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Rosé channels some seriously hot/cold vibes in the new video for her solo track “Toxic Till the End.” The Avril Lavigne-like emo pop single from the BLACKPINK singer’s eagerly anticipated debut solo album, rosie, stars Gossip Girl actor Evan Mock, who plays Rosé’s love interest in the visual about a couple who meet cute before flaming out.
“Call us what we are/ Toxic from the start/ Can’t pretend that I was in the dark/ When you met my friends/ Didn’t even try with them,” she sings over the track’s bubbling synths as the clip offers up the screen couple’s origin story. It opens with pink-haired Mock flagging down Rosé’s car on a country road after his bicycle pops a flat.
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Instantly intrigued, she gives him a ride and soon enough the couple embark on a classic rom-com montage of their early, happy days. They chase each other through the lush gardens of an estate, laughing and sharing romantic fireside snuggles and sharing a tender moment where the singer signs her beloved’s cast after he wipes out on his skateboard.
The song’s urgent lyrics, though, hint at the brewing issues just underneath the shiny facade. “Jealous and possessive/ So manipulating/ Honestly impressive/ You had me participating,” she seethes as the accompanying visuals hint at a fast-growing flame quickly fizzling out as Mock appears to cover his phone to conceal a rogue text that heralds the beginning of the end.
Rosé burns out in her car and laments the betrayal hinted at in the song’s title, raging, “I can’t forgive you for a lot of things/ For not giving me back my Tiffany rings/ I’ll never forgive you for one thing my dear/ You wasted my prettiest years,” even as she hints at a complicated love too hard to dismiss in the Ramez Silyan-directed video
“When I was running out of your place/ I said I never wanna see your face/ I meant I couldn’t wait to see it again/ We were toxic,” she adds as the song climbs to a raucous din, before downshifting as the messy couple appear to make up again and Rosé reveals that their “chance” meeting might not have been as serendipitous as it seemed.
In a chat with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about the song that was originally titled “The Ex,” the singer said she wrote the tune after discussing the difficult relationship that inspired it with her friends for years. “We’ve talked about the ex a bit too much, it’s about time that we write a song called ‘the ex’,” she said; she later changed the title to something that felt like a “better punchline.”
“It was actually easy for me to talk about it because it was the thing I was talking about all the time,” she told Lowe about the story she “hated” bringing up over-and-over.
The 12-track rosie includes the hit single “APT.” featuring Bruno Mars — which has spent six weeks so far at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 — as well as “Number One Girl,” “Game Boy,” “Drinks or Coffee,” “Stay a Little Longer,” Not the Same” and “Dance All Night.”
Watch the “Toxic Till the End” video below.
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, ROSÉ tells her full story, Bad Bunny hints at a major new era and TWICE keep rolling out major moments. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
ROSÉ, rosie
The debut solo album from BLACKPINK star ROSÉ may be arriving shortly after her first top 10 hit, the Bruno Mars-assisted smash “APT.,” yet rosie doesn’t sound like a hastily constructed attempt to continue momentum — the 12-song collection is a thoughtfully considered portrait of relationship complications and personal complexities, impressively splitting the difference between intimacy and arena-ready pop.
Bad Bunny, “EL CLúB”
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While 2024 was ostensibly an off-year for Bad Bunny after a whirlwind multi-year run, the Puerto Rican superstar is seemingly gearing up for a major 2025: on “EL CLúB,” his second solo single of the year, he blends propulsive dance music with atmospheric contemplation, the beat hanging in air and never reappearing (although the song’s music video suggests that it will pick back up with a new Bad Bunny project soon enough).
TWICE, Strategy
Placing an exclamation point on another highly successful year, K-pop superstars TWICE toss out another crackling Megan Thee Stallion collaboration (“Strategy”), a surefire English-language standout (“Kiss My Troubles Away”) and a holiday confection (“Magical”) on their latest mini-album, which runs for 20 minutes but covers a good amount of new ground for the collective.
