Pop
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Rihanna surprised fans with an impromptu visit to a New York City karaoke bar.
On Saturday (Dec. 28), the 36-year-old singer and entrepreneur made an unexpected stop at Manhattan’s Girls Love Karaoke, where she took the stage to perform “Needed Me” and “Sex With Me” from her 2016 album, Anti.
In fan-captured footage from the event, RiRi can be heard telling the excited crowd that she only had about five minutes to spare, joking that her “battery” was “about to burn out.” The Grammy-winning superstar, also a mother of two, added a dose of star power to the evening while playfully teasing fans who have been eagerly awaiting new music, nearly nine years after the release of Anti.
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Following the performance, Rihanna’s Navy flooded social media with reactions to the karaoke surprise. “Imagine going to [karaoke] night and you get a free Rihanna performance,” one fan wrote on X. Another added, “Awee she’s having fun.” Someone else gushed, “Her voice reminds me of Whitney Houston.”
But not all responses were so positive. “Chii 😭 the mic was bleeding,” one commenter quipped on X. Another person wrote, “Help this is horrible 😭😭.” A third user critiqued, “I didn’t know singing a simple note was this hard.” And yet another questioned, “Is this really Rihanna? My cat can sing better.”
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Some disgruntled fans took to social media to call out the Fenty Beauty founder for performing at a karaoke bar instead of focusing on new music.
“So she wanna f— around with karaoke instead of getting her ass in the booth. wtf Rihanna 😒,” one person wrote on X. Another added, “Karaoke to your own 2016 hits with nothing new released?!!?” alongside a Simpsons meme that read “Pathetic.”
Earlier this year, Rihanna — who shares two young children with boyfriend A$AP Rocky — teased that her upcoming music will be worth the wait.
“I already got stuff that I feel like I could make hits out of,” she told ET in April. “Me and Rocky are really trying to figure out who’s gonna use what because it’s so good.”
In March, Rihanna performed live for the first time in eight years when she took the stage for a pre-wedding celebration for the son of Asia’s richest man.
Charli XCX had a landmark 2024, and she’s looking back on the best moments of her year on social media. “So many highs in 2024 and i cba to post them all but here’s some of my fav memories and fav people. love you all so much and thank you for everything. sorry i’m a […]
Ariana Grande is reflecting on a highly productive and successful year.
On Tuesday (Dec. 31), the 31-year-old pop star and actress looked back on 2024, sharing a series of nostalgic photos and videos. In her Instagram post, Grande highlighted some of the standout moments from the past 12 months, including the filming of her record-breaking musical movie Wicked and the release of her seventh album, Eternal Sunshine.
“a year full of art and heart,” the “We Can’t Be Friends” singer captioned the post. “thank you eternally for your love and support, words truly don’t suffice. i love you always and am wishing you a all a very happy new year !”
Grande’s carousel begins with a stunning shot of her “Sleeping Beauties”-themed look, worn at an afterparty following the 2024 Met Gala. The gallery also includes photos with friends and Wicked castmates, including Cynthia Erivo and Bowen Yang, along with a playful shot of her in a Catwoman-inspired outfit from her “The Boy Is Mine” music video. Several heartwarming pictures with her mom, Joan Grande, and brother Frankie Grande are also featured.
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In her Instagram Story on Tuesday, Grande shared a mysterious clip showing her head tilted against what appears to be film equipment, with the caption, “to be continued…,” alongside a heart emoji. The image is reminscent of one of her Eternal Sunshine alternative album covers.
It’s been a monumental year for Grande. The two-time Grammy winner, who ranked No. 9 on Billboard’s list of Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century, scored her sixth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with Eternal Sunshine in March. Meanwhile, her new movie Wicked became the highest-grossing film ever based on a Broadway musical at the domestic box office, earning $634.4 million worldwide since its Nov. 22 release.
The year was rounded out with a milestone for her holiday hit “Santa Tell Me,” which reached the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time since its release in November 2014. The track landed at No. 9 on the chart dated Dec. 28, after peaking at No. 11 in 2023.
