journey new song

Listen To JOURNEY's New Single 'You Got The Best Of Me'

Legendary rockers JOURNEY have released a new single, "You Got The Best Of Me" . The song is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Freedom" , which will arrive on July 8.

This past February, founding JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon shared the "Freedom" track listing in an Instagram post. It is as follows:

01. Together We Run (4:49) 02. Don't Give Up On Us (5:23) 03. Still Believe In Love 04. You Got The Best Of Me (5:33) 05. Live To Love Again (5:30) 06. The Way We Used To Be (3:35) 07. Come Away With Me (4:02) 08. After Glow (5:22) 09. Let It Rain (4:40) 10. Holdin On (3:14) 11. All Day All Night (3:38) 12. Don't Go (4:58) 13. United We Stand (5:05) 14. Life Rolls On (4:57) 15. Beautiful As You Are (7:10)

JOURNEY 's current touring lineup features bassist Todd Jensen , a veteran musician who has played for various artists, including the bands SEQUEL , HARDLINE and HARLOW , as well as David Lee Roth , Ozzy Osbourne , Steve Perry , Alice Cooper and Paul Rodgers . Also part of JOURNEY 's current incarnation is returning drummer Deen Castronovo , who shared the drum duties in the band last year with Narada Michael Walden . Walden , bassist Randy Jackson and keyboardist/backing singer Jason Derlatka all joined JOURNEY in 2020 following the band's acrimonious split with drummer Steve Smith and bassist Ross Valory . Jackson — who previously played with JOURNEY during the mid-1980s — was forced to miss all the recent gigs because he is reportedly recovering from back surgery. Prior to JOURNEY 's recent Las Vegas residency, Jackson had been replaced at the band's 2021 shows by Marco Mendoza , who had played several shows in 2019 with Castronovo and JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon under the "Neal Schon's Journey Through Time" banner.

"Freedom" will include the single "The Way We Used To Be" , which came out last June. The song was the multi-platinum band's first new music since 2011's album "Eclipse" , and the first track released by the band's revamped lineup. "The Way We Used To Be" marked Walden and Derlatka 's first studio recordings with the band, and Jackson 's first since 1986's "Raised On Radio" . The song was produced by Walden at his Tarpan Studios , with co-production by Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain .

Since the group's formation in 1973, JOURNEY has earned 19 top 40 singles, 25 gold and platinum albums, and has sold nearly 100 million albums globally. Their "Greatest Hits" album is certified 15 times-platinum, making JOURNEY one of the few bands to ever have been diamond-certified, and their song "Don't Stop Believin'" has been streamed over one billion times alone.

JOURNEY was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017, and 2018's co-headlining tour with DEF LEPPARD was the band's most successful tour to date, landing them in the Top 10 year-end touring chart with more than 1 million tickets sold, and earning them the prestigious Billboard "Legends Of Live" touring award. March 2019 saw the release of "Escape & Frontiers Live In Japan" , a live DVD/CD set from their concert at the Budokan in Tokyo featuring the band's first-ever performances of the albums "Escape" and "Frontiers" in their entirety. JOURNEY has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and were inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall Of Fame . Additionally, the band is the subject of the award-winning documentary "Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey" about the band's resurgence upon adding Arnel Pineda as lead singer after founding member Neal Schon discovered the Philippines native on YouTube .

Last August, Schon gave a college radio simulcast interview to WMSC and WNUW where he discussed the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the band's upcoming studio album. He said: "I learned how to play keyboards better than ever during the pandemic, which I'd never really done before. And that's where our first single [ 'The Way We Used To Be' ] came from. [I sent it to] Jonathan [ Cain , keyboards], and he did the lyrics on it and put a rough vocal on it. And then we had Arnel sing it, and we cut it and re-cut it in the studio, and it was just released. And a lot of people went, 'Wow, man. I love it.' 90 percent of people love it; the other 10 percent went, 'I don't think it sounds like JOURNEY .' I go, 'I never wrote it to be a JOURNEY song.'"

According to Schon , he and his bandmates had written over 30 new songs for the upcoming JOURNEY record. "Some of 'em are unmistakably JOURNEY without sounding like another song that we have; it just sounds like a new version of the band," he said. "It's ballistic, man. And there's no lack of guitar on this record. So I'm excited about it getting out there. I think any guitar player out there is gonna love this record, because I'm just kind of unleashing on this record — like I do a lot live, but sometimes hold back in the studio. I don't think it's O.D.ing on the guitar at all and going overboard, but I like to check out the times and where I see music going. I usually have a pretty good gut instinct about it, and I feel like the late '60s, the time and era of early Jeff Beck with Rod Stewart and [ LED ] ZEPPELIN when they first came out, Jimi Hendrix , the CREAM with [ Eric ] Clapton and Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker , that whole era, there's a lot of younger kids out there, younger generation, that never got to experience that era. So I'm feeling like that is the era that I grew up in and that's what I truly love doing and the type of music I love playing, so I'm going more there and I'm writing for that, to be able to do that on stage. And I think it's really gonna trip some people out, when we finally do get this album out there and can combine it with all the hits that we do have."

He continued: "There's certain songs that are being mixed by Bob Clearmountain , that mixed our 'Raised On Radio' record, and he's made it sound really amazing, really pulled it together. You have mixers out there sometimes that have this incredible ability to take work that you've done throughout a year, even though they were recorded at separate times, and different sounds here and there, and they pull it all together and they make it sound like it's a tight album that has a focus sound-wise."

Neal added: "The whole album, there's not a filler on the record; that's what I can tell you. I look at it, and I'm listening to it now, and many others that have known our music for a long time that have very good ears have said, 'Look, this is the modern-day-and-age 'Escape' . I think this could be the next 'Escape' for you guys.' And I think that's a bold statement, but honest to God, I feel like it's that good."

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2024 Tour Dates

You Got The Best Of Me

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The Way We Used To Be

The first new song from Journey in 10 years. Listen as the classic band roars back to form.

A soaring, modern album of 12 original songs. "This is Journey with combat boots on."

11 re-recorded classics in union with 11 new, hard-hitting tracks. Find your revelation.

Steve Augeri’s debut album with the band, featuring "All the Way" and "Higher Place"

Trial By Fire

The blazing, rowdy reunion after a 10-year hiatus.

Raised On Radio

The ninth studio album from Journey

4-times platinum, and featuring the legendary ballad "Faithfully"

The legendary origin of "Don't Stop Believing", "Open Arms", and 9 more epic tracks.

The ferocious hit album including "Any Way You Want It" and more.

The breakthrough triple-platinum album, bringing Journey into the mainstream with "Touchin', Lovin', Squeezin'".

Journey arrives at its iconic style on their fourth studio album, featuring "Wheel In the Sky"

Look Into the Future

Jonathan Cain

Keys, songwriting.

Lead Guitar, Songwriting

Arnel Pineda

Lead vocals.

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2024 Freedom Tour Merch

Platinum logo 50th anniversary zip hoodie, gold logo 50th anniversary zip hoodie, 2024 black/grey elmo raglan, 2024 50th anniversary tour tee, 2024 mineral wash deco scarab tee, ladies infinity tee - black, ladies infinity tee - mauve, crystal scarab freedom tee, 50th anniversary trucker hat, 2024 soar trucker hat, 50th anniversary snapback hat, 50th anniversary bronze scarab koozie, journey’s “don’t stop believin’” recognized by forbes as officially the biggest song of all time.

You’ve heard it literally everywhere since the 80’s: on the radio of every car you’ve ever owned, at every major sporting event you’ve attended in the last 20 years...

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THE LEGENDARY ROCK BAND JOURNEY CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY FREEDOM TOUR 2023

One of the most legendary rock bands of all time, JOURNEY, announces the continuation of their highly successful tour with the 50th Anniversary Celebration Freedom Tour 2023 featuring, very special guest TOTO. JOURNEY , Diamond-selling Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will take the stage in 38 cities across North America with their catalog of global chart-topping hits, including "Don't Stop Believin”, "Any Way You Want It", "Faithfully", "Lights" and more.

Presented by AEG Presents, JOURNEY Freedom Tour 2023 begins February 4 in Allentown, PA – making stops in Austin, Montreal, Memphis and more – before wrapping April 25 at the brand new Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, CA. The 2023 run includes rescheduled dates in Washington DC, Hartford, Toronto and Quebec that were postponed earlier this year due to covid.

Q&A: Neal Schon On The ‘Freedom’ Of Journey, His Friendship With Carlos Santana And Much More

Journey will release Freedom , their first album in 11 years, this Friday (July 8). With the 11-year gap between records, the band's longest break between albums, and the presence of drummer/producer Narada Michael Walden, Freedom , according to guitarist Neal Schon, is a true representation of who Journey is in 2022.

Neal Schon on Journey’s New LP ‘Freedom,’ Ambitious 50th Anniversary Plans

It’s been 11 years since Journey released their last studio record, and for a while it was looking like they’d never get around to making one. “Nobody was really interested in making new music,” Journey founder and guitarist and Neal Schon tells Rolling Stone via Zoom from his California home. “It’s very difficult to get new material played and to get people familiar with it before you go out and play live. Everybody in the band was like, ‘I don’t want to do it.'”

JOURNEY DELIVERED FOR PITTSBURGH FANS

Neal Schon soloed many times throughout the one-hour-45-minute set, mustering an entertaining mélange of crisp, piercing notes, with blistering bluster and straight-up shredding.

Journey's 'Escape' Album Gets Diamond Status In U.S. Ahead Of Anniversary

Journey 's  Escape  album has been certified diamond by the RIAA for sales in excess of 10 million equivalent units in time for its 40th anniversary tomorrow (July 17).

Following its initial release in 1981,  Escape  hit No. 1 on the  Billboard  200...

JOURNEY Among 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2022' Performers

JOURNEY will perform from New York City's Times Square for "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2022 " . This year marks the 50th anniversary of America's go-to annual New Year's tradition that celebrates the year's very best in music.

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Journey Makes Triumphant Return With New Album 'Freedom'

By Rebekah Gonzalez

July 8, 2022

Journey is back with an all-new album and an exciting new opportunity to see the legendary group live! On Friday, July 8th, the band dropped their 15-track album Freedom , making it the band's first album of new material in eleven years. The last was 2011's album Eclipse . The group's founder, guitarist, writer, and producer Neal Schon teamed up with keyboard player and primary vocalist Jonathan Cain and vocalist Arnel Pineda for the epic new songs. In addition, they also worked with bassist Randy Jackson. This isn't the first time the group has collaborated with Jackson. He actually previously played on Journey's 1986 album Raised on Radio .

