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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, The Weeknd and Future are “Double” trouble, Bad Bunny co-signs an ascendant regional Mexican group, and Kim Petras and Nicki Minaj are not, in fact, better off alone. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
The Weeknd & Future, “Double Fantasy”
As The Weeknd’s embattled HBO series The Idol finally premieres in June and looks to prove the doubters wrong, the superstar has preceded the fictional music-industry drama with a new single that should heat up the charts in real life: “Double Fantasy” reunites The Weeknd and frequent co-star Future, who brought Abel Tesfaye into his trap universe on past collaborations like “Low Life” and “Comin Out Strong,” and returns the favor by contributing to The Weeknd’s synth-pop fantasia here. “Double Fantasy” has plenty of double entendres built around a juicy, radio-ready chorus, but works because both A-listers sound especially engaged on the track, making a bid for another hit rather than tossing out a loose soundtrack single.
Grupo Frontera & Bad Bunny, “un x100to”
While Bad Bunny has broken barriers for Spanish-language music across the mainstream over the past year, regional Mexican music has become absolutely dominant in recent months, with multiple artists unlocking chart achievements that would have been unthinkable at the beginning of this decade. One of those artists is Grupo Frontera, who have already established a global footprint despite only forming as a group last year — and “un x100to,” a high-wattage new collaboration with Bad Bunny, will only grow their presence, as the artists share a breezy, charmingly sincere love song about using the final one percent of a phone battery to express how you really feel.
Kim Petras with Nicki Minaj, “Alone”
Alice Deejay’s timeless dance hit “Better Off Alone” gets a modern facelift thanks to Kim Petras and Nicki Minaj, who join forces for a new single that was summer-song aspirations apparent in every detail. The sample propels “Alone” forward, but Petras is steadily in the synth-pop lane of her excellent early singles, and Minaj provides some extra juice to the song in its second half — this is smartly orchestrated pop that offers both low-stakes fun for listeners as well as carries lofty commercial ambitions for its two stars.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Don’t Try This at Home
Hip-hop’s most prolific artist is actually speeding up: a little over three months after YoungBoy Never Broke Again released the sonic left turn I Rest My Case, he’s already back with Don’t Try This at Home, a 33-song opus that offers something for every type of fan thanks in part to its gargantuan run time. The new album may be as long as a feature film, but Don’t Try This at Home never feels like a slog: YoungBoy is adept at telling gritty street stories that command the listener’s attention, and when the guests (Post Malone, Nicki Minaj, The Kid LAROI, Mariah the Scientist) show up, they agreeably switch up the album’s flavor.
Foo Fighters, “Rescued”
“It came in a flash,” Dave Grohl sings to open the new Foo Fighters single, “it came outta nowhere / It happened so fast, and then it was over.” Hearing those introductory words, one can’t help but think of the shocking death of longtime Foos drummer Taylor Hawkins last year, and how the rest of the band must be processing that loss — yet the arena rockers soldier on with “Rescued,” reaching out for help without wallowing in sorrow, and honoring Hawkins’ memory with a song that slams forward with guttural growls, crisp guitar work and, yes, righteous drum fills.
Agust D (Suga), D-Day
With D-Day, Suga not only resumes his Agust D moniker to close out a trilogy of projects that he started in 2016 — the BTS member also grows in front of our eyes, evolving his songwriting and presentation in meaningful ways as more global fans than ever before pay attention to his solo work. Although the boisterous “HUH?!?,” featuring J-Hope, will surely please BTS fans, D-Day also contains several highlights featuring Suga on his own, from the swaying “SDL” to the percussive “Haegeum,” the latter of which boasts some of his tightest rhymes to date.
Kim Petras opened up in a new interview on Friday (April 21) about what it was like collaborating with Nicki Minaj on her latest single, “Alone.”
“It doesn’t feel real still,” the rising star told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1. “Her singing, ‘It’s Barbie and it’s Kim Petras,’ I cried, I was on the floor and then she calls me Kim Petty in it, which all my friends are like, ‘How do we not come up with that our entire lives?’ So she just changed my life in so many ways with that verse and that verse rips, I love her and I’m so inspired by her always, it’s crazy to me. I don’t know how she does it, but she’s just the greatest ever.”
