an incredible time making this album with Zhone and it was such a freeing experience to let loose and have fun with it,” she said in a statement in September. “With my past eras, I often wrote cathartic music about heavy topics that I needed to process. When I got back in the studio this time around, those songs just weren’t resonating anymore because I’m not in that place in life.

Lovato continued: “I’m happy, I’m in love, and I just want to enjoy life and have fun. I realized it’s not that deep anymore, and that became the ethos for this album. It’s Not That Deep is meant for late nights and dancefloors, and I can’t wait for you all to dance with me.”

Demi will celebrate the release of her ninth studio LP with a one-night-only show in Los Angeles on Saturday night (Oct. 25) at the Palladium.

Stream It’s Not That Deep below.

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How Did Bon Iver Break Into the World of Pop Stardom in 2011?

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Justin Vernon was a near-immediate critical sensation upon his late-’00s emergence with his first album as Bon Iver, the alt-folk opus For Emma, Forever Ago. With his unique falsetto, emotional delivery and irresistible backstory — retreating to a cabin in the woods following a pair of personal and professional breakups to record in solitude — Bon Iver earned significant industry respect and a devoted cult following. But few would’ve guessed that, following an extremely valuable A-lister’s co-sign, he would make the jump to stardom in his own right, with a best-selling album, multiple Grammy wins and even a Justin Timberlake impression of him on Saturday Night Live.

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This month on the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, our Vintage Pop Stardom spin-off series Vintage Almost-Pop Stardom is welcoming on first-time guests to look at really interesting artists during years in which they brushed up against pop stardom, but perhaps never quite got all the way there. We’ve already discussed 1995 Björk and 2005 Paul Wall, and this week we continue with 2011 Bon Iver. Billboard‘s Kristin Robinson (of the excellent new Billboard On the Record podcast) journeys back with us to the year when Bon Iver stepped onto the biggest figurative and literal stages in popular music — thanks to his work with Kanye West, his wildly acclaimed self-titled sophomore album, and a shifting musical landscape where the gap between indie stars and mainstream stars was suddenly disappearing.

While we’re there, we answer all the most pressing questions about 2011 Bon Iver: Should we consider Bon Iver a band or just the one guy? Is it Bon Iver or Bon Iver, Bon Iver? Does understanding Justin Vernon’s lyrics enhance or detract from the Bon Iver experience? Do Bon Iver and Bonnie Raitt secretly have beef? How the hell did “Holocene” get nominated for both song and record of the year at the Grammys? Did the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack have to go so hard? Is We Bought a Zoo unwatchably sincere? And most importantly: Did Bon Iver check out of almost-pop stardom too early or at the exact right time?

Check it out above — along with a YouTube playlist of some of the most important moments from Paul Wall’s 2005, all of which are discussed in the podcast — and subscribe to both the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) and to Billboard on the Record for great new episodes of each every Thursday!

And as we say in every one of these GPS podcast posts — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights:

Transgender Law Center

Trans Lifeline

Destination Tomorrow

Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe

Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.

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Lorde Is Feeling ‘Very Active,’ Teasing That New Music Could Be Coming Sooner Rather Than Later: ‘I’m Excited to Find Out’

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Like Adele, Lorde has leaned into taking time off to live her life out of the spotlight between album releases. And, also like Adele, the “Man of the Year” singer has been fine with long gaps between those releases. But after the usual four-year gap between this Virgin and her previous LP, 2021’s Solar Power, Lorde said she’s hoping to give fans new music sooner rather than later.

Asked by Variety how she’s feeling in the midst of her global Ultrasound tour about which direction her sound might evolve into the next time around, Lorde, 28, said she’s “excited to find out.” In fact, the singer added, “I’m definitely feeling very active and not needing a break from being creative. I’m feeling kind of insatiable, to be honest. So I don’t know, but I’ve thrown the gauntlet down that it’s not going to be four years [again], so I’ve gotta keep to that.”

