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Rosalía‘s ambitious fourth album, Lux, doesn’t officially drop until Friday (Nov. 7), but the Barcelona-born singer has already gotten the co-sign of a lifetime from an artist who knows a thing or two about musical transformations.
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On Wednesday morning (Nov. 5) Madonna posted an image of the album’s provocative cover — on which Rosalía wears a nun’s habit and hugs herself from under her white shirt — on her Instagram Story with the message, “Thank you @Rosalia. I can’t stop listening! You are a true visionary!!!
The high praise comes as Rosalía gears up to release the follow-up to 2022’s Motomami, which found her dipping into pop, reggaetón, hip-hop, electronic and other genres, landing the singer her first album to chart on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at No. 33. Lux is yet another hard turn into an experimental zone, an orchestral, operatic epic recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra that mashes together history and spirituality across 18 tracks on which the singer Rosalía sings in 13 different languages including her native Spanish, as well as Catalan, English, Latin, Sicilian, Ukrainian, Arabic and German, among others.
She spent three years on writing the LP’s lyrics and instrumentation, which reference notable women from Saint Rosalia of Palermo to Chinese Taoist master/poet Sun Bu’er, the biblical figure of Miriam, sister of Moses, and punk godmother Patti Smith. “In general, just to be in this world is a lot; sometimes it’s overwhelming,” she says in her new Billboard cover story. “In the best-case scenario, the idea would be that whoever hears it feels light and feels hope. Because that was how it was made and where it was made from.”
Fans got their first taste of the results last month when Rosalía dropped the single “Berghain,” which features Björk and Yves Tumor and a string orchestra introduction, followed by a Carmina Burana-esque chorus and Rosalía singing in an operatic soprano in three languages. “This album has a completely different sound than any of the projects that I’ve done before. It was a challenge for me to do a more orchestral project and learn how to use an orchestra, understand all the instruments, all the possibilities, and learn and study from amazing composers in history and say, ‘OK, that’s what’s been done. What can I do that feels personal and honest for me?,’” she says about the intensive recording and writing process.
The genre-hopping project has also earned high praise from “Berghain”collaborator Björk, who tweeted out her enthusiasm last week on X, writing, “so extremely honoured to be on this song with rosalía ! it is so thrilling to watch this woman grow : congratulations to her with this incredible album switching genre kung-fu style this concept is fierce !”
Trending on Billboard “[American Life was] the worst-selling album of my career, but one of my favorite records ever,” Madonna told CBS’s Harry Smith on The Early Show in late 2005. “But what I’m grateful for is the ability to just keep — keep doing what I do. And … OK, people weren’t, you know, […]
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Rosalía offers an exasperated laugh as she sits down, having tried on a variety of equally stunning outfits only to end up in the casual clothes she arrived in: black pants and a camo jacket lined with fur. It’s the same jacket she was spotted wearing at a Parisian cafe in early October, seated alone with a cup of tea while poring over the sheet music of a song from the 1900 Puccini opera Tosca.
The Barcelona-born singer’s candid moment with the canonical tragedy was significant — one of many subtle nods that she was pursuing something outside the typical parameters of modern mainstream music. Rosalía studied musicology in college, and over the last eight years has often meshed a wide variety of genres and influences in her songs. But for someone who rose to global fame on the cutting edge of culture, studying the musical notation of a century-old opera communicated a pointed message.
Weeks later, fans began to understand why. On the evening of Oct. 20, she took to Madrid’s Callao Square with giant projector screens, where a countdown unveiled the release date for her fourth album, Lux (Nov. 7 on Columbia Records), as well as its cover art, which features Rosalía dressed in all white, wearing a nun’s habit and hugging herself under her clothing.
Every move Rosalía has made over the past three years while crafting Lux has been considered, intentional and entirely in her own world. Having risen to fame with the flamenco-inspired pop of her Columbia debut, 2018’s El Mal Querer, she flipped the script with her eclectic, energetic 2022 album, Motomami, which spanned pop, reggaetón, hip-hop, electronic and more and became her first album to chart on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 33. But Lux is something different: an orchestral, operatic opus recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra that blends history and spirituality and experiments with form, language (she sings in 13 different ones throughout the album’s 18 tracks) and the very idea of what is possible for a major recording artist in 2025, for a project that’s more Puccini than pop — not that it doesn’t have its moments of catchy relatability.
“It’s like an album she wrote to God — whatever each person feels God is to them,” says Afo Verde, chairman/CEO of Sony Latin Iberia, which works with Rosalía alongside Columbia. “This is an artist who said, ‘I want to walk down a path where few walk.’ And when you navigate inside the album, you completely understand the genius behind it.”
Araks bra, Claire Sullivan skirt, Louis Verdad hat.