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Journey (@journeymusicofficial)

The iconic rock group prepped fans for Freedom with singles "You Got The Best of Me," "Let It Rain," "Don't Give Up On Us," and "United We Stand." The album was greeted with rave reviews with Rolling Stone praising it for being "A mixture of classic Journey ballads, heavy rockers, and funky numbers." Vulture commended the new material for encapsulating "the scorching spirit that listeners have always loved about Journey, whose wheels keep churning out stadium-ready anthems and ballads after nearly five decades together."

In addition to new music, Journey and AEG have also announced four exclusive Las Vegas show dates with a symphony orchestra at the new state-of-the-art Resorts World Theatre. The special engagement will kick off on July 15th. For tickets and more info click here . To listen to Freedom , click here .

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Hear Cover of Journey’s ‘It Could Have Been You’ With Steve Perry

Steve Perry appears on an update of "It Could Have Been You" from Journey 's Raised on Radio by a new band called the Effect. Listen below.

The Effect features a pair of sons of famous rock stars: producer/guitarist Trev Lukather's father is Steve Lukather of Toto , and drummer Nic Collins' dad is Phil Collins of Genesis . (The younger Lukather is also Perry's former bandmate Jonathan Cain 's son-in-law.)

"Steve and I go way back," Lukather said on Instagram . "Other than my Pop, Steve Perry has been a mentor to me. When he heard the Effect, he called me and expressed how much he really loved what we were doing. It meant the world."

READ MORE: Top 35 Videos by Journey, Together and Apart

Then Lukather began raving about a favorite Journey deep cut from the late '80s. "He surprisingly mentioned 'It Could Have Been You' is one of his favorite tracks," Perry wrote on Instagram , and "I told him I felt the same. I then said, 'Why don't you record it?' He asked if I would sing on it if they did, I said, 'Of course, my most precious!'"

The Effect had already completed their album, but decided this opportunity "was just too good of an idea to pass up," Lukather added. Lukather and Collins began developing a completed track with singer Emmett Stang and keyboardist Steve Maggiora, the latter of whom had been pulling double duty with Toto until recently leaving the Effect.

Perry dropped by the studio while they were tracking drums, and was soon adding vocals of his own. "I'll forever bottle up his first reaction after the playback," Lukather added. His excitement that we could resurrect an overlooked Journey song with new life obviously connected to the pipes, because Steve came in the next day and shook the house with his vocal performance."

Describing "It Could Have Been You" as a "diamond in the rough," Perry said his emotive new performance came as a surprise. "I must say, singing on their powerful track brought out a vocal experience in me from years ago!" he said.

Lukather recalled the session in seismic terms: "I think our neighbors thought it was the Northridge earthquake all over again," he said. "The power of Steve's vocals is on another level."

Listen to Journey's Original Version

Update Also Had to Pass Muster With the Father-in-Law

"It Could Have Been You" was co-written by Perry, Neal Schon and Lukather's father-in-law. So, he anxiously awaited Cain's response, as well.

"To add to the pressure of doing it justice, not only did I want to knock it out of the park for my friend and mentor but for Jonathan Cain, who is the co-writer on this epic tune," Lukather admitted. "I sent him the master when we finalized. He called me stunned and blown away. He praised the arrangement and performances and he said how [Steve Perry] sounded like a million bucks. To get the approval from them both was everything, but we have a feeling the world will connect to our version the way we all did making it."

"It Could Have Been You" is available for purchase now. The Effect debuted in October with the quite different sounding "Unwanted." Both songs will be part of a forthcoming album of several stylistic journeys that Collins says are held together by the group's collaborative spirit.

"We never sat down and were like, 'Okay, what kind of band do we want to sound like? What do we want to be?'" Collins tells UCR . "That just happens to be what the [sound is] with the four of us as individuals when you put us [together]. It was weird, I didn't realize that until a couple of months in."

Nick DeRiso is author of the Amazon best-selling rock band bio 'Journey: Worlds Apart,' available now at all major bookseller websites .

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Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso

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Noah Kahan's 'You’re Gonna Go Far' is the new graduation anthem making people ugly cry

When I first heard the song, my youngest daughter had warned me as we were driving to school that it made her friend’s mom cry. 

After hearing just a few bars, my throat clenched to a point where words weren’t possible without the threat of a deluge of tears. Noah Kahan's “You’re Gonna Go Far” did that to me, on a weekday morning, in my pajama pants, while running carpool for my eighth grader. 

Tucked inside the song’s lyrics is a vivid reflection of my oldest daughter, a senior in high school, preparing not only for graduation but for a new chapter that will take her away from home. Away from me. And through my speakers, one of the most popular indie-folk singer-songwriters was singing about this transition and the complicated emotions that come with it, to me. 

Or, so it felt. 

How a song becomes your anthem or soundtrack

“I had no idea. I didn't even think about it that way. That’s so exciting,” Gabe Simon, who wrote and produced the Stick Season album with Kahan, says from his backyard in Nashville, Tennessee. “It’s so powerful that a song can do that. That you have a visceral experience in your body with your child heading off.”

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Simon and Kahan were thinking about their own moments of leaving as they wrote the song, which was rereleased this year with a Brandi Carlile feature that injects even more emotion. Both men are from small towns where people didn’t leave. Both understood the difference between simply surviving and truly living. And both wanted to feel like it was not only OK to leave, but that sometimes it’s necessary. And when it is, that people will understand.

“I think what’s great about songwriting is you can take a simple concept and make it an anthem,” he says. “I think a lot of people want to leave and have a hard time accepting they want to leave … but some people got to go.”

I had to. And when I did in 1999, “Wide Open Spaces” by The Chicks was the soundtrack for a pilgrimage that took me away from everything and everyone I knew. It seemed fitting for a girl moving from the Midwest to the West. Other strike-out-on-your-own anthems from the past include “Good Riddance” by Green Day and, more recently, “We Are Young” by fun.

Kahan tells USA TODAY the Green Day song was "the quintessential graduation song" when he was in middle school, and he performed The Head And The Heart's “Rivers and Roads” when he graduated high school.

"To think that there might be a generation of kids playing “You’re Gonna Go Far” at their graduation is an honor," said Kahan. "I hope the song brings the same optimism for the future to the families and friends and students themselves that those aforementioned songs brought to me.“

TikTok and Reels give new life to songs

Even in an unofficial anthem capacity, “You’re Gonna Go Far” is different from its predecessors. It’s alive in an era of TikTok, Instagram and Reddit. It’s being used to give rhythm and context to photos and milestones across social media. It’s giving people a collective space to lament the bittersweet feeling of leaving – confessing that they’re “ugly crying on the couch” and admitting that the song hits them “like a train” even years after moving away. 

It shares both sides of emotions that come with leaving and letting go, the crux of emotions during graduation season. And, thanks to our ability to stream whatever we want whenever we want, it’s part of a musical thread that this generation of teens and young adults is able to share with this generation of parents.

It wasn’t always like that, Jonathan Perkins , the assistant chair of the songwriting department at Berklee College of Music, tells me. Parents didn’t always listen to or connect with the music their kids were listening to. My parents, for example, did not get down with Nirvana and Dr. Dre. The democratization of music, through streaming capabilities, has allowed kids to introduce parents to what moves them.

And sometimes, like with Noah Kahan, and even Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, parents get on board.

“We had much more dictated mediums of how we heard things. Radio had a strong influence,” Perkins says of Gen Xers who are now parents. “Now all the kids are sharing all kinds of stuff and I also think at the same time you’ve had a proliferation in a change of family psychology in the way parents get along with their kids. I think it only helps them connect with their kids.”

Parents and kids bonding over 'You're Gonna Go Far'

Many are connecting over this one song, in part because it somehow suggests empathy for both sides of the “leaving” coin.

For parents and for kids, the distinct imagery used in the song – “pack up your car, put a hand to your heart” and “we ain’t angry at you love, you’re the greatest thing we’ve lost” – gives pause to a season of life that has so much momentum, each milestone can feel like another rotation on an Indiana Jones-style boulder gaining speed as it rolls downhill. 

Michelle Cox hasn’t yet allowed herself to imagine the moment she drives away from Addy, her oldest, headed to college about four hours from home. But when she hears the song, introduced to her by her daughters, she needs a minute. It reminds her of her own desire to leave when she was a high school senior, graduating from the same high school her daughter is.

“There are moments where songs get you and this is definitely one of them,” Cox says. “I see a lot of similarities in my own feeling of needing to leave.”

The beauty of the song, as is the case with life and these complex moments of necessary growth, is that it moves the listener through a series of emotions. Its anticipatory tempo at the outset gives way to a more comforting pace as the lyrics propose pride and protection in the place of loss or anger. 

And isn’t that what we’re feeling as parents? Bittersweet pride? 

Parents share in kids' success

Ritta Fagain does. Her oldest graduated high school in 2020, when the COVID-era ceremony was set up as a drive-thru. Her youngest son will graduate this spring and attend school about two hours away, which means she’ll be an official empty nester.

Milestones this school year have stirred emotions. And she has had to explain to him that the day he leaves it may seem like she is crying and hoping he will stay, but she is actually crying and pushing him on his way. 

“We’ve not only earned these emotions, but we’re mourning the end of an era. It was a time in life that was fast and it was slow. It’s every cliche in the book coming true,” she says. “What we’re mourning is this time being over, not just that we miss our kids. And the sadness of it is wonderful because it means it was wonderful.”

Amy Wolff can relate. As she’s preparing for her youngest to graduate and attend college, and as an admittedly obsessed Noah Kahan fan, this song gains more meaning with each passing day. 

“Music in general allows you to release some of that energy and emotion that you stifle,” she says. “I don’t want her to feel bad that she is causing this emotion. She’s exactly where she should be and she is going to set the world on fire and I can’t wait to be a witness to that. I’m so proud of her.”

Pride isn’t reserved exclusively for the graduate. Michael Klinkner, a Phoenix-based licensed clinical social worker, said many times the emotions that come with graduation and an impending empty-nest period are associated with joint achievement.

Parents and kids have reached this milestone together, he says. When I think back to what my daughter and I have navigated together, how we’ve had to grow alongside each other through some pretty gnarly challenges, graduation very much ties a beautiful bow around the emotional muscles we’ve sprouted and the bond we’ve formed. 

I feel comfortable saying we’ve hit our stride. And we got there by wading through and holding each other up through some incredibly sticky family court quicksand that could have swallowed us. For others, the pandemic tripped them or teenage years created a divide. 

