Playboi Carti released his highly-anticipated third studio album, MUSIC, on Friday (March 14), and the project made a record-breaking debut on streaming platforms by becoming Spotify's most-streamed album in a single day in 2025 thus far. The Atlanta rapper's album release was preceded by the single, "All Red," which reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “Carti’s MUSIC is already making history,” Spotify captioned their post on X on Saturday (March 15) which highlighted the rapper’s achievement. The album features collaborations with A-list music superstars like Young Thug, Travis Scott, Future, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Lil Uzi Vert, Skepta, and Ty Dolla $ign, along with an impressive lineup of renowned producers. The 30-track project comes five years after Carti's previous record, Whole Lotta Red, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. To cap off his momentous weekend, Carti also headlined Rolling Loud California on Sunday (March 16). (Billboard)

On Saturday (March 15), Kanye West released a new song titled, "Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine," attributed to Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is billed as Puff Daddy on the track. The song also features a contribution from West and Kim Kardashian’s daughter, North West, as well as Combs’ son, Christian “King” Combs, and singer Jasmine Williams. The track's dialogue includes emotional moments between West and Combs, with North rapping the notable line, “When you see me shining, then you see the light." The release comes amidst a public dispute between West and Kardashian over North’s appearance on the song, with Kim apparently sending Kanye legal paperwork “so she wouldn’t be in the Diddy song to protect her.” West has previously praised Combs while the disgraced music mogul awaits trial on federal sex trafficking and kidnapping charges. West is also facing his own legal challenges, including sexual assault allegations, claims of antisemitism and racial discrimination, and lawsuits from former Yeezy employees. (Rolling Stone)

On Friday (March 14), Will Smith took to Instagram to announce the official release date and reveal the cover art for his upcoming album, Based on a True Story, which is set to drop on March 28. The 14-track collection marks the entertainment icon’s first new album in over 20 years, and includes collaborations with his celebrated former music partner, DJ Jazzy Jeff, along with Teyana Taylor and Jac Ross, and features previously released singles “First Love,” “Beautiful Scars,” “TANTRUM,” “Work of Art,” and “You Can Make It.” “Been working on this project for a minute and I’m itchin’ to get it out to y’all 🫶🏾,” Smith captioned his post. The rapper also hints at plans for a trilogy of albums released under the Based on a True Story theme, likening it to "three seasons of a TV musical show." “You know, I’ve always had a wild imagination; that’s part of who I am,” Smith told Billboard in January. “But there’s something new happening with me that’s demanding I explore musically.” (Billboard)

Lady Gaga’s Mayhem opens at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart this week. Gaga’s new record becomes the seventh chart-topper for the pop superstar, and her 11th Top 10 release overall. Mayhem racked up 219,000 equivalent album units in the U.S., marking the biggest week of the year for a release by a woman, while also scoring Gaga her largest streaming week of her entire career. Elsewhere in the Billboard 200 Top 10, JENNIE’s debut solo album, Ruby, debuts at No. 7, becoming the third member of BLACKPINK to notch a solo Top 10 release – with all three coming in the last three months. Kendrick Lamar’s GNX drops one spot to No.2, PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U falls a slot to No. 3, SZA’s SOS holds at No. 4, Tate McRae’s So Close To What drops two spots to No. 5, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet falls one slot to No. 6, Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos slides two places to No. 8, Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time remains at No. 9, and Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess drops two spots to No. 10. (Billboard)

A fire erupted inside the crowded Pulse nightclub in Kochani, North Macedonia early Sunday morning (March 16), resulting in the tragic deaths of at least 59 people. 150 others were injured in the incident, with 18 individuals hospitalized in critical condition. The fire was ignited by pyrotechnics used during a concert by local pop band DNK, which quickly spread across the packed venue and caused chaos as concertgoers tried to flee, with reports of people being trampled in the chaos. “Most likely, sparks caught a part of the ceiling that was made of flammable material, causing the fire to spread to the entire discotheque in a short period of time, creating thick smoke,” Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said during a press conference on Sunday. Of the 59 confirmed fatalities, 35 people have been identified, with ages of the dead ranging from 14 to 24. The owner of the nightclub was detained by authorities, with arrest warrants issued for four other unspecified people as investigations continue into the tragedy. (Rolling Stone)