Alex G. Harper
Rosalía spent the better part of three years crafting Lux’s lyrics and instrumentation, drawing from classical music, native speakers and instrumentation, and the giants of the past — women including Saint Rosalia of Palermo; the Chinese Taoist master/poet Sun Bu’er; the biblical figure of Miriam, sister of Moses; and even Patti Smith all figure into its cosmology — to create something that feels both worldly and otherworldly, a distinct take on navigating life’s chaos. It was also a period where she experienced personal and professional changes: She broke off her engagement to Puerto Rican reggaetón star Rauw Alejandro, switched management and landed her first big acting role in the forthcoming third season of hit HBO series Euphoria, all while immersed in making the album.
“In general, just to be in this world is a lot; sometimes it’s overwhelming,” she says on a fall day in Los Angeles. “In the best-case scenario, the idea would be that whoever hears it feels light and feels hope. Because that was how it was made and where it was made from.”
“This record takes you on a complete journey; the singing on it is just astounding,” says Jonathan Dickins, who runs September Management, home to Adele, and who began representing Rosalía in June. “I think she’s a generational artist. I’m lucky enough to have worked with one, and now I’m lucky enough to work with another. She is an original.”
To make Lux, Rosalía relied on several of her longtime collaborators — producers Noah Goldstein and Dylan Wiggins and engineer David Rodriguez among them — and tasked them with taking a new approach. “The whole process helped me grow as a musician, as a producer, as a sound engineer,” says Goldstein, who has also worked with Frank Ocean, Jay-Z and FKA twigs. “That’s one of my favorite things about working with Rosalía: I’m always learning things from her.”
She also tapped new collaborators such as OneRepublic singer and decorated songwriter Ryan Tedder (who spent three years DM’ing Rosalía, hoping to eventually work together) and urged them to push their boundaries. “For an artist to give me the freedom to just express myself in that way, God, that is the most fun I’ve ever had,” says Tedder, who has worked on mammoth albums by Adele, Beyoncé and more throughout his career. “I’ve been asked by everybody, ‘What does the new Rosalía stuff sound like?’ And I literally say to everybody, ‘Nothing that you possibly would imagine.’ ”
Alex G. Harper
Fans got their first taste of Lux when Rosalía dropped the single “Berghain,” which features Björk and Yves Tumor, in late October. The song kicks off with a string orchestra introduction followed by a Carmina Burana-like chorus and then Rosalía singing in an operatic soprano voice — in three languages.
For Rosalía, challenging preconceptions about the type of music she, or anyone, can make is part of the point — thinking outside the box, following her inspiration and constantly learning, finding and creating from a place of curiosity and openness to new experiences and ideas. “I think that in order to fully enjoy music, you have to have a tolerant, open way of understanding it,” she says. “Because music is the ‘4’33” ’ of John Cage, as much as the birds in the trees for the Kaluli of New Guinea, as much as the fugues of Bach, as much as the songs of Chencho Corleone. All of it is music. And if you understand that, then you can enjoy in a much fuller, profound way, what music is.”
When did you start working on this album?
I don’t think that it’s easy to measure when something like this happens or starts. The album is heavily inspired by the world of mysticism and spirituality. Since I was a kid, I’ve always had a very personal relationship with spirituality. That’s the seed of this project, and I don’t remember when that started.
How did you approach Lux differently?
This album has a completely different sound than any of the projects that I’ve done before. It was a challenge for me to do a more orchestral project and learn how to use an orchestra, understand all the instruments, all the possibilities, and learn and study from amazing composers in history and say, “OK, that’s what’s been done. What can I do that feels personal and honest for me?” And also the challenge of having that inspiration in classical music and trying to do something that I haven’t done before, trying to write songs from another place. Because the instrumentation is different from all the other projects I have done. But also the writing, the structures, it’s very different.
Chloé dress, shoes, and scarf.
Alex G. Harper
After Motomami, your success and fame hit a new level. How did that help you make this album?
All the albums I’ve done helped me be able to be the musician I am today and make this album now. Lux wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t taken the previous steps. Each album helped me release something, to free myself as much as possible. Every time I go to the studio, it’s from wanting to play around, try something different, to find different styles of making songs. I always try to stay open.
You’ve said Motomami was inspired by the energy of L.A., New York, Miami. What was your mission in making Lux?
It’s made from love and curiosity. I’ve always wanted to understand other languages, learn other music, learn from others about what I don’t know. It comes from curiosity, from wanting to understand others better, and through that I can understand who I am better. I love explaining stories. I like to be the narrator. I think as much as I love music itself, music is just a medium to explain stories, to put ideas on the table. So that’s what this project is for me. I’m just a channel to explain stories, and there’s inspiration in different saints from all across the world. So you could say it feels like a global thing, but at the same time, it’s so personal for me. Those stories are exceptional. They are remarkable stories about women who lived their lives in a very unconventional way, of women who were writers in very special ways. And so I’m like, “Let’s throw some light there.”
