Pop
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Brat summer is now officially brat autumn! Charli XCX has been teasing her upcoming remix version of her recent album Brat, and she’s confirmed a series of new collaborators via billboards popping up around the United States. So far, Bon Iver and Tinashe billboards have been spotted by fans, indicating that the two artists will […]
At the end of 2022, pop singer-songwriter Mark Ambor felt lost in his music career. Despite recently signing a record deal and releasing his debut EP, Hello World, something didn’t feel right.
“I fell into this routine of teasing a song, [and] if it did well, putting it out, but I was feeling like I wasn’t saying anything I really mean,” he remembers. “I wasn’t digging deep or singing about things important to me.”
To clear his mind, Ambor, 26, embarked on a months-long international backpacking trip with his then-girlfriend — and returned feeling grounded with a whole new wave of inspiration for songs. He quickly wrote the whimsical, acoustic “Good to Be” and now refers to it as the first time he was musically “genuine and fully expressing myself.”
Just a few months later, he struck gold: While playing guitar in his bedroom, he wrote the lyrics, “You and me belong together/Like cold iced tea and warmer weather,” which would become the instantly catchy hook to the cozy, uplifting “Belong Together,” his ultimate breakthrough and first Billboard Hot 100 hit.
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Meredith Jenks
Ambor grew up with a musical background in Pleasantville, N.Y., playing the piano from a young age at his parents’ request. Though the skill took a backseat in high school, he rekindled his love for the instrument as he approached graduation, trading the classical pieces he previously learned for modern-day pop songs. He proceeded to pen his first song that summer, as he grappled with the emotions of having to leave his small hometown to attend Fairfield University in Connecticut. “I didn’t want to leave home,” he says, “and I tried to write a song to get those feelings out.”
He then returned to work that night as a barback and casually sent the song to his parents in a group chat. “My mom was like, ‘Dad and I love this song. Who’s the artist?’ ” he recalls with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Mom, what do you mean?’ It’s me!”
Ambor self-released a few songs while obtaining a marketing degree in college, and upon his graduation in 2020, decided to take six months to completely immerse himself in chasing his dreams as a musician before considering a different job. “COVID happened after I said that,” he recalls. “I got to spend time working on music at home.”
Thanks to a suggestion from a friend, he joined TikTok later that year. He steadily began to grow a following with his cool guy next door vibe: People gravitated not only toward his big smile and curly brown hair, but to his voice and disarming demeanor as well. He soon began posting covers — including breathtaking renditions of Coldplay’s “Yellow” and Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” — as well as a few originals, and ultimately caught the attention of then-independent manager Kyle Thomson, who admits he’s a “sucker” for a great voice over a piano melody and asked Ambor to send a few demos.
“It was so early on in both of our careers,” says Thomson. “I was excited to dive into something that I felt was going to be a fun project to build.” By the end of 2020, Ambor had signed a management deal with Thomson.
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Like Ambor, Thomson knew that some of his artist’s early work wasn’t playing to the singer-songwriter’s strengths. “At the beginning, he told me he wanted to make early 2000s festival, opera-rock music, like Passion Pit or Grouplove,” he says. “I was like, ‘That doesn’t make sense for what I think your qualities are. Why would you take your natural, raspy voice and distort it with synths?’ What he meant [initially] was that he wanted to make music that made him feel the same way that those bands made people feel.”
But after hearing “Belong Together” for the first time, Thomson knew that Ambor had succeeded in his mission. On the heels of his release of “Good to Be” in October 2023 — and its growing popularity on a global scale — Ambor began to tease the forthcoming new track in late December. And following a few months of building hype on TikTok, “Belong Together” arrived on streaming services on Feb. 16.
Ambor continued to stoke the fire well after its release, posting many videos on the platform of him walking the streets of major European cities while on tour and singing its dialed-up final chorus, several of which have compiled more than 10 million views each. Per Thomson, user-generated content and influencer marketing was crucial in making “Belong Together” “as big as humanly possible.”
By May 11, the single debuted at No. 87 on the Hot 100. It later reached a No. 74 high — and has spent 21 weeks and counting on the ranking. It has also reached Nos. 24 and 20 peaks on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and Pop Airplay charts, respectively. “Belong Together” has earned 141.6 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 610.2 million official on-demand global streams through Sept. 26, according to Luminate.
“It has been really surreal to write something that is so heartfelt and authentic to myself and then feel it resonate around the world the way it has,” Ambor reflects. “The way a song can mean something to a fan that’s different than my own experience, but it’s their own story that they’ve attached to a song of mine … that part blows my mind.”