Lorde released her debut, Pure Heroine, in 2013, which she followed up in 2017 with Melodrama.

Lorde also talked about how her previous struggles with stage fright have subsided for now and how her pre-show rituals help keep her grounded and comfortable during performances. “I’m pretty lucky that my stage fright is at bay now, because that was really a big part of my life,” she said. “What do I do? I don’t know, I’m a bit of a witch. I’m always burning something, I’m always writing something down before the show. Nothing too crazy — I do a bunch of push-ups and planks and s–t.”

She’s clearly feeling relaxed and excited on stage, as evidenced by her gig at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum last Saturday, when she capped off the show with a guest spot from pal Charli XCX for the latest electrifying live rendition of their Brat remix of “Girl, So Confusing.” The dynamic duo previously performed the song together during Charli and Troye Sivan’s Sweat tour stop at New York’s Madison Square Garden last September, then again during Charli’s Coachella set in April.

After wrapping the North American run of the Ultrasound tour on Wednesday night (Oct. 22) at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Lorde will take a few weeks off and return to the stage on Nov. 9 at Rockhal in Luxembourg for a European swing that will run through a Dec. 9 show at Annexet in Sweden.


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Justin Bieber Joins Twitch, Shoots Hoops, Teases Coachella Set: ‘Gonna Be Putting on a Hell of a Show’

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Justin Bieber has been on our screens for more than half of his life. But starting Wednesday (Oct. 22) the “Daisies” singer promised that we’re about to see even more of him. Bieber made his debut on Twitch yesterday with a stream that included footage of the singer playing basketball, shooting pool with friends and teasing his upcoming Coachella dates.

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The live feed from a giant warehouse space decked out with a mini half-pipe, a recording studio, ping-pong table and lounge area — with a pack-and-play bed for son Jack Blues — included an extended bit where JB put up short jumpers while talking about focusing on his health and “friendships, relationships, the ability to connect with each other,” all cued to Partynextdoor’s “Come and See Me.”

Long stretches of the stream were taken up with Bieber’s crew wandering around the space or just chilling as the singer played DJ and cued up some favorite mellow R&B, including Leon Thomas’ “Yes It Is,” as they played a lengthy game of Horse on the court. At one point, Justin hit a long shot from near the foul line while seated in a chair. The action then moved to a pool table, with Bieber yawning as he prepared to chalk up his cue.

After the game, Bieber took control of the camera and provided the first bit of actual news in the otherwise action-lacked feed with a tease about his April 2026 Coachella headlining gig, the only concerts he’s booked so far following the release of his Swag and Swag II collections and his first full live shows since 2022.

“This is our space for the next few months, so excited,” Bieber said. “I’m gonna be putting on a hell of a show for you guys at Coachella. I can’t wait. So getting ready, getting the gang together, get inspired. So Beautiful.” Speaking directly to camera, Bieber promised that the Twitch stream will be live “pretty muchevery day,” encouraging fans to tune in. “It’s gonna be awesome.”

In addition to the singer hopping on his skateboard and working the half-pipe, the feed also included a section with a shirtless Bieber playing ping pong. While not playing around, Bieber has been busy lately dropping music videos and topping charts, including a visual for “Bad Honey” and a No. 1 spot on the Pop Airplay Chart with “Daisies,” which tied him with Bruno Mars for most leaders among solo males in the chart’s history.


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‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Vocalists to Reunite as ‘HUNTR/X’ for Jingle Ball 2025 Performance

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This holiday season is about to be particularly golden. As announced Wednesday (Oct. 22), the singing voices behind KPop Demon Hunters girl group HUNTR/X will reunite on stage for iHeartMedia’s Jingle Ball 2025.

Though the trio consisting of EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI has previously performed together on stage, their showcase at the annual 102.7 KIIS FM event will mark their first-ever live concert appearance. They join a bill that also features Alex Warren, Audrey Hobert, Conan Gray, Feid, Jackson Wang, Jessie Murph, The Kid LAROI, Leon Thomas, Renee Rapp and Zara Larsson.

