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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, Eminem puts a nail in Slim Shady’s coffin, Katy Perry flexes her pop know-how and Ice Spice makes a connection from across the pond. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Eminem, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)
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The chart success of pop-leaning lead single “Houdini,” plus the technical rap wizardry of follow-up “Tobey,” have heightened expectations for The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), Eminem’s 12th studio album that has been billed as the finale of his raging id character, Slim Shady. Indeed, the full-length is Em’s most complete project in years by showcasing the full scope of his talent — his button-pushing devilishness and bar-bursting theatrics, as demonstrated on the singles, but also his unexpected grace (“Temporary,” with Skylar Grey, is a heartfelt message to his daughter for when he’s gone) and ability to cross into other genres (“Somebody Save Me,” with Jelly Roll, might end up garnering some country-pop airplay for Marshall Mathers).
Katy Perry, “Woman’s World”
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Pop fans who fondly remember the bright, oversized hooks and candy-colored visual fantasias of Katy Perry’s record-breaking Teenage Dream era will wrap their arms around “Woman’s World,” the introduction of a mainstream-ready new era that has been given a music video with plenty of eye-popping, cleverly conceived feminist iconography. Perry has evolved since her blockbuster 2010 album, with her lyrics turning more personal and her stardom extending into projects like American Idol — but she’s always sounded most at home on big, neon-colored pop anthems, and “Woman’s World” marks a return to a winning mode.
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Ice Spice & Central Cee, “Did It First”
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Ice Spice always sounds most effective while rapping downhill: her flow spins and tumbles, picks up speed, and remains too cool to ever get tripped up. After a few experiments with her formula on the songs preceding upcoming album Y2K!, she finds her footing on “Did It First,” a team-up with London rapper Central Cee in which she immediately begins pummeling a beat co-produced by RIOTUSA, with boasts about proudly cheating, spending money, dismissing any disinterest and committing to “party ’til the party ends.”
Clairo, Charm
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Whereas Clairo’s previous album, 2021’s Sling, lacked a sense of warmth by design — singer-songwriter Claire Cottrill moved to upstate New York and teamed up with Jack Antonoff on a muted, woodsy project — Charm radiates with the same glow that made her 2019 debut Immunity so captivating. The soft-rock arrangements feel naturally designed, as if the interplay between piano, guitar, bass and drums has always existed and Claire has simply strolled in to provide her hushed tone and sensual lyricism; the pace changes, and the details rearrange (“Echo,” for instance, sounds more synth-ified and spaced-out than anything Clairo has done before), but the formula makes for an excellent front-to-back listen.
ENHYPEN, Romance: Untold
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“XO (If You Only Say Yes),” the lead single from ENHYPEN’s new album Romance: Untold, illustrates why the K-pop seven-piece has broken through in a crowded field: full of stuttering hooks, engaging vocals and well-crafted rhythmic pop production (courtesy of JVKE, who appears on the English version of the track), “XO” works well as a crossover bid and showcase for the collective’s skill set. The rest of Romance: Untold builds upon 2021’s Dimension: Dilemma and the projects released in between, thanks largely to the strengthened chemistry between the members, who harmonize, belt, dip into falsetto and softly intone with impressive dexterity.
Editor’s Pick: Remi Wolf, Big Ideas
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Remi Wolf’s early singles may have earned millions of streams and suggested plenty of artistic promise, but it wasn’t until the singles preceding sophomore album Big Ideas, including “Cinderella” and “Toro,” that it sounded like the Palo Alto singer-songwriter had locked her funk-laden synth-pop aesthetic into place. The rest of the album plays out like a full realization of her talents: Remi Wolf is a detailed writer, knows when to throttle a melody, can harness a groove like a pro and now has the songs (especially album highlight “Soup,” and the dynamic bonus track “Slay Bitch”) to tie the presentation together.