What I know is that I am ready, and this is what I needed to do. What I know is that this is what I was supposed to write about. This is my truth. This is where I am now.
What contributes to the fact that the album feels so global is you sing in 13 languages on it.
It took a lot of writing and scratching it and sending it to someone who would help me translate and be like, “This is how you would say this in Japanese. This is how it sounds.” There were so many things that I had to play with and take under consideration. Because it’s not just writing. It’s not just on paper. It has to sound good. There’s a big difference for me when I write, for example, a letter for somebody that I love than if I write a song. It has to have a certain sound, a certain intention of musicality.
It was a big challenge, but it was worth it. It made me grow so much. And I feel like every word on this album, I fought for it, I really wanted it, and then I waited for it, and then it came. It took me a year to write just the lyrics for this album, and then another year of arranging music and going back to the lyrics and retouching. It took a lot of effort searching for the right words: “How is this not just going to be heard, but also, if you read it, how does it feel?”
Rosalía photographed September 24, 2025 at Quixote Studios in Los Angeles. Colleen Allen top and skirt.
Alex G. Harper
The lyrics read like a novel.
There’s a whole intentional structure throughout the album. I was clear that I wanted four movements. I wanted one where it would be more a departure from purity. The second movement, I wanted it to feel more like being in gravity, being friends with the world. The third would be more about grace and hopefully being friends with God. And at the end, the farewell, the return. All of that helped me be very strategic and concise and precise about what songs would go where, how I wanted it to start, how I wanted the journey to go, what lyrics would make sense.
Each story, each song is inspired by the story of a saint. I read a lot of hagiographies — the lives of the saints — and it helped me expand my understanding of sainthood. Because my background is Catholic from my family, so you understand it through this one [lens]. But then you realize that in other cultures and other religious contexts, it’s another thing. But what surprised me a lot was that there’s a main theme, which is not fearing, which you can find shared across many religions. And I think that’s so powerful because probably the fears that I have, somebody on the other side of the world has the same ones. And for me, there’s beauty in that, in understanding that we might think that we’re different, but we’re not.
All of these songs are very personal, but “Focu ’ranni” feels especially so. What was the experience of writing that one?
I found out that there’s this saying by Santa Rosalia de Palermo — she was supposed to get married and then she decided not to; she decided to dedicate her life to God. I thought that something in that was very powerful. I researched her story, and that’s why there’s some Sicilian thrown in that song. It was a challenge to sing in that language. That was a challenging song to do and to sing, but I feel grateful that it exists.
You create a world, and a sisterhood almost, on this album. How does a more playful song like “Novia Robot” fit in?
There was this woman who was very inspiring named Sun Bu’er; she dedicated her life to becoming a teacher of the Tao. And the way she lived her life was unconventional at that time. I thought there was something powerful about her story. Apparently, in order to make a journey, she destroyed her face to be able to travel safely. And she had a partner, she had a family, but she decided she wanted to dedicate her life to spirituality. It was so bold and courageous. And at the end of that song, you hear another voice, which is in [Hebrew], that’s inspired by Miriam, this figure who led an entire people and was a rebellious woman and considered close to the idea of sainthood in Judaism. So I thought that it was cool to have those two voices, the same way how in opera there are so many voices co-existing. So I thought in that song that could happen with that playfulness, yes, and playing with the sound of how Chinese Mandarin would sound.
The album is so operatic and orchestral. How did you begin to immerse yourself in those styles and find the people that you worked with to deliver that?
They’re the people I feel comfortable with, so I love sharing time with them in the studio. For example, I worked on [Lux song] “Mio Cristo” for months by myself in Miami and L.A., and I delayed the moment when I would share it. I wanted to make a song that was like my version of what an aria could be. So I remember just going to the studio after so much work, after so much back and forth with an Italian translator, and I [had been] improvising on the piano, trying to find melodies, to find the right chords and notes. I went to the studio and I shared it with Dylan [Wiggins], with Noah [Goldstein], with David [Rodriguez], and I remember they were like, “Yes. That’s the song. There it is.” So it’s been a lot of isolation on one side — a lot of writing — and then on the other side a lot of collective effort in the studio.
It’s such a vivid album. How are you plotting out how it will look visually?
My sister and I work together a lot. I’m very lucky that I get to just keep playing around and having fun like how we used to when we were kids. Her and I love recommending things to each other, we send books to each other. Having a project together is something I feel so grateful about, the fact that my family is involved — my mother, my sister, they’re very important people in my life, and I feel like I can share everything with them. And on the visual side, it was just playing around with references and imagination, just trying to think, “What can we do with this?” Just playfulness. That’s how I think the best things happen — out of joy.
