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, Chlöe makes her official solo debut, Kacey Musgraves moves on from Golden Hour (and her ex), and Ed […]

After winning a daytime Emmy award on Thursday (Sept. 9), Jennifer Hudson is one win away from the coveted EGOT. The latest accolade for the Respect star came for her role as executive producer on the VR animated film Baby Yaga, the Oculus Quest project that took home a win in the interactive media for

Doja Cat might be this year’s host of the MTV Video Music Awards, but she’s adding another major gig to her belt — she’s the star of Pepsi’s newest commercial, in which she plays Sandy Olsson from Grease, and sings the 1978 movie’s classic track “You’re the One That I Want.“ But instead of thirsting after

Ryan Ruden has been named executive vp of experiential marketing and business development for Capitol Music Group (CMG). Based in New York, Ruden arrives at CMG from Columbia Records, where he was senior vp of experiential marketing and business development. He joined Columbia in 2012 as vp of touring and events after working for four

After dropping his fifth studio album Jose, J Balvin announced today (Sept. 10) the dates for his 2022 U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico tour. Produced by Cárdenas Marketing Network (CMN), the Colombian star’s 25-date Jose trek is set to kick off April 19 in San Antonio’s AT&T Center and wrap up June 4 at El Coliseo de

BTS summer smash “Permission to Dance” isn’t just a clever song title. During a YouTube Released chat on Thursday (Sept. 9) with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, the K-pop septet’s V revealed that after starting professional dance lessons just a few years ago he’s gained a lot of confidence in his hoofing skills. “I just liked dancing,

You hear that beat on “Querido Río?” It’s a subtle, almost swooshing sound that appears, disappears, then beats steady as Balvin sings, not raps, building to an emotional chorus that’s a major departure for a reggaetón icon. Buried at No. 18 inside J Balvin’s monumental 24-track new album, Jose, “Querido Río (Dear Rio)” is a

Soulful British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks has won the prestigious Mercury Prize for her debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams. The 21-year-old Londoner beat acts including singer Celeste, rapper Ghetts and bands Wolf Alice and Mogwai to the 25,000-pound ($30,000) prize, which recognizes the outstanding British or Irish album of the year. Parks, who won the best

“Let me set the scene,” coos Kacey Musgraves invitingly on the opening line of star-crossed, her new album that you don’t so much listen to as float through. If its predecessor, 2018’s Grammy-winning Golden Hour, was an examination of Musgraves’ falling in love after heartbreak, the dreamy, ethereal star-crossed serves as a sequel to that

If you don’t know Lisa’s name already, you’ll remember it now. The member of superstar K-pop group Blackpink is spelling it out — literally — on her just-released debut solo project, Lalisa, which gets its title from her full first name. And like bandmates Jennie, Jisoo and Rosé, who all pursue solo endeavors in addition