“All of the things that were a struggle are now part of this achievement,” Klinkner says. “We pulled this off together. I’ve earned (the right) to get to be sad about this. I’ve been on this road. You’ve done it, but I’ve been pushing and pulling and sometimes holding your hand and using a cattle prod, but I get to have all these emotions.”

Couple that sense of achievement with the loss of routine, the turning of a page and the realization – for those who are sending their youngest off to school – that life with a spouse or alone returns to what it was before children existed, and it’s natural to feel uneasy, if nostalgic, for what we’ve known for nearly two decades.

“It’s the same exact feeling now as when you had a newborn,” Klinkner says, harkening to that terrifying unfamiliarity. “Someone will probably poop their pants, but it’s OK. You’ll figure it out. You get to be sad. You get to be nervous. You don’t get to freak out and show them you think they’re ill-equipped. They don’t get to know you’re afraid of that.”

Noah Kahan's song as a journey

So that’s the official line. And, according to Simon, that was the vibe for the song. It needed to somehow weave together the anxieties of someone leaving with the assurance that person needs from the people sending them off. It needed to hold promise. It needed to be comforting. 

Simon said “You’re Gonna Go Far” was the most challenging one on the album, so challenging it had to be rerecorded four times. The energy had to be just right. Because in the end, they were singing it to themselves, in the way some people give advice that they themselves are meant to take.

To me, it is apropos that a song about a milestone in life that comes with a complex, mixed-bag of difficult-to-describe emotions was itself challenging to master. The song itself was a journey.

“That song in particular, we never knew why it resonated with so many people on so many levels. It just kept doing so well. It’s got to be this thing about wishing you well. I think this whole time we’ve been wishing ourselves well,” Simon said. “I love that song because it starts melancholy and ends joyful. We’re watching a butterfly. It should be full of hope and love and joy. You’re getting your sea legs and then you’re riding off into the sunset.”

As a parent, that hits, doesn’t it? Wishing someone well is the only way to wish them. Especially when they’re your kid, starting their life. They are butterflies. You just hope they’re ready to navigate the inevitable headwinds. 

And if mine ever needs a breather, to rest her wings, I’ll “be here forever.” 

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Photos: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella, Dana Jacobs/Getty Images, Justin Shin/Getty Images, Gene Wang/Getty Images

10 Neo J-Pop Artists Breaking The Mold In 2024: Fujii Kaze, Kenshi Yonezu & Others

Japan’s domestic pop market has incredible depth and growing Western interest. From Vocaloid acts to anime-centric productions and a plethora of genre-bending releases, the country's musicians and solo artists are breaking ground and making noise.

At this year’s Coachella , Japan’s music industry made a statement: out with the old, in with the new. Where previous years hosted legacy acts like Utada Hikaru and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, up-and-coming hitmakers YOASOBI and cult favorites Atarashii Gakkou! played to sizable crowds in 2024. They represent just the tip of the iceberg for Japanese musicians touring stateside: J-R&B star Fujii Kaze will tour the country this month, and numerous acts have seen exposure abroad thanks to anime soundtrack work and streaming playlists such as Spotify’s Gatcha Pop .

Anime, by far the country’s biggest cultural export, is a major factor in Japan’s music industry, with songs composed for animated films, TV, and streaming projects — and to a lesser extent video games — making up a growing number of the country’s most dominant pop hits. "Anison," or anime songs, have become extremely prestigious commissions for the country’s pop musicians, especially for younger artists who have seen anime gain traction both in Japan and internationally. 

That younger generation is now taking control of the charts, and making inroads into international markets by leaning into what makes their music and culture unique. For musicians like Kenshi Yonezu, vocal synthesizer software Vocaloid allowed them to develop their own musical voice on their own terms. The most famous Vocaloid artist, Hatsune Miku, also played Coachella this year as a video-projected anime avatar. There’s also remarkable freedom to play with genre in J-pop. Acts freely swap between sounds —from alternative rock to funky city pop, or R&B to electro-pop — in the span of a few songs. 

These factors have made Japan’s domestic pop market one of the most interesting to watch in the world. It’s gotten to the point where top English-language artists aren’t seeing the success they used to in the country, largely because the Japanese public has shifted its attention toward Korean and domestic artists. For Westerners, Japan can seem like another world, and this is especially true for its music scene. 

To bridge the gap, GRAMMY.com has created a primer to 10 of Japan’s most interesting new acts. Who knows, you might just see them stateside soon. 

Japan isn’t exactly a happy country. Social pressure is high , the economy has been stagnant for years even before its current monetary crisis and its brutal work culture is not exactly the envy of the world. Young people often feel as though they have nothing to look forward to but misery, so when someone comes along and says it’s okay to tell the adults in your life to f— off, it resonates.

This is essentially how 22-year-old singer Ado (born 2002) became the voice of Gen Z. Late in 2020 amid the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic, she burst onto the J-pop scene with "Useewa," a rock-centric track composed by Vocaloid producer Syudou whose title translates, roughly, to "Shut the f— up." Detailing the angst of having to grin and bear the conformity of adulthood and the satisfaction of rejecting it, the song clearly struck a chord with young people in Japan. The song’s brash lyrics also sparked a moral panic from parents and the media over its anti-conformist message.

Ado’s charismatic, fiery vocal delivery, coupled with a nasty anime visual , really sells the whole package, making it a rage-filled counterpart to YOASOBI’s similarly disaffected "Yoru ni Kakeru." 

"Usseewa" topped the Billboard Japan Hot 100, the Oricon Digital Singles and Streaming charts, and the Spotify Viral 50 Japan. The video reached 100 million views on YouTube within 150 days of release. Ado has since earned more hits, furthering her wild persona with the even louder and wilder "Show." She also earned a starring role as a singer in One Piece Film: Red , the most recent theatrical installment of the biggest manga franchise in the world. 

Atarashii Gakko! 

There’s a saying in Japan about the risks of refusing to conform to society’s expectations: "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." When it comes to finding success on the international music market, however, the opposite seems to be true. The world loves Japan when it’s at its zaniest and most distinctive, and artists that lean into this are often able to build a following abroad.

Case in point: A rapping girl group wearing vintage-inspired sailor-suit school uniforms called Atarashii Gakko! (translation: New School). The group just played Coachella and, prior, performed on "Jimmy Kimmel Live." To be sure, a lot of the foursome’s appeal is in the visual department. The group’s wild, Beastie Boys -esque video for "Tokyo Calling" pairs their sukeban girl gang-style outfits with a plethora of retro visual references: kaiju films like Godzilla , Super Sentai , even Bollywood-style dance. Musically, they’re just as mixed up, having taken on ‘80s city pop in " Otonablue " as well as adding to Japan’s legacy of unique hip-hop on " NAI NAI NAI ." 

The group’s ethos since forming in 2015 has been to shine a new path for Japan’s youth by embracing individuality and nonconformity, and it’s paid dividends so far. Their new album, AG! Calling , is set for release June 7.

Creepy Nuts

There’s a lot of bizarre, potentially conflicting elements in Creepy Nuts’ hit song "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born." There’s the sound-effect-bubble title, the anarchic rapping of vocalist R-Shitei, and producer DJ Matsunaga’s use of a Jersey Club beat (a trend with forward-thinking East Asian pop acts). There’s also the fact that it was composed for an anime about… wizards with muscles ? 

In any case, the theme song for the TV anime "Mashle: Magic and Muscles" has pulled some chart magic of its own, topping the Billboard Japan Hot 100 for eight weeks straight earlier this year, largely thanks to the viral "BBBB dance" challenge. The duo have also taken the song worldwide, reaching No. 8 on Billboard U.S.’s Global 200 and performing the song on Global Spin . If you want to find the biggest J-Pop hit of this exact moment, look no further. 

Raised in small-town Okayama prefecture in the western reaches of Japan, Fujii Kaze is being positioned as the next big artist to emerge from the country. He toured Asia in 2023 and will come to America this May; he also launched the Japanese version of Tiny Desk Concerts earlier this year. He’s also been working with international talent, such as Kendrick Lamar and 21 Savage producer DJ Dahi on the piano-driven hip-hop track " Workin’ Hard ."

The video for "Matsuri," in which Fujii (the artist lists his surname first) traipses around a Japanese garden and parties with foreigners at a traditional mansion, feels almost like a tourist advertisement for the country, projecting an image of refined, effortless Japanese cool. Recent song " Hana ," produced by Charli XCX and Utada Hikaru collaborator A. G. Cook, feels even more like a play for the international market with a ‘70s California soft rock backing track and a visual that puts Fujii on a journey through the desert.

Herein lies the secret to Fujii Kaze’s appeal: he’s hot and cool at the same time. His success is predicated not just on good looks and buttery croon, but on a smooth, easygoing persona that feels native and international at the same time. "Matsuri," with its chill yet glamorous R&B production and can’t-be-bothered lyrics ("there’s no reason to suffer / no need to be disappointed / I really couldn’t care less") exemplifies his laid-back mentality. He’s also, notably, shunned the anime market, preferring to put his songs in basketball promos and telecoms commercials – anime is cool enough for Megan Thee Stallion but not for Fujii, it seems. 

Hitsujibungaku

Just as grunge reignited America’s love of rock music in the ‘90s, Japan also embraced guitar-oriented, pop-rock in the same decade thanks to bands like B’z, Number Girl, Southern All-Stars, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, and Visual Kei groups like L’Arc-en-Ciel and X Japan. As the U.S. began to embrace hip-hop and dance-pop in the 2000s, rock and metal persisted in the Japanese mainstream. New bands continue to perform at "live house" venues in hip areas like Tokyo’s Shimokitazawa neighborhood, while groups playing niche styles like math rock, shoegaze, and metalcore have found support. CHAI, tricot, Alexandros, Otoboke Beaver, and Official Hige Dandism are just a few bands that have emerged from this milieu in recent years to success at home and abroad.

Tokyo-based trio Hitsujibungaku offers a good starting point of where Japan’s rock scene is going. The majority-female group found success on the anime song circuit last year, delivering the end credits track for mega-popular TV anime "Jujutsu Kaisen." "More than words" which became the lead single for their recent album 12 hugs like butterflies , immediately stuck out for its shuffling, nostalgic melody, and evocative, fuzzy layering of guitar tone influenced by shoegaze. 

Kenshi Yonezu

More than most mega-successful J-pop artists, Kenshi Yonezu owes his success to the Vocaloid and internet music communities in which he forged his artistry. Raised in rural Tokushima, he began his career as a teenager in the late 2000s, uploading music to the video site Nico Nico Douga under the name Hachi, and soon found his most successful tracks were the ones that used Vocaloids like Hatsune Miku. Like many artists in the digital age, Yonezu’s early work was entirely DIY, as thanks to Vocaloid he was able to produce, write, and even design artwork for his music all on his own.

Eventually, Yonezu signed to a major label and began to split time between his Vocaloid tracks as Hachi and music made under his own name. His album Bootleg won Album Of THe Year at the Japan Record Awards in 2018, and he became known for tender, uptempo ballads like " Uchiage Hanabi " and " Lemon " (the latter of which still reigns as the most-viewed video by a Japanese musician on YouTube with over 800 million views). 

Two high profile anime commissions have driven Yonezu’s star beyond Japan. In 2022, he produced the opening theme for the highly-anticipated adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s acclaimed manga Chainsaw Man . "Kick Back" departed from Yonezu’s biggest hits by leaning into the show’s action premise with drum and bass beats and an aggressive guitar melody. Buoyed by the anime’s success, "Kick Back" topped the Oricon and Billboard Japan singles charts and even charted in the U.K., Canada, and the U.S., where it became the first Japanese-language song to be certified gold by the RIAA. 

Then in 2023, he produced and sang " Spinning Globe ," the end credits theme for Hayao Miyazaki’s first film in a decade, The Boy and the Heron . It was the first time the anime auteur, who usually uses older pop music or score from usual composer Joe Hisaishi, had chosen a contemporary pop artist to write for him. 

King Gnu aren’t afraid to mix it up. They gained acclaim in Japan by pursuing a pop rock sound that’s one part city pop, one part hip-hop. Tracks like " Hakujutsu " and " Kasa " pair sick riffs and boogie basslines with turntable scratching and delicate, yet powerful vocals from Daiki Tsuneta and Satoru Iguchi.

Last year they scored a major hit with "Specialz," which was used as an opening theme for popular anime "Jujutsu Kaisen." Setting the mood for the show’s bleak second season with metallic techno drums and brawny guitar riffs, the menacing song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and currently has over 166 million Spotify streams. Tsuneta also leads the collective millennium parade, who lean toward electronic music and scored a hit with "U," from the Mamoru Hosoda musical anime BELLE . 

Conceptual projects are much more common in the Japanese pop landscape than one might expect. Case in point: MAISONdes. While not a band or a collective, MAISONdes is an imaginary apartment building where lonely hearts find solace in song. The virtual building is accessible through a website , and each song produced for the project is assigned a room number and created by a randomly-paired team of producers and vocalists that changes with each track. Participants have included chart star Aimer and VTubers such as KAF and Hoshimachi Suisei. 

Too complicated? Too weird? At least the music is good, focused on high-energy electro pop reminiscent of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, idol pop, and the Vocaloid, anisong, and netlabel acts of recent decades. As such, the most high-profile MAISONdes tracks have been those produced for anime and promotional campaigns. They’ve done all the opening and ending themes for the recent TV anime reboot of classic comedy manga "Urusei Yatsura," and their most recent track, "Popcorn" was a collab with Sanrio celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty, one of the original kawaii culture icons. The hyperactive song gained a million views on YouTube within three days of being posted. 

City pop — the ‘70s and ‘80s musical movement that blended American funk and AOR with disco and synthpop — looms large in the J-pop landscape. Although its revival has somewhat peaked following the pandemic, that hasn’t stopped guys like Vaundy from channeling the sound into their own music.

His breakout hit " Tokyo Flash " paired the grooves of the city pop era with a more down-to-earth arrangement with simpler production. Further attempts to modernize the sound have also found success: " Todome no Ichigeki ," written for the popular anime "Spy x Family," featured a grand, orchestral instrumental and a guest verse from rapper Cory Wong . With romantic lyrics reminiscent of City Pop king Tatsuro Yamashita, it’s a true return to the retro style. 

Of course, like most J-pop musicians, Vaundy isn’t a stylistic purist. He’s also applied his confident vocal style to several brisk rock tracks, resulting in chart success. His heavy metal jam for the Chainsaw Man TV anime soundtrack, " CHAINSAW BLOOD ," peaked at 13 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, while the poppier " Kaijuu no Hana Uta " went to No. 2 after he performed the song on the "2022 Kohaku Uta Gassen" New Year’s Eve show. 

Inarguably the focal point of contemporary J-pop, no other act has defined the current era in Japan more than YOASOBI. The duo of Ayase and Ikura burst onto the scene in 2019 with the song "Yoru ni Kakeru," based on a short story posted on the site Monogatary. Pairing an upbeat instrumental with bleak, literary lyrics about death and suicide, it’s the most unlikely of pop hits. Released in late 2019, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to grip Japan a few months before the rest of the world. "Yoru ni Kakeru" became a massive, award-winning smash. B illboard Japan named it the first song in its chart history to pass 1 billion streams , and Oricon named it the most-streamed song of the Reiwa era just last month. 

Read more: From Tokyo To Coachella: YOASOBI's Journey To Validate J-Pop And Vocaloid As Art Forms

Since then the band have become major hitmakers and fixtures of the anison production line, writing theme tracks for hit anime like "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury" and "Frieren: Journey’s End." They scored another era-defining hit with " Idol ," their opening song for the controversial 2023 showbiz satire "Oshi no Ko." Responding to the anime’s twisted tale of a mysterious J-pop idol with dark secrets, the duo paired a bombastic instrumental with lyrics that perfectly capture the cardinal rule of stardom: tell all and reveal nothing. 

The song became such a cultural phenomenon in Japan that YOASOBI performed it at last year’s "Kohaku Uta Gassen" New Year’s TV special flanked by dozens of J-Pop and K-Pop idols, including members of NewJeans, LE SSERAFIM , and Nogizaka46. 

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Photo: Netflix

"Bridgerton" Composer Kris Bowers & Vitamin String Quartet Continue To Make Classical Music Pop For Season 3

The Netflix show returns for its third season on May 16. Composer Kris Bowers, alongside the Vitamin String Quartet and other artists, masterfully reimagines modern pop with a classical twist, including a Taylor Swift hit.

No one is arguing that “Bridgerton” is realistic or even particularly historically accurate — in fact, leaning into anachronisms is the point. Entering its third season, which premieres on May 16, the pulpy Netflix show based on a series of romance novels by Julia Quinn — often classified as “bodice rippers” — mixes modern life ideas with Regency-era social rules.

From Lady Whistledown's tantalizing gossip columns to the complex romances of the Bridgerton siblings, the series grips viewers with its blend of historical drama and contemporary flair. One key note in that chord is classical music. Instead of using current tracks like some historical-contemporary-hybrids (most famously “A Knight’s Tale" in 2001), “Bridgerton” has mastered the art of the classical cover. 

Paired with original compositions by Kris Bowers , an Oscar winner and GRAMMY nominee — including one for Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media for "Bridgerton" — the tone of the show is that of a heightened, classic world. Bowers, along with music supervisor Justin Kamps collaborates with the Vitamin String Quartet and other artists to create a full circle sonic landscape. They make the classical music in “Bridgerton” pop by re-recording, rearranging, and reimagining contemporary pop songs as classic pieces. 

Over three seasons, as well as with the spin off, “Queen Charlotte,” the team has included a mix of the newest songs as well as nostalgic favorites. This season features GAYLE ’s “abcdefu,” which was released in 2022 as well as a cover of Pitbull , Ne-Yo , and Afrojack ’s “Give Me Everything,” which was released in 2011, which can appease the full gamut of millennial and Gen Z viewers.  

Regency traditions 

The Regency period in which the show is based, spanned from 1811 to 1820, and was known as an era of elegance and refinement in British history.  In the first chunk of the 1800s, pop music included pieces by Beethoven, Liszt, Haydn, and Mendlesson (famous for the “Wedding March”). Waltzes were all the rage, and this “new” music was considered much more emotional and passionate than previous offerings. The romance of being swept away in a dance increased the thrill, and string quartets were highly popular. 

As seen throughout the series (and much like today), society placed a significant emphasis on social gatherings and music played a central role in these events. Balls, soirées, and intimate musical evenings were common, the perfect backdrop for orchestrating romance. 

In “Bridgerton," the show's modern portrayal of the Regency period occasionally features or references music from the time period, such as Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” which was written a century before the events in the show but was and is still a popular piece of classical music. The show frequently uses arrangements of classical songs in a slightly modern way, but most often, it underscores scenes with either classically arranged covers of pop songs or original music by Bowers. 

Contemporary music covers

Choosing between a cover or original music is a nuanced decision for the music team. The music team considers “whether or not, there's something that can, lyrically, even though we don't hear lyrics, speak to a moment really well,” said Bowers. Absent a cover by an outside band, Bowers arranges pop hits to suit the tone of the scene. He said, “when you're saying something with a song, you're making commentary on what's happening.” 

When they do outsource tracks, more often than not, these covers come from Los Angeles-based Vitamin String Quartet. VSQ is the new Mendlesson in that they have been the predominant wedding-march artist for nearly a decade, known for producing string renditions of highly eclectic mix of artists including Cardi B , Lana Del Rey , Björk , and Sigur Rós . 

They contributed four covers in season one, including Billie Elish 's “bad guy” and Ariana Grande 's “Thank U, Next,” about which Leo Flynn, VSQ Brand Manager at CMH Label Group said, “Talk about a great track changing the temperature of a room.” In season two, VSQ’s cover of Robyn 's “Dancing on My Own” played under a dance scene. 

When we spoke to James Curtiss, Director of A&R at CMH, the song placements for season three were still a mystery. Curtiss shared, “When we finished that Taylor [Swift] record, we sent it right over to the people at ‘Bridgerton.’” 

[ Spoiler alert: ] Since then, we have learned Swift's “Snow on the Beach” will be featured in season three. This isn't the first time Swift's music has been featured in the show: Duomo’s cover of “Wildest Dreams” played under the honeymoon scenes in season one. 

Composer Bowers added his favorite cover of the season is in episode eight, the finale, but what title that is will be a surprise. The surprise of an “unexpected cover” as Bowers calls it is that when you “hear a song that you know, and have this strong indelible connection with it that is represented in this style that you typically don't feel like is for you. People get excited by having this music that they really love be elevated to this other level.” He said the familiarity makes “you feel connected to this time period, these characters, and these people in a different way.” 

Flynn said, “There’s something about the past that’s inherently romantic,” and the use of VSQ songs “unites something from the past with what’s going on now.” Because classical music “feels very idealized and formal,” he said, “there’s all this history and mystique built into it.” 

Flynn also mentioned that “Bridgerton” fuses past and present on a “major storytelling scale” between the historically-inspired stories themselves, the “visual feast” of the show, and the music. Curtiss added that the “romantic nature of the string quartet” juxtaposed with pop songs helps viewers tie the feeling of going to a bar or club to the experience of hearing “the popular bangers of the day,” as he called Beethoven et al., at a ball in the Regency era. 

Original compositions

When the music needs to set a specific tone without taking the audience out of the action to try and name that tune, “Bridgerton” often uses original compositions by Bowers. Bowers said, “Looking at pop music for those things like rhythm and tempo and all that stuff also helps in moments where we want to have the score feel a little bit more modern and not as traditional.” He continued, “I’ll put something in the violas and the celli that have this kind of guitar and bass feeling to them even though we’re looking at it orchestrationally from a classical perspective.” He explained that “borrowing the rhythms or the way that parts interlock from pop music” makes it feel like a modern classical sound. 

Each character and couple has their own theme. Bowers explained that it was enjoyable to create themes that could fit both heartbreaking and celebratory moments. “The melodies are still the same even if the harmonic tone is changed,” he said.

Instrumental Pop In Visual Media

The “Bridgerton” style of using instrumentalized versions of pop songs is not unique. Famously, “Promising Young Woman” used a haunting version of Britney Spears ’ “Toxic,” adapted by Anthony Willis, and “Westworld’s” Ramin Djawadi used adaptations of Radiohead among others. “Wednesday” featured a stirring string version of the Rolling Stones ’ “Paint it Black.” The popularity of Vitamin String Quartet and other classical cover bands has not waned and, if anything, is becoming more of a mainstream staple.

As season three approaches, the unveiling of the time-spanning, romantic soundtrack is highly anticipated. Four episodes air May 16 and the second half of the season airs June 13, with original compositions by Kris Bowers and additional music by various artists, including Vitamin String Quartet, who will be taking over Pandora’s Classical Goes Pop in anticipation of their fall, “Bridgerton”-music-filled tour. 

Overall, to find the tone of the whole series, Bowers said, “Season three actually has a lot more lightness to it. (Showrunners) Shonda (Rhimes) and Jess (Brownell) really want to have a lot of fun this season so there's a little bit more of a playful, youthful quality to the music.” Whatever tunes make it into the season, they are sure to be a feast for the ears. 

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Photo: Courtesy Camila Cabello & Lil Nas X

New Music Friday: Listen to Songs From Megan Thee Stallion, Camila Cabello & Lil Nas X, BTS' RM & More

May 10 is quite the stacked day of new music across all genres — from Post Malone & Morgan Wallen's country collab, to Stray Kids' team-up with Charlie Puth, to The Chainsmokers and Kings of Leon. Check out some fresh releases to enjoy this weekend here.

As the summer quickly approaches, artists from every genre continue to unveil new music for warmer weather. Friday May 10 is particularly packed with anticipated and surprise releases from both emerging talents and established names.

The new albums alone prove just that: pop songsmith Alec Benjamin 's 12 Notes , folk-rock band Judah & the Lion 's The Process , regional Mexican stars Grupo Frontera's Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada , and GRAMMY-winning R&B singer Andra Day 's Cassandra , to name a few.

Meanwhile, a big, cool glass of major rap releases is here to help wash down the piping hot Kendrick and Drake beef served up over the last week. Full album releases debuted from Gunna , Chief Keef , and Ghostface Killah — the latter featuring guest spots from Nas , Kanye West , Raekwon , Method Man and more. Hottie Megan Thee Stallion 's powerful new single, "BOA", sets the stage for her Hot Girl Summer tour which officially starts on May 14. New songs from Ice Spice , Kodak Black , NLE Choppa , Coi Leray , G-Eazy , Yung Gravy , Ski Mask the Slump God set the playlist for a weekend full of slappers.

There's tons of collaborations, too, including the much-teased pairing of Post Malone and Morgan Wallen with "I Had Some Help," a track that showcases Malone's furtherance into country in a catchy, reflective anthem. But country music lovers also have more to enjoy this weekend: Orville Peck 's duets project, Stampede Vol.1 , features the likes of Willie Nelson and Elton John ," while Scotty McCreery's Rise & Fall and Avery Anna's single "Blonde" fill the fuel tank for a rodeo-ready summer. 

BTS 's RM delivers another solo track "Come Back to Me" and Stray Kids dropped a new collaboration with Charlie Puth , coming fresh off the K-pop group's appearance at the Met Gala earlier this week. And the electronic and rock scenes are not left behind, with A.G. Cook exploring a new twist on Britpop and Sebastian Bach's release of Child Within The Man .

Dive into today's releases from Megan Thee Stallion, The Chainsmokers , RM, Stray Kids with Charlie Puth , Camila Cabello with Lil Nas X , Post Malone and Morgan Wallen below. 

Megan Thee Stallion, "BOA"

Megan Thee Stallion's new single "BOA" continues to play up the themes of empowerment and self-realization that define her current musical phase and comes just days ahead of her Hot Girl Summer Tour starting on May 14. The song's cover art features Megan with a striking snake, a recurring symbol of rebirth that has been significant in her recent work, appearing in tracks like the Billboard Hot 100 hit "Hiss" and the 2023 song "Cobra." 

"BOA" is a continuation of Megan's snake-themed narrative, but serves as a saccharine homage to her favorite late-'90s and early 2000s anime and video game classics. The music video features references to Scott Pilgrim, One Piece, Dance Dance Revolution, and iconic 3D fighting games like Mortal Kombat, complete with visuals and Gantz-inspired outfits.

Speaking to Women's Health about her upcoming summer album, Megan discussed the personal growth and renewal she has experienced, inspiring this new era of music. "I was inspired to create this album about rebirth because I feel I am becoming a new person physically and mentally," she shared.

Camila Cabello & Lil Nas X, "HE KNOWS"

Camila Cabello teams up with Lil Nas X for the tantalizing new song "He Knows," delivering a radio-friendly track that's as catchy as it is lustful. The new music mirrors the infectious energy of their recent appearance at FKA Twigs' Met Gala afterparty, where they both were seen dancing the night away behind the DJ booth. 

"He Knows" serves as a precursor to Cabello's highly anticipated fourth solo album, C,XOXO , — set to drop on June 28 — and teases a glimpse of Cabello's evolving artistic direction. The single follows on the heels of her recent hit "I LUV IT" featuring Playboi Carti, part of the  reimagining of her sound and artistic brand.

RM, "Come Back To Me"

BTS member RM has released a new single, "Come Back To Me," accompanied by a music video. The relaxed track gives fans a taste of his upcoming second solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person , set to release on May 24. 

In the song, RM explores themes of right and wrong, capturing the complex emotions of wanting to explore new avenues while wishing to stay comfortable in the present. "Come Back To Me" features contributions from OHHYUK of the South Korean band HYUKOH, and Kuo of the Taiwanese band Sunset Rollercoaster. Additional credits include JNKYRD and San Yawn from Balming Tiger. RM first performed "Come Back To Me" during a surprise appearance at BTS bandmate Suga 's concert in Seoul last summer, noting it as a favorite from his forthcoming album. 

The music video for "Come Back To Me" was written, directed, and produced by Lee Sung Jin, known for his work on the Netflix show "Beef." The video features actress Kim Minha from the Apple TV+ series "Pachinko" and faces themes of identity and self-reflection, showing RM confronting different versions of himself. Its cast includes notable Korean and American actors such as Joseph Lee, Lee Sukhyeong, and Kim A Hyun.

Post Malone & Morgan Wallen, "I Had Some Help"

Post Malone and Morgan Wallen blend their distinct musical styles in the much-anticipated release of their collaborative single "I Had Some Help." Merging Malone's versatile pop sensibilities while leaning into his country roots with Wallen's, well, help, the duet is a unique crossover that has had fans clamoring to hear more since the two first teased the song earlier this year. 

Finally premiering during Wallen's headlining performance at Stagecoach Festival on April 28, the uptempo song explores themes of mutual support and shared experiences, encapsulated by the lyric, "It ain't like I can make this kind of mess all by myself."

The collaboration has sparked significant buzz and showcases the duo's chemistry and shared knack for storytelling. This single highlights their individual talents as well as their ability to bridge genre divides, already promising to be a hit on the charts and a favorite among fans.

The Chainsmokers, No Hard Feelings

Maestros of mainstream emotion, The Chainsmokers continue to master the art of turning personal reflections into global anthems with their latest EP, No Hard Feelings . The six-song project see Alex Pall and Drew Taggart exploring the emotional highs and lows of modern relationships, weaving their signature dance beats with pop sensibilities as they have since 2015's "Roses." 

The duo's latest release serves as a soundtrack to both sun-kissed days and introspective nights. The collection includes the single "Friday," a collaboration with Haitian-American singer Fridayy, described by the duo as a direct descendant of "Roses." Other tracks, such as "Addicted," also underscore the Chainsmokers' knack for capturing the zeitgeist of contemporary love and loss.

Kings of Leon, Can We Please Have Fun

Kings of Leon return with their signature blend of rock and introspection on their ninth studio album, Can We Please Have Fun . The LP finds the band infusing their established sound with fresh, unbridled energy, reminiscent of their early days yet matured by years of experience. The album features standout tracks like "Mustang" and "Nothing To Do," which mix playful lyrics with serious musical chops, showcasing Kings of Leon's unique ability to combine rock's raw power with catchy, thoughtful songwriting.

The band is set to bring Can We Please Have Fun to life on their 2024 world tour, starting in Leeds, United Kingdom on June 20 and wrapping in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Oct. 5. Fans can expect a high-energy series of performances that blend new tracks with beloved classics, all delivered with the Kings of Leon's legendary fervor.

Stray Kids & Charlie Puth, "Lose My Breath"

Stray Kids have teamed up with Charlie Puth for their latest release, "Lose My Breath," a track that blends K-pop dynamism with Western pop flair, written by Stray Kids' own producer team 3racha (Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han) along with Puth. The TK song details a whirlwind of emotions, describing symptoms of breathlessness and heart-palpitating moments encapsulated in the lyrics: "I lose my breath when you're walking in/ 'Cause when our eyes lock, it's like my heart stops." 

"Lose My Breath" is described as a "warm-up" for Stray Kids' forthcoming album, set for release this summer. The track further highlights the global appeal of Stray Kids ahead of their highly anticipated headlining set at Lollapalooza in August. It also continues Puth's engagement with K-pop, following his previous work with other K-pop acts including his collab with BTS' Jungkook , "Left and Right," and "Like That," a song he co-wrote for K-pop girl group BABYMONSTER . 