The recent Billboard Women in Music honoree went on to gush over shooting the music video with Minaj for the dance-influenced track, which samples Alice Deejay’s classic 1990 club banger “Better Off Alone,” calling the experience “the best thing ever.”
“Alone” is set to be included on Petras’ long-awaited major label debut album via Republic Records — a project the German singer teased is finally on its way in the wake of her first-ever Grammy win for her Sam Smith collab “Unholy.”
“The Grammys were just a few months ago and really changed my life in a big way,” Petras said. “So it’s crazy that this year just started out with such a bang for me, and then Nicki jumping on the song was just one of the greatest life achievements for me ever in my life, and it’s just been really amazing. It really sped up my album and how people finish it and it’s done now. Yeah, it’s done. It was time to say it.”
The enduring trick of Kelly Clarkson‘s daily Kellyoke segment on her eponymous daytime talk show is that the singer always finds a way to make her carefully curated covers feel brand new in her hands.
Take Clarkson’s s simmering version of Coldplay‘s “Magic,” which she performed on Friday’s (April 21) Kelly Clarkson Show. The already pretty mellow original — which appeared on the band’s 2014 Ghost Stories album — bops along at a medium pace, fueled by singer Chris Martin’s keening “ooh-ooh-ooh” vocalizations, a spare, muffled snare beat and spacey guitars.
Clarkson’s version borrowed the same hypnotic bass strum and spare beat, but amped up the heartache with her signature yearning vocals and flawless runs. “And if you were to ask me/ After all we’ve been through/ ‘Still believe in magic?’ Oh yes, I do,” she sang in her higher register, repeating the last line for devastating emotional emphasis.
The three-time Grammy winner confirmed last week that her anticipated post-divorce record, the 14-track Chemistry, is due out on June 23 and will be split into two sides, “Mine” and “Me.” She also revealed that there are two very unique guests joining her on the collection, actor/comedian/banjo player Steve Martin (on “i hate love”) and legendary percussionist/singer Sheila E. (on “that’s right.”)
“Having chemistry with someone is an incredible, and overwhelming, feeling,” Clarkson said about the record in a statement. “It’s like you have no choice in the matter. You are just drawn to each other. This can be good and bad. This album takes you down every path that chemistry could lead you down. There are many stages of grief and loss on this album. Each song is a different stage and emotional state.”
Watch Clarkson’s Kellyoke cover of “Magic” below.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Global Citizen Ambassador John Legend have been added to the long list of world leaders and activists who will gather in New York next week for the Global Citizen Now summit.
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According to a release, the gathering will bring together “government leaders, private sector executives, grassroots activists, cultural innovators, philanthropic experts, and leading journalists across two dynamic days to make progress on the systemic challenges our world is facing.”
Actresses Katie Holmes and Busy Philipps will also be on hand, along with CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King, who join a long list of expected attendees including: Dubai Cares CEO/Vice-Chairman H.E. Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, New York Times best-selling author Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche, artist Alok Vaid-Menon, model and activist Maria Borges, Nightline co-anchor Juju Chang, restaurateur/author/philanthropist Pinky Cole, Girl Effect country lead – Etheopia Liya Haile, Bloomberg Markets: The Close co-host Caroline Hyde, actress Nomzamo Mbatha, Canadian ambassador for women, peace, and security Jacqueline O’Neill, Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough, Dot Dot Dot founder Laurie Segall, special envoy for the human rights of LGBTI persons, U.S. government Jessica Stern and WEConnect International CEO/co-founder Elizabeth Vazquez.
“Building a future that is fair, equal, and peaceful, with clean air and clean water for everyone, is at the heart of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and reflects the vision of the Global Citizen NOW summit,” said Trudeau in a statement about the summit that will have attendees talking about next steps for immediate action on climate change, the global food crisis, gender inequality, protecting activists and more.
“In New York City, I look forward to advancing our shared progress and advocating for strong global commitments to support gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls everywhere,” he added.
Others slated to participate include: Hugh Jackman, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Bridget Moynahan and Tamron Hall.
Global Citizen NOW will take place on April 27-28 at the Glasshouse in New York City; it can be livestreamed globally on Reuters on Thursday, April 27 at 3 p.m. ET.