Have you given any thought yet to what a live performance of this album would look like?
Thoughts are never lacking, but we’ll see. I don’t want to think too much how that would look until that really is happening, if that makes sense. But there’s definitely a lot of creativity with how this could be translated to the stage.
Alex G. Harper
At the same time you were working on this, you were filming the third season of Euphoria, your first major acting role. Was that difficult?
It was very challenging to do both. I was recording the album and producing and checking mixes, everything, while I was shooting Euphoria. I had to divide my mind between both and it was also the first time that I was doing something like this — preparing a character, studying lines. These are new things for me and I’m not used to it. It’s very different from making an album and making music. For some reason, I didn’t completely go crazy, and we’re still here.
Did any of that experience seep into the album?
[Euphoria creator] Sam [Levinson] and I are both very sensitive people. For some reason, whatever he’s creating for me resonates for this moment. When we were shooting, when we spoke about the [show’s] story, I didn’t know him that well. I really admired his work, but I didn’t know how his mind worked, how he is as an artist. I realized he has so much sensibility and I connected so much with that, not just with his work, but also him as a person.
How did that role come about?
I shared that I really wanted to start acting, that it was something that I would love to do. The only thing I had done was [the Pedro] Almodóvar [film Pain and Glory in 2019], and when I was 16 I studied theater for a year. I feel like being a musician and being onstage is being a performer, but I had never experienced it as being filmed, learning lines; it’s a very different job. I had done it with Almodóvar, but I was like, “I would love to do it with somebody like Sam, somebody that has a vision as strong as him. Or someone like Sofia Coppola.” So then I heard the third season was happening and I was like, “I would love to audition.”
You had to audition?
Of course! Because I’m not an actress, and that was really scary. But at the same time, something told me that I was supposed to do it. So I did an audition tape, then met an audition person and then something else, and then it happened.
Rosalía photographed September 24, 2025 at Quixote Studios in Los Angeles. Araks bra, Claire Sullivan skirt, Louis Verdad hat.
Alex G. Harper
At the end of your album, you address the concept of death. Are there things in your life that you worry about not having enough time to do?
No. Whenever God decides it’s time to go, it’s time to go. Whatever I have come here to do, I feel like I’m doing; whenever I have to leave, I will leave. That’s how I try to live. I would love to know how it feels to be 100 years old, but that’s not on me to decide. But I would love to keep writing, I would love to keep making music, I would love to keep learning how to cook better, I would love to keep studying — one day I would love to go to college again and study philosophy or theology — and I would love to keep traveling. There are so many times that I travel and feel like I haven’t seen enough or haven’t had enough time to just experience places.
But for now, I’m dedicating myself to my mission, which is making albums and performing. And for me, performing is an act for others. I don’t like touring. I like to be onstage and I love my fans, so I do it. But I love being in my home, calm, reading, cooking, going to the gym, lifting weights and going to sleep. Literally, that makes me so happy; I don’t need a lot. (Laughs.) When you travel, it’s much harder; psychologically it’s a challenge, always. But I also know that there are other jobs that have so much complexity and challenges, and I feel so grateful that I can be a musician.
What’s the biggest challenge that you feel like comes with this career?
The price you pay, the sacrifice, the amount of moments that you lose with your family, with your loved ones. My grandpa died when I was at the Latin Grammys in 2019, and I was about to perform when I found out. I couldn’t even be at the burial. Those things, I’ll have to live with the sadness and the regret of not being there. Those are things that are not the good side of being a musician: always struggling, always being committed to whatever you’re doing, to the people who are there in the audience that night who paid for their ticket to see your performance. Maybe that’s the thing they’re looking forward to the most that week. The price is really high, but this is what I chose, and I’m fully conscious that this is the decision I’ve made.
In releasing this album, what would success look like for you?
Success, for me, is freedom. And I felt all the freedom that I could imagine or hope for throughout this process. That’s all I wanted. I wanted to be able to pour what was inside, outside. And those inspirations, those ideas, make them into songs. I was able to do that, and I will not ask for more.
This story will appear in the Nov. 15, 2025, issue of Billboard.
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BTS‘ Jimin and Jung Kook are hitting the road again next month. No, the K-pop group has not (yet) announced the dates for what fans are hoping will be their 2026 comeback tour. But the bandmates will be packing their bags for the upcoming second season of their hit reality travel series Are You Sure?!, which will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on Dec. 3.
According to a release, the second go-round of the show was filmed after the duo completed their mandatory South Korean military service and it “captures Jimin and BTS lead vocalist Jung Kook embarking on an unforgettable 12-day journey that spans from the majestic mountains of Switzerland to the vibrant shores of Vietnam. Traveling light with only their luggage, a modest budget, and a trusty guidebook, the pair dive into a mix of thrilling adventures, serene getaways, and spontaneous, fun-filled moments.”