Former En Vogue member Dawn Robinson revealed in a recent YouTube video that she has been living in her car for nearly three years. The singer returned to her channel after six months of silence in order to provide fans with a life update. Robinson was relieved after making her shocking revelation about her living arrangements, exclaiming “Oh my God, I said it – it’s out,” before disclosing information about her day to day activities. “I have a gym membership and I shower there,” she said. “I wouldn’t trade any of what I’ve gone through. I miss my family but I’m proud of me, and I’d rather be on my own right now and see my family when it’s time.” After various living arrangements didn’t work out, Robinson opted for “car life” and now resides in Malibu. “This is not like, ‘Oh my God, poor Dawn. She’s living in her car and it’s terrible and woe is me,'” she said. “I’m learning about who I am, as a woman.” (Rolling Stone)

On Thursday (March 13), Jonas Brothers took to Instagram to announce the release date for their upcoming single, “Love Me to Heaven,” which is set to debut on March 21. The band first previewed the uptempo pop tune during their 20th anniversary celebration show in Toronto last month. Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas will continue the festivities with a one-day JONASCON event at the American Dream mall in New Jersey on March 23, which will feature various live performances, Q&A panels, and fan activities. While the group hasn’t shared any specific details about if their new single will be featured on a forthcoming album, the trio has promised a year of music as part of their ongoing 20th anniversary celebrations, including more new songs, a live album, solo music, and a holiday movie for Disney. Jonas Brothers' recent collaborative single with Rascal Flatts, “I Dare You,” will also be featured on the country group’s upcoming album, Life Is a Highway: Refueled Duet, out June 6. (Billboard)

Chappell Roan released her highly-anticipated new country single, “The Giver,” on Thursday (March 13), but she reassured her fans that she remains committed to pop music, calling her venture into country music a fun experiment. During an appearance on a new episode of Today’s Country Radio With Kelleigh Bannen, Roan said of her new single, “I really just did it for fun. I’m not switching genres or anything. I wanted to write a country song because I just thought it would be funny. It’s campy and fun.” Roan, who recently took home the Grammy for Best New Artist, was raised in southwest Missouri on a mix of Christian and country music. She admits that she draws inspiration from artists like Lady Gaga as well as Big & Rich, infusing her love for multiple genres into her music. “I have kept country in my heart,” Roan says. “And it’s so incredibly nostalgic to drive in West Hollywood and [play] Jason Aldean or Alan Jackson’s ‘Chattahoochee.’” (Rolling Stone)

Harry Styles will not be performing a residency at Las Vegas’ Sphere, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the venue, who stated that there were never any plans for him to do so. In a statement made on Thursday (March 13), a representative for the cutting edge Vegas venue said, “To set the record straight, there has never been plans for Harry Styles to perform at Sphere.” The news comes as a letdown to fans who had been eagerly anticipating Styles’ rumored 35-date Vegas residency, which first surfaced on March 6. Despite the excitement, there has been no indication of a musical comeback from the One Direction alum, whose last series of shows were during his Love On Tour dates from 2021 to 2023. Styles has maintained a relatively low profile as of late, most notably completing the Tokyo Marathon in Japan, ultimately finishing in 6,010th place out of a group of more than 37,000 runners. (Billboard)

Eminem has expressed interest in potentially joining a group bidding to bring a WNBA expansion team to his hometown of Detroit. The rapper would be part of a bid group featuring a series of other notable figures from the city, especially from the local sports scene. A rep for the 15-time Grammy winning musician confirmed that Eminem and his management have “expressed interest” and “discussed joining” the group, but “no deal has been finalized” as of yet. The bid group is purportedly spearheaded by Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores, and also includes the owners from the other major Detroit sports teams, who would lead Detroit's effort to secure a WNBA franchise amidst the league’s expansion plans. Adam Sandler recently confirmed that Eminem will have a cameo appearance in Happy Gilmore 2, which arrives in July. “I’ve known Eminem for a long time, he’s a great guy and he came in and was funny as hell,” Sandler said on The Dan Patrick Show. (Rolling Stone)

