Pop

V & Park Hyo Shin’s ‘Winter Ahead’ Wins Favorite 2024 K-Pop Song in Fan-Voted Poll

V and Park Hyo Shin got festive to wrap up 2024, and it earned them a win on Billboard‘s recent fan-voted poll for best K-pop song of the year.

Getting into the spirit of the season, fans voted for V and Park Hyo Shin’s collaboration, “Winter Ahead,” which won the competition with 50% of the votes. Closely following in second place was V’s BTS bandmate Jung Kook with “Never Let Go.” ATEEZ’s “Ice on My Teeth” came in third, followed by TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s “Deja Vu” and aespa’s “Supernova.”

V has long been open about his love of jazz, and personally reached out to Park — with whom he has a “longstanding friendship,” according to a press release — to record “Winter Ahead” together. The track was written by Jesse Harris, the songwriter behind Norah Jones’ contemporary jazz-pop staple “Don’t Know Why.”

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The 29-year-old superstar also released a hardcover photo book called TYPE 1 over the summer. “V participated in every step of the planning and production, from selecting the travel destination to deciding on the title and the photobook’s components, culminating in a 224-page photobook packed with various moments he wishes to share with ARMY,” according to a post about the project on HYBE’s app.

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Back in March, V dropped his first post-military enlistment single, “FRI(END)S,” which was written entirely in English. The song followed his September 2023 EP Layover.

For 2025, V is set to reunite with his BTS bandmates after the group members all complete their mandatory South Korean military service.

See the full list of results for the 2024 K-pop song poll below.

Billie Eilish’s ‘Birds of a Feather’ Closes Out 2024 as Spotify’s Most-Streamed Song of the Year

Billie Eilish‘s “Birds of a Feather” soared to even higher heights just before the new year, with the Hit Me Hard and Soft track becoming Spotify‘s most-streamed song of 2024.

As announced Thursday (Jan. 2) by Interscope, “Birds of a Feather” moved to the top spot of the streamer’s year-end song statistics in the final weeks of 2024. On Spotify, the song boasted a total of 1.781 billion streams at press time.

The soaring ballad was previously named the third-most-streamed song in Spotify’s 2024 Wrapped, bested only by Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” and Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” at the time. The former’s fizzy summer anthem now has 1.778 billion streams on the platform.

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The news comes less than eight months after the nine-time Grammy winner released “Birds of a Feather” along with the rest of her third studio album. The track reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the LP debuted at the penultimate spot on the Billboard 200. In September, Eilish dropped a paranormal music video for “Birds of a Feather” directed by Aidan Zamiri, and in October, she performed the song on Saturday Night Live.

Eilish is currently on break from her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour, which wrapped its North American leg Dec. 21 after a five-night stay at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. She’ll pick back up again February for a run of shows in Australia in February and March followed by a European leg kicking off in April.

See Interscope’s announcement below.

Jimin’s ‘Muse’ Wins Favorite 2024 K-Pop Album in Fan-Voted Poll

It was a landmark 2024 for Jimin, and the star snagged yet another win in Billboard’s recent fan-voted poll for best K-pop album of 2024.

With 41% of the votes, the singer’s Muse took the victory. However, four of the top five was claimed by Jimin’s BTS bandmates, with Jin’s Happy coming in second, RM’s Right Place, Wrong Person in third and J-Hope’s Hope on the Street, Vol. 1 in fourth. Stray Kids’ ATE rounded out the top five.

Muse marked Jimin’s second solo project following his 2023 Face EP, and the highly anticipated album arrived in July. The effort marked his second straight album to enter at the runner-up position on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, while the set’s single “Who” bows at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Global 200 — his first solo leader on the latter chart.

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Jimin rounded out the year with an immersive exhibit a the Ace Missions Studios in Los Angeles titled “The Truth Untold,” which gave fans a look into his creative process, as well as a peek into his personal diaries, lyric notebooks and other behind-the-scenes materials.

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For 2025, Jimin is set to reunite with his BTS bandmates after the group members all complete their mandatory South Korean military service.

See the full list of results for the 2024 K-pop album poll below.

Christina Aguilera Says ‘No One Deserves an Explanation’ While Addressing Comments on Her Appearance

New year, new mindset! Christina Aguilera took to Instagram on Tuesday (Dec. 31) to shut down comments about her appearance.

