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Two of the core members of sprawling K-pop boy band SEVENTEEN, vocal unit leader and producer/singer WOOZI and performance unit leader and dancer/rapper HOSHI, have teamed up to release their first single album, Beam. The three-track EP from the group’s “mastermind duo” dubbed HOSHI X WOOZI dropped on Monday (March 10) as the logical follow-up to “Bring It,” a B-side from SEVENTEEN’S second studio album, 2017’s Teen, Age.
The collection kicks off with the slinky “PINOCCHIO,” a Billie Eilish-like whispery ballad that features additional vocals from SE SO NEON’s SO!YoON!, which slides into the banging lead single, “96ers.” With a mix of boy band pop and hip-hop bounce, the song is accompanied by a video in which the men dance and pose like art pieces in a swank gallery as they relish being on display, singing about first meeting as “runny-nosed kids” in middle school, then graduating from newbies to OGs.
“WOOZI and I have always been inseparable since we were young,” HOSHI said in a statement. “We’ve long dreamed of working as a unit, and now that we can finally present BEAM to the world, I’m beyond excited. This album truly reflects the kind of music we want to create, so we’re planning to fully enjoy ourselves on stage.”
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WOOZI added, “It’s an incredible experience to release a new album with my closest friend in life. We had an absolute blast working on it, and I believe that energy is what makes this album so honest and true to us.”
The EP wraps up with another high-energy, dance floor-ready house track, “Stupid Idiot.”
This year marks the 10th anniversary for the SEVENTEEN — which also features S.COUPS, JEONGHAN, JOSHUA, JUN, WONWOO, THE 8, MINGYU, DK, SEUNGKWAN, VERNON and DINO — who earlier this year released “Bad Influence,” their collab with Pharrell Williams that soundtracked the producer’s Louis Vuitton 2025 Paris menswear show. Last year, SEVENTEEN released their 21-track greatest hits collection, 17 Is Right Here, followed by the Spill the Feels EP in November.
Listen to Beam and watch the “96ers” video below.
BLACKPINK‘s JENNIE snares Dua Lipa in her glittery web in the trippy video for the K-pop superstar’s solo track “Handlebars.” The dreamy visual for the mid-tempo tune directed by BRTHR (Charli XCX, the Weeknd) dropped on Monday morning (March 10) and it opens with JENNIE using a two-wheeled metaphor to lament her proclivity for falling […]
While BLACKPINK did not debut until the summer of 2016, Korean label YG Entertainment first introduced JENNIE to the world in early 2012 by releasing a photo of the then-16-year-old K-pop hopeful with the caption “Who’s That Girl?” on its company blog. The watchful online community of music fans instantly fell in love with her, […]
Rick Springfield recently found out that a bad fall he took in 2000 resulted in brain damage. The 75-year-old “Jessie’s Girl” singer revealed to People magazine that after getting a whole-body MRI scan he was told that he still has lasting brain damage from an on-stage tumble during a Las Vegas show 25 years ago.
“I fell 25 feet, hit my head and then wood came down and hit my head, and then my head hit the stage again,” Springfield said of the nasty fall. “I thought I had just broken my wrist, but on the scan I found out I have some brain damage from the fall, so I’m working on trying to repair that.” Unlike most people, who Springfield said “don’t want to know what’s wrong with them,” the singer and former soap opera star said he’s the “opposite.”
And with good reason.
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One of the them is because Springfield is very attuned to what is going on with his body after his father “died from now wanting to know.” According to the singer, his dad believed he had stomach cancer for years, but never got it checked out. “When he finally collapsed one day at home, they found out it was an ulcer that burst, and he died from the loss of blood. It could have been fixed if he had gotten it checked out,” Springfield said, calling the incident a “giant message” for him.
“If you want to live long, you have to be prepared for some bad news now and then,” he said. “I could find out I have terminal cancer tomorrow and be dead in a year, but I can only do all I can do.”