This year’s Jingle Ball will ring in Christmastime at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 5 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Fans can purchase tickets to the event now on Ticketmaster.

The festive news comes as the momentum behind KPop Demon Hunters continues to ramp up. The group’s signature song, “Golden,” has spent a total of eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 so far, marking the first time an all-woman K-pop group has reached the chart’s summit. The Netflix film’s full soundtrack also reached the top of the Billboard 200.

In the movie, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI respectively sang for characters Rumi, Mira and Zoey, who form a fictional band called HUNTR/X that slays demons on the side. In the months since KPop Demon Hunters premiered in June, appetite for the three ladies’ music has only grown, leading to them making their real-life performance debut on The Tonight Show on Oct. 7.

Still, the question remains: Will there be a sequel?

“The sequel has not been confirmed,” REI AMI told Billboard in a recent interview. “We are, you know, looking forward, and we will know once we get that email.”


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Ed Sheeran Shares Songwriting Secrets, Writes Killer Tooth Brushing Jam With 3rd Graders in Sweet Episode of ‘Celebrity Substitute’

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Ed Sheeran is used to playing for tens of thousands of rabid fans in stadiums around the world. But how does his emotional music play in a New York classroom of third graders? Check out the latest episode of the heart-warming series Celebrity Substitute, in which Sheeran pops into PS20 in Brooklyn to teach students how to transform everyday sounds into fully fledged songs.

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Host Julian Shapiro-Barnum sits down with Sheeran in the Clinton Hills classroom’s small chairs to observe as the singer teaches his young charges about rhythm and sound using his trusty loop rig, even as Ed laments that perhaps he’s “not the best substitute teacher.” Or, he offers, maybe he is just that because, he recalled (before the students arrived), sometimes when a sub comes in you feel like, “‘f–k, you’re not my real teacher… don’t tell me what to do!’”

Well aware that he doesn’t command authority and is basically a big Pokemon-loving adult kid himself, Sheeran recalled the nasty names he got called in school, helping to prove Shapiro-Barnum’s credo that “weirdos make the coolest adults.” (See the full video below.)

After getting affixed with his official “Mr. Ed” sub name tag — and getting warned by teachers Mr. Chung and Mr. Hampton that his lesson plan was “ambitious” at best — Sheeran dug into his curriculum of teaching the importance of rhythm, finding your own sound and, most importantly, rehearsing.

Sheeran got right to work, playing his 2015 Billboard Hot 100 No. 15 hit “Photograph,” which was met with mixed reviews from kids who were fans, some who were not so much, and one girl who recalled seeing him in a book about Taylor Swift once, but having no idea why he was in it. “I like the music… a lot,” said one young man named Theo, who admitted that he wasn’t familiar with Sheeran’s ouvre, but does love soccer and had a friend who was the fastest player on his team before he moved to England.

After teaching the kids the basics of the waltz and 4/4 rhythms by noting that pal Swift’s “Style” is in 4/4 by clapping his hands in time, Sheeran set about making sure the kids were picking up what he was laying down by asking them to clap their hands and stomp their feet at the same time in rhythm.

One-by-one the students came up to the mic to say silly phrases that Sheeran looped together to form a rhythm, earning praise from the teachers for his pedagogical skills. Busting out a box of instruments that turned the room into a riot of noise, Sheeran then encourage each student to share their unique sound into the mic, from saxophone bleats to fart sounds.

The 15-minute clip ends with a command Show & Tell performance of “The PS20 Kids and the Morning Routine” original song about brushing your teeth which is guaranteed to be the cutest thing you see all day.

Watch Sheeran on Celebrity Substitute below.


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New Kids on the Block Still Have the ‘Right Stuff’ After All These Years: 5 Best Moments From Night 1 of Las Vegas Residency

LAS VEGAS — While New Kids on the Block might seem like a perfect fit for Las Vegas, the veteran boy band had somehow never found themselves with a Sin City residency — until Friday night (June 20).