The show will cover their 12-day adventure across eight episodes, with two new ones releasing every Wednesday from the premiere date through Dec. 24. “Viewers can look forward to plenty of heartwarming camaraderie, breathtaking scenery, and the unfiltered humor and chemistry that made the first season a fan favorite,” according to the release.
In the first season, fans watched the pair explore New York state, as well as Jeju Island in their native South Korea and Sapporo, Japan.
The show will be the table-setter for the main course, which will find the pair reuniting with Jin, Suga, RM, J-Hope and V next year now that all the group’s members have completed their military training. Their comeback will come a full five years after the release of their last proper studio album, Be, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in Nov. 2020. Since then, fans have had their thirst for BTS content slaked thanks to a series of solo albums, singles and tours.
Now, the countdown is ticking on what promises to be a big year for the crew, with an album and world tour on tap.
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The breakthrough stories in pop the past month have been few and far between, as Taylor Swift continues to rule the charts with her Life of a Showgirl album and its singles, and most artists have seemed largely content to stay out of her way. One exception is an artist who has been enjoying her greatest stateside successes the past few weeks, just below Swift’s stratosphere: Olivia Dean.
The U.K. singer-songwriter and BRIT School alum currently boasts four hits on the Billboard Hot 100 — her first four career entries on the chart — led by the ebullient “Man I Need,” which cracks the Hot 100’s top five for the first time on this week’s chart (dated Nov. 8). Meanwhile, her sophomore album The Art of Loving debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 three weeks earlier, and has stayed in the top 10 each week since, holding at its No. 6 peak this week.
How has Dean managed this breakthrough? And what can she do for the rest of 2025 to ensure she makes the most of it? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” cracks the Billboard Hot 100 top five this week, moving 8-5. Why do you think the song has become such a breakthrough hit for her?
Christopher Claxton: Olivia Dean has found a unique gap in music and filled it beautifully. Her sound has this timeless quality, it’s the kind of music you might imagine finding in your grandfather’s record collection, but she’s bringing it to a new generation, introducing Gen Z to classic, romantic sounds. She’s not chasing trends or virality; she’s carving out a legacy of her own. That freedom and authenticity is exactly when the magic happens. Her music feels both contemporary and timeless, which is why “Man I Need” has resonated so strongly and broken through to the top five. Kyle Denis: Outside of “Man I Need” being a really well-done and obviously catchy pop song, the song’s soulful foundation also allows it to benefit from the momentum R&B has seen on the Hot 100 in recent months. Of course, it also helps that the song’s TikTok teaser campaign ensured a voracious audience before its release, and her current opening slot on the final leg of Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet Tour certainly doesn’t hurt either.
Taylor Mims: Dean’s “Man I Need” has arrived just in time for cuffing season. The track has enough perky pop stylings to feel like we aren’t quite in winter yet, but Dean’s soulful voice is bringing us into a bundle-up Autumn when it is time to find a partner for the colder months. It is an earnest song about trying to find love and getting on the same page with a possible partner, timed perfectly for the season of commitment.
Michael Saponara: What a fun, playful bop to invade the top five before 2025 ends. A pop piano blended with an earworm of a chorus, you can’t help but sing along and move your shoulders to Dean’s soothing vocals. It’s been intoxicating and I keep coming back for more with every listen. There are themes of yearning for a certain type of lover that everyone can just about relate to at any point in life.
Andrew Unterberger: It just feels like it was the right song at the right time for Dean — I don’t think the song in itself is necessarily all that spectacular, but it’s charming in the ways she’s always charming, and clearly we were at a place where the public was ready to embrace her with open arms.
2. Meanwhile, three other songs are moving behind “Man” on the Hot 100: “So Easy (To Fall in Love)” (No. 43), “A Couple Minutes” (No. 87) and “Nice to Each Other” (No. 94). Do any of these songs feel like a second major hit for her? Christopher Claxton: In my view, the songs most likely to become her next major hits aren’t necessarily reflected by the current chart positions. I’d rank them: “Nice to Each Other,” “So Easy (To Fall in Love),” and “A Couple Minutes.”
“Nice to Each Other” explores the idea of wanting to keep a romantic partner at a distance, but instead of feeling sad, it comes across as freeing, a track you can dance to. “So Easy (To Fall in Love)” is another song that’s immediately infectious and makes you want to move. “A Couple Minutes” isn’t quite a dance track, though it could work for a slow dance with someone special.Overall, none of these songs reinvent the wheel, but they’re far from boring or predictable. Olivia Dean has a way of making familiar themes feel fresh, which is part of what makes her music so compelling.
Kyle Denis: “So Easy” feels like a natural follow-up, it’s already the second-highest charting song from the album and it’s not too much of pivot sonically or thematically.