Taylor Swift has nothing to worry about when it comes to crooning competition from boyfriend Travis Kelce. While Swift is gearing up for a weekend of Eras Tour shows in Milan, Italy, Super Bowl champ Kelce was taking the stage at the American Century Championship charity golf tournament on Thursday (July 11), skipping the ESPY […]
ENGENEs, it’s finally here. ENHYPEN unveiled their long-awaited sophomore album, ROMANCE : UNTOLD, on Friday (July 12). The album is a follow-up to the seven-member boy band’s 2021 debut, DIMENSION : DILEMMA, which debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 chart. “Since our debut, we have been expressing our experiences as artists and honest emotions through our music. ENHYPEN’s authentic […]
If you were looking for more “gay pop” songs, then JoJo Siwa has you covered. On Friday (July 12), the former Dance Moms star dropped her debut EP, Guilty Pleasure. Out via Columbia Records, the new project features five tracks including the previously released viral single “Karma,” and the EP’s new title track and focus […]
Glen Ballard became the 2,374th recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today (July 11) with a little help from the members of Wilson Phillips, whose self-titled 1990 debut album—produced by and co-written with Ballard—went on to sell 10 million copies worldwide and cemented the friendship between the producer and the trio.
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The love the “Hold On” performers still shared with Ballard, also well known for his work with acts like Alanis Morissette and Michael Jackson, was evident and the emotional high point of Ballard’s ceremony.
Carnie Wilson who called Ballard “the most humble human being I’ve ever met” and the “fourth member” of Wilson Phillips, gave a little history lesson, taking the audience back to the trio and Ballard sitting in a his studio in Encino, Calif., “eating our chopped salads and pasta from Emilio’s five days a week for two years,” while they crafted the album. “You understood our need to sing harmony, our blend. We heard and spoke the same language.”
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Her younger sister Wendy, who was only 16 when they entered the studio in 1987, called their years together “a blissful time we will always cherish,” as she talked about feeling safe under Ballard’s wing as he helped them develop their sound.
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But it was Chynna Phillips, who made the attendees understand just how vital a role Ballard played in their lives that stretched far beyond his musical tutelage and brought herself, Ballard and many in the audience to tears.
“We were three girls who really needed a father figure,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. Carnie and Wendy are, of course, the daughters of Beach Boy Brian Wilson, while Phillips’ father was The Mamas and the Papas’ John Phillips. All three have had, at times, complicated and fractured relationships with their fathers. “The three of us were desperate for a man in our lives who would speak into us, and who would nurture us and love us and show us that we mattered and had something to say and we had it in us… You reflected that in us and you really showed us that we could do what we wanted to do with our lives… It was a very personal, very influential, very moving time in our lives, transformative. And if it weren’t for you Glen, I don’t know where I would be today. I just love you with all my heart.”
Phillips then shared one of her most personal memories of Ballard, reflecting his own father-daughter connection with his child Bannon, who died as an infant many years ago. “When I went to your house that you had built in the ocean Malibu area, the very top of your house, you had a wind directional. You told me you had put it there for Bannon and that you just wanted her always to be able to find you. I just want you to know her spirit is here today and always with you, and I love her and know that she is so proud of you too.”
Ballard, whose two adult sons and many members of his extended family were in attendance, graciously gave credit to his many collaborators, which also include Annie Lennox, Barbra Streisand, Aerosmith and Dave Matthews Band, for his success, but shared a valuable lesson he learned from working with Wilson Phillips.
“One of my greatest joys is being involved in artists from the beginning, from the downbeat as they say in music. When I met Wilson Phillips, they hadn’t made a record, and it was up to us to create the initial sound. Luminous, three-part harmony in an era of grunge music was a bold and unusual choice,” he said, which received a laugh from the audience. “Creatively courageous. But when we won the Tokyo Music Festival in 1990 and that week our record [“Hold On”] went No. 1 across the world. We realized that the counter program worked. And it’s a lesson that I’ve taken with me from that moment. Five years later, I met a young singer-songwriter, and we wrote 20 songs and they became Jagged Little Pill that was Alanis Morissette. We weren’t chasing the marketplace, we were chasing her muse. And it turned out well. And then five years after that, Katy Perry was knocking on my studio door and after we spent a year in Paris, well, you know the rest, it worked out very well.”