Despite being halfway through his seventh decade, the singer said he’s still feeling like he’s in his 20s in his head thanks to daily exercise, a mostly pescatarian diet and the dialing back of his alcohol intake a few years ago, which has also had a positive impact on his lifelong battle with depression.
One adage about aging Springfield said he does not abide by is that “bulls–t” about how “wisdom comes with age… Wisdom comes with digging and looking at yourself,” he said. “It doesn’t automatically come.”
Springfield released his Big Hits: Rick Springfield’s Greatest Hits, Volume 2 in December, which features the Foo Fighters team-up “The Man That Never Was,” as well as “I’ll Make You Happy,” “What’s Victoria’s Secret?,” “Wide Awake,” “Our Ship’s Sinking,” “Light This Party Up” and many more. He’s also slated to hit the road on the I Want My 80s Tour this summer alongside such fellow 1980s stars as John Waite, Wang Chung, Paul Young and John Cafferty.
Baylee Littrell proved that talent definitely doesn’t skip a generation. The 22-year-old did not shy away from his famous father on Sunday night (March 9) during his audition on American Idol‘s season 23 premiere. “There’s something about you that looks familiar,” new judge and former champ Carrie Underwood told the handsome Georgia singer who definitely has his dad’s smile.
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Rather than tamp down the connection, the video package introducing Baylee leaned hard into his “nepo baby” status, beginning with a throwback video of the singer as a toddler on stage with his dad, Backstreet Boys legend Brian Littrell, who announces, “this is the new generation of Backstreet Boys.”
“And you look like your dad!” Underwood said, as fellow judge Luke Bryan apologized, “You must forgive me, I didn’t have your dad’s posters in my room.” In a montage of some of his dad’s biggest moments, Baylee said he definitely got his voice from his father. “I guess you could say music runs in our family,” he said while pulling off a clunky spin and admitting, “dance moves-wise that is the one thing genetically that did not pass down.”
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And if you think it would be intimidating to give music a shot when your pops is one of the biggest boy band stars of all time, Baylee agreed. “Following in my dad’s footsteps is scary,” Baylee said. “Because his career to me is one of the most extraordinary in music history.” In one of the most touching moments, Baylee recalled the time when he was eight or nine and he got to open up for the BSB at a huge arena show and play his “two little songs.”
Ramping up the emotion, Brian Littrell said he’s always told everyone that his son is “ten times more talented” that he is, something Baylee proved when he sang an “emotional” original about wanting to give up called “Waiting on Myself to Die.” When Baylee began strumming his acoustic guitar and crooning the song’s turbulent lyrics — “I don’t know what to do anymore/ I seem to be by all alone this war” — the judges leaned forward in rapt attention.
“You’re really good,” Underwood said. “Like, you’re really good. I loved the song,” she added about the risk of playing an original while telling Baylee that she thinks he can go “very, very far” in the competition. Proud papa Brian was near tears after the performance, bragging that he also thinks his son could go far in the family business. “We’re super proud. He’s obviously grown up in the business and He’s cut out for it,” Brian said.
Bryan asked if father and son ever sing together, which got Brian out on the audition stage to harmonize on the original’s chorus with Baylee. “I’m very happy for you and very proud of your son,” said judge Lionel Richie. “He’s got his own lane and I think you can go a long way. Very happy for you.”
Baylee, of course, made it through to Hollywood, leading to waterworks for both him and his dad.
And, for the record, this isn’t his first rodeo. Baylee has released a number of single to date, including the emotional single “Boxes” in 2019, whose video featured father and son together. The song was the follow up to Baylee’s debut track, “Don’t Knock It,” which the then-rising country singer got to work out when he hit the road with Backstreet for their DNA world tour.
Watch Baylee Littrell’s audition below.
https://twitter.com/RyanSeacrest/status/1898932080228315448
Britney Spears had a lot to say about famous ex Justin Timberlake in her 2024 memoir, The Woman in Me. And over the weekend, she said even more in her favorite medium: dance. In her latest choreo video, Britney slipped into a pair of thigh-high black boots, a brown stetson hat and a patterned thong bodysuit to bust some moves in front of a roaring fireplace to a classic JT tune.