Meredith Jenks
In August, Ambor’s debut album, Rockwood, arrived through Hundred Days/Virgin Music Group, despite some hesitation from the rest of his team to put out a full project too quickly. (Ambor notes the success of “Belong Together” helped in convincing them otherwise.) He split with the label soon after its release, and while he doesn’t divulge much on specifics, he emphasizes trusting his gut while continuing to grow his career.
“I think people sometimes get too caught in the industry of it all,” he says. “Maybe I’ll sign to a major; maybe I’ll stay independent forever. What really matters is putting out good music and meeting and talking to the fans.”
“He has the best work ethic of anyone I’ve ever met,” adds Thomson. “Mark thinks that he can be Taylor Swift, and I’m not going to stop him.”
A version of this story appears in the Oct. 5, 2024, issue of Billboard.
How you like that! BLACKPINK‘s ROSÉ announced that her solo studio album, titled rosie, is set to arrive just in time for the holidays.
“I cannot believe I am finally announcing my first album release to you all,” wrote the K-pop star in an Instagram post featuring the album cover, a closeup of the singer that shows her lying down, blonde curls cascading around her face in waves as she looks at the viewer. In her caption, she goes on to explain that as BLACKPINK wrapped up its yearlong Born Pink World Tour, she found herself at a studio session in L.A., and spent the next year working on music with songwriters and producers, trying to figure out what was next for her.
“I fell asleep many nights feeling confused and lost. But with the support of my dear friends and family, my team, and of course my number ones, I am sat here today excited to announce the date of my album release,” shared the global star, revealing that her album will arrive on Dec. 6 via Atlantic Records. “I have poured my blood and tears into this album. I cannot wait for you to listen to this little journal of mine. Rosie – is the name I allow my friends and family to call me. With this album, I hope you all feel that much closer to me.”
Before signing off, she confirmed one big piece of information for BLINKs: “And yes, it’s a full length album.”
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According to the press release, ROSÉ coproduced and cowrote the album, which includes 12 tracks and is her “most personal and candid” project yet.
Aside from the K-pop supergroup’s world tour and working on her own music, ROSÉ has been busy the past year. Last September, she inspired a Tiffany’s capsule collection that included a locket, earrings and more; attended Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in February and sang along to all 10 minutes of “All Too Well”; partnered with Puma for a campaign in July and more.
ROSÉ isn’t the only member of BLACKPINK with new music. Bandmate LISA has been releasing new music in the past few weeks, including a collab with Rosalia called “New Woman,” as well as a new track titled “Moonlit Floor,” which she debuted at the Global Citizen Festival in NYC and arrives Oct. 3.
See ROSÉ’s album announcement and message below:
The sun will shine on Ariana Grande fans throughout this next week. The pop star just surprise dropped another deluxe edition of her seventh album, Eternal Sunshine, Tuesday (Oct. 1), featuring new live performances of seven tracks — videos of which will go up on her YouTube channel over the next seven days.
Dubbed Eternal Sunshine (Slightly Deluxe and Also Live), the revamped LP features all 13 of the original tracks on Grande’s Billboard 200-topping album, plus her previously released remixes with Mariah Carey (“Yes, And?”), Troye Sivan (“Supernatural”) and Brandy and Monica (“The Boy Is Mine”), as well as the acoustic version of “Imperfect for You.” The new material includes live versions of album opener “Intro (End of the World),” “Don’t Wanna Break Up Again,” “Eternal Sunshine,” “Supernatural” and “Imperfect for You,” along with Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles “Yes, And?” and “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).”
“wanted to surprise you all with one more Eternal Sunshine related something before i head back into my bubble and meet you over the rainbow next month…,” Grande wrote of the release on Instagram, referencing the upcoming premiere of Wicked in late November. “so i performed seven songs (from ag7) with this wonderful group of musicians.”
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The Grammy winner also shared the first video of her performing one of the new live versions — “Intro (End of the World)” — and revealed that the remaining six videos will go up one at a time each day through Oct. 7. “Peaches says thank you for all of your love and that she cannot wait to see you again later,” she added, referring to her Eternal Sunshine alter ego.
In the first video, Grande stands in a dimly lit studio in the center of a group of string players, a guitarist and drummer. Wearing a cream tulle dress and sparkly decals on her eyes, the Victorious alum adds new vocal runs and fresh emotion to the anxiety-ridden track, which begins with her asking the crucial question: “How can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?”
The project comes seven months after the March 8 release of Eternal Sunshine, which spent two weeks at No. 1. Grande has previously treated fans to similar live-performance videos, including the series she dropped in August 2023 to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of her debut album, Yours Truly, and her dreamy Vevo collection of Positions performances.