Ballard has also had a number of theatrical successes, including Back to the Future, which is running on Broadway and London’s West End. Tony winner Roger Bart, who plays Doc Brown in the Broadway version, also feted Ballard, praising his collaborative spirit.
Katy Perry is back! The pop superstar made her comeback to the music scene on Thursday (July 11) with the premiere of her music video for her new single, “Woman’s World.” In the clip, Perry is the ultimate pin-up girl, taking on a construction site before she’s hit by an anvil. She then appears in […]
Simple Plan‘s pop punk take on Sir Elton John‘s The Lion King classic “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” is the first single from the upcoming Disney album A Whole New Sound. The group’s take on the soaring ballad — which drops at midnight Friday (July 12) — is the first taste of the Mouse House’s 30th anniversary celebration of the iconic animated classic.
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“When Disney reached out to us to be a part of this project, it was a bit overwhelming because there are so many amazing Disney songs. But it became obvious pretty quickly that The Lion King song book, and especially ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight,’ stood out from the rest,” Simple Plan tells Billboard. “The song just has such a classic feel, and the melodies are so memorable and timeless. We also felt like it would lend itself really well to our style and would sound awesome as a pop-punk version.
“It’s also one of those songs and movies that has been such an important part of people’s lives. Lots of our fans grew up watching it and listening to the soundtrack and we also played them for our own kids,” the band continues. “So, it holds a special place in our hearts and felt like the rare song that could connect to a very wide range of listeners across many generations. Finally, the fact that the movie celebrates its 30th anniversary this year was just the icing on the cake! It’s such an honor to offer our own version of this song and to cover such an iconic artist like Sir Elton John. We’re not sure if he heard the song or not, but we hope he will enjoy this new version and feel like we did it justice.”
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The band is set to perform the song on Aug. 9 at the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
According to a release, the collection will feature a number of alternative, rock and pop punk bands reworking popular Disney songs, as well as a fresh streetwise look for Mickey and his friends, with Goofy and Donald Duck slipping into sneakers, skinny jeans and backwards baseball caps for the celebration.
Guitarist Jeff Stinco teased out the collaboration earlier this week when the band posted a video of him taking a Disney-centric quiz in which someone asked him to choose his favorite Mouse House animated film, with the shredder repeatedly choosing The Lion King over such classics as Toy Story, Ratatouille, Lilo & Stitch and Tarzan.
“Why are you always choosing Lion King?” an off-camera voice asked Stinco as he stood in the shadow of Cinderella’s castle. Stinco silently shrugged and smiled, though the caption on the post made sense once the news was unveiled. “Jeff’s really been feeling the love for The Lion King lately,” it read. “There must be a reason [chin stroke and shifty eyes emoji].”
Then, on Wednesday (July 10), Disney Music unveiled a brief preview of the Simple Plan song, with Goofy and Donald rocking out to it along with Mickey under a banner that read “A Whole New Sound.”
The internet may have gone a little bit too far this time with a joke about Ariana Grande, but luckily, her older brother Frankie Grande is shutting it down before it goes any farther.
After an online hoax accusing the pop star of being — of all things — a cannibal began to take off on social media, the actor took to X to set the record straight Thursday (July 11). “HAHAHAHAHAHA. Wow!” Frankie wrote, retweeting a post about the conspiracy. “This might be the most creative and lowest y’all have ever gone. Reaching new depths daily!”