In the video posted with no commentary, Britney swivels her hips, spins around and shakes it around the room to the strains of “Señorita,” the sensual single from Timberlake’s 2002 debut solo album, Justified. At one point, as the jazzy pop ballad plays out, Britney moves over to the fireplace and appears to get dangerously close to the flames as she drops it low in front of the flaming logs.
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In her memoir, Spears wrote about having an abortion after an unexpected pregnancy with then-boyfriend Timberlake, saying it was something “I never could have imagined choosing for myself, but given the circumstances, that is what we did.”
Despite the pain from the medication abortion — which she called “excruciating” — Spears said she still had love for married father of two Timberlake. “After that, I was messed up for a while, especially because I still love Justin so much,” she wrote. “It was insane how much I loved him, and for me, it was unfortunate.”
Spears has been on a posting spree over the past couple days, also offering up a dance to Otis Redding’s “These Arms of Mine,” with a lengthy commentary on her recent doings. “After a day phone call, yoga, and watching the sunset at 5 which was literally way more beautiful in person … The phone does no justice !!! Time with self trying to teach self love sometimes that’s the hardest thing to do so I get busy and rode horses and got pissed the f–k off because no matter how hard I kicked with my heels he only listened to his trainer !!!” she wrote.
“Finally actually rode the damn horse and got back realizing evenings are meant for substance as you get older so I confess I want wine !!! My mind is too busy and the two classes I was supposed to teach for once I said f–k it and danced for me !!!,” Spears added. “And I did after being on the beach and saving 7 sea shells that to me felt like silk !!! I’m never hungry here I’m just excited so I walk outside and see the fire pit and I swim and feel like a mermaid and I become one with fire 🔥 once again !!! The dirty night gown !!! I have nice dresses too but do you honestly think I feel anyone is honestly worthy of the real me at this point ??? Just motherf–king saying I’d rather serve cow s–t !!!”
She also posted a throwback pic from early in her career shot by legendary photographer Herb Ritts, as well as another dance video in which she rocks a floor-length red strapless dress and one in which she wears a low-plunging cheetah-print bodysuit as she rocks out to Janet Jackson’s “All Nite (Don’t Stop).”
“I dropped four sizes putting the cheetah on — Haven’t danced in a while !!!,” she wrote. “I burned my bathroom down today, ran like a maniac back to the house because there was a pie in the oven and I’m honestly tired of making sense of things these days !!!”
Prince Jackson stepped out in Sydney over the weekend to support MJ the Musical, the Tony Award-winning production that brings his father’s legendary career to the stage.
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The eldest son of the late Michael Jackson attended the official Australian premiere of the jukebox musical at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre on Saturday (March 8), wearing a dark pinstripe suit paired with a purple tie.
Fresh off its global success—including Broadway, London, and Germany—this four-time Tony Award-winning production transports audiences back to 1992, inside the high-stakes creative process of Jackson’s Dangerous World Tour. Through the lens of an MTV documentary crew, the musical explores not just Jackson’s signature moves and music, but his relentless artistic vision and the challenges behind the scenes.
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Producer Michael Cassel, who brought MJ to Australia alongside original Broadway producers Lia Vollack, John Branca, and John McClain, said the response has been overwhelming, “I said Australian audiences would be obsessed with this incredible show, but I couldn’t have imagined just how passionately they would embrace it! From fans dressing up to audiences dancing in their seats, this show has truly captured Sydney’s heart.”
Leading the cast is Roman Banks, whose portrayal of Jackson has already won critical acclaim in the U.S., where he debuted in Chicago in 2023 and has played the role more than 200 times.