Taylor Mims: “So Easy (To Fall in Love)” seems to be the natural follow up to “Man.” It seems to be gaining the most traction behind “Man” and has a similar enough sound to satisfy folks who are looking for a bit more. It is also upbeat and playful, so it can easily stand on its own to catch new listeners with lyrical content that still evokes cuffing season. The horn section also make the track feel a bit whimsical for a perfect holiday track.
Michael Saponara: “So Easy (To Fall in Love)” feels like a natural fit for Dean’s next jazzy-pop hit. It’s sitting just outside the top 40 and with more and more eyes on her stateside, I could see Gen Z wrapping their arms around the bossa nova track, which radiates a breeziness that would brighten anyone’s darkest day. Amy Allen gets another notch in her belt on the songwriting side.
Andrew Unterberger: “Nice to Each Other” feels like the logical song to me — and what a great music video — but it’s pretty clear that “So Easy” has the momentum at the moment. Still betting on the former, but hoping we have time and space for both to enjoy a nice moment in the sun. 3. While “Man I Need” breaks into the Hot 100’s top five this week, Dean’s The Art of Loving album remains one spot removed (No. 6) from doing the same on the Billboard 200. Do you think it’ll get there, or will it stay stuck just outside that region? Christopher Claxton: The Art of Loving weaves together piano, strings and drums to create a sound that’s unmistakably Olivia Dean’s, while nodding to her neo-soul and Motown roots. I think the album has room to climb higher, especially as “Man I Need” rises on the Hot 100 and new tracks like “A Couple Minutes” make their debut on the chart this week. Fans will keep streaming the album, and with three songs now making waves, new listeners are likely to discover the tracks and, in turn, explore the album as a whole. I wouldn’t be surprised if it eventually breaks into the top five on the Billboard 200.
Kyle Denis: I definitely think it will get there. The current success of “Man I Need” and other album tracks keep the album afloat, and Olivia’s adult contemporary branding will prime her for the kind of demographic that actually buys music during the holiday season. And, of course, if she pops out with a Grammy nomination on Friday ahead of her SNL debut next week, the sky really is the limit for The Art of Loving.
Taylor Mims: Based on Dean’s current trajectory, The Art of Loving will be in the top five in the coming weeks. Her other tracks are gaining traction, as is her jazzy, soulful sound. Plus, this Saturday she will be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, which will undoubtedly draw plenty of new listeners and boost her numbers making her a shoe-in for the top five the week following.
Michael Saponara: The arrow is clearly pointing up for Olivia Dean, and I expect her surge to continue into the year’s end. While there are plenty of music’s titans in front of her taking up real estate, I do think there will be a week where she sneaks into the top five.
Andrew Unterberger: It’ll get there — possibly in the next couple weeks, possibly after the Christmas clear-out. But I can’t imagine this album is going away any time soon, so eventually the moment will be right for it to make that jump to the next tier.
4. At a time when few artists besides Taylor Swift are making major waves on the charts, Olivia Dean seems to have real things brewing. What do you think is the biggest factor behind her slow-building success?
Christopher Claxton: I think the biggest factor behind Olivia Dean’s slow-building success is her ability to blend genres seamlessly. Neo-soul is in her blood, her mom introduced her to Lauryn Hill’s music, and Olivia’s middle name, Lauren, is actually a tribute to Hill. Beyond her influences, she tells a story with her music: from the first spark of a crush, to the anxiety and excitement of love, to heartbreak and reflection. Dean’s songs are highly relatable, yet they’re delivered through a sound that feels fresh and distinctive, which has helped her steadily gain traction on the charts. Kyle Denis: What fascinates me most about Olivia’s rise is how it both reflects and responds to shifts in the culture. 2024 felt like a year moving away from the cultural domination of pussy rap in the late ‘10s and early ‘20s and general sex positivity. Even if Sabrina got away with most of Short n’ Sweet, for example, her Man’s Best Friend album cover garnered a level of controversy that honestly felt overblown. While Dean is simply making the music she feels called to create, it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. When I read social media moment praising her “class” and “tastefulness,” often while disparaging more sex-forward performers, I can’t help but think about how the overall rise in American conservatism is explicitly and covertly shifting what we consume at the mainstream level.
Taylor Mims: It sounds cheesy, but talent. In a time when we are seeing a lot of quick viral success off a song or two, Dean has been “brewing” for a while. The Art of Loving may be the breakthrough album, but she is on her second full-length album following 2023’s Messy, and has been slowly gaining traction for years rather than finding success overnight. A good opening slot on a major tour can do incredible things for a growing artist and Dean opened for U.K. star Sam Fender (and debuted on single “Rein Me In” with him) earlier this year, bringing her to the attention of a huge audience. Her talent did the work from there.