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Photo: Kato Shumpei

From Tokyo To Coachella: YOASOBI's Journey To Validate J-Pop And Vocaloid As Art Forms

YOASOBI, blending J-pop and Vocaloid with narrative-driven songs, is capturing a global audience through their performances at major festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza, marking a significant moment for Japanese music on the international stage.

For decades, Japanese music has been one of the hardest to access as a foreigner. Even with the popularization of cultural exports like anime and the emergence of streaming platforms, it is still considered a niche, and fans often have to dig deep in order to find albums , translations, or any kind of content at all.

"There weren’t many opportunities for Japanese music to go out into the world until now," says YOASOBI ’s producer and songwriter, Ayase, over a Sunday morning Zoom from Tokyo. "If we were to break into the mainstream, I think there’s a lot more work to do. Being a part of Coachella is one of them."

The duo, composed of Ayase, 30, and vocalist Ikura, 23, is gearing up for their first performance at the mighty Californian festival next weekend, plus two sold out headline shows in Los Angeles and San Francisco. In August, they are set to play at Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL. 

"Performing at festivals like Coachella was one of our goals when we put our live team together, so I believe that it will be a place for us to grow further,” says Ikura, who lived in Chicago as a kid and considers these opportunities a "full circle" moment.

Read more: 10 Must-See Artists At Coachella 2024: Skepta, The Last Dinner Party, Mdou Moctar, Cimafunk & More

Formed in 2019, YOASOBI found overnight success with their debut single "Yoru ni Kakeru," a bright-sounding but harrowing tale that topped Billboard ’s Japan Hot 100 chart for six non-consecutive weeks. They continued to rise further, recording five EPs (three in Japanese, two in English), the opening theme to Netflix’s anime series " Beastars, " 2021’s "Kaibutsu," and their magnum opus so far: "Idol."

Released in 2023, "Idol" became a massive hit, placing No.1 at Billboard's Japan Hot 100 chart for 22 weeks and counting — an all-time record break. It was also the nineteenth best-selling song of 2023 worldwide, according to the IFPI . With these accolades, it’s easy to understand why the duo is fully booked, but what makes their music so enticing to global audiences? 

Listening to YOASOBI is like entering a rabbit hole. First, you get hypnotized by the glistening synths, bursting like fireworks, and the rock riffs taking melodies to full-speed. Then, you discover their adage is "novel into music," and all songs are based on fictional stories written by various authors. There’s also the animated music videos, each with a different style, giving their sounds another layer for interpretation. And finally, there are Ayase’s and Ikura’s (under the name Lilas Ikuta) own solo careers — treasure troves ready to be unearthed.

"I don't know, to be honest," says Ayase when asked about their growing popularity. "I guess the fact that a lot of Japanese [exports] have been prevalent around the world had to do with it. But also, maybe it's because people are experiencing this combination of music with storytelling that is interesting to them." Ikura agrees, adding that YOASOBI allows fans to "enjoy this bigger world that we are part of in a more three-dimensional way."

The experience is similar to how they create their music: mining, collecting, mixing, and transforming different threads into a new fabric. From fictional stories, Ayase transmutes his feelings into beats on his laptop with Logic Pro, then inputs melodies and lyrics through Vocaloid softwares like Hatsune Miku. Ikura listens to the Vocaloid demos, and then adds her own feelings and flair into the interpretations. For English-language tracks, they work with translator Konnie Aoki, who is "very mindful of phonetic sounds," and Ikura listens to the Japanese versions up until it’s time to record, so that she can have "the right emotions set."

It’s such a natural process for them that Ayase is surprised to know that there are still people who don’t consider Vocaloid as "real" music. “Those people probably don’t know what music is,” he says with a laugh. “Do they think that instrumental music, where there's no human singing, isn’t real music? There’s really great Vocaloid music out there, and it’s basically [voices] created through synthesizing softwares. It's very different from AI, which is auto-generated music. Vocaloid is humans creating music using these softwares. That's the only difference from a human singing a song.”

To Ikura, who maintains her burgeoning solo career in tandem with YOASOBI’s busy schedule, Vocaloid allowed her to broaden her talents. "It is my first time singing songs that somebody else wrote, so it was an opportunity to challenge myself with things that I wouldn't necessarily write, or sing in a tone or voice that I wouldn't come up with myself." She says that these experiences influence her solo works all the time, in a "synergy" that allows her to "have more colors to work with in my palette."

"I started producing music through Vocaloids,” adds Ayase. “And it truly broadened my ideas and imagination when it comes to creating music. It allows creators to come up with melodies that a human singer may not come up with. It's a fascinating culture. The possibility I feel is infinite, and it really makes the impossible possible, in a way.”

Read more: It Goes To 11: How One Piece Of Technology Makes YOASOBI's Musical Vision Come To Life

Endless possibilities are also a big allure in AI technologies, but Ayase doesn’t see this as a threat. With the right boundaries, it’s just a tool — like Vocaloid, Logic Pro, and the internet — that can be used positively. "However, as a creator myself, I really hope that creative works come out of the imagination and ideas of the human mind. In that sense, [AI] may not be 100% a positive thing for us," he shares.

But that’s something for the future. Now, YOASOBI is focusing on their very real, very tangible events ahead. "Finally, we have this opportunity where people around the world are discovering our music. So, performing at festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza, or doing our solo shows, I think it's important that we communicate with the audiences and maximize this opportunity as much as possible," says Ikura.

And it’s not just YOASOBI getting all the attention: according to data and research company Luminate , J-pop in general is on the rise. "I’m very proud, as a Japanese person, for that situation. For us, it’s really about taking it one step at a time," says Ayase. “Our ultimate wish is to have our music or reach as many people around the world as possible, and so we will continue to work hard every day."

9 Essential K-Pop/Western Collabs: From BTS And Megan Thee Stallion, To IVE And Saweetie

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

GRAMMY Rewind: Megan Thee Stallion Went From "Savage" To Speechless After Winning Best New Artist In 2021

Relive the moment Megan Thee Stallion won the coveted Best New Artist honor at the 2021 GRAMMYs, where she took home three golden gramophones thanks in part to her chart-topping smash "Savage."

In 2020, Megan Thee Stallion solidified herself as one of rap's most promising new stars, thanks to her hit single "Savage." Not only was it her first No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, but the " sassy, moody, nasty " single also helped Megan win three GRAMMYs in 2021.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind , revisit the sentimental moment the Houston "Hottie" accepted one of those golden gramophones, for Best New Artist.

"I don't want to cry," Megan Thee Stallion said after a speechless moment at the microphone. Before starting her praises, she gave a round of applause to her fellow nominees in the category, who she called "amazing."

Along with thanking God, she also acknowledged her manager, T. Farris, for "always being with me, being by my side"; her record label, 300 Entertainment, for "always believing in me, sticking by through my craziness"; and her mother, who "always believed I could do it."

Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage" remix with Beyoncé also helped her win Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance that night — marking the first wins in the category by a female lead rapper.

Press play on the video above to watch Megan Thee Stallion's complete acceptance speech for Best New Artist at the 2021 GRAMMY Awards, and remember to check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

Black Sounds Beautiful: How Megan Thee Stallion Turned Viral Fame Into A GRAMMY-Winning Rap Career

• 1 10 Neo J-Pop Artists Breaking The Mold In 2024: Fujii Kaze, Kenshi Yonezu & Others
• 2 "Bridgerton" Composer Kris Bowers & Vitamin String Quartet Continue To Make Classical Music Pop For Season 3
• 3 New Music Friday: Listen to Songs From Megan Thee Stallion, Camila Cabello & Lil Nas X, BTS' RM & More
• 4 From Tokyo To Coachella: YOASOBI's Journey To Validate J-Pop And Vocaloid As Art Forms
• 5 GRAMMY Rewind: Megan Thee Stallion Went From "Savage" To Speechless After Winning Best New Artist In 2021

Darius Rucker details multifaceted journey to healing in memoir 'Life's Too Short'

40 years later, darius rucker breaks down how his new memoir, "life's too short," has restored his empathy and love for himself and his career..

Darius Rucker is self-aware that he's 58 years old and in possession of a singular baritone voice that has, in two separate genres, scaled the heights of what authentic Black soulfulness can achieve in contemporary music.

"Life's Too Short," Rucker's new memoir, deals not so much with that singular acclaim.

Instead, it presents an honest, raw reflection of events behind the scenes during the five-year swing when Hootie and the Blowfish sold 25 million records between 1995-2000. The book also delves into the stress-filled years between 2000-2010, and his eventual induction as a Grand Ole Opry member and 10-time country chart-topper. In the country genre, he has sold an equal number of singles to Hootie's album tally from a decade prior.

The book is available via HarperCollins Publishers' Dey Street Books .

"My kids are adults and it was time to really tell the story," offered Rucker, when asked about why the book was being released now. He spoke to The Tennessean while backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, where he's been a cast member since 2012.

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He's been married, separated and divorced, and has come through it all as an artist renowned for both his art and his philanthropy.

Compiling his four-decade career into a 256-page book (written with veteran biographer Alan Eisenstock) took 18 months.

The conversation with The Tennessean allowed Rucker to reflect even deeper on how, after being fully revealed, his legacy now appears in a more vivid rendering than ever before.

The highs and lows of the 'Hootie' era

Hootie and The Blowfish ween't just successful because the band's mix of collegiate Southern house party blues with late-80s-era Southern rock. Rucker beings to his music a tender-hearted nature that was hardened from being the son of a father with a wandering eye. The book reveals his father had multiple children by different mothers — all while married to Rucker's mother, Carolyn. That history adds a level of bittersweet gravitas to songs like "Hold My Hand" and "Let Her Cry."

The music is also widely accessible. "I Only Wanna Be With You," for instance, blends a blues-rock standard informed by The Black Crowes with Radney Foster and Nanci Griffith's rustic, red-dirt soul.

In total, Hootie and the Blowfish's best work is, like Rucker himself, on the surface understated but, at its heart, incredibly connective.

The performer notes that being so swept into the hustle of his career kept him from understanding the magnitude of his evolution from playing college bars at the University of South Carolina to filling 80,000-seat football stadiums less than a decade later.

It's also under that contemplation that Rucker loudly cackles when asked about the incredible levels of alcohol and drug abuse associated with his time with Hootie and the Blowfish mentioned in his memoir.