This isn’t the first time Prince has shown his support for the production, which debuted on Broadway in 2022 and has since expanded globally. In March 2024, he attended the London preview night alongside his siblings, Paris Jackson and Bigi Jackson, continuing their tradition of honoring their father’s legacy.
Two years prior, he and Paris made an appearance at the 2022 Tony Awards, where MJ the Musical was nominated for multiple awards, including Best Musical. The siblings introduced the cast’s performance of Smooth Criminal that night, with Prince reflecting on their father’s deep love for musicals.
“A lot of people seem to think our dad Michael Jackson changed popular music forever. And who are we to disagree?” he said during the awards show. “But what people may not know is that he loved musicals, on film and on the stage.”
Following its success in New York, the musical has expanded to London’s West End, a U.S. national tour, and now Australia, where it will run in Sydney before moving to other cities.
Michael Jackson remains one of the most celebrated artists in music history, with an influence that continues to be felt across generations. He holds the record for the best-selling album of all time with Thriller and has achieved 13 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. His groundbreaking performances, innovative music videos, and signature dance moves reshaped pop music and cemented his place as the “King of Pop.”
Prince Jackson has remained active in preserving his father’s legacy, often attending events in his honor and sharing personal stories about his upbringing. Alongside his siblings, he has worked on charitable initiatives and music-related projects, ensuring that Michael Jackson’s impact remains alive for future generations.
With MJ the Musical now expanding worldwide, it’s clear that the magic of Michael Jackson’s music still captivates audiences, decades after he first moonwalked into history. Throughout his career, 13 of his solo singles went to No. 1, with 30 of his songs reaching the top 10 and six albums topping the Billboard 200.
Tickets for MJ The Musical are available now at mjthemusical.com.au.
Little Monsters everywhere have spent all day Friday (March 7) rejoicing, after Lady Gaga unveiled her long-awaited new album Mayhem. One of those fans, it turns out, is Gaga’s fellow pop star Bebe Rexha. In a series of posts shared on X, the “I’m the Drama” singer shared her first impression of Gaga’s new album, […]
Daniel Seavey’s bid for solo stardom is no surprise. At 25, Seavey has already been carving his path in the industry for years — first capturing attention on American Idol in 2015, and then making waves as a member of a pop group, formerly known as Why Don’t We. Now, he is once again stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist with the release of his debut album, Second Wind, out today (Mar. 7), using the project to prove that his journey is just getting started.
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Following the formation of Why Don’t We in 2016, Seavey and the rest of the group scored a pair of top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, earned a top 40 hit on the Hot 100 with 2020’s “Fallin’ (Adrenaline),” and toured the world, with sold-out shows alongside the rest of the group later leading to solo performances. Yet Seavey’s pursuit of music stalled in 2022, when Why Don’t We disbanded amid lawsuits between their former manager and then-current management over control of the group.
The ligitation forced Seavey to cancel his 2023 solo tour in support of his debut EP, Dancing In The Dark. The case finally concluded last Thursday (Feb. 27), with a jury ruling that the four ex-band members named in the lawsuit (Zach Herron, Corbyn Besson, Jonah Marais, and Jack Avery) owed their former managers a symbolic $1 each, but could no longer utilize the Why Don’t We name.
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With all the hurdles Seavey has overcome as an artist, he’s not only been determined to solidify his spot in the industry as a solo artist, but to also make his mark. Following multiple EPs and singles throughout 2023 and 2024, Second Wind encompasses the mentality of growing older while clinging onto youth: the project, which was executive produced by Michael Pollack, draws inspiration from early-’00s pop-rock, blending infectious energy with introspective lyrics, and radiating both optimism and artistic freedom.
Determined to reconnect with the childlike joy of making music, Seavey aimed to create something fun and meaningful. Throughout the 12 tracks on Second Wind, he opens up to fans, sharing his struggles and hopes for the future in an honest and heartfelt way.