Michael Saponara: Artist development. Dean boasts a great lineage coming from the prestigious BRIT School that produced music deities like Adele and Amy Winehouse. At 26, she’s lived a little more life than some college-aged artists thrust into the spotlight. Dean’s clearly defined her lithe sound, which comes packaged with a distinct vision for her artistry. There’s more under the hood when it comes to the depths of her creativity, compared to some hitmakers, that appeals to different generations of listeners. It’s one thing to have a pink Instagram profile, compile likes on social media and hit the charts, and it’s another to pass the in-person test with flying colors. With the British singer opening for Sabrina Carpenter on the final leg of her U.S. Short n’ Sweet Tour, the sold-out crowds have made sure to be in their seats early (over an hour before Carpenter takes the stage) and truly engage with Dean’s performance, rather than scroll on their phones and treat an opening act like background noise.
Andrew Unterberger: Her readiness. She reminds me of Sabrina Carpenter — who she’s even opened for on recent tour dates — in that everything she’s done since her breakout started earlier this year reflects someone who seems in all ways prepared for a moment like this: musically, professionally, personally. She looks comfortable in the spotlight, and so it’s not surprising that every release and appearance of hers appears to be drawing more fans into her world.
5. If you were part of Olivia Dean’s team, what would you advise her to do — if anything — in the year’s last couple months to take advantage of the momentum she’s currently building?
Christopher Claxton: I’d advise Olivia to capitalize on this momentum by doing as many interviews and social media connections as possible to keep engaging both new and existing fans. On top of that, dropping a 3-4 song Christmas EP featuring her signature, unique sound could be a smart move, something seasonal but unmistakably Olivia Dean, which could introduce her to even more listeners before the year ends. Kyle Denis: I think they’re doing everything perfectly. If anything, I’d start booking her for some holiday and year-end TV specials to help audiences continue to put a face to Olivia’s name. And start fielding names for a potential “Man I Need” remix!
Taylor Mims: Saturday Night Live is a great next move. Following that, there should be wind in her sails and it is about keeping her top of mind as folks begin to retreat indoors. “So Easy (To Fall in Love)” is a logical next single to push, but “A Couple Minutes” feels like a smart turn. The track is already moving on the charts and resonating with fans, and has both dramatic and cinematic qualities to slow folks down during the hectic holiday months.
Michael Saponara: Keep doing what they’re doing. Opening for Sabrina has been a great look as she continues to check boxes in her ascension to stardom across the pond. Having Dean on popular platforms that will only add to her visibility and further ingratiate her with the pop music scene is a more general suggestion I’d have. I love that she’s going to be performing on SNL in a couple of weeks. Whatever’s ahead in the next few months, you hope Dean’s rise is capped off by holding the Grammy trophy for best new artist on Feb. 1, and then the sky is the limit.
Andrew Unterberger: Some artists do well to keep a low profile on the media front and build mystique through their inaccessibility. That is not Dean: She should be out there doing as many performances and making as many high-profile appearances as she feels comfortable with, making sure she has the chance to win over as many potential converts as she possibly can. Give her enough opportunities and she just might grab ’em all.
Trending on Billboard PinkPantheress was shocked after a fan gifted her a rotisserie chicken during a recent show in Chicago. The singer performed at Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom over the weekend, and during the show, she took a moment when she noticed a fan was carrying a full-blown rotisserie chicken. “Is that roast f—ing chicken […]
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Katy Perry is bruised and battered in a new promo shot for what appears to be her upcoming single, “Bandaids.” The singer who is just a month from winding down her global Lifetimes tour, posted a cryptic image on Tuesday morning (Nov. 4) featuring a somber photo of her face, seemingly worse for wear as evidenced by scratches and bruises on her forehead, cheek, lip and nose.
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With no further explanation, the image also finds her stone-cold visage bracketed by her name and the single’s title, with the caption teasing a Thursday (Nov. 6) release. At press time no additional information was available on the song, whether it’s a one-off or attached to a new album and a spokesperson for Perry had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment.
Perry released her uptempo, dance-focused seventh studio album, 143, last September, which debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The album, highlighted by the singer’s reconnect with producer Dr. Luke, as well as songs produced and co-written by pop savants Max Martin and Stargate, featured the singles “Woman’s World — which peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart — as well as “Lifetimes” and “I’m His, He’s Mine” featuring Doechii.
Perry launched her Lifetimes tour in support of 143 in Mexico City on April 23 and she’s slated to play the first of two shows at Accor Arena in Paris on Tuesday night, followed by shows in Spain, China and Japan, before winding down on Dec. 7 with a gig at Etihad Park in Abu Dhabi. The singer will then take a break and be back on the road next June for a series of festival shows Chile, Brazil, Germany, Madrid, France and Italy.