Ed Sheeran is less than a month away from completing his mathematical album equation with – (Subtract), and on Friday (April 21), he dropped the album’s opener.
“Boat” serves as a metaphor for depression, according to the singer, and its corresponding music video cements the message with its turbulent seaside landscapes. “‘Boat’ is the first song I wrote and finished for Subtract, it’s where it all began, and a good way to kick off the album,” Sheeran wrote on Instagram announcing the single earlier this week.
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The song follows lead single “Eyes Closed” as the second offering from the upcoming album, which is set to arrive in full on May 5 as the final chapter of the mathematically themed albums he began with 2011’s + (Plus).
“I had been working on Subtract for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be. Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art,” Sheeran previously shared about Subtract.
Two days before the album arrives, the four-part documentary Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All will begin streaming on Disney+ starting May 3, featuring never-before-seen personal archive clips, interviews and performances.
Watch the “Boat” music video below.
Kim Petras and Nicki Minaj teamed up for the ultimate girl power collaboration, “Alone,” which dropped on Friday (April 21).
“Yeah! It’s Barbie and it’s Kim Petras!” the rapper opens the song over a sample of Alice Deejay’s 1998 club classic “Better Off Alone,” before the “Heart to Break” singer lets out her signature “Woo-ah!”
“Alone” follows Petras’ recent string of singles that includes 2022’s Max Martin-produced “If Jesus Was a Rockstar” and 2023’s “Brr,” which she performed at this year’s Billboard Women in Music ceremony before accepting the Chartbreaker Award with a heartfelt speech calling for bodily autonomy and “true equality” for women.
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In February, the German pop princess made history as the the first transgender woman to win the best pop duo/group performance, thanks to her Sam Smith collaboration, “Unholy.”
Listen to Kim Petras’ “Alone” featuring Nicki Minaj below.
Suga of BTS released D-DAY, his debut solo album, under his Agust D moniker on Friday (April 21) via Big Hit Music.
The 10-track studio set was preceded by IU collaboration “People Pt.2” as its lead single and also contains the title track, Hot Trending Songs No. 1 “Haegeum,” “HUH?!” (co-written by J-Hope), “Amygdala,” “Interlude: Dawn,” “Snooze” featuring the late Academy Award-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and Kim Woosung of The Rose)” and more.
Upon dropping the lead single earlier this month, the rapper told Billboard he was “actually a little bit worried” about returning to his solo moniker, saying, “‘People Pt.2’ was made thinking about how people will receive Agust D’s music, which is why we also featured [his former collaborator] IU. It’s kind of a trial to release this music under the name Agust D.”
Along with D-DAY, Suga will be releasing Road to D-DAY, a companion documentary that follows the K-pop idol through the process of creating and recording the studio set. The special is scheduled to premiere on Disney+, which also hosts J-Hope’s J-Hope IN THE BOX and BTS’ Permission to Dance On Stage – LA concert special, on the same day as the album’s arrival.
The newly appointed NBA ambassador is also taking over Apple Music with his very own radio show, Agust D Radio. The first episode aired this week with the rest of the five episodes slated for the next four weeks at 7PM PT Mondays / 11AM KST Tuesdays.
Stream D-Day by Suga as Agust D below.
Billlie has announced a pause on all their scheduled activities following the death of K-pop star Moon Bin, who was found dead in his Seoul apartment on April 19. The seven-member K-pop girl group includes Moon Sua, the younger sister of Moon Bin. She’s the eldest member of the septet which includes band mates Suhyeon, Tsuki, Haram, Siyoon and Haruna.
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An announcement from Billlie’s record label and management agency, Mystic Story, was posted on the group’s official fan cafe. Mystic Story shared the canceling or postponement of all of Billlie’s scheduled activities for the rest of the week, which included rescheduling a fan-singing event to a later date, as well as notice that the group would likely be sharing future announcements pulling out of TV and broadcast appearances. Mystic Story closed the statement by asking fans for their “generous understanding.”
With a five-year gap between Moon Bin and Sua’s K-pop debuts, despite being less than 20 months apart, the Moon siblings became known by K-pop fans and TV viewers.
The two sang and shared the stage (performing a cover of the classic K-pop song, “Candy in My Ears” as the duo called Brother and Sister on the popular music-chart show Music Bank) and made joint TV appearances together (an episode of sibling-focused show DNA Mate had them take part in a “brother and sister bungee jump”).
Moon Sua has expressed her admiration for her brother. During a 2022 appearance on the popular variety show Knowing Bros, the starlet shared that Moon Bin also acted as a mentor in her music career. “Since he’s my senior, he gives me a lot of strict advice about the stage,” Moon Sua shared. “I’m thankful for that.” The Knowing Bros cast of celebrities and comedians praised Moon Bin, calling him “The world’s best man,” “The best shoulders among all idols,” and recalling his physique as he showcased his wrestling skills in a previous episode of Bros.
While ASTRO and Moonbin&Sanha had established themselves in the K-pop industry with chart-topping albums and No. 1 songs, Billlie has just begun rising since entering the scene in 2021, earning the No. 1 spot on the Korean music-chart program The Show just last month with the new single “Eunoia.”
Following reports of Moon Bin’s passing, music label Fantagio confirmed the news with a statement and shared that his family wished for a quiet funeral with other family members, friends and company colleagues.
Playing the titular heroine of the new Broadway musical & Juliet, Lorna Courtney gets to live out many a music fan’s fantasy: belting out Max Martin’s pop bangers to an adoring audience several times a week.
In & Juliet, the legendary songwriter and producer’s beloved hits — for artists ranging from Ariana Grande and Katy Perry to Jessie J and the Backstreet Boys — comprise the score to a totally original story, imagining what might have happened if Shakespeare considered a more enlightened, less tragic ending for his most famous leading lady, and her star-crossed lover too.
For Courtney — who studied opera at New York City’s famed LaGuardia High School (aka “the Fame school”) before discovering musical theater, but grew up loving everything from gospel and jazz to R&B — Martin’s songs were beloved radio hits of her childhood. Still, she treated each she sings in & Juliet as if learning it from scratch.
“I learned it from an acting context, meaning I broke down the songs into verse, chorus, verse, chorus, almost like full complete thoughts,” Courtney says. “[I asked myself,] where would the period be? Where would the question mark or exclamation point be? What am I trying to say in one breath? And it really helps with the storytelling aspect of what Juliet is feeling.”
Max Martin and Lorna Courtney
Jenny Anderson
It helped, of course, that Martin himself met with the lead actors for individual sessions, lending invaluable notes and background on writing the songs they’d be performing. In Courtney’s case, he also offered an unforgettable compliment: that being in the studio with her gave him the same feeling he’d experienced with Celine Dion and Adele. “He’s so supportive. He’s like a proud papa of the show,” says Courtney.
She spoke to Billboard about her personal top Max Martin tracks in the show — some of which she sings, others of which are handled by other characters — along with a few that didn’t make it into the show but that she loved too much not to mention. “All of them are bops,” she says with a laugh. “And with the sound in the theater, it sounds like you’re in the recording studio with us.”
“…Baby One More Time,” Britney Spears
It’s the first song I get to sing in the show, and sometimes when people hear the first words come out of my mouth, there’s a little bit of chuckles, like, “Oh my gosh, she is not about to sing this song…” But when she puts on headphones, the staging and the choreography [show how] she’s using the song to help her cope. Juliet has lost Romeo, someone whom she really loves and cares about, and there’s this idea of “my loneliness is killing me,” which carries through to towards the end of the musical when she sings “Stronger.”
Lorna Courtney in ‘& Juliet.’
Matthew Murphy
“Since U Been Gone,” Kelly Clarkson
I grew up watching American Idol and fell in love with everything about her. This female empowerment, knowing who you are and standing up for yourself, knowing what you want and don’t want – this song represents all of that. In our show, the context is of course within Romeo and Juliet’s story: Since Romeo’s been gone, she’s had a whole other life and moved on. It’s just a fun song – it’s a huge dance number, so much fun to perform, and it’s intertwined really well with the script.
“So What,” P!nk
It has that same energy I love about Kelly. “So what? I’m still a rock star, I got my rock moves” — that’s how I feel in the show, like a rock star, and it feels great. This song is not in the show, but it’s definitely how Juliet feels in the moment.