The Right Stuff residency kicked off night 1 at Dolby Live at Park MGM, with NKOTB gracing a stage previously headlined by Usher, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey and more superstars. But when the Boston boys were getting started 40 years ago, they had a different perception of Vegas than the entertainment destination it’s become.

“When you’re young, you think you’re really cool,” Jordan Knight told Billboard on Friday ahead of the residency kick-off. “And if somebody said, ‘You guys are going to be doing Vegas in your 50s,’ my thought probably back then would be like, ‘Oh no, no. That’s so corny. … That’s where acts just retire.’ But us doing this right now, I feel like we’re being true to ourselves, really. I don’t think we’re selling out to commercialism or Vegas or whatever it may be. I think we’re just being really true to ourselves. Yes, we have some bells and whistles, but I think we’re just using it really tastefully.”

There were definitely bells and whistles — like the high-flying moment that saw all five members hoisted up among the rafters in individual telephone booths to get as close as possible to every fan in the 5,000-capacity venue — but at its core, this was the New Kids show that their Blockhead superfans have come to expect. That is, the once-teenybopper pop stars (now ranging in age from 52 to 56) left every drop of energy, enthusiasm and love they had on the stage to put on a fun, escapist show in their new home of Vegas, with dates through February. That included the megahits, of course — “Step by Step,” “Hangin’ Tough” and the residency’s namesake “You Got It (The Right Stuff)” — but it also included gems from every one of the band’s seven non-Christmas studio albums, all the way back to their 1986 self-titled debut.

For his part, Jonathan Knight is finding that he’s able to enjoy things at this stage of the band’s career more than those chaotic early days. “When we started, we were just kids,” Jonathan told Billboard just before the show. “I think when we look back at that, nobody prepares you for this. I mean, I would never think at 56 years old, I would be in Vegas, when I was 20. Just being able to, for me personally, just being here, being in the moment, I mean back then, it was just such a blur.”

To keep Friday night’s show from becoming a blur, Billboard has rounded up the five best moments from New Kids’ nonstop fun opening night.

New Kids on the Block Las Vegas Setlist: Every Song From Night 1 of ‘Right Stuff’ Residency

LAS VEGAS — For New Kids on the Block‘s first-ever Las Vegas residency — which kicked off Friday night (June 20) at Dolby Live at Park MGM — the veteran boy band had a lot of ground to cover in their night 1 setlist.

As they explained onstage, Joey McIntyre officially joined the group in June 1985, meaning they’re celebrating 40 years together this year. So how do you cover four decades of music in one two-hour concert?

When Billboard caught up with the Kids on Friday ahead of their Sin City debut, they explained that they were trying to serve their Blockhead fanbase with the song selection while not alienating the casual Vegas fans just looking for a show while they’re in town.

“Sometimes if you’re playing to the superfan, you can do deeper and deeper cuts, but we wanted to give them surprises that they haven’t seen before but also keep it tight enough for the regular Las Vegas person that’s just in town to go to see a show,” Jordan Knight explained to Billboard. “We want to keep it moving fast so they’re entertained as well.”

McIntyre made it clear that their superfans are always their main priority — putting it in terms Las Vegas can definitely understand. “We’re gonna take care of our high rollers, you know what I’m saying? We know we gotta take care of our die-hards first.”

Billboard was in the house for night 1 of The Right Stuff residency, and below we have the full night 1 setlist. Stay tuned for our full recap of the opening night.

Watch Benson Boone Embrace His Haters in Joke-Filled ‘Mr. Electric Blue’ Music Video

Since blasting onto the scene with his breakthrough hit “Beautiful Things,” Benson Boone has become the internet’s favorite punching bag. But instead of trying to prove them wrong, the singer decided to lean in with his latest music video.

