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Zero Pressure, All Power: Vaundy Goes All Out for His International Main Stage Debut
During the first weekend of December, Vaundy performed his first-ever live set outside of Japan. The acclaimed Japanese singer-songwriter and producer, often cited as one of the leading artists in today’s J-pop music landscape, took the main stage as the headlining, final act of a major music festival in Hong Kong. Having personally managed the lyrics, composition, arrangement, and visual elements for his multi-genre hits since his 2019 debut, this performance marked a pivotal step in his expanding global presence.For his overseas debut, Vaundy meticulously recreated the immersively dynamic and visually striking stage atmosphere as seen in all his sold-out concerts in Japan. The performance was amplified by vivid hues, dramatic staging and lighting effects, including the signature powerful...
Staff Picks: Best Songs of the Week January 3rd – January 9th
Great new tracks from August Ponthier, Haute & Freddy, Lala Lala, and more. Staff Picks: Best Songs of the Week January 3rd – January 9th Paolo Ragusa and Jonah Krueger
Everything We Loved in Music This Week: January 9
The first music roundup of 2026 is upon us.If you're new here, welcome to Everything We Loved in Music This Week, which is, well, exactly what it sounds like. From the standards – new releases, tour announcements, collaborations, and festival lineup reveals – to the Hypebeast-stamped music moments of the week (like Max B really wholesomely professing his love for HOKAs), you can find it all here. Every Friday at 9 a.m. EST.I'll get right into it.Did Gov Ball Get Its Groove Back? View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Governors Ball (@govballnyc)Short answer: I think so because it’s looking like the best lineup in ages. A tentpole New York City music moment since its inaugural festival in 2011, The Governor’s Ball definitely peaked at some point, with early performers in...
2026 in Music: What We’re Looking Forward To
2026 sure has big shoes to fill when it comes to music.From commendable studio debuts and innovative strides in tearing down the barriers of genre, to generational comebacks and reunions to write home about, 2025 surely delivered – in the sonic sense, at least.As of now, though, this year seems to be shaping up pretty solidly. The lineup of confirmed new releases is not quite plentiful yet, but it does feature projects we’ve been waiting on for a while now, including A$AP Rocky's Don't Be Dumb, as well as LPs from some of our favorite artists like Jordan Ward and Lexa Gates. A myriad of major artists have tours – many of which are global – on the books, with other standing festivals, ceremonies, and tentpole moments interspersed in between.There’s also the BABY BOIs and the ICEMANs, the pr...
24(Ish) Hours After: WHATMORE’s First Headline Show, Featuring Liim
While it’s not 24 hours after, or even 48, for that matter, WHATMORE’s debut headlining show, featuring Liim, was surely one I had to write home (to Hypebeast) about.If you’re unfamiliar with the New York City-born and bred superground, the city flows through the five-piece friend group’s veins. Comprised of Cisco Swank, Yoshi T., Elijah Judah, Jackson August, and Sebastiano, the guys met at LaGuardia High School, formally ~making it official with music in 2024.Upon one scroll through any of their social media accounts – or even the communal WHATMORE pages – you’ll find each of the twentysomething members of the ascending ensemble embody a textbook NYC ethos like it's second nature, palpable even through a screen. You’re likely to find the gang at the bodega, bar, bowling alley, or just ro...
Porsche 911 C4 GTS Cabriolet 992.2: A New Era for Carrera
The world is a better place with Porsche 911s.It's a very powerful way of essentially saying that the Porsche 911 is a benchmark sports car, ironic since it's counter to the "Sports Car Formula" – mid-engined, rear wheel drive. For decades, the 911 has however stuck to its guns with the rear-engined RWD format and through evolution produced arguably the most coveted car on the road. The key aspect of that claim though is "evolution" – it took decades of engineering, design, and marketing for the Porsche flagship vehicle to reach the coveted status it has today.The latest Porsche 911 – generation 992.2 – maintains the core characteristics of the car with changes that some would argue are dramatic. After our review time, we came to the conclusion that it was less dramatic and more linear, ad...