The video montage opens with screenshots of countless comments discussing her looks before she shared some powerful highlights from throughout 2024. “This year, doing something a little different.
This is a reminder to everyone that you are your OWN STORYTELLER in your OWN LIFE,” she wrote in the caption. “No one else can dictate who you are. No one deserves an explanation. I am evolved enough to know that nothing comes easy and no one is perfect. Everyone will judge you. No matter WHAT you do. And/ or what you don’t do. Acceptance comes with accepting yourself first. And the difficult journey it takes sometimes to get there.”

See her post here.

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The “Genie in a Bottle” singer shared a similar sentiment in her August Glamour cover story. “I have a maturity now where I just don’t give a f— about your opinion. I’m not going to take it on,” she said at the time. “It must be your responsibility to take up your space. Other people’s opinions of me are not my business.”

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Aguilera has been oozing self-acceptance in recent months, sharing a sultry photo for her 44th birthday last month. In the “Birthday Suit #44” snap, she’s wearing nothing but a black leather hat, matching hot pants and strappy stiletto heels. In September, she also celebrated the 25th anniversary of her self-titled debut album by teaming up with Spotify for one of its Spotify Anniversaries series to reimagine her 1999 LP with a number of special guests. 

Wayne Osmond, Beloved Osmond Brothers Singer, Dies at 73

Wayne Osmond, the second-oldest of the legendary Osmond Brothers, died on Wednesday (Jan. 1). He was 73 years old.

The musician’s family confirmed the news of his death in a statement to Salt Lake City news station, KSL TV. “Wayne Osmond, beloved husband and father, passed away peacefully last night surrounded by his loving wife and five children,” the statement reads. “His legacy of faith, music, love, and laughter have influenced the lives of many people around the world. He would want everyone to know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that families are forever, and that banana splits are the best dessert. We love him and will miss him dearly.”

Following the news of his death, a number of Wayne’s family members took to social media to honor him. Jay Osmond said that he has “always felt the most connected to Wayne out of all of my siblings.”

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“My heart is deeply saddened for the loss of my brother Wayne. It is said that where there is great love there is great grief as we part during our earthly journey,” the post reads. “What gives me joy is to know that my brother ‘Wings’ has earned his wings and I can only imagine the heights he is soaring right now.”

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Merrill Osmond noted in his post that Wayne had suffered a “massive stroke” and was hospitalized shortly before his death. “My brother was a saint before he came into this world, and he will leave as an even greater saint than he came in,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “I’ve never known a man that had more humility. A man with absolute no guile. An individual that was quick to forgive and had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone he ever met.”

He continued, “His departure from this earth will be a sad moment for some, but for those who are waiting for him on the other side, there will be a massive celebration beyond anything we can imagine.”

Wayne, one of nine Osmond siblings, started a barbershop quartet in 1958 alongside his brothers Alan, Merrill and Jay. After getting discovered from a Disneyland performance, the boys were cast over a seven-year period on NBC’s The Andy Williams Show beginning in 1962. When brothers Jimmy and Donny joined the group, they became known as the Osmonds and were the standout teen idols throughout the 1970s.

The Osmond family was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003. Wayne is survived by his wife Kathlyn Louise White and their five children.

Travis Kelce & Caitlin Clark Gush Over Seeing Taylor Swift’s ‘Electric’ Eras Tour in Indianapolis

Travis Kelce and Caitlin Clark relived some of the magic of Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour on the latest episode of New Heights Thursday (Jan. 2), nearly a month after the global trek ended Dec. 8 in Vancouver, B.C.

While serving as a special guest on the podcast hosted by the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, the women’s basketball superstar gushed about the “electric” experience of watching one of Swift’s performances at Lucas Oil Stadium in November, which Travis also attended.

“It’s just a great show and a lot of fun,” Clark said of the pop star’s three-hour-plus show as the Grotesquerie star affirmed, “Ugh, that was so much fun.”

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“My mom was begging me to take her,” the Indiana Fever guard continued. “She’s like, ‘I gotta go, like, everybody’s talking about it.’ I’m like, ‘OK, OK’ … Full Swiftie, turned my mom into a full Swiftie now. Good time, good time.”