On Wednesday (March 12), the NCAA and TNT Sports Live Events announced the star-studded lineup of artists who will perform at the 2025 March Madness Music Festival. The three-day event will take place at Tower Park in San Antonio, Texas from April 4th to 6th, and will be held in conjunction with the Division I Men’s Final Four. On April 4, Pitbull will headline the AT&T Block Party, along with performances by Doechii and Ravyn Lenae. On April 5, Jelly Roll will headline Coca-Cola Live!, following sets by T-Pain and Willow Avalon. On April 6, Chris Stapleton will headline Capital One JamFest, with Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Benson Boone, and Brothers Osborne also set to perform. CBS Sports and TNT Sports will provide live coverage of all 67 games from the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across four national TV networks, with the Final Four airing on CBS. (Billboard)

During The Secret Of Us Tour stop in Dublin on Monday night (March 10), Gracie Abrams provided emotional comfort to a fan in the audience who was mourning the loss of her best friend. In the fan’s TikTok video, Abrams is given a sign paying tribute to her late friend Lolly, who passed away before getting a chance to attend the concert. In a touching moment, Abrams expressed condolences and admiration for Lolly, placing her photo at the front of the stage in tribute. "Thank you so much for bringing her with you tonight. I'm so sorry for your loss," she told the fan. “I just can’t imagine how you must be feeling right now. She’s gorgeous, and she’s with us." The fan captioned her video clip, "Gracie [honoring] our best friend at her dream concert. We miss you Lolly." She expressed her thanks to Abrams in the comments, writing “thank you @gracie abrams @Gracie AbramsHQ for giving our best friend lolly her special moment on her 6th month anniversary.” (People)

SZA appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday (March 12) to discuss her upcoming Grand National Tour with Kendrick Lamar. The Grammy-winning R&B star – whose collaboration with Lamar, “Luther,” is currently No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 – promised that their upcoming tour would be different from their Super Bowl halftime show. “Oh, we’re doing a new thing,” SZA shared. “We’re both just kind of throwing all the paint at the wall… This is our first stadium show for both of us, so we pretty much have to go insane.” When asked if she and Lamar will hang out while on tour together, SZA said that the Nobel Prize-winning rapper tends to keep to himself. “Well, he’s a wizard, so that’s different,” she quipped. “Wizards tend to be solitary beings… I think he’s doing the Merlin thing backstage, getting us ready to take off.” Lamar and SZA’s highly-anticipated tour kicks off on April 19 in Minneapolis, with dates scheduled across North America through June. (Billboard)

In an interview on The Howard Stern Show on Tuesday (March 11), Lady Gaga shared her admiration for Trent Reznor and cited Nine Inch Nails as major inspiration for her seventh album, Mayhem. Gaga revealed that meeting Reznor always has a powerful effect on her, and while she couldn’t recall the first time she met the NIN mastermind, she revealed, “I think I black out every time I’m in his presence. He’s an amazing musician.” When Stern asked if she ever felt intimidated by Reznor, Gaga explained, “Not intimidated—just really excited, stoked, quiet.” Gaga has previously expressed that Mayhem is a fusion of “90s grunge influence, 2000s pop influence, funk influence, ‘80s influence,” while disclosing that NIN’s "Closer" had a significant influence on the album’s lead single, “Disease.” Nine Inch Nails, meanwhile, have just announced their upcoming Peel It Back world tour, which will mark their first live performances since 2022. NIN has shows scheduled across the U.K., Europe, and North America this summer, with support coming from Boys Noize. (Billboard)

Miley Cyrus’ music video for "Flowers" has just surpassed one billion views on YouTube. This is the pop superstar’s fourth video to achieve the milestone, alongside the visuals for 2013’s "Wrecking Ball," 2009’s "Party In the U.S.A.," and 2013’s “23” with Mike WiLL Made-It, Wiz Khalifa, and Juicy J, which just crossed the billion views threshold back in December of 2024. The iconic clip for “Flowers” was directed by Jacob Bixenman, and features Cyrus stylishly singing her Billboard Hot 100-topping single, which wound up spending eight total weeks at No. 1. The song, believed to be about Cyrus’ ex-husband Liam Hemsworth, is featured on her eighth record, Endless Summer Vacation, which was nominated for Album of the Year. “Flowers” topped the charts in 41 different countries while becoming the fastest song in Spotify history to surpass one billion streams, earning Cyrus her first two Grammys Awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2024 ceremony. (Billboard)