“I Kissed a Girl,” Katy Perry
When I first heard this on the radio, it was just like… mind-blowing. It was the first LGBT-positive song I ever heard. It was moving toward a more inclusive way of life for someone who grew up in New York City, who was exposed to all the beautiful things about inclusivity here. Of course, it’s so catchy and you learn all the words. [Laughs] “Cherry Chapstick” just stays in your mind. Everyone knows what that tastes like. I don’t get to sing it, but in our show it still honors the LGBTQ+ experience and brings that onstage in a beautiful positive light.
“Bang Bang,” Ariana Grande, Jessie J and Nicki MInaj
I so wish it could be in the show, just because this hook is so catchy, and you love all the artists and what they stand for. It’s that “hell yeah, yes girl” attitude. This is just a song that when it came on the radio, everything would stop, you’d just have to sing it with your group of people and each one would take a part. I would definitely be Jessie J. I’m still trying to learn her riffs!
“2 Be Loved (Am I Ready),” Lizzo
I’m so happy that Max has had the chance to work with Lizzo, or that Lizzo had the chance to work with Max, because this combination is everything. I’m so glad we all embrace and uplift everything she stands for – for body positivity, and female empowerment. It’s amazing how she can write songs that are truth-telling, almost like preaching, but in a pop way, because she has that natural musicality. I so wish that she’ll see this show, because I cannot wait to meet her.
“Problem,” Ariana Grande
I’m so glad I get to sing this – everyone knows this song, the music video is iconic. In the show, I love that this song and [The Weeknd’s] “Can’t Feel My Face” are combined in a mash-up. While the Romeo crew is singing “Can’t Feel My Face,” Juliet and her crew are singing “Problem.” You’d never think these songs would work together, but they do. I think out of all the songs, it’s the most different from the original artist[‘s version], but not in a bad way. I’m telling the story Ariana sings but through Juliet’s lens of what she’s just been through.
Lorna Courtney and the cast of ‘& Juliet.’
Matthew Murphy
“DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love,” Usher
When this song came out I wasn’t grown, so I couldn’t go to the club, but if I was in the club at the time, that song would be playing for sure. When it came on the radio, I would just be dancing in my room to the fullest extent. It’s not in the show, but it’s just a bop — another one where I just know all the words.
“Whataya Want From Me,” Adam Lambert
I remember seeing Adam Lambert on American Idol and falling in love with his voice — the grunginess, the imperfections that made it perfect, and that’s what I love about this song, just the rawness of it. I don’t get to sing it in the show, but the characters Francois and May do. The question [they’re asking] is “What more can I give?” That’s what the song is about. They put it all out there, but there’s no receiving on the other end. And it’s beautiful. Our director really makes it work with the storytelling.
We bet you didn’t have “Kelly Clarkson writes a Troye Sivan diss track” on your 2023 bingo cards — yet the “Angel Baby” singer would like a word with Miss Independent herself over a recent lyric.
In a TikTok posted late Wednesday night (April 19), a shirtless Sivan looked bewildered as he asked his audience, “What did I do to upset Kelly Clarkson?” The clip then cut to Clarkson’s recent debut performance of her new single “Mine” on her daytime talk show.
The captions of the video appear to show Clarkson wailing the words “Troye Sivan/ Who the hell do you think you are” at the song’s final bridge. Adding one final jab, Sivan wrote a demand to the American Idol alum in the caption of his clip, saying “@kellyclarkson drop your location im [sic] ready to fight.”
Of course, Clarkson wasn’t actually taking a swing at the “My My My” singer on her latest single — the real lyrics to “Mine” see Clarkson examining the fallout of her relationship with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock. The bridge lyrics that led to the mondegreen that got Sivan so concerned are actually, “Sabotage, your choice of art/ Who the hell do you think you are?”
Clarkson released “Mine” alongside her other recent single “Me” on Friday (April 14), saying in a statement that she wanted the two songs to speak to the emotional weight of her forthcoming album, Chemistry. “We decided to release ‘mine’ and ‘me’ at the same time because I didn’t want to release just one song to represent an entire album, or relationship,” she said. “There are many stages of grief and loss on this album. Each song is a different stage and emotional state.”
Check out Sivan’s hilarious reaction to the misheard lyric below.