Quavo, Teddy Swims & Luke Bryan, “Georgia Ways”
Quavo, Teddy Swims and Luke Bryan have all followed wildly different professional paths since emerging from the Peach State, but the new collaboration “Georgia Ways” serves as common ground for the three, who bond over college football, Waffle House and late-‘90s Chipper Jones; Teddy Swims is the newest star of the three here, and punctuates the single with some soulful, swaggering crooning.
V x Bing Crosby, “White Christmas”
The sound of BTS member V joining Bing Crosby on this revamped version of the holiday classic “White Christmas” nods to the evolution of popular music as a more global, less time-constrained medium: with the blessing of the Crosby estate, V has made his own mark on a timeless recording, honoring its spirit while bringing “White Christmas” to a new generation.
Editor’s Pick: Khalid & Normani, “Personal”
When Khalid and Normani linked up six years ago on “Love Lies,” they scored a smash duet that lingered around multiple radio formats for months; “Personal,” a follow-up included on the deluxe edition of Khalid’s recent album Sincere, will have its commercial fate determined in the coming weeks, but hearing two gifted R&B singers weave their voices together again makes for a deeply satisfying fan service, and a reminder of both artists’ individual vocal powers.
There’s nothing artificial about Mariah Carey, who has addressed rumors that her 2024 Spotify Wrapped video message to fans was AI-generated. “Bad lighting and a red lip have you all thinking this is AI??” the vocalist tweeted Thursday (Dec. 5), reposting the video in question from a fan account on X. “There’s a reason I’m […]
Lance Bass has had an eclectic career since *NSYNC went on hiatus in 2002. He’s acted on TV in 7th Heaven and Dancing With the Stars, in the movies in On the Line, Zoolander and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and on Broadway in Hairspray, as well as hosting the drive-time radio show Dirty Pop with Lance Bass and training for an (ultimately failed) chance to blast off into space.
But the one thing the singer could not do, apparently, was play it straight for a sitcom at a time when he said that marriage equality was beginning to bubble up in the national conversation. In a chat this week on the Politickin’ podcast, the 45-year-old pop star opened up about his lost bid at a network role after he came out in 2006.
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“I had a sitcom with The CW at the time, and we were about to shoot the pilot and this came out and they were like, ‘We can’t do the show anymore. Like, they have to believe that you’re straight to play a straight character,’” married father of twins Bass said about the unnamed show. “Every casting director I knew, they’re like, ‘Lance, we can’t cast you because they can’t look past… You’re too famous for being gay now that they can’t look at you as anything other than that.’ So, I lost everything, agents, everything.”
Bass called it a “crazy scary situation,” because, he said, “all the examples I’ve ever had of anyone coming out, especially in entertainment, was that it’s a career killer.” Bass came out in a People magazine story in 2006 and told the pod’s host, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Super Bowl champ Marshawn Lynch and agent Doug Hendrickson that he continued to struggle to find work in Hollywood afterwards, though some of those same people have since cast him in other projects.
“I mean, I knew I was gay since I was, you know, 5-years-old,” he said. “But also knew at a young age that was something I was going to have to hide my whole entire life because, you know, it was dangerous, especially growing up in a state like Mississippi where there’s not one gay person, not one out person at all, because it, again, was dangerous.”
The singer also talked about *NSYNC’s financial struggles in the early days and their battles with late manager Lou Pearlman to get paid, which prompted Newsom to bring up the legislation he signed in September — championed by Demi Lovato — that ensures that child and teenage performers who make online content are protected from financial abuse. “Always have a great group of people around you… you have to trust someone,” Bass said.
Alex Warren‘s breakthrough hit “Burning Down” just got even hotter. The singer/songwriter teamed up with Joe Jonas on Friday (Dec. 6) for a new version of the track via Atlantic Records, and Billboard is exclusively sharing a performance video the duo filmed to accompany the song. In the clip, Jonas and Warren trade lines of […]
Ariana Grande has been in the spotlight for more than half of her life. In an interview with YouTube personality Sally this week, the Wicked star got very candid about what that has felt like, specifically how it feels to constantly have strangers evaluating and judging her body. And, in a super honest moment, she had a simple message for people who do that.