This month, he’ll embark on his international headlining tour in support of the project, kicking off on March 18 in Dallas and wrapping up in June in Auckland, New Zealand. His jump into a world tour comes as no surprise — Seavey has been anxious to hit the road. In 2024, he built momentum as an opener for Benson Boone’s Fireworks and Rollerblades world tour and Dean Lewis’ Sad Boi Winter run, in addition to a main stage slot at Lollapalooza in Chicago.
Billboard sat down with the star to discuss his album, touring and his plans for the future in music.
Congratulations on the release of your debut album, Second Wind. How does it feel to finally be putting it out for the rest of the world to hear?
It is the biggest relieving moment to have it finally coming out. It was a long time coming, more than I would have hoped, but it also feels really special timing in that I finally got my head out of all the dark clouds of the last couple years and what better way to celebrate that than to have people hear the music that I’m putting my heart into… It nails how I feel, I’m hitting a second wind, and enjoying life right now and excited for [fans] to hear that in the songs.
Can you walk me through how you decided you wanted to create a full album on your own?
I think making an album was always a dream of mine. I’m very musically inclined and I play a lot of different instruments, and I think an album is a great way to showcase the different sides of me and all kinds of different ways in which I wanted to travel musically. And I think this album does exactly that. It goes a lot of different directions, and I think I’ll look back on it and I’ve dreamt of doing as I started making music on my own at 15.
Do you feel any relief knowing the lawsuit has officially come to an end?
One hundred percent. In the sake of trying to get back to a good place, the wind was taken out of our sails and a dark cloud was above us. With that gone, we can breathe again. Time heals, and with time we can take this and crawl back to that standpoint of being friends again… It’s a breeziness in the air that’s unbelievable, and so nice for all of us.
What do you think of Why Don’t We’s legacy, and what do you hope people think of when listening to your band’s past music?
It’s a tricky question for me right now. It’s unfair, and being so transparent, anything that relates to the band – the name, the music – right now I’m in the thick of it, it’s a little traumatic. And I hear the songs and it brings back tough memories but I have such an appreciation for the music and when I think on it a little longer. All the good memories are there. I hope to get my head and heart. I would love to be able to look at it and fully accept it.
The overarching theme of Second Wind is about growing up, and not only reminiscing about your youth, but finding memorable moments to cling onto. Compared to your previous singles and EPs, how different was bringing this album to life?
With all my original EPs, I wrote those in a really tough time… I was in the thick of life being really hard. I wrote those first singles and EPs in my house and the difference was that I was completely on my own for the most of it… I produced the whole thing myself and it was great for that time, but the biggest difference of this last album was that I brought in some people who I love and immensely trust and it really reminded me of how fun music is. I think you can hear it in the songs.
If you could pick a favorite song that you wrote but also to perform what would it be?
It changes all the time — when I was performing last year, I did a couple of the songs off this album. “Sleeping With The Lights On” was a fun one. I haven’t performed “Waves” yet, but I’m really excited for that one. I’m most excited to perform “Eden,” it may or might not make the album.
If there was one song you could encourage fans to listen to off of your album, which would it be?
“The Older You Get.” It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever penned. It really sums up my standpoint and perspective on life. It includes where my life was at and what was going on and the optimism I have.
You opened for Benson Boone and Dean Lewis in 2024, and you’re now preparing for your own global headlining tour this year. How excited are you to be on the road, and what are you most looking forward to on tour?
I am beyond excited… I was so nervous for that first tour, I had no idea of what it would be like to be on my own. It was a completely new experience. I was just a nervous wreck. Since then, even opening and being in the uncomfortable position of opening for people that aren’t there for you and kind of getting to win them over, I feel so ready and comfortable to be back on stage more than ever. I’m dying to be back in front of my fans and really build that bond and I know it’s going to be so special. I’ve been dreaming about it this whole year.
Do you have any fun surprises for the tour that you’re willing to share?
Me being the nerd as I am, I’ve been messing with this Looper [loop pedal] a ton. On my first tour, I don’t think the technology was particularly there to do what I wanted to do, so I kind of made the Looper work, in a sense I wanted to loop all the instruments together to be a one-man band. Looking back on it, it’s giving band class, but I think I cracked the code a little more.