Yes, at the height of Hootie and the Blowfish's initial run, he once purchased somewhere in the vicinity of $30,000 worth of ecstasy in one transaction outside of his tour bus.

The Department of Justice notes that ecstasy is an "inhibition-reducing stimulant and psychedelic that produces an energizing effect, distortions in time and perception and enhanced enjoyment of tactile experiences."

A 1996 concert review published by The Spokesman Review of Spokane, Washington offered a caustic takedown of the band:

"Hootie and the Blowfish are the Wal-Mart, homogenized version of American roots music. Sure, the band can delve into country, bluegrass, folk, blues and rock 'n' roll, but their interpretation of the respective genres is shallow and pedestrian."

"It's hard to hammer on a band whose members seem like four of the nicest, most charming and most humble characters you could ever meet...four happy guys playing relatively happy music making everybody feel happy. That's why they appeal to 40-year-olds as much as they do 10-year-olds...Yet safe music doesn't always make for good music."

'Sex, drugs and rock 'n roll'

The band's career was defined by a stunning trio of once-in-a-lifetime hits weighed against harsh reviews and declining sales.

It built to a moment when Rucker's passion for his career hit rock bottom, which, according to him, should have placed the band's initial hiatus in 2005, not 2008, as it occurred.

"It got to the point that every time I got on a tour bus, I wanted to be at home and as soon as I got home, I checked out of being at home," he said. "Sure, I loved my kids and my wife, but living two lives led to my darkest and lowest times."

"Man, that was really tough to write about," said Rucker, sighing. "My ex-wife (Beth Leonard, from whom he was divorced in 2020) did everything to make my life great and I did everything in my power to (mess) it up."

"You can hear about the 'sex, drugs and rock 'n roll' of the music industry, but it's different when your life becomes all of the KISS lyrics you grew up loving," he said. "Eventually, the partying and women find a way to humble you and make what the job of — and not the song lyrics about being — a rock star not fun anymore."

"You're left trying to ingest anything and everything you can into your system to chase the emotions that made you want to do this in the first place," added Rucker.

Country music and salvation

The 16 years Rucker has spent as a mainstream country music artist have served to restore and heal his connection to his life and his career.

"A great country song can make nothing else in the world matter for three and a half minutes," says Rucker, whose cover of Old Crow Medicine Show's "Wagon Wheel" being an 11-times platinum-selling success is proof alone of this notion shining through in his own career.

"Hell, the chapters (in 'Life's Too Short') are named after song titles because, for the most part, so many of the great songs transcend everything, even if only for a moment," he said. "And in my life, especially now, that's become more important than ever."

He demurred when asked how he learned to be a leader after first learning to follow in so many iconic footsteps.

"I am a leader out of necessity," Rucker said.

"I was the second to the youngest kid in my family and I was depended upon to be the man of the house," he said. "I've always had a strong work ethic, known exactly what needs to be done and always pushed to make that happen."

Charley Pride, country radio and the relatable value of hard work

More than anything, he hopes his work ethic is what he hopes other creatives might mirror in their work.

Rucker laughed when asked about his initial 2012 meeting backstage with Charley Pride at the Grand Ole Opry.

He recalled arriving at the venue 90 minutes before having to perform and talking to Pride for the better part of the next six hours, only interrupted by their scheduled moments to sing. Both men, he said, were aware of the other's importance in Black and country music history.

However, it became quickly apparent to both that they were more concerned with how their work was being done than with the leadership expected by their groundbreaking existences.

They agreed that perhaps their desire to work more than their desire to attract attention to their work had led to neither of them ever being featured on the cover of Ebony or Jet Magazine.

He doubled down on that notion when asked about his success at country radio, which, similar to Pride, was built on solid relationship-building. He achieved this by consistently visiting over 130 radio markets nationwide, resulting in three consecutive chart-toppers and five million singles sold.

Felling as though he could not rely on his success in Hootie and The Blowfish to push himself to country renown, he also recalled Universal Nashville label chief Mike Dungan urging him to meet with radio executives everywhere to humanize and ingratiate himself to programmers.

"People needed to go from hearing that I was a superstar making a country record to knowing me as a humble country artist," said Rucker.

Rucker's lifelong country fandom, which had led to him unexpectedly taking the same radio tours his heroes had to take, made those experiences tolerable.

He also discovered how his close-knit Southern family roots, which included five other brothers and sisters, complemented the country industry's core value structure.

"My interactive skills, plus the way I handle myself and treat people benefitted me in those boardrooms," Rucker continued. "I share so many core values with many in country's industry — that's benefitted my longevity in the genre."

Rucker's influences, in their truest light

"For better and for worse, I'm at a place in my career where I can't be pigeonholed, in any respect, by who I am, what I sound like, or what I should or should not be doing," he said. "Now, my influences can shine through in their truest light."

He paused and recites lyrics from "Never Been Over," a ballad regarding his divorce from his 2023-released album "Carolyn's Boy."

"We've been holdin' on to love so long / that we don't know how to run...Splittin' up friends / Splittin' up records / Puttin' up walls / Burnin' down letters / Grass is greener cause there's something better / Waitin' down the line..."

"That's what doing the work on myself through my autobiography has given me the ability to sing," he said. "Being that honest might be hard, but it's also fun."

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The Amplifier

7 new songs you should hear now.

Hear tracks from Carly Pearce, Ibibio Sound Machine, John Cale and more.

By Lindsay Zoladz

Dear listeners,

After a much-too-long stretch of dreary weather, it’s finally sunny and springlike here in New York this week — which means it is officially time to refresh your “strolling around town with headphones on” playlist. I’m here to help.

Today’s mix is culled from the past few weeks of the Playlist, a collection of new music that our critics select every Friday. These seven artists come from the worlds of art-rock, Afrobeat, country, rap — and stretch across a remarkably vast age range. The youngest is 27 (the Canadian up-and-comer Luna Li ) and the oldest (though not at heart) is the 82-year-old legend John Cale . We’ve also got a gorgeous soundtrack cut from Caroline Polachek , a twangy lament from Carly Pearce , and a tender Valentine from Rapsody , among several other tracks. So lace up your walking shoes, throw on some shades and start strutting to the beat of this playlist.

My heart’s a ghost limb reaching,

Listen along while you read.

1. john cale: “shark — shark”.

Eighty-two years old and still making bops like this? May we all be so blessed. Droning guitars, a hypnotic melody, percussion that sounds like someone drumming on a trash can — this single from his forthcoming album “Poptical Illusion” is classic John Cale . ▶ Listen on Spotify , Apple Music or YouTube

2. Nilüfer Yanya: “Like I Say (I Runaway)”

Speaking of mesmerizing loops and artful distortion, here’s the latest from the British singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya , whose previous album, “Painless,” was one of my favorites of 2022.

▶ Listen on Spotify , Apple Music or YouTube

3. Carly Pearce: “Fault Line”

There’s a throwback charm to much of the music made by Carly Pearce, a millennial country star with a flair for good, old fashioned craftsmanship. I hear a little Loretta Lynn in this fiery and clever ditty about a relationship on the rocks: “We should probably go and find a ‘For Sale’ sign,” she sings, “’Cause we’re livin’ on a fault line, and the fault is always mine.”

4. Ibibio Sound Machine: “Pull the Rope”

I confess I was not familiar with the Afro-funk group Ibibio Sound Machine before Jon Pareles selected this track for a recent Playlist, but it’s certainly got my attention now. This title track from its recently released LP “Pull the Rope” is buoyant and catchy, building its refrain around an optimistic message: “Even though we’re eager to pull the trigger, let’s pull the rope — together, we hope.”

5. Caroline Polachek: “Starburned and Unkissed”

I recently saw Jane Schoenbrun’s stirring and surreal movie “I Saw the TV Glow” and when this Caroline Polachek song played while one of the main characters trudges through a high school hallway, I was like, “Oh I will be seeking out this soundtrack.” Polachek effectively conjures a feeling of adolescent boredom here, intercut with sudden, if fleeting, moments of vivid rapture.

6. Luna Li: “Confusion Song”

On Aug. 23, the Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist Luna Li will release her second album, “When a Thought Grows Wings.” This dreamy leadoff single is about, in her words , “the post-breakup haze when it seems that your subconscious and body are in denial about this person no longer being in your life.”

7. Rapsody featuring Erykah Badu: “3:AM”

Enough about breakups, though: Let’s end on this swooning, openhearted love song from the North Carolina rapper Rapsody’s latest album, “Please Don’t Cry.” Featuring a buttery hook from Erykah Badu, Rapsody expresses devotion to her partner with a winning mix of vulnerability and wit. “Every day you make me feel like a princess,” she raps before clarifying, “ Tiana , the Black one at Disney.”

The Amplifier Playlist

“7 New Songs You Should Hear Now” track list Track 1: John Cale, “Shark — Shark” Track 2: Nilüfer Yanya, “Like I Say (I Runaway)" Track 3: Carly Pearce, “Fault Line” Track 4: Ibibio Sound Machine, “Pull the Rope” Track 5: Caroline Polachek, “Starburned and Unkissed” Track 6: Luna Li, “Confusion Song” Track 7: Rapsody featuring Erykah Badu, “3:AM”

Explore the World of Hip-Hop

The long-building and increasingly testy rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake  has exploded into full-bore acrimony .

As their influence and success continue to grow, artists including Sexyy Red and Cardi B are destigmatizing motherhood for hip-hop performers .

ValTown, an account on X and other social media platforms, spotlights gangs and drug kingpins of the 1980s and 1990s , illustrating how they have driven the aesthetics and the narratives of hip-hop.

Three new books cataloging objects central to rap’s physical history  demonstrate the importance of celebrating these relics before they vanish.

Hip-hop got its start in a Bronx apartment building 50 years ago. Here’s how the concept of home has been at the center of the genre ever since .

Over five decades, hip-hop has grown from a new art form to a culture-defining superpower . In their own words, 50 influential voices chronicle its evolution .

How Billie Eilish fell back in love with music making new album Hit Me Hard and Soft

She's a record-breaking, award-hoovering, pop culture phenomenon. But somewhere along the way, Billie Eilish fell out of love with music.

At just 22, the Los Angeles superstar has already experienced more than most musicians do their entire career — subject to intense levels of adoration and scrutiny while growing up in the public eye.

At 17, her 2019 album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? , crafted in her brother's childhood bedroom, made history atop triple j's Hottest 100 and at the Grammys .

That meteoric rise was captured in 2021 documentary The World's A Little Blurry,  which showed (sometimes uncomfortably) how the sudden impact of global fame affected Eilish physically, mentally and emotionally.