“There’s a comfortability people have with commenting on that [my body] that I think is really dangerous. And I think it’s dangerous for all parties involved,” she said, as her Wicked co-star, Cynthia Erivo, held the singer’s hand and comforted her as she appeared on the verge of tears while answering a question about the struggle for women to live up to society’s exacting, often unreasonable, beauty standards
“I’ve been kind of doing this in front of the public and kind of been a specimen in a petri dish since I was 16 or 17, so I have heard it all,” Grande said. “I’ve heard every version of it… of what’s wrong with me. And then you fix it, and then it’s wrong for different reasons. But that’s everything from – even just the simplest thing – your appearance, you know?”
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Grande, 31, said it’s hard to protect yourself from that noise and it’s uncomfortable no matter where you experience such pressures. “Even if you go to Thanksgiving dinner, and someone’s granny says, ‘Oh my God, you look skinnier! What happened?’ or ‘You look heavier! What happened?’” she said. “That is something that’s uncomfortable and horrible no matter where it’s happening… and I think in today’s society there’s a comfortability that we shouldn’t have, at all, commenting on other’s looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes, or health, or how they present themselves.”
Getting animated, Grande said those kinds of judgements about what women are wearing and how their bodies and faces look are “dangerous.” She counted herself lucky to have a good support system that allows her to “know and trust that I am beautiful… but I do know what the pressure of that noise feels like… I just don’t invite it in anymore. It’s not welcome. I have work to do. I have a life to live. I have friends to love on, I have so much love and it’s not invited.”
She added that however you have to block that noise out, whether it’s deleting a toxic social app or blocking trolls online, “you keep yourself safe. Because no one has the right to say s–t!”
The latter comment drew a clap from host Sally, as well as an “amen” seconded by Erivo. “Can you tell I needed that today?” Grande said with a smile as Erivo grabbed her arm and displayed yet another example of the way the two women have openly supported and big-upped each other during the exhaustive press tour in support of the hit movie musical which has already rolled up $372.9 million in ticket sales so far.
Grande has spoken before about fans’ concerns over her appearance, including in a TikTok video last year in which she had similar thoughts about people’s concerns about her body.
“I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies — no matter what. If you think you’re saying something good or well-intentioned, whatever it is. Healthy, unhealthy, big, small, this, that, sexy, not sexy, I don’t… We just shouldn’t. We should really work towards not doing that as much,” she said at the time.
“But I also just wanted to say one, there are many different kinds of beautiful,” she added. “There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful. I know personally for me, the body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body. I was on a lot of anti-depressants, and drinking on them and eating poorly, and at the lowest point of my life when I looked the way you consider my ‘healthy.’ But that, in fact, wasn’t my healthy. I know I shouldn’t have to explain that, but I do feel like maybe having an openness and some sort of vulnerability here, something good might come from it.”
Check out Grande and Erivo’s interview with Sally below.
Sabrina Carpenter is set to headline BST Hyde Park in 2025, marking another milestone in her meteoric rise to pop stardom.
The “Espresso” singer will take center stage in London on Saturday, July 5, with special guests Clairo and beabadoobee joining her on the iconic Great Oak Stage.
Additional acts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Fans can grab tickets starting Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 10 a.m. GMT. Tickets can be purchased here. For those with an American Express card, an exclusive presale began on Dec. 6 and runs until 9 a.m. on Dec. 11.
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This announcement comes on the heels of Carpenter’s landmark year, during which she earned six Grammy nominations and garnered praise from peers like Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift. Notably, Swift recently called her “the pop princess of our dreams” after the two collaborated on an acoustic mash-up of their songs during Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) release event.
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BST Hyde Park has become synonymous with iconic performances, and Sabrina’s inclusion solidifies her status as one of pop music’s brightest stars. She joins an already stellar lineup of headliners, including Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, Jeff Lynne’s ELO, Zach Bryan, and Hugh Jackman.