EPs That Defined Our 2025
Along with the albums that undoubtedly left their respective imprints on 2025's sonic persona, a surplus of shorter-form EPs complemented the influx of influential LPs, cementing just as much of an impression.From groundbreaking R&B releases that propelled the genre to its fully modernized potential and a stacked slate of indie and hip hop-infused releases.Read the full list of EPs that defined our 2025 below.Odeal – The Summer That Saved MeThe soundtrack to many of our summers, and a live-from-Lustropolis-penned love letter to the late nights, sun-bleached days, and interludes in between, Odeal’s silky smooth The Summer That Saved Me cemented the British-Nigerian musician as a credible newcomer in the evolving R&B ether. Leon Thomas’ feature on the lead track “Miami” makes for an ...
Albums That Defined Our 2025
While 2024 saw one particular electric green-hued album dominate the cultural zeitgeist since its mid-summer release, 2025 was more of a collective effort. This year’s most influential albums showcased expansive, world-building artistry, sparked provoking cultural dialogue, and continued to blur genre lines in more exciting ways.Debuts came from a lineup of promising new artists and once-quiet forces who swayed the sonic subcultures from behind the scenes like Monte Booker, Ovrkast., and Kal Banx. If the future of music is in these musicians’ hands, we’re more than alright.Heavy-hitters hit harder than ever, with Bad Bunny’s success of DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS shattering records, making Benito the first-ever artist to top Spotify’s streaming charts four times in a row, taking home the title o...
The 10 Art Moments That Defined 2025
In 2025, art did not behave. It left the gallery, showed up in headlines and forced itself into public view. Museums were shut down. Works were stolen, damaged, argued over. Artists took sides. Institutions were put on the spot. You did not have to be looking for art to run into it.The moments that follow are not about prestige or scale. They are about impact. These were the flashpoints that shaped how art was talked about, handled, and fought over this year, whether that happened in a museum, on a beach, on an oil rig, or online.Maurizio Cattelan’s 'America' Was Stolen AgainFebruary 2025Maurizio Cattelan’s solid-gold toilet resurfaced as a global headline after it was stolen from Blenheim Palace in England, where it was installed as part of a public exhibition. The fully functional sculpt...
Everything We Know So Far About Drake’s ‘ICEMAN’ Timeline
Drake’s 2025 rollout for ICEMAN has been less of a traditional marketing campaign and more of a multi-chapter cinematic opera. Following the Valentine's Day release of his joint R&B project with PARTYNEXTDOOR, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, and their subsequent "$ome $pecial $hows 4 U" European tour, Drake has pivoted toward a cold, calculated solo return. By blending high-concept livestreams with global performances and major brand partnerships, the OVO leader has turned his ninth solo studio album into a year-long cultural event.Phase I: The Summer ThawThe era officially began over the Fourth of July weekend with the premiere of "ICEMAN Episode 1." This debut livestream featured Drake driving a branded ice truck through Toronto before settling into a warehouse to premiere the lead single, "Wha...
Everything We (Think) We Know From the ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Teaser Leaks
With the confirmed returns of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom and members of the original X-Men cast, Marvel Studios is again upping the ante for Avengers: Doomsday with unexpected teasers.The recent leak of the first Doomsday teaser, which plays as a preview before Avatar: Fire and Ash, sent shockwaves through the internet as it seemingly confirmed the return of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This revelation ignited a flurry of fan speculation regarding the plot as well as the significance of the former Captain America’s involvement. Drawing on the latest footage and fan theories, we broke down what we currently think we know about Avengers: Doomsday.Captain America ( Chris Evans) really is coming back in Avengers Doomsday 🥹#AvengersDoomsday p...
Everything We Loved in Music This Week: December 14
This week's headlines were on the lighter end, as annual "Best of" and "Editor's Picks" lists go live (wait on it). But the news that did cross the desk this week definitely didn't disappoint.21 Savage enlisted Slawn for an artful album rollout and release, with Kim Kardashian giving her formal stamp of approval – in the form of an Instagram story, that is – to Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely.Exclusive interviews with Ferg on his Art Basel debut, redveil on sankofa, and Liim on hisFind all of this week's notable new releases in our December playlist, and read the full recap of this week's highlights below.21 Savage’s Artful WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS? Rollout, Starring Slawn View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hypetrak (@hypetrak) Talk about an artful rollout. 21 S...