Long before 2025 even kicked off, many artists were already starting to tease fans, hinting or downright saying they should expect new music in the upcoming year.
Take The Weeknd, for example. The artist born Abel Tesfaye began teasing his fans on Jan. 7, 2024, via social media. In an Instagram carousel, he shared the covers for After Hours and Dawn FM, followed by a black square with a giant white question mark in the center and a tiny parental advisory sticker in the bottom left. His caption? A single “3.” He finally revealed the title of the final album of his trilogy — Hurry Up Tomorrow — in September, and the day before Thanksgiving, shared its release date.
Then there was Lady Gaga. Mother Monster surprised the Little Monsters with a simple message at the end of the Gaga Chromatica Ball concert film, confirming that her seventh album is indeed in the works: “LG7 GAGA RETURNS.” But the tease, which debuted on the HBO Max film in late May, did not offer any hints as to when the highly anticipated release would arrive. It wasn’t until her September Vogue cover story that Gaga revealed LG7 would arrive sometime in February 2025. As of press time, a specific release date has not yet been revealed.
And of course, things don’t always go as planned. Joe Jonas announced in July that his new solo album, Music for People Who Believe in Love, would arrive Oct. 18, then shared in a September tweet that the set “is gonna come out later now” because he wanted to add some “final touches.” A new release date has not yet been announced.
With surprise album news, moving release dates and the sheer number of album announcements, it can be hard to stay on top of when new music by favorite artists is arriving. To help make sure fans don’t miss out on big arrivals, Billboard‘s calendar of 2025 new album releases — which will include the most notable releases from artists across genres, spanning hip-hop, K-pop, Latin, rock, pop, country and more — will be updated regularly as new music is announced.
The calendar is organized chronologically by month and week, and includes a section for albums that artists have announced, but have not given an exact release date.
Keep checking back for the latest 2025 album release dates!
January
Beyoncé‘s mom, Tina Knowles, has had a busy week flying her matriarch flag. First, on Friday, she took to social media to defend Bey’s eye-popping Christmas Day NFL halftime show during the game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. When some commenters took issue with the 12-minute set highlighting songs from Bey’s hit Cowboy Carter country-influenced album, Knowles wrote, “It is mind-boggling to me that you would take your precious Christmas day and watch a performance of someone you hate and you don’t think has talent so that you can talk ish about it later.”
Then, on the Run-Through With Vogue podcast Knowles, 70, talked about a recent social media hiccup in which it appeared she liked a post about allegations that her son-in-law Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs sexually assaulted an unnamed 13-year-old girl in 2000; Jay-Z has denied the allegations.
“I’m a protector of my kids and I just feel like that’s my job,” Knowles said on the New Year’s Eve episode of the pod (social media talk begins around 21:30 mark). “And, you know, my kids are always like, ‘Mama, just ignore that.’ But it gets to the point where I’m just like, ‘I’m sorry. This is enough. It’s enough.’ You know? Because imagine being a mother and somebody’s lying on your kid. It’s hard to watch.”
That said, Knowles explained that just because she appeared to like a negative post about Jay doesn’t mean she did it on purpose. “It’s so funny because you know how many times I’ve liked something that was negative about my own children?” Knowles said. “Because if I’m busy and I’m going through the thing, I’m like, ‘Oh, there’s Beyoncé with so and so.’ I like that. And then the fans come back and say, ‘Miss Tina, please erase that because you’re liking some negative post.’ I mean, that’s what happens to 70-year-olds on social media. It’s true.”
Earlier this month, many fans were surprised when it seemed as if Knowles liked a post about the rape allegations against Jay-Z (born Shawn Carter) that are part of a civil suit against the two rappers; Combs is currently in jail awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering and is the subject in more than 10 civil suits related to allegations of sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment and other charges. Combs has also vehemently denied the allegations and Jay-Z has called the suit a “blackmail attempt.”