Clark added that the show she saw with Travis had been her third Eras Tour concert total, having attended another Indy show the night prior as well as a June 2023 stop in Minneapolis. The Chiefs player previously opened up about hanging with the WNBA star during his famous girlfriend’s Lucas Oil stint in a November episode of New Heights, revealing, “Saw Caitlin Clark there, got to meet Caitlin, she’s awesome … she’s a Swiftie through and through.”

“I wanted to see Tay one more time before this thing got closed up,” Travis also said at the time. “I’ll tell you what, man. The American crowds, they did not disappoint. I heard that it was a lot more rowdy this time around, knowing she was coming back to stop through America one last time before the tour was over with, and I’ll tell you what, man, that thing was rocking. Absolutely rocking.”

Clark also previously shared details about her Indy Eras experience in her TIME athlete of the year cover story. According to the athlete, Swift gifted her with four bags of merch along with a note saying that she and Travis planned on catching a Fever game in the future.

Watch Clark and Travis gush about the Eras Tour on New Heights below.

Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ Rules TikTok Billboard Top 50 Chart

Wham!’s “Last Christmas” becomes the second holiday song in the one-year history of the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart to hit No. 1, lifting 7-1 on the Jan. 4, 2025-dated tally.

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The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity from Dec. 23-29. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.

“Last Christmas” reigns for the first time after reaching No. 2 a year before on the Jan. 6 survey, behind Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” (Carey’s classic appears at No. 3 on the latest list.)

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Concurrently, “Last Christmas” rises 51% in official Billboard-eligible U.S. streams to 69.6 million listens in the week ending Dec. 26, according to Luminate. It holds at its No. 3 peak on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100, which Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” rules for an 18th week.

Holiday-related music occupies 10 spots of TikTok Billboard Top 50, including four of the top 10; Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” re-enters the chart at No. 8, a new peak, while Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” jumps 18-9.

Christmas music dominates the ranking due to the holiday falling amid the tracking period on Dec. 25, begetting a variety of uploads, from dances and lip syncs to creators showing off their gift hauls for the year.

The chart’s top 10 features another newcomer in the top 10, albeit not a Christmas song: Naughty Boy’s “La La La,” featuring Sam Smith, which leaps 19-4 in its second week on the tally.

Though some of the uploads using “La La La” use the original version, a majority of the top-performing clips feature a sped-up sound, generally set to a dance trend.

“La La La” sports a 165% jump in listens to 3.3 million streams in the week ending Dec. 26. It peaked at No. 19 on the Hot 100 in May 2014, Smith’s first appearance on the list.

See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.

Ava Max Asks Fans to ‘Respect My Art’ and Not Leak Her Songs

Ava Max loves her fans, but she doesn’t love it when they leak her music. So on Thursday morning (Jan. 2), the “Sweet But Psycho” singer made a plea to her followers to stop leaking unreleased demos. In an Instagram Story, Max shared a screenshot of what she said was a visualizer for an as-yet-unreleased song called “Phenomenon.”

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“ok yes I have a lot of demos I’ve written that are not finalized records, and I’d appreciate it if you stop leaking these records ^ like this one,” Max wrote alongside a snippet of the mid-tempo dance number with an alluring, Middle Eastern-inspired groove. “It’s a phenomenon-on/ One dance and then it’s gone-on/ One touch can make you wonder, wonder, what’s going on,” she sings on the track.

The note continues: “A lot of records I write do not ever see the light of day and I understand your frustration, but this is not right. I write a lot of records I wish I could put out. This is one of 5 songs I have found today. It’s not right.” Max did not name the other four songs she said she found, but the post ended with a stern warning.

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“I will find out who did this,” she wrote. “Like I usually do. So plz Stop.” A follow-up slide expanded on her plea to fans, adding, “I’ve never posted about this since the leak of my second album prematurely. Plz respect my art so I can keep working on making the songs I wanna put out that make sense for my project, and who I am perfect for you.”

Max broke through in 2018 with her Billboard Hot 100 No. 10 single “Sweet But Psycho,” followed by her 2020 debut studio album, Heaven & Hell. Her sophomore LP, Diamonds & Dancefloors, was released in January 2023 after a several-month delay caused by she said at the time was a leak. She addressed the incident in a since-deleted TikTok in which she explained the delay.