Watch Grande’s live take on “Intro (End of the World)” above and listen to the full Eternal Sunshine (Slightly Deluxe and Also Live) below.
Hailey Bieber celebrated her fifth wedding anniversary with Justin Bieber on Monday (Sept. 30) by posting a loving tribute to late fashion designer Virgil Abloh. She posted a picture of herself with the beloved fashion icon who created the custom Off-White gown and veil for the model’s wedding on what would have been Abloh’s 44th […]
Lady Gaga is smitten. During a red carpet chat at Monday’s (Sept. 30) Los Angeles premiere of Joker: Folie à Deux the singer could not stop gushing about her fiancé, tech entrepreneur Michael Polansky, with whom she collaborated on her just-released Joker companion album, Harlequin. “It’s just the first time that we decided to fully […]
In one of the many unprecedented turn of events in K-pop this decade, the beloved girl group LOONA experienced an emotional split after terminating contracts with their label before each of the 12 members landed safely to pursue new K-pop paths. Alongside Chuu and Yves‘ new starts as soloists, to five members reconfiguring as Loossemble, the final step of these re-debuts came in ARTMS, consisting of LOONA stars HaSeul, HeeJin, Kim Lip, Choerry, and JinSoul coming together to rebrand themselves, reimagine their artistry and remember their roots as a new quintet.
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After releasing a series of solo and unit singles, the group launched their debut full-length album, DALL, to return the girls to the Billboard charts (main single “Virtual Angel” cracked the Top 10 on the World Digital Song Sales chart, while DALL itself landed in the Top 10 of World Albums), and to the delight of fans and critics alike (even earning a spot on Billboard critics’ Best K-Pop Albums of 2024 So Far list).
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Riding the exciting comeback success, the group is embarking on their ARTMS World Tour ‘Moonshot,’ which has already wrapped its North and South American legs. As they prepare to conquer Europe, Australia, and Asia this fall and winter, ARTMS is eager to reflect on their journey from LOONA to their current iteration.
Sitting down with Billboard at the New York office of The Orchard, ARTMS shine with a sense of unity, growth, and playfulness. HaSeul, more confident than ever in English, jokes about accidentally spoiling upcoming tour surprises, while HeeJin candidly confesses her hair is mostly extensions, JinSoul speaks about immersing herself into the A&R process, Choerry balances the group’s past with an exciting future, as Kim Lip looks ahead to what’s next for the group’s personal and professional lives.
Despite the challenges faced, ARTMS beam with a sense of pride over their collective growth and how they’ve taken control of their music and artistic direction. Here, the five idols discuss their creative evolution, navigating the K-pop industry post-LOONA, and their deep connection to the fans who have supported them every step of the way. Read on for more below alongside exclusive photos provided for Billboard.
I’m so proud to see ARTMS here in New York. Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry toured as ODD EYE CIRCLE, but all five of you are here now. How do you feel about ARMTS’ first shows outside Asia?
HaSeul: I’m so excited and a little nervous too because it’s ARTMS’ first concert and tour.
HeeJin: Of course it feels great, and we have lots of thoughts on starting off strong as New York, a big city, is our first stop for this tour.
Congratulations on your first album, DALL, which got such great reactions. Was it a relief to get such a positive response?
Kim Lip: Since we’re releasing an album as ARTMS instead of LOONA, I was worried yet excited about how the public would react to our music. But we’re getting on the charts and receiving lots of attention, so we felt at ease, and I’m so happy to go on tour and meet with our fans.
HaSeul
Lauren Nakao Winn
How did you five come together and decide to move forward as ARTMS?
HaSeul: I was the last member to join ARTMS, but all five of us are very passionate about music. I think the members who came together and gathered [here] had the biggest will to bring ARTMS to life. When producing this album, I felt how sincere we all were about music…we had many solo and unit albums when we were promoting as LOONA, and you can see it as us continuing that identity. In a way, [ARTMS] can be seen as us taking back our identity. And since our skills are outstanding, we released solo, unit, and group albums.
It seems like you have more ownership and responsibility this time. There must have been pressure, but did it feel like you could share something more personal under ARTMS?
HeeJin: Usually, the company tells us what to do, but now, since we’re active players and debuting again, we wanted to work on the identity of ARTMS. We gave a lot of input in the songs and concepts. Our company took them positively and reflected them in our work, so I’d say it’s an album we produced all together.
I imagine reuniting with LOONA’s original producer, Jaden Jeong, must have been special. Was it fun to return to this production style?
JinSoul: We have had a storyline in our group [LOONA] and the fans like this aspect. We further developed the storyline by working again with Jaden Jeong, who [first] created this storyline — and it’s great to add ARTMS to it as well. While adding ARTMS’ colors, everything became more diverse. We maintained a bit of tradition for the fans, and it’s great to show more sides of us and go deeper.