After Knowles initially liked the post, just days later, the like was gone and she informed followers that she had been “hacked,” adding, “As you all know I do not play about my family. So if you see something uncharacteristic of me. Just know that it is not me !”
Knowles did not take on the allegations against Jay, but she did share some sage advice the rapper has given her about social media etiquette. “I know that it doesn’t understand what I’m saying, and it’s got crazy stuff,” she said of her Insta comments, many of which feature captions that are created using voice-to-text and some of which are misinterpreted due to her Southern accent. “And my son-in-law, Jay will say, ‘Listen, if you’re gonna read somebody, at least spell your words right. Don’t misspell your words, Ma. You can’t do that. Take your time and go over and spellcheck your stuff!’”
While she appreciates the tip, Knowles admitted, “I don’t have time for that.”
The chat also found Knowles talking about fashion and shopping, describing how as a Texas native she’s always appreciated cowboy fashion. “I’ve always worn boots and cowboy hats,” she said, noting that some people used to make comments in not “such a great way” when she showed up in L.A. in her Cowboy Carter finest. She also reminded any lingering haters that costumes she designed for Destiny’s Child back in the day hinted at the family’s Texas roots, with “a lot of fringe and cowboy hats and cowboy boots.”
Britney Spears can’t stop gushing over her younger son, Jayden James Federline, following their emotional Christmas reunion. On Tuesday (Dec. 31), the 43-year-old pop icon took to Instagram to share a series of photos of her 18-year-old son, reflecting on their similar appearances and appearing to praise his musical talents. “Mine forever !!! It’s weird […]
The end is nigh. At least according to a series of ominous billboards that have popped up across the globe featuring the message “The End Is Near” that fans are speculating are part of the elaborate roll-out of The Weeknd‘s next permutation.
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According to fans sightings, the messages — which are written out in six different fonts representing Abel Tesfaye’s various eras — have gone up in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Paris, London and Melbourne, according to fan snaps.
In two posts on Monday (Dec. 30) teasing the tease, Tesfaye wrote “8 beautiful chapters in this story,” accompanied by a composite image featuring iconic looks from those eras — with the same TheEndIsNear branding — followed by a list of his albums. It begins with 2012’s compilation/major label debut Trilogy (which scooped up his three previous mixtapes: House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence), followed by 2013’s Kiss Land, 2015’s Beauty Behind the Madness, 2016’s Starboy, the 2018 EP My Dear Melancholy, 2020’s smash After Hours, 2022’s Dawn FM and his upcoming sixth studio album.
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In a second post, he shared a 24-second video of “The End Is Near” billboards compiled on a digital display atop a building on a busy street. At press time a spokesperson for the singer had not returned Billboard‘s request for additional information on the billboards.
Tesfaye has been teasing his next LP for months, with Hurry Up Tomorrow slated for release on Jan. 24. The set will be the third and final installment of the latest trilogy in the Weeknd’s career, following on the heels of 2020’s After Hours and 2022’s Dawn FM. To date he has released three singles from the collection, including “Dancing in the Flames,” “Timeless” with Playboi Carti and “São Paulo” featuring Anitta.
He debuted those songs and other tracks from Hurry Up Tomorrow during his one-night-only show at the Estádio MorumBIS in São Paulo, Brazil. Weeknd has planned a one-night-only gig at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles on January 25. Earlier this month he again hinted at the major reboot, posting “New Album, New Tour, New Movie, New Everything.”
In addition to the album, Weeknd is slated to make his feature film debut in the parallel Hurry Up Tomorrow big screen psychological thriller, directed by Trey Edward Shults (It Comes At Night) and co-starring Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan; the film is due out on May 16.
Back in May 2023, in a W Magazine interview, Tesfaye intimated that his next studio release would be his final one as the Weeknd. “It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter. I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn,” he said at the time. “The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd. This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”
Check out Weeknd’s teases below.