“I wanted to come on here personally and talk about all the leaks that have been happening [with] Diamonds & Dancefloors.  I am extremely upset about it, obviously,” she wrote. “I don’t want anyone thinking I am trying to avoid this or anything. I see what is happening. I, personally, haven’t seen the leaks or where they’re coming from online. I just know that it’s out there and — I don’t know… My team and I are trying our hardest to bring it down. We’ve all worked so hard on Diamonds & Dancefloors and I can’t wait for everyone to hear every single song on the album.”

Last May, Max told Billboard that that she was preparing for her third album cycle with “no heartbreak attached and no man attached.” She explained then that those crucial elements are tied to the vibe of the untitled collection’s debut single, “My Oh My,” which she described as feeling like “the beginning of me.”

“For the first time I’m really finding myself, honing in on healing… I really feel like this is everyone’s healing era,” Max said of the in-process album, whose release date has not yet been announced. She released the dance pop banger “Spot a Fake” in September 2024.

In Honor of 2025, Here Are 25 No. 25 Billboard Hot 100 Hits

Nearly 300 songs have peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, and despite not hitting No. 1 or even the top 10, many remain memorable years or even decades later.

In the 1960s, Rat Packers Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra each extended their iconic legacies with notable No. 25 Hot 100 hits: “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You” and “Summer Wind,” respectively.

In the ‘70s, Billy Joel’s debut hit “Piano Man” rose to No. 25 on the Hot 100. Later in the decade, despite it not being easy being green, Kermit the Frog (with a hand, literally, from Jim Henson) hopped to the same mark with “Rainbow Connection,” his classic banjo-strummed hopeful anthem from The Muppet Movie.

The ‘80s brought No. 25 Hot 100 hits from the likes of Kim Wilde, Scorpions and Prince, while ‘90s songs that reached the rank include entries by Gin Blossoms, Melissa Etheridge and Backstreet Boys.

Since 2000, Dr. Dre (with Eminem), Toby Keith and *NSYNC have all added to the history of renowned No. 25-peaking Hot 100 hits.

(Over on the Billboard 200 albums chart, noteworthy No. 25-peaking collections include Ray Charles’ pioneering Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music; Enya’s mainstream new age breakthrough Watermark; The All-American Rejects’ self-titled debut LP; Jon Batiste’s Grammy Award winner for album of the year, We Are; and ABBA’s Gold: Greatest Hits, which has charted for more than 350 weeks.)

In honor of their enduring legacies, here’s a rundown of 25 No. 25 Hot 100 hits, for 2025.

Happy new year!

Here’s How Rihanna Responded to a Troll Who Called Her ‘Forehead’ & Demanded a New Album in 2025

New year, same Rihanna. Less than one day into 2025, the superstar has already punched in with one of her characteristic comebacks, shutting down a troll who demanded new music and called her a rude name on Instagram Wednesday (Jan. 1). 

The exchange went down on Ri’s latest post, a video she filmed of herself celebrating with friends as the clock ticked down to midnight on New Year’s Eve. “Y’all, I didn’t drink all year,” she excitedly tells the camera in the clip. 

“New Year, New Me,” the Fenty mogul captioned the post.  

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One person in the comments, however, seemed intent on raining on her parade. “We want an album forehead,” they wrote.  

But Rihanna being Rihanna, the “Umbrella” singer was quick to shut him down. “listen Lorenzo!” she replied. “You ain’t cute enough to be calling me by my black name you dizzy f–k!” 

The Barbadian musician hasn’t released an album since 2016’s Anti, which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Since then, she’s appeared on a couple sparse remixes and contributed “Born Again” and “Lift Me Up” for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. The latter tune earned Ri a Grammy nomination for best song written for visual media as well as an Oscar nod for best original song. 

Rihanna has been hinting that a new LP has been in the works for years, but fans have had to get used to taking her updates with a grain of salt. In April, she told Interview that she had “a lot of visual ideas” for her next musical project, but not the songs to match. “Maybe the visual ideas are leading me to the songs that I need to make,” she added at the time. 

Two months later, Ri told Entertainment Tonight that she was “starting over” the album-making process. “I don’t want to neglect the songs that I have, so I actually want to go back and listen to stuff with new ears, with my new perspective and then see what applies and what I’m still in love with,” she told the outlet in June. “I have been working on the album for so long that I kinda put all that stuff aside, and now I’m prepared to go back in the studio. I’m gonna start — give me a second!” 

See Ri’s post below.