Demi Lovato reassured fans after sparking concern over a TikTok cooking video, which captured her appearing visibly nervous while her hands were trembling throughout the entire clip. "I'm afraid of seeing her shaking that hard," one concerned viewer wrote in the comments. Despite fans expressing worry over her noticeable shaking, the 32-year-old singer assured everyone that she was "okay" and explained the challenges she faced while cooking. "I’m okay! I promise," Lovato responded in the comments, while captioning her video, “On Cooking With Demi we are all about facing our fears. Today we did that by trying out a recipe for a whole roasted chicken. It wasn’t pretty at times, but it wasn’t nearly as overwhelming as I thought it would be.” Lovato's candid approach on her cooking show highlights the pop star’s determination to navigate through new life experiences, while ultimately building her confidence in the kitchen. (People)

ERNEST and Snoop Dogg's highly-anticipated collaboration, “Gettin' Gone,” appears to be on the horizon as the dynamic duo were spotted shooting a music video on Nashville's Broadway Strip. The clip follows in the footsteps of Post Malone and Luke Combs' viral video shoot last summer. “Gettin’ Gone” was co-written by ERNEST, Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip, and Mark Holman, and based on the 'Snoop DeVille' jacket that the rapper was sporting, the release of the joint track is anticipated to coincide with the launch of ERNEST's new label, DeVille Records. ERNEST shared an Instagram photo of he and Snoop hanging out at Losers Bar and Grill, captioning the post, “SNOOP X DEVILLE.” The country superstar also shared a video of his son, Ryman, meeting Snoop, captioning the clip, “Ryman is certified 💙.” “Gettin' Gone” is rumored to be the lead single from ERNEST's forthcoming collaborative project, Cadillac Sessions, which will feature contributions from signees to ERN’s Cadillac Music Publishing group, such as rising country singer, Chandler Walters. (Holler)

Stephen Schwartz, the acclaimed songwriter behind Wicked, is set to receive the 2025 Johnny Mercer Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala in New York City on June 12. The honor comes amidst the success of Wicked as the highest-grossing film ever based on a Broadway musical, with a sequel slated for release in 2025. The 76-year-old Schwartz also wrote the music for the Broadway hits Godspell and Pippin, and has won three Oscars, four Grammys, and a Golden Globe, while receiving six Tony nominations. “With every lyric and melody, Stephen invites us on an unforgettable journey,” SHOF chairman Nile Rodgers said in a statement. “He is the only person who can turn a simple story into a Broadway musical masterpiece, one catchy chorus at a time!” Gracie Abrams was previously announced as the recipient of the SHOF’s other major honorary prize, the Hal David Starlight Award, with the class of 2025 inductees including George Clinton, Ashley Gorley, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Mike Love, Tony Macaulay, and three members of The Doobie Brothers. (Billboard)

Shortly after announcing his plans to sell Shakira’s custom 2022 Lamborghini Urus that he won in a contest, artist Michael Mejía was involved in a car accident while driving the luxury vehicle in Miami. Mejía was hit by another car on Thursday (March 6), and he revealed that he was unharmed in the incident and that the car is undergoing restoration. “I was simply hit. It wasn’t me who crashed,” Mejía says. “It was quite a scary moment. Fortunately, I wasn’t injured.” An Instagram video posted by Spanish-language reality series ¡Siéntese Quien Pueda! captured the damage done to purple Lamborghini in the accident. Mejía recently revealed that he was planning on selling the car due to the high maintenance costs, which led to backlash from Shakira's fans. “All of Shakira’s fans — who initially supported me — are hating me because I decided to sell the car,” he said. “They see it as potentially disrespectful towards Shakira. All the monthly costs are too much, and I just can’t keep up with them.” (Billboard)

On Monday (March 10), Drake made an enigmatic Instagram post that hints about a mysterious "next chapter" in his career. “I grew up non confrontational and always treated this game as a sport where my pen won gold, but these days the podium has been hard for all of us to ignore,” Drake wrote. “I understand that this next chapter may leave you feeling uneasy, but I hope you see my honesty as clarity not charity that answers some questions.” Some fans speculate that his message refers to his ongoing beef with Kendrick Lamar, while others see Drake shifting his focus to future projects rooted in sincerity.

The post features a series of photos of the rapper, as well as a sweatshirt emblazoned with his label’s OVO Sound owl logo alongside the slogan “Free the Man Dem,” and a mysterious pic of a Zofran pill. Drake’s newest project, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, is a collaborative album with PartyNextDoor which debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart in February, marking the rapper’s 14th No. 1 album of his career. (Rolling Stone)