It’s an understatement to say that Chappell Roan had a huge 2024. But as the hours ticked down to 2025, the singer was in a reflective mood on Monday (Dec. 30) in an Instagram post in which she ran down her top 10 personal ranking of her most “Iconic” looks of the year. The singer […]
Shortly after Ashley Avignone helped celebrate Taylor Swift‘s birthday, the pop star returned the favor. In photos shared by the stylist on Instagram Sunday (Dec. 30), she and her longtime bestie celebrated another trip around the sun at what appears to be a cozy restaurant gathering, sharing drinks and a colorful cake.
One photo finds Swift — sporting a sleek black top, cherry red lipstick and sharp white-and-black eyeliner — wrapping Avignone in a big hug while seated at their table. Another snap shows off the sprinkle-covered cake the pair shared, featuring pink and purple frosting reading, “Ash is 25 (again).”
“Happy birthday to me, emphasis on the *happy,*” Avignone captioned the post.
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The post comes exactly 10 days after the interior designer shared pictures from Swift’s own birthday bash, which Travis Kelce, Patrick and Brittany Mahomes, the HAIM sisters and more friends also attended earlier this month. The party appeared to be themed around the 14-time Grammy winner’s global Eras Tour, which closed Dec. 8 in Vancouver.
“When she thought she was going to a small, quiet dinner but it was actually a giant surprise party with her friends and family, props included,” Avignone wrote at the time.
Avignone and Swift have been besties for well over a decade, with the latter including the former’s first name in the secret liner-note message for Red single “22” back in 2012. The influencer has also attended a few Kansas City Chiefs games with the “Karma” artist, including the 2024 Super Bowl in February.
Swift seems to be closing out her 2024 by enjoying quality time with family and friends following a blockbuster 2024, which, for her, included spending 17 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with The Tortured Poets Department, winning two new Grammys — including album of the year for Midnights — at the February ceremony and setting a new record for most Billboard Music Awards wins in December, in addition to raking in more than $2 billion at the close of her Eras trek. Over the weekend, she and Kelce stepped out in New York City with Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley, one day after Swift and the tight end went out again on a date night at the private supper club Chez Margaux, per reports.
What’s that on Dunkin’ Donuts’ new menu? That’s that Sabrina Carpenter espresso.
As unveiled Monday morning (Dec. 30), the 25-year-old pop star is the face of a new drink called Sabrina’s Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso, which will become available in stores nationwide starting on New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31). The sweet, hand-crafted drink will feature rich espresso, oat milk and ice freshly shaken together — or, moved up, down, left, right, oh, switched up like Nintendo, you could say — with each order.
In photos showing off the product, Carpenter wears a sparkly pink vest while posing with her new favorite beverage, still in its clear shaker. The musician also stars in a hilarious new commercial for the partnership in which she mixes up her own espresso drink, cheekily telling the camera, “I just love shaking that ess’.”
“Been shaking that ess’ for hours,” Carpenter adds as other people join in on the fun, including her grandmother, who declares while shimmying: “No one shakes that ‘ess like Gam Gam!”
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Then for the punchline: “Oh! ‘Shake that ess” kind of sounds like, ‘Shake that a–!’” the Grammy nominee chirps.
Carpenter is just the latest star to partner with the coffee chain, with Ice Spice joining forces with Dunkin’ for a custom Munchkins drink in 2023. In June, Jelly Roll celebrated National Donut Day with the company and shared that his own stage name was inspired by jelly donuts.
The Girl Meets World alum has also previously leveraged her highly caffeinated smash 2024 hit into a partnership with Van Leeuwen, unveiling a chocolate-swirled espresso-flavored ice cream with the company in June. Her new business move with Dunkin’ caps off an explosive year for Carpenter, who scored her first-ever No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with August’s Short n’ Sweet.
Carpenter also earned her first-ever top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2024, with “Espresso,” “Please Please Please” and “Taste” reaching Nos. 3, 1 and 2, respectively. Plus, the former closed out the year as the most-steamed song on both Apple Music and Spotify.
See Carpenter shake that ess’ in her new Dunkin’ commercial below.