Pop
First Stream: New Music From Lil Nas X, Sam Smith & Kim Petras, Joshua Bassett and More
Billboard’s First Stream 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. This week, Lil Nas X plugs in with a new anthem, Sam Smith shakes up their formula with Kim Petras’ help and Joshua Bassett continues his evolution. Check out all of this week’s First Stream picks below: Lil Nas X, “Star Walkin’ (League of Legends Worlds Anthem)” “Star Walkin’” may exist thanks to a partnership with enormous multiplayer video game franchise League of Legends (which also helped produce the Imagine Dragons top 10 hit “Enemy” earlier this year), but Lil Nas X’s 2022 World Championship anthem is far from a corporate stopgap for the superstar: the single sit...
Lewis Capaldi Delivers a Heart-Wrenching Cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Drivers License’: Stream It Now
If you thought “Drivers License” was sad before, just wait until you hear Lewis Capaldi‘s new cover. The 25-year-old singer-songwriter teamed up with Spotify Singles to record his own version of Olivia Rodrigo‘s smash debut single along with a reimagining of his new song “Forget Me,” both of which proved that no one does raspy vocals over heartbreaking piano quite like him. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news For his take on “Drivers License” — which dropped on the streaming platform Wednesday (Sept. 21) along with the new “Forget Me” — Capaldi distilled Rodrigo’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 into a simple, effective piano ballad, assisted only by the occasional touch of atmospheric reverb and strings. “Sidewalks we crossed, I still hear your voice in t...
Taylor Swift Announces Next ‘Midnights’ Song Title & It’s Spicy
The Midnights song title lottery game continues, and this one is spicy. Taylor Swift unveiled the next installment of her “Midnights Mayhem With Me” series on TikTok on Thursday night (Sept. 22) at midnight, of course. Like the first episode just two days before, the Grammy-winning superstar was once again seated next to a gold lottery-ball cage with ping-pong balls labeled 1 to 13, representing each track on her upcoming album, due out Oct. 21. This time, Swift was joined by her O.G. cat Meredith (who even lets out a perfectly timed meow) to announce the title of Track 8. She’s still in front of the brown crushed-velvet backdrop, but this time she’s wearing a chartreuse V-neck cardigan with white flowers down the sleeves and her hair in braided pigtails. The new title? “Vigilante Shi...
Noah Cyrus Teams Up With Dad Billy Ray Cyrus for Emotional Duet Version of ‘Noah (Stand Still)’
Noah Cyrus is keeping it all in the family by enlisting dad Billy Ray Cyrus on a new duet version of her single “Noah (Stand Still).” The tender track, which arrived Friday (Sept. 23) at midnight, finds the younger Cyrus reflecting on advice she received from her father in the midst of the Xanax addiction she was secretly battling as she rang in her 20th birthday. “Death upon my doorstep, if I took just one more step/ There’d be nothin’ left of me except these songs/ And my father told me, ‘Noah/ When you don’t know where you’re goin’/ Just stand still/ Soon enough you will,’” Noah croons over quiet acoustic guitar on the opening verse. For the second verse, she hands the mic to her father before the two spend the rest of the song harmonizing as they sing, “Just stand still and watch...
Kelsea Ballerini’s Best Is Yet to Come
Seated in a sunny suite in downtown Nashville, Kelsea Ballerini starts the conversation like we’ve known each other for years and are meeting to catch up over lunch. “Where are your earrings from? Do you need a water? What part of town did you come in from?” Some of that energy is the Nashville way, and some of that is a window into Ballerini’s warm and incredibly open nature. The pop-country singer-songwriter — arguably the preeminent female artist in that space at the moment — is on the verge of releasing her fourth studio album, SUBJECT TO CHANGE, available Friday, September 23rd. She’s barefoot and wearing a bright blue dress that she explains is the same color palette as the album artwork. “Because I’m a crazy person,” she jokes. The album is a cyclical journey of fifteen tracks, all ...
Lil Nas X Introduces the Man Behind the Meme at New York’s Radio City: Review and Setlist
When arriving at a show on the “Long Live Montero Tour” (grab tickets to remaining dates here), you’re first greeted by venue security handing you a Playbill. It’s a jarring experience — particularly, as was the case at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on September 20th, when a local radio DJ is warming up the audience by blasting songs you might have attempted to grind to at a homecoming dance. But this Playbill actually sets the scene well: It has a photo of Lil Nas X on the front, adorned with butterfly wings and all. “I hate writing stuff that isn’t music but my people are forcing me at gunpoint to write this welcome note,” reads the first page in a hand-scribbled passage from the rapper, who certainly isn’t known for doing things in earnest. “This play is about my journey, what I...