Her second album, ironically titled Happier Than Ever , further cemented her cultural dominance, even as it raised compelling questions about achieving that kind of ubiquity.

Her complex relationship with music and celebrity was distilled into a revealing 'careful what you wish for' chorus.

"Things I once enjoyed / Just keep [me] employed now", she sang on album opener 'Growing Older'.

"I used to really not enjoy making music and I still have trouble with it," Eilish admits to Lucy Smith on triple j Mornings.

"I forgot that I started making music because I loved it. And then it became my job so quickly when I was so young that I kind of didn't get to enjoy it as much."

However, on the release day of Hit Me Hard and Soft, her hugely anticipated third album , Eilish says, "I think that I've come back to enjoying it and that's been really nice."

The 10-track release finds Eilish returning to the darker, theatrical tone of her debut album, but with a new-found confidence and studio mastery that looks toward fresh sonic horizons.

There are surprising settings we've never heard Eilish in before: a string quartet, 80s pop-rock, 'indie sleaze'-era electronica and late 90s club heaters.

As with everything Eilish records, Hit Me Hard and Soft was produced and co-written with her brother, Finneas O'Connell. However she had  a greater role than usual in its cinematic, adventurous production.

"I was more involved in this album than anything we've made. And I think that came from pure enjoyment. Like, I wanted to," she says.

That includes continuing to comp her own vocals — the editing process of splicing together various vocal takes to assemble the perfect take.

"The greatest thing I've ever learned to do," Eilish declares. "I'm never not grateful that I do that … all my vocals, and my little synths."

"I engineer a lot of my own stuff … and then Finneas comes in and does the rest better than me."

Hitting the club and the gym

Among Hit Me Hard and Soft's biggest surprises are moments where Billie takes us to the club.

The big synths illuminating 'Bittersuite' for instance, or 'Chihiro', which is powered by bass-heavy funk, snapping beats and laser-lit synths.

"We really didn't even mean to do that, it just came naturally," Eilish says.

"There's like a lot of small moments on the album that we didn't really mean to do honestly."

Case in point: a segue that arrives with a sweaty, dancefloor sheen in the second half of the jazzy 'L'Amour De Ma Vie'.

"This little breakdown track called 'Over Now'," Eilish explains. "That was me and Finneas just messing around, making the kind of thing that we were like, 'No one's every going to hear this'."

"Finneas [and I] had this realisation: The coolest, bravest thing we could do is just put it out exactly how we made it. It's about 'Do we enjoy this and do we like this?'"

With its pitch-shifted vocals and throbbing up-tempo pulse, 'Over Now' evokes chart-friendly trance music from the late '90s and early 2000s. But rather than being targeted to the dancefloor, Eilish revealed the music was designed for her personal fitness playlist.

"I was at the gym all the time in this period. I was doing a lot of cardio," she says.

"There weren't a lot of songs that were right for running and jumping rope [to] that I liked enough that had the right BPM [beats per minute]," she explains.

"I found one that I loved so much and remember being like, 'Wow, I wish there was some sort of way I could put this in an AI program and make 800 songs that make me feel the way this song makes me feel'.

"It's just fun and dance-y and clubby'."

It also reconnected Eilish with an old, little-known hobby of hers: DJing.

At around 15, her brother gave her some DJ software. 

"I got so good at it … I would remix everything [and] I was doing it literally all day, every single day," she says.

But then she lapsed (global stardom can be distracting) only to pick it up again recently thanks to Finneas' circle of talented DJ friends.

As part of their DJ mentorship, the siblings were also enjoying going to various parties and clubs.

"I've been starting to go out into the world for the first time since I was young and just biting the bullet and just going outside," she says.

"Just letting myself be, and trying not to be anxious and terrified the entire time like I have been for years."

Making music for herself

Given her immense popularity and Gen Z idol status, Hit Me Hard and Soft already feels like a guaranteed blockbuster, destined for glowing reviews, epic streaming figures, and screaming fans packing venues around the world.

All 12 East Coast shows on Eilish's upcoming Australian tour sold out almost immediately, despite cost-of-living pressures and fans only getting a few days' notice between its announcement and tickets going on sale.

The pressure of those weighty expectations initially hung heavy on Eilish's head when beginning her new record.

"I remember just being like, 'I don't know what people want me to make, and I don't know what I'm going to make [or] what people are going to think!' I just was very in my head about it," she says.

A conversation with a friend provided an epiphany. "I remember them being like, 'Billie, just make what you want to make. Don't worry about what they want you to make'," she says.

"I was like, 'Oh, yeah, right. That's so true!' That really made me think of it differently: the only person that needs to enjoy this is me. And that's all I need."

With the pressure off, that liberating sense of artistic freedom informed the work.

"It allows you to feel more free to just do what naturally comes to you instead of what you think is going to be received well, or be successful, or being number one or whatever."

It also informed Eilish's decision that there'd be no singles for Hit Me Hard and Soft, a 180 pivot from the multiple advance singles that preceded her first two albums.

"Not doing singles, I wanna give it to you all at once," she declared on Instagram  pre-release.

It is a power move that not only underscores Eilish's superstardom — big enough she doesn't need to follow the industry standard of carefully-orchestrated album rollouts  — but that pushes back on the way her young target demographic typically experience music, as individual songs or clipped-up hooks and 'moments' on TikTok.

Addressing the haters

Beyond levelling up her songwriting and sonic variety, Eilish's third album is a showcase for her most powerful instrument: her voice.

Hit Me Hard and Soft showcases her expressive singing techniques, such as the exhale/inhale that becomes rhythmic punctuation on 'Lunch', and impressive range.

She's capable of rising from delicate phrasing to soaring falsetto, or a commanding, full-throated presence, spanning it all on 'The Greatest'.

The record begins with the hushed vocals of 'Skinny', which feels like a loungey companion piece to 'What Was I Made For?' — the poignant, breathy ballad written for the Barbie soundtrack that won the 2023 Song of the Year Grammy Award and made Eilish and Finneas the youngest-ever two-time Oscar winners.

Asked if there's a particular vocal inflection or moment on the album she's most proud of, Eilish points to 'L'Amour De Ma Vie' as a favourite.

"It's the jazziest song on the album, and any time I get to sing in the realm of jazz, I am so happy," she says.

"I really feel like I was born to be a jazz singer and almost like [born in] the wrong generation in a way."

Eilish grew up with a dyed-in-the-wool love for classic, old-school crooners who never had the luxury of digital tweaks, relying on the raw prowess of their pipes to convey a feeling or capture listeners' attention.

"Frank Sinatra is my favourite in the world, and Johnny Mathis and Peggy Lee and Julie London and Etta James and Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald," she says.

"It's so funny because I grew up with people talking about how soft and delicate voices are not as good as big, loud powerhouses. And that's just not true."

"All voices are beautiful. There's different kinds."

If one detected a defensive tone, it's because Eilish is used to facing criticism — 'Billie Eilish only whispers' allegations — of her understated singing throughout her career.

The 22-year-old is comfortable clapping back at critics, ranging from the way she dresses and queerbaiting claims, to clarifying her stance on "wasteful" vinyl variants against Swifties. Addressing criticisms of her singing is no exception.

"I really grew up thinking I was a bad singer because I didn't belt and because I didn't use my voice like that," she says.

"But when I think about it and I look back, all the singers that I adored had deeply precise, beautiful, delicate control over their voices. And that's what I always gravitated towards. And I think that 'L'amour [De Ma Vie]' is a really great vocal.

"When you listen to that compared to something from my first EP , Don't Smile at Me, it's a completely different person. It's amazing."

Hit Me Hard and Soft is out now.

Hear Lucy Smith on  triple j Mornings  from 9am Monday to Fridays.

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And the world’s never heard that song you made with her back then? Yeah, no, the world’s never heard it. It was a song we did a long time ago. I need to hear it again! I don’t think I’ve heard it since then. It’s so funny how it’s a full circle moment for me working with her.

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So I texted her at that time, and she was like, “That’s crazy that you texted me, because I just put the pen down. I’ve been working on this song that I think would be amazing for you.” I went to her studio in January, and she played me the song. I was almost in tears, because the lyrics are so on-point with everything that I’ve been through lately. It felt like a meant-to-be moment. It was very much like God, very much divine timing. We both felt it in the room. Right then and there, I was playing the chords and doing my own things to it. I changed some of the things and made it a “me” song. I got very emotional when I was recording it, very much in tears.

It’s really a showcase for your voice. There was a big note at the end of the song. It was one take, which is pretty crazy. This is a song where people really get to hear my vocals. They’ve never heard me sing like this on a record. So I’m really, really excited for people to hear it and to experience what they would hear live from me, on record.

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When you talk about what you’ve been through in the past year, what did that mean emotionally? I had a coming-of-age moment. There’s a time in the music industry before anybody cares or knows who you are, you’re just doing it because you love it. Then it turns into more. There’s so much you don’t know, so much you’re learning about yourself. I was focused on the gratitude, being happy to be here, being on autopilot.

Now I’ve learned how to be intentional about what I want out of my career, what it means to be a leader and director of my own destiny.  Everyone around you is not always pure in their intent, not always on the same page as you. It’s important to look out for yourself, believe in yourself, balance that with what’s the right thing versus what you feel. Opinions come in, success comes, everybody has their thoughts on what it should be. 

I asked myself: What are you doing this for? My ‘whys’ are changing. I’m not the same person I was at 18. I had to make a lot of tough, tough, tough, tough decisions. I had to believe in myself. I had never felt so lost. I had never felt so uncertain. And that was a really hard thing for me.  Now I’m happier, lighter, more proud of the person I’m becoming. I’m in a good place, and on top of that, I’m taking my own advice, being comfortable with vulnerability. I’m living by “What’s bad for the heart is good for the art.” I’ve been trying to live by that, go with how I feel, let the music speak, and bring people into my world.

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You’ve had a reggae album in your back pocket for a while. What’s the status on that one? I don’t really know when I want to release it. It’s one of those things. I have this great body of music, and as a creative, there are so many projects I want to do. It’s just a matter of when. Those songs are definitely in the chamber. We’ll see when it feels right. I’ve been super-organic about it, but the music exists. 

And are you still shooting the film musical of The Color Purple ? It’s done! It’s out in December, and I’m so excited for people to see it. I got to see a little bit of it, and I’m so excited. Like, it’s so beautiful. The experience I had was amazing. The cast is insane. And Blitz [Bazawule] is an amazing director. Everything about it is really exciting to me. And yeah, it’s my acting debut, so I can’t wait for people to see me on a big screen.

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