“Listen, I know my sister’s been eating the girls up for years but this a bit extreme!” he continued. “Besides, she’s vegan. 🌱 See you on tour! 🌈”
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The notion that Ariana is a people-eater appears to have started as a loose prank among fans who were simply following an internet trend. In recent months, people have jokingly attempted to deter others from buying tickets to their favorite artists’ concerts by posting outlandish allegations against those artists — all in jest — so that there’s plenty of seats left for them to choose from once they go on sale.
The latest iteration of the trend involving the “Yes, And?” singer spiraled out of control, however, when some people started to take the faux accusations seriously, with others even spreading false information that human remains were once found in Ariana’s home.
The chaos surrounding the vocalist’s upcoming tour — which hasn’t even been officially announced yet — comes a couple days after she confirmed on the Shut Up Evan podcast that she’s in the process of putting together a “mini little sampling” of shows in support of her Billboard 200-topping album Eternal Sunshine. “It’s something that my team and I are working on coming up with options for,” she added at the time. “It’s for a multitude of reasons not going to be a tour in the way that I used to tour.”
On the same episode, Ariana also confirmed that she’s working on a deluxe edition of Eternal Sunshine. “I’ve been inspired to write more songs and inclined to do this deluxe,” she noted. “I’m really tempted to put a creative button on this storytelling, and I have a lot of ideas.”
In the meantime, the Wicked star has a supportive big brother in her corner. Frankie has long been vocal in his support for his little sis, whom he celebrated in April on National Siblings Day.
“I want to take a moment to thank the BEST sister in the world for being there for me through thick and thin,” he wrote at the time, sharing a selfie with Ari. “From helping me with my sobriety journey to showing up for me at big moments in my life and career. You are the best sister anyone could ask for and I’m eternally proud of you and all the sunshine you continue to spread in this world.”
KCON is once again coming to Los Angeles, but fans won’t necessarily have to be anywhere near the City of Angels to experience performances from ZICO, NCT 127 and more K-pop stars. On Thursday (July 11), the music festival announced that its main stage showcases will air live on The CW Network July 18, starting […]
Sabrina Carpenter is no stranger to spiciness in her lyrics, but in her chicken wings? She doesn’t fare quite as well.
On the latest episode of First We Feast’s Hot Ones Thursday (July 11), the 25-year-old pop star answered questions about her skyrocketing career while eating hot chicken wings with host Sean Evans, and trying not to succumb to spice overload. Before the Scoville levels got too overwhelming, Carpenter addressed complaints about her Billboard Hot 100 top five hit “Espresso,” the main hook of which earned a barrage of memes when the track first dropped in April thanks to its slightly clunky syntax: “That’s that me espresso.”
“So much of what I like is the punchline,” the singer told Evans. “If people don’t know the punchline, it’s like, waste. That’s how I feel about ‘me espresso.’ I’ve heard a lot of people that were like, ‘She should’ve said, That’s that blonde espresso, duh.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, yes. That is another song as well that deserves its spot in the world, but this one for me … ‘me espresso’ just felt like the right thing to say, and it rhymes with the line before it.”
“I just think it’s so funny,” she continued, shrugging. “Maybe everyone’s right.”
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The “Please Please Please” artist also opened up about how the success of her Emails I Can’t Send single “Nonsense” — which she almost always performs with an NSFW improvised outro tacked on at the end — has given her confidence before putting her love of The Beatles to work in a round of trivia. It was shortly after Evans asked Carpenter about her affinity for covering other artists’ songs during her live shows, however, that things started getting a little dicey.
“That was so crazy … You just want to scream,” she exclaimed, exhaling heavy sighs while trying not to yell. She tried to hold it in, but just a few seconds later, she let out a loud, pained, “Oh my god!”
“It’s really, really hot,” she added with tears in her eyes. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Has anyone ever sued you?”
The episode comes about a month and a half ahead of Carpenter’s sixth studio album, Short N’ Sweet, which drops Aug. 23. “Notice I didn’t call it Short N’ Spicy because I like sweet things better,” she quipped through tears at the very end of the interview.
Watch Carpenter on Hot Ones above.