Following her split from longtime love actor Orlando Bloom in early July after dating on and off for nearly nine years — the couple share four-year-old daughter Daisy Dove — Perry, 41, made her first public appearance with new beau, former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, on Oct. 25. The couple were seen celebrating the singer’s 41st birthday with a date night at the Crazy Horse Paris, leaving hand-in-hand.
The confirmation of their relationship came two weeks after Perry joked about dating rumors during her Oct. 13 London concert, reacting to a fan sign that read, “Katy Perry, will you marry me?”
“You heard I was single? That’s interesting,” Perry responded. “You know you really should have asked me about 48 hours ago.” Prior to that, photos had surfaced of Perry and Trudeau kissing on a yacht after they were previously spotted dining together in Canada shortly after Trudeau was spotted at Katy’s show in Montreal in July.
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Halsey is on the mend after spending the night in the emergency room following her Nov. 2 show in Boston.
The singer-songwriter, who had a two-night stop in Boston for her international Back to Badlands tour, took to Instagram Stories on Sunday (Nov. 3) to share that she experienced a “minor medical emergency” after her concert at MGM Music Hall. Despite the overnight ER stay, she confirmed she would be returning to the stage for her second Boston performance as scheduled.
“Boston I’m gonna be honest with ya, after the show last night I was in the ER till 6 this morning,” Halsey wrote. “Minor medical emergency but I am A-Okay now and ready to rock tonight! But if I’m pacing myself, that’s why!” She added a thank you to the hospital staff, calling them “the absolute best team I’ve ever met.”
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The 31-year-old artist has been open about her ongoing health journey. In 2022, Halsey revealed she had been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder, conditions that she says are now being managed or are in remission. “Both of which I will likely have for the duration of my life,” she wrote in a June 2024 Instagram post. She also lives with endometriosis and previously shared she suffered a miscarriage while on tour at age 20.
This latest health scare comes amid a particularly prolific era for the genre-blurring star. The Great Impersonator, released in October 2024 via Capitol Records, debuted at No. 2 on both the all-genre Billboard 200 and Top Album Sales charts. It also debuted atop Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts. The set earned 93,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending Oct. 31, according to Luminate.
Halsey previously ruled Top Alternative Albums for a week each with If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power in 2021 and Badlands in 2015.
Halsey has charted 20 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including two No. 1 hits: her 2016 Closer collaboration with The Chainsmokers, which topped the chart for 12 weeks, and 2019’s “Without Me,” her first solo No. 1. She’s also earned multiple top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, including Badlands (No. 2), Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (No. 1), Manic (No. 2), and If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power (No. 2).
Trending on Billboard Carly Rae Jepsen is cutting right to the feeling with her announcement that she’s pregnant with her first child with husband Cole Marsden Greif-Neill. The “Call Me Maybe” singer hopped on Instagram on Monday (Nov. 3) to confirm that she and her newlywed husband are going to be parents. “Oh hi baby,” […]
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Hilary Duff‘s musical comeback has an official release date now. The singer announced on Monday (Nov. 3) that she will break a decade-long music hiatus on Thursday (Nov. 6) with the release of the single “Mature.”
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The 37-year-old former Disney Channel star has been preparing to return with her first new music since 2015’s Breathe In., Breathe Out. album and the cover art of “Mature” features a moody triptych of the singer staring pensively into the distance. “So happy this is finally yours to hear. Been keeping this one quiet too long,” Duff wrote in an Instagram post on Monday afternoon (Nov. 3) officially announcing the single and debuting the cover art.
Duff has spent the better part of the past decade focused on acting, including starring roles in the TV series How I Met Your Father and Younger. In addition to the new music, s parallel docuseries chronicling Duff’s long-awaited musical return and personal journey is in the works as well.
Longtime LGBTQ+ community ally Duff recently told Variety that her musical return was a love note to her queen fanbase. “You know it’s all for them. It’s just to impress them,” Duff said about excitement from gay fans about the news. In that same Variety chat, Duff teased that new music was coming “really soon,” adding that she’d been in the studio working with her husband, singer/producer Matthew Koma, and “a few other amazingly talented people.”
The doc, executive produced by Grammy-nominated director Sam Wrench (Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour), promises to give an inside look at Duff’s long-awaited musical return and personal journey. “Embracing the ups, downs, and everything in between, fans will ride shotgun as she balances raising a family, recording new music, live show rehearsals, and preparing to perform on stage for the first time in over a decade,” reads a release announcing the project, noting that it will feature a mix of “vérité footage, stylized interviews, performances, and videos from her personal archive.”
Duff rose to fame on the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire in the early 2000s and then crossed over to pop music in the mid-2000s with Hot 100 hits including “Come Clean” (No. 35) and “Wake Up” (No. 29), with her most recent Billboard Hot 100 appearance coming in 2015 with the Breathe In. Breathe Out. single “Sparks.”