Adam Levine Says “No Hot Chicks” Listen to Metal
As a grocery store pop rocker with a tummy tattoo, Adam Levine is very much qualified to comment on both heavy metal and how people look. And as he sees it, “no hot chicks” listen to heavy metal. The Maroon 5 singer came into the news earlier this week when Instagram model Sumner Stroh revealed messages between the two, implying they had an affair (Levine even allegedly asked for her permission to name his unborn child Sumner). After Stroh came forward, other women followed, sharing screenshots and screen recordings of their messages with the artist. It was in Instagram messages with Alyson Rosef that Levine opined about the fan demographics of metal. After Rosef said, “I’m so weird too and only listen to metal lol,” Levine allegedly replied, “Said no hot chicks ever other than you.” ...
Fan Chant: 2022 Is for the Girls
Welcome to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, stans, and newbies alike. Each week, I’ll be rolling out interviews, lists, and all kinds of content to keep you in the loop on the latest and greatest from our friends in Seoul and beyond. Also, make sure to subscribe to my companion newsletter! At its core, I simply believe that being a K-pop fan should be fun. Think about why you got into your ult group — whether it was the music, the thrilling music videos, or the immaculate vibes between members, odds are there was something that made you smile and want to keep tuning in. For the chronically online among us — myself absolutely included — it’s easy to get caught up in release goals, voting, and the ever-present charts that circulate fandoms. This week, I found myself thinking about ...
Wet Leg Add More 2022-2023 Tour Dates, Share Cover of Ashnikko’s “Daisy”: Stream
Even though Wet Leg have spent most of the year thus far on the road, it doesn’t look like they plan on slowing down anytime soon: The British indie rockers have scheduled more shows for late 2022 and summer 2023. Additionally, they’ve unveiled their cover of Ashnikko’s hit “Daisy” as part of the Spotify Singles series. Wet Leg will headline four shows in New York this December at four different iconic venues: Webster Hall, Bowery Ballroom, Elsewhere, and Music Hall of Williamsburg. After supporting a run on Harry Styles’ “Love on Tour” earlier this year, they’ll reunite with the pop star again next summer as they open his shows throughout the UK and Europe. While Ashnikko’s original “Daisy” is a trap-pop jam, Wet Leg give the tune an alt-rock spin that’s still just as infectious. The othe...
YUNGBLUD on How Information Kills Art, Sampling The Cure, and Channeling Radiohead
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS YUNGBLUD joins Kyle Meredith to talk about his new self-titled LP. The British musician/actor a.k.a. Dominic Harrison talks about the joy of midnight album releases, why he chose to self-title the record, the criticism one gets when getting more famous, and how those moments found their way into songs like “The Funeral.” Advertisement Related Video He also discusses the conversational style of lyrics he was going for this time around; sampling The Cure; channeling Radiohead and The Jam; and coming up alongside artists like Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, and Mac Miller. Listen to YUNGBLUD discuss his new ...
Defense Minister Says It Would Be ‘Difficult’ to Exempt BTS From Mandatory Military Service
The latest proposal aimed at allowed BTS‘ members to avoid South Korea’s mandatory military service stint appears unlikely to do the trick. According to the Korea Times, a lawmaker from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea proposed a revised bill on Monday (Sept. 19) that would make an exemption for decorated pop stars such as the seven-man boy K-pop band to swap their military obligations for an alternate service. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The fourth go at allowing pop celebrities who have gotten orders of merit from the government — which BTS received in 2018 — to skirt the required two-year military hitch for all able-bodied men between 18-28 was proposed by Rep. Kim Young-bae, who reportedly said, “Korean pop celebrit...
How to Get Tickets to Pentatonix’s 2022 Christmas Tour
Pentatonix continue their legacy as one of the holiday’s most magical tickets with “A Christmas Spectacular Tour,” the quintet’s 2022 production that’ll double as the debut for their latest album, Holidays Around the World. The album arrives on October 28th, only weeks before the 22-date arena trek kicks off. Founding member Scott Hoying previewed the tour in a statement, saying, “The holidays have taken on a new meaning for all of us over the past couple of years. We cherish this time of year more than ever. However, we wanted to spread this message as far as possible. That’s why we decided to bridge the gap between cultures and genres in a way we never have before.” Get tickets here, and read on for more details including pre-sale dates. What Is Pentatonix’s Next Tour? Advertisement Rela...