HeeJin: I think fans love it the most that we’re going with the storylines and expanding onto it.
JinSoul
Lauren Nakao Winn
While we know about LOONA’s contract story, I’m more interested in how all 12 of you found strength and came out of it together?
JinSoul: The members share lots of conversations together. But during that time, we looked into what we could do and thought of methods to use to go through with it.
Kim Lip: The members cooperate well together, so we tend to respect each other’s opinions since we’re like a family. I think that’s how we came to a conclusion.
HeeJin: It’s also meaningless if we don’t do it together. So, we did it all together.
HaSeul: We are a family.
Putting the past to rest, if there are fans — whether they’re Orbits or OURII — who are still worried about you or want to check in, what words would you share with them?
HeeJin: We’re always simultaneously thankful and sorry to the fans. It took a lot of time for ARTMS to debut. Despite that, I’d like to thank the fans for waiting for us. There are also fans who became our fans as ARTMS debuted. We’ll promote more from now on, so please be at ease and keep an eye on us. Don’t worry…
Looking ahead, what are some of the special aspects of the Moonshot tour?
HaSeul: During our concerts in South Korea and Japan, we performed TWS’ “Plot Twist.” But for the USA, we prepared a different song to perform — “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift. I look forward to performing that song the most.
JinSoul: When we performed in Korea and Japan, we changed the choreography of “Sparkle” and “Flower Rhythm” for the concert version. Many fans looked forward to it after seeing the choreography video. We also do different ad-libs at different times, so I’m always looking forward to the various ad-libs we’ll do.
HeeJin: The setlists will be similar, but there are always impromptu changes during our concerts, so the fans can really look forward to it. In Japan, there was a moment we performed the same song twice and a time we’d suddenly go off-stage. I look forward to those kinds of impromptu moments. And, of course, I brought my guitar.
Kim Lip
Lauren Nakao Winn
How has it been reuniting with fans in the States?
Kim Lip: We just had a fansigning today. It was fascinating to hold new events like this fansign during this tour. There was one moment that I remember when one fan started to sing in front of us — the fans are very, how do I say this, open when it comes to expressing their feelings. They’re different from the fans in Korea. I really felt the way they so enthusiastically express their feelings this morning, and it makes me really look forward to our concerts.
HeeJin: That’s why I love it. Even if the fans in Korea really want to express themselves, they are very reserved. But on the other hand, fans in the U.S. openly show their support, so it excites us and gives us lots of strength.
Whether it’s your concerts or album production, what is ARTMS’ creative process nowadays?
HeeJin: We’ve been deeply participating in the process, but shall we start off with an answer from the main A&R member?
JinSoul: Jaden Jeong usually brings forward a lot of the music, but we look into the smallest details of the production. For example, we direct the vocals for each other or select the photos to be included in the album. We also selected the album cover design, hair colors, and styling. We participated in lyric writing this time, too. The company works on big tasks and we give our detailed inputs to showcase the best of us.
HeeJin
Lauren Nakao Winn
What are you really proud of to say you’ve worked on?
Kim Lip: We can proudly say that we wrote the lyrics for “Sparkle.” And the light stick!
HeeJin: We got ideas for the light stick and sent over drafts. The final design was our idea. And personally, during the “Virtual Angel” promotions, I wanted to dye my hair white because I thought an angel had a very white, bright image. So, even though I had to sacrifice my hair, I wanted to do it. I discussed it with my company and went on with it.
You’ve never been blonde; your hair looks great!
HeeJin: This is not my hair. [All Laugh] It’s extensions, my hair looks bad.
I’m sure your hair looks great. But from watching K-pop, it feels like the fans can give artists new chances today. Do you think the industry has changed from when you debuted to today?
Choerry: I definitely wouldn’t have expected this back then. We were very young. The situation the 12 of us went through was saddening, but I’m very satisfied with ARTMS right now. I’m happy to have released great songs with the members, my sisters. I also believe we have lots of time to spend with fans, so I hope we can have fun and come to them with better sides.
HaSeul: I’d say we were able to stand on stage again 100% because the fans were waiting for us. And it was made possible because we have fans. The reason why we look forward to the concerts on tour as the time went by is because we want to show a great performance to the fans who’ve been waiting for two years. We’re really looking forward to this tour.
Choerry
Lauren Nakao Winn
I loved HeeJin’s interview with InternetsNathan when she ranked every LOONA song. To give everyone the opportunity, I’d love for you to choose your “favOriTe” song released from LOONA solo days to ARTMS today.