Manifesting your dreams into reality, do you have any fun guests for the tour or collaborations in the future?
Possibly! I’m just getting into those conversations toward the tail end. I was so focused on saying who Daniel was, and I’m definitely talking about certain collabs… We’ll see!
Check out Daniel Seavery’s Second Wind 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, Lady Gaga creates glorious chaos, JENNIE steps into the spotlight and Doechii revisits an old hit for a new single. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Lady Gaga, Mayhem
“I’ve seen Little Monsters be so amazing for almost 20 years. I haven’t seen us like this in a long time,” Lady Gaga told Billboard regarding recent fan enthusiasm online. Their excitement is understandable: Mayhem, Gaga’s long-awaited new album, centers big, brash hooks with the same propulsion of her Fame Monster days, while also mixing in industrial music, disco-funk and synth-rock to her pop approach. If you’ve been a longtime fan or simply want a handful of new bangers to add to your playlists, you’re going to put your paws up to Mayhem.
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JENNIE, RUBY
The extended rollout of BLACKPINK solo projects ends with a bang: RUBY, the debut album from JENNIE, is a pop tour de force, with the K-pop star pulling in an eclectic mix of guest artists and producers — Dua Lipa and Doechii for front-half anthems “Handlebars” and “ExtraL,” for instance, while Mike WiLL Made-It helms four crackling songs on the second half — and convincingly playing the role of the magnetic, effortlessly cool global star.
Doechii, “Anxiety”
The societal anxieties of 2012 might feel quaint compared to those of today, but Doechii has reworked one of that year’s biggest hits, Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know,” into “Anxiety,” which translates the nervous energy of its foundation into a perusal of the rap star’s claustrophobic thoughts (“Can’t shake it off of me / Somebody’s watching me, and my anxiety”).
J-Hope feat. Miguel, “Sweet Dreams”
Speaking of 2012, anyone who fondly remembers Miguel’s Kaleidoscope Dream era will latch onto “Sweet Dreams,” in which BTS star J-Hope brings in the R&B veteran to concoct something rhythmic, romantic and instantly likable, the gentle synths and dueling vocal tones creating a pillowy bedrock for the potential hit.
GELO feat. GloRilla, “Can You Please”
GELO’s “Tweaker” was the sort of viral sensation that results in multiple remixes and a lucrative label deal; “Can You Please,” then, is the high-stakes follow-up, which relies on an always-great guest star, GloRilla, to help stick the landing and prolong momentum. Fortunately, “Can You Please” is as audacious as its predecessor, with GELO’s rumbling flow halting to elongate melodies and emphasize the best one-liners.
TobyMac, Heaven on My Mind
The snappy title track to Heaven on My Mind, which kicks off TobyMac’s ninth studio album, immediately establishes that the project will be a sunnier affair than the singer-songwriter’s last release, 2022’s Life After Death, which followed the tragic passing of his son; indeed, Heaven on My Mind finds the Christian Airplay mainstay uplifting over quicker tempos, while still taking space to process complex emotions.
Tiago PZK, Gotti B
The fact that Teddy Swims is featured on “Sometimes,” the waltzing focus track of Tiago PZK’s new EP, may help the Argentine superstar bring in some new fans from North America, but as a whole, Gotti B extends Tiago’s appeal, with his elastic delivery guiding the 7-song project through dance tempos and slower movements.
Editor’s Pick: SASAMI, Blood on the Silver Screen
After 2022’s Squeeze established SASAMI as an exciting indie-pop singer and producer, Blood on the Silver Screen turns up the volume on every aspect of her persona, and features the strongest songwriting of her career. “I’ll Be Gone,” “Slugger” and the Clairo team-up “In Love With a Memory” are early highlights, but SASAMI’s latest is a widescreen thrill, and deserves to be experienced in full.