Carpenter’s appearance at BST Hyde Park will be part of a busy year for the singer-songwriter. She is also set to headline Primavera Sound alongside Charli XCX and Chappell Roan and will embark on the U.K. and European leg of her tour, featuring Rachel Chinouriri as a special guest.
The tour begins at Dublin’s 3Arena on March 3 and includes stops in Birmingham, London, and Manchester. Adding to the excitement, Carpenter recently announced her upcoming Netflix holiday special, A Nonsense Christmas, premiering Dec. 6. The special boasts a star-studded guest list, including Chappell Roan, Tyla, Quinta Brunson, and Cara Delevingne.
Sabrina Carpenter has been rewriting chart history in 2024. She became the first solo artist, and only the second act after The Beatles, to achieve two simultaneous top-three hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her singles “Please Please Please” debuted at No. 2, and “Espresso” peaked at No. 3. Additionally, she became the first woman in Billboard Hot 100 history to have three songs (“Espresso,” “Please Please Please,” and “Taste”) in the Top 10 for five consecutive weeks, surpassing Cardi B’s previous record of four weeks.
Carpenter also achieved a Billboard 200 milestone with her sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet, debuting at No. 1. The album sold 362,000 equivalent album units in its first week, marking her first album to top the chart.
It’s been nearly three years since Jane “Nightbirde” Marczewski, a fan-favorite contestant on season 16 of America’s Got Talent, died of cancer at age 31. However, her legacy lives on through her family, who have been releasing her powerful songs posthumously.
Her latest single, “Still Got Dreams,” arrived first thing Friday (Dec. 6) and features the Mzansi Youth Choir of South Africa, who got the Golden Buzzer on season 18 of AGT by paying tribute to Nightbirde with a cover of “It’s Okay” during their emotional 2023 audition.
The Geoff Duncan-produced track, which also serves as the title track from Nightbirde’s upcoming posthumous album, was written at a particularly devastating and difficult time of her life, as she dealt with a divorce and a cancer re-diagnosis with a very slight chance of survival. She was determined to fight in the compelling, hopeful lyrics, singing in the chorus: “I still’ve got some magic in me/ I can’t see it but I still believe/ The music stopped but I can still sing/ Pretty beat up but I still got dreams.”
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The Mzansi Youth Choir adds to the heartwarming, inspiring nature of the track by singing in isiZulu, “We ngoma ngiyakholwa Kuwe usisibonelo,” which translates to, “I believe music is a wonderful gift.”
“One of the ways Jane inspired the world was through her bravery in facing insurmountable odds,” the late star’s older brother, Mitch Marczewski Jr., shares with Billboard. “The message of ‘Still Got Dreams’ reinforces the fact that even though people may be beat up by their circumstances, they can still pursue their dreams. If there’s ever a time to remind people to pursue their dreams, it’s now.”
All proceeds from Nightbirde’s music, art, books, merchandise and licensing benefit the Nightbirde Foundation, which aims to uplift and support women battling breast cancer. “In addition to spreading hope, we distributed tens of thousands of dollars in grants to help women with breast cancer get the treatments they need to live fulfilling lives,” Mitch says. “The Nightbirde Foundation has been able to inspire women to dream.”
As for what he wants people to remember about his sister, Mitch says Nightbirde’s “faith in Jesus was the ultimate hope that enabled her to be the woman she was,” adding, “We are still amazed at her ability to hold joy and grief simultaneously, even when she was pretty beat up. We miss her dearly and wish she was here to continue to show the world her wit, wisdom, grit and faith.”
Listen to Nightbirde’s “Still Got Dreams,” featuring the Mzansi Youth Choir, below.
Fans have known ROSÉ of BLACKPINK for years. But now, they finally get to meet Rosie. The 27-year-old pop star’s debut solo album rosie arrived Friday (Dec. 6), bringing with it 12 new tracks written during a break from full-band obligations with JISOO, JENNIE and LISA. The dozen of songs include hit single “APT.” with […]
The holiday season is in full swing, and BTS’ V is getting into the festive spirit by teaming up with the late Bing Crosby to release a duet version of “White Christmas” on Friday (Dec. 6). Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In the new rendition of the […]