HaSeul: I think “Virtual Angel.” Since the title song [single] is the song you listen to the most due to promotions, there are times you can get sick of it, but I like the song so much that I can listen to it in the car every day.
Kim Lip: “Hi High”? We had lots of solo and unit songs, but we went a long way to release the “Hi High” album. I think it was a relieving album for the members, staff, and fans who were waiting for a long time. I think it’s the most meaningful album; fans still love this song. I can call this my favorite.
HeeJin: I’m going to choose “Butterfly Effect” because ARTMS is starting anew with Jaden Jeong and he told us the story behind this song. It was one of the songs he wanted to release when we were LOONA. He held onto this song for six years and finally got it on the tracklist for DALL. The song feels like a continuation of LOONA to ARTMS. Some lyrics make you think of the past, so it became a song I love.
Choerry: I choose “Singing in the Rain.“ It’s my favorite song because, during concerts, it has a bursting beat and the sound is full and harmonious. And JinSoul’s vocals suit the song so it’s a song that I always wanted. It’s so good that I want to do a collab stage.
HeeJin: I want to do a collab stage for it too!
JinSoul: I choose “Butterfly.” I think this song really shows LOONA’s identity. When I look at past performances, there were times I looked shy, but I think this song was one I was most proud of. The choreography was amazing. It’ll be difficult for me to perform it again, but I think it was a synergy only we could show during that time.
Others: We can do it again! We can do it!
What can we look forward to from ARTMS from here, the tour, what’s next?
Kim Lip: ARTMS is…
All: Vacation! After tour…
Kim Lip: This is a secret, but I think we’ll prepare for the next ARTMS album after the tour. We don’t know the details, but I think it’ll be an album to really look forward to. But it’s not confirmed…
Both of those are important! Any last messages to fans if they couldn’t see you on tour this time?
HeeJin: Thank you so so much for waiting for us. Fans who attended our concerts will know, but even though we’re fewer members as ARTMS, you’ll be able to see perfect performances. We’ve become very experienced performers. Thank you so much for loving us and coming to see us. I hope the members stay healthy throughout the tour because we wish to promote the group to many people.
HeeJin, Kim Lip, HaSeul, JinSoul and Choerry of ARTMS
Lauren Nakao Winn
Britney Spears is recalling a terrifying incident that almost led her to visit the emergency room. The pop princess took to Instagram on Monday (Sept. 30) to share a video recalling a story that happened about six months ago. “I was in my room and I turned the fire on and, all of a sudden, […]
When Taylor Swift‘s Midnights dropped in 2022, one of the most-talked-about lyrics came on the second verse of lead single “Anti-Hero.” Two years later, actress Cristin Milioti is addressing whether she might’ve inspired the line in question.
On the track, the pop star sings, “Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby, and I’m a monster on the hill.” And while there were many theories as to what she meant by the term “sexy baby,” one of the most common was that Swift was referencing Milioti’s 30 Rock character, Abby Flynn.
The speculation comes from a scene in which Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon slams Flynn for adopting a “sexy baby” persona to get attention from men. And in a recent interview with SiriusXM, Milioti touched on the possibility of her character — who ultimately has a much more complicated backstory than her air-headed personality suggests at first — giving the 14-time Grammy winner the idea for “Anti-Hero.”
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“I gotta say, when that album dropped, my phone really blew up with people asking about that,” Milioti said. “And I don’t know. I mean, in my wildest … that would be such a compliment. I would love that to be true.”
However, the Penguin star shared that she can’t actually say for sure whether 30 Rock served as Swift’s inspiration. “I have no confirmation if it is,” Milioti added.
Though the “sexy baby” impetus remains a mystery, “Anti-Hero” in general examines Swift’s personal fears and insecurities, something she spoke about in October 2022 in an Instagram video shortly before Midnights dropped. “Track three, ‘Anti-Hero,’ is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written,” she said at the time. “I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized.”
“Not to sound too dark, but I just struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person — don’t feel bad for me, you don’t need to,” she continued. “But this song really is a real guided tour through all the things I tend to hate about myself.”
“Anti-Hero” went on to become the longest-running No. 1 hit of Swift’s career, spending eight weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Its corresponding music video — which the star self-directed — later took home video of the year at the 2023 VMAs.
Watch Milioti discuss Swift’s “sexy baby” lyric and her original 30 Rock scene below.
A man in Ellis County, Texas, is going viral after he bought an autographed guitar for $4000 at an auction only to destroy it. In the clip shared by TMZ, the white-haired man is seen grabbing the guitar and repeatedly hitting it with a hammer while the crowd cheers. He then looked as though he […]