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On Friday (June 20), Boone dropped the tongue-in-cheek music video for his new song “Mr. Electric Blue,” off his just-released LP American Heart. From the start of the clip, Boone goes out of his way to play with all the worst things the internet has to say about him when he walks into “Industry Plant Records” wearing a t-shirt that simply says “one hit wonder” for a frank conversation with his sleazy agent (played by his frequent songwriting collaborator Jack LaFrantz).

“Have you not been on the internet? Everything is terrible, Benson! We put all of our money into ‘moonbeam ice cream’ and the backflip, and it’s done absolutely horrible,” LaFrantz’s character tells an exasperated Boone. He informs the singer that he owes his faux label $10 million, and suggests that he find “a new gimmick” like “good songwriting.” At the suggestion, Boone deflates: “You know I can’t do that.”

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What ensues is a madcap montage, where Boone takes as many odd jobs as he can to raise the money. He walks dogs (while wearing another T-shirt that says “”), mows lawns (for a company called “Auto-Tune Trimmers”), washes cars (with bumper stickers declaring “mustaches are lame”) sells his sparkly jumpsuits and even opens a moonbeam ice cream truck. Of course, that still doesn’t stop the criticism from coming — when he’s recognized by a little girl as “the guy who sings ‘Beautiful Things,’” she quickly humbles him: “Your music is terrible.”

For his hustling and hard work, Boone makes a grand total of $168, but begs LaFrantz’s agent to give him another chance. But his agent assures him that he found a better solution, saying he “sold your entire catalog to retail chains, fast food chains and movie theaters,” promising that “you’ll be the most overplayed artist in the world, and I’ll be rich.” A dejected Boone sighs and smiles, saying “that’s all I’ve ever wanted,” before celebrating his ubiquity.

It’s far from the first time Boone has commented on the way people perceive him. The singer posted a TikTok back in April, explaining that he could understand people not liking him or his music if there were more people offering concrete reasons for their distaste. “I just read a comment that said ‘idek why I hate Benson Boone but it feels right,’” he wrote on the video. “Like WHAT!!? how am I supposed to improve after reading that? At least say something valid like ‘he low key just flips everywhere can he [do] anything else?’”

Watch the full video for Boone’s “Mr. Electric Blue” above.

Madonna Used Her iPad ‘the Whole Time’ While Watching ‘Hamilton,’ Says Star Anthony Ramos

There’s no question that Broadway‘s Hamilton was (and still is) one of the most engrossing musicals on the Great White Way, but according to an original cast member, Madonna herself had other things to focus on.

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During his Thursday (June 19) appearance on Watch What Happens Live alonside singer Ciara, Anthony Ramos — who originated the roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the original Broadway run of the show — was asked about the “most terrifying celebrity to spot in the audience during your Hamilton days” during a game of Clubhouse of Horrors, and the actor immediately had an answer.

“Oh, the most terrifying was Madonna with her iPad in her face. She was like this the whole time,” Ramos said, while pretending to look at a screen in his lap. “I was like, ‘Damn, shorty! If you not enjoying it that much, you know the door’s right there. You ain’t gotta stay here!’”

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Billboard has reached out to Madonna’s representatives for comment.

This isn’t the first time the Queen of Pop has been called out for using her devices during the acclaimed Broadway show. After rumors circulated in 2015 of Madonna’s behavior after star and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted about not allowing a celebrity backstage after they used their phone during the performance, actor Jonathan Groff confirmed in an interview it was Madge. “That b—h was on her phone. You couldn’t miss it from the stage,” he said at the time. “It was a black void of the audience in front of us and her face there perfectly lit by the light of her iPhone through three-quarters of the show.”

The news comes as Madonna prepares to release her long-rumored EDM remix album Veronica Electronica, set to feature exclusive reimaginings of tracks off her acclaimed 1988 album Ray of Light. Due out July 25, the album will feature remixes of eight songs off Ray of Light, including “Nothing Really Matters,” “Frozen” and “The Power of Goodbye.”

Watch Ramos play Clubhouse of Horrors on Watch What Happens Live below: