There’s nothing bigger on the ARIA Chart this week than Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” (via Sony Music), which ascends to the summit some six months after its release.
“Choosin’ Texas” is finally at the top of the leaderboard, rising 3-1 after 19 weeks on the chart. And in doing so, the U.S. singer and songwriter unseats Olivia Dean’s five-times platinum certified “Man I Need” (Universal) after 21 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1. “Man I Need” dips 1-2, while Dean’s collaboration with Sam Fender, “Rein Me In,” slips 2-3.
The slow-burning “Choosin’ Texas” becomes the first song by a female country singer to top the ARIA Singles Chart since Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” got there five years ago, in 2021.
Meanwhile, Tame Impala’s “Dracula” (Columbia/Sony) improves 5-4 peak, a career peak position for Kevin Parker’s psychedelic pop outfit. Thanks to a remix featuring Jennie from BLACKPINK, and a viral dance on TikTok, “Dracula” recently entered the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 (at No. 10), and climbed to No. 2 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
“Dracula” is the only homegrown cut in the ARIA Top 50, published late Friday, May 15. No new releases appear on the frame.
Over on the ARIA Albums Chart, Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide (via Universal) enters a third consecutive week at No. 1, while Olivia Dean’s sophomore set The Art of Loving holds at No. 2.
The top new release belongs to Brisbane indie band The Jungle Giants, with Experiencing Feelings Of Joy (Orchard), their third studio album. Experiencing Feelings Of Joy is new at No. 3, and the follow up to Love Signs, which went to No. 1 in 2021.
It’s one of four new Australian releases to debut in the top 50 on the latest tally. Those new arrivals include Katherine’s Halloran’s independently-released Nobody’s Baby (at No. 26), contemporary jazz singer Simone Waddell’s Unforgettable (at No. 43 via Ambition/MGM), and Brisbane indie rockers Beddy Rays with their EP Sunday Slowdown (at No. 50 via Beddy Rays/ADA).
Several American artists make their presences felt on the chart, including Chris Brown (Brown at No. 16 via RCA/Sony), Josh Groban (Cinematic at No. 24 via Reprise/Warner), Neil Diamond (Wild at Heart at No. 29 via Capitol/Universal), Audrey Hobert (Who’s The Clown at No. 36 via Sony), and Social Distortion (Born To Kill at No. 46 Epitaph/RKT), while quirky New Zealand artist Aldous Harding rides her Train on the Island (Flying Nun/Orchard) album to No. 41.
As Drake’s now-enemy LeBron James once said at his memorable opening press conference when he joined the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010: “Not one, not two, not three….”
But yes, while fans expected one album,Iceman, to arrive on Friday (May 15), Drake pulled a rabbit out of his hat and released three LPs as Habibti and Maid of Honour joined Iceman for a sprawling 43 tracks combined.
Prior to the albums’ arrival, Drake hosted episode 4 of his Iceman livestream on his YouTube channel, which played out more as a visual album for Iceman lasting about 75 minutes Thursday night (May 14).
Shot across Toronto, Drake recruited some friends to make cameos, including comedian Shane Gillis, DJ Akademiks and his son, Adonis.
The stream kicks off with Iceman‘s introspective opener “Make Them Cry,” which finds Drake wasting no time addressing the scars from 2024’s battle with Kendrick Lamar.
“What died back in 2024 was a big piece/ So it’s like this s–t is me, but it isn’t me/ Y’all keep on asking what it did to me/ That’s what it did to me,” he raps as an Iceman truck cruises down the highway.
Later on in the track, Drake also revealed that his father, Dennis Graham, is currently battling cancer. “My dad got cancer right now/ We battling stages/ Trust me when I say there’s things I’d rather be facing,” he admits.
DJ Akademiks enters the picture, hosting a radio show and making all sorts of claims backing up Drake. It’s pretty similar to what you’d hear from him on his own stream, saying Drake takes up all five slots of his top five and so on.
Aligning with the 6 God paid off for Ak, who starred in the livestream and picked up an iced-out OVO owl chain courtesy of Drake.
Moving through Iceman, Shane Gillis makes an appearance as a police officer with Adonis, Drake is shown as a mob boss with his crew in front of a government building, then walking through the snow, as bloodshed is left in his wake.
The First Lady of Toronto Chromazz joins Drizzy as part of the visual album, while Drake also shows off his fleet of exotic cherry red sports cars.
The reunion everyone hoped to see, as Drake and his What a Time to Be Alive running mate, Future, put their issues aside to reconcile. They join forces alongside emerging rapper Molly Santana — or the new Hannah Montana — for “Ran to Atlanta” (a possible nod to Kendrick’s lyrics on “Not Like Us”) and the music video appears on the stream.
“Me and Hendrix back by popular demand,” Drake raps. Military Hummers and strippers using poles surround Drizzy. The clip continues to flicker between neon-blue light and thermal effects and back to normal.
Drake throws a party for his OVO crew as “Burning Bridges” plays, which appears to find him jabbing at A$AP Rocky. “Your baby momma ain’t even post a single, damn, where she at,” he raps, before later adding. “You saw my brother, you was tryna fix it, now you drop your album and you back dissing.”
There’s plenty of smoke to go around on the menacing “Make Them Pay,” which finds Rick Ross and DJ Khaled in his crosshairs, who Drake addresses by name. He also seemingly calls out J. Cole and says “f–k a big three.”
“Dog, I was aiding Ross with streams before Adin Ross had ever streamed,” Drake fires at Rozay, who has had plenty to say about Drake on his book tour this week.
DJ Khaled and Drake also had a falling out dating back to 2024, and Drizzy lands a haymaker, putting Khaled on blast for not speaking up about Palestine.
“And Khaled, you know what I mean/ The beef was fully live, you went halal, and got on your deen/ And your people are still waitin’ for a Free Palestine/ But apparently, everything isn’t black and white and red and green,” he spews.
Previous leaks such as “National Treasures,” sans Pressa and “1 AM in Albany,” which has been renamed to “Make Them Remember,” make the cut on Iceman. 2025’s “What Did I Miss?” also stuck around, and the music video finds Drake on the back of an Iceman 18-wheeler transporting blocks of ice, while he rocks a Chrome Hearts trapper hat.
Neophyte New York rapper Stunna Sandy gets a look in the stream as part of the “Plot Twist” visual, as she rides in a dune buggy and hangs with Drizzy.
A potential bop comes next with “2 Hard 4 Radio,” which would be an ironic title if the track picks up commercial steam and ends up becoming a radio smash. The West Coast-influenced song finds Drake having fun while incorporating Mac Dre bars.
The next scenes head to the top of the CN Tower in the heart of Toronto, a strip club and inside a government building that houses the mayoral office. Drake closes up shop at an ice hockey rink and then flees to the studio. But for his final act, in a possible shot at Kendrick Lamar, Drizzy sets a streaming farm ablaze.
While all of the aforementioned visuals were pre-taped, the livestream becomes current with fireworks lighting up the Toronto sky and Drake watching on in real time. He shocks the OVO faithful with an announcement that two additional albums are on the way, dropping in an hour at midnight. With 43 tracks and three LPs, a Drizzy summer is on the horizon.
Watch episode 4 of the Iceman livestream on Drake’s YouTube account.
Billboard’sFriday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to New Music Friday’s most essential releases each week — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
Last week, we featured Charli xcx, MUNA and Kelela.
This week: Gracie Abrams teases her recently-announced fourth album, Daughter From Hell, with its lead single; Drake returns with his anticipated Iceman — plus two more projects titled Maid Of Honour and Habibti; and Tove Lo previews her upcoming sixth album … plus much more. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Gracie Abrams, “Hit the Wall”
Gracie Abrams’ now longtime collaborator Aaron Dessner wasn’t playing when he spoke about the singer’s upcoming album in an Instagram caption earlier this week: “You’ll hear us expanding our musical vocabulary and pushing into uncharted waters sonically…it feels elevated in every way.” Lead single “Hit the Wall” is an airy and lyrically loaded track, with lines like, “A room full of doctors and an inkblot/ I’m drawn into headlights, have a blind spot” or, “I live in a pattern of breakdowns/ You’ll bend to my silence, it’s so loud.” The track arrives as the perfect connector for where Abrams has been and where she is heading — and proves that if this is her starting point, Daughter From Hell is surely going to hurt like hell.
Drake, Iceman
After teasing his anticipated Iceman album, Drake more than delivered — also dropping Maid of Honour and Habibti on Friday. In all, the three releases total 43 new tracks and nearly two-and-a-half hours of listening (and push his solo full-length discography into double digits). Needless to say, the artist had a lot to get off his chest since his For All the Dogs release in 2023.
Iceman focus track, “Ran To Atlanta,” features Future and Molly Santana and is one of just two tracks on the project that taps guests. Meanwhile, Maid Of Honour and Habibti are a bit more feature-packed, with artists including Sexxy Red, Central Cee, PARTYNEXTDOOR and others appearing across the tracklists. So, roll your sleeves up and get to listening.
Tove Lo, “I’m Your Girl Right?”
It’s been four years since Tove Lo released an album (her last was 2022’s Dirt Femme) and new single “I’m Your Girl Right?” reminds listeners of what we’ve been missing. The track finds a sweet spot between mid-tempo pop and full-blown dance banger — exactly what Tove Lo has always done best. The track serves as the lead single for her upcoming sixth album, ESTRUS, out Sept. 18. As the artist shared in a statement: “I know you’ve been waiting a long time and I hope it’s worth the wait. It was for me!”
Rostam, “Hardy (feat. Clairo)”
With the release of Rostam’s third solo album, American Stories, he continues to prove that patience pays off (his last album, Changephobia, arrived in 2021) and that he still has that magic touch. Standout track “Hardy” opens unexpectedly with jittery, gorgeous strings that subtly fade into piano chords — only to return again halfway through for an instrumental interlude that also features trumpet to introduce Clairo’s verse. The song then ends with the chorus that’s all about acceptance: “Some things you said to me have stuck in my mind/ And though I’ll never have the chance to say why/ Maybe the greatest art is never completed/ We only have to leave it knowing we tried.”
Jorja Smith, “What’s Done Is Done”
Jorja Smith’s sultry, silky vocals are an expected, welcomed component of all her songs — and while they do their thing on “What’s Done Is Done,” the production comes as a surprise. Loaded with heart-pounding synth and bass, there’s a creeping, electric backbone to the track that perfectly soundtracks the basement club energy Smith channels in its music video.
Madonna and Peggy Gou have just released the first official remix of Madonna’s Confessions II era, with the pop icon and the South Korean superstar DJ teaming up for a bouncy edit of the album’s lead single, “I Feel So Free.”
The edit has an ’80s throwback vibe. Think Stock Aitken Waterman and their production of Dead Or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round,” complete with addictive beats, thunderclaps and a synth bassline. Stream it below.
Confessions II is Madonna’s 15th studio album and a follow-up of her 2005 classic Confessions On a Dancefloor, which won the 2007 Grammy for best dance/electronic album. Stuart Price, the producer of this first album, is back working with Madonna for the reprise.
The original version of “I Feel So Free,” which was released on April 17, appears to be the opening track of Confessions II, as the remix comes just after the May 14 announcement of the Confessions II tracklist. This news was revealed in a guerrilla marketing campaign that saw posters posters go up in several major cities around the world. The track list from these posters appears as such:
Side 1 I Feel So Free Good for the Soul One Step Away Bring Your Love Danceteria Read My Lips
Side 2 Everything Love Without Words Bizarre School Fragile My Sins Are My Savior
SYDNEY, Australia — For all the column inches devoted to the resurgence of country, the dominance of pop and the steady strength of rock, it’s dance music that has the place jumping in Australia.
Of the hundreds of music festivals that sprawl out across Australia’s warmer months, roughly one in four pump out dance music — the most popular genre, according to data presented in Soundcheck, published in late 2024 by Creative Australia.
On the streaming side of the story, the IMS Business Report found Australia to be the third-largest market in the world for electronic music, trailing only the United States and Germany. Australians stream, on average, more of the genre than any other nation, the publication’s authors explain. In just one month last year, Spotify revealed Aussie dance cuts were streamed more than 1 billion times internationally on its platform, making the genre the most popular music export from the land down under.
A couple of those TMRW tracks also made the leap to the Music Week Club Chart in the United Kingdom: Supafly & Greg Stainer’s “Girls” featuring Ca$h X at No. 16, and Jessi Lowkey x Cristiano Fry’s “I Know” at No. 20.
The hits should keep coming with PNAU, the Sydney electronic pairing of Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes, whose 2012 collaborative remix album with Elton John, Good Morning to the Night, went to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart — a feat they repeated in 2021 with the remix of “Cold Heart” (with Dua Lipa), which topped charts globally. PNAU will release its new album AHHCade on July 31 via etcetc worldwide, a fresh collection that features the previously released single “Tu Corazon” with Mexican sister act The Warning.
Billboard caught up with TMRW Music Group CEO Tim McGee, etcetc Music general manager Aden Mullens, TMRW Music Group’s head of A&R Chris Fraser and TMRW Music Group senior marketing manager, labels, Lana Howlett, for a closer look at Australia’s vibrant dance space and how the Sydney label group is lifting the tempo.
Broadly speaking, Australian dance music is having a “moment” both here and internationally. What’s behind that?
Mullens: Dance music has become recognized and accepted as part of the mainstream globally. It’s now a multigenerational and multilingual genre, which has had a compounding effect on consumption.
Howlett: The Australian dance acts that are breaking through are not only incredibly talented, they understand how to build culture around their music in a way that feels distinctly local, uplifting, authentic and community-driven. As online platforms such as TikTok, Discord and Twitch amplify these communities, that spirit is reaching the masses in a way we, as an isolated country, weren’t previously able to. That’s now turning connection into momentum.
Fraser: Dance music has always been strong in Australia, whether the broader industry has recognized it or not. The culture, the community, the collaborative nature of the ecosystem — these things have been quietly compounding for years, and what you’re seeing now is part of the payoff.
Dance music has always had to work harder, build its own infrastructure, create its own pathways. And because the Australian market is genuinely tough to break out of and not naturally predisposed to support one-off commercial dance moments, it puts the onus firmly on real artist development and organic growth. The artists who cut through here have usually earned it, and DSPs locally are providing focused support that is helping give projects a platform domestically and on a global level.
And on that subject, what’s behind the success of TMRW/etcetc’s ARIA chart bonanza? Can you identify some special sauce?
Fraser: We’d been working with Puretone for a number of years on ideas to bring “Addicted To Bass” back to life, and when Dom’s version emerged, starting as a bootleg he made for his own stadium show in Sydney, it was one of those moments you hope for but can never plan.
That organic origin gave the record something you can’t manufacture. Luckily, the timing lined up, and working with Dom and [manager] James Fava and the team to bring it to a proper release was one of the most creatively rewarding experiences we’ve had as a team in a long time.
The fact that audiences are responding to it the way they are makes complete sense. It was a special record 28 years ago, and Dom breathed new life into it in a way we’d never imagined. I don’t know if any other artist would have committed as hard as he did to the brilliant bass/fish angle seen in the music video.
Yes Boone is a perfect example of artist development in practice. Three and a half years of patient development, helping him build a real community around his work, before the moment arrived where everything lined up. The way Australian radio got behind the record over summer was genuinely heartening, and that kind of championing from local broadcasters means everything for an artist at his stage. It’s not often you’ll see commercial radio championing a new artist in lock step with triple j, so to see that belief from day one is a moment we don’t take for granted. Now that momentum has started to pick up steam internationally, which we’re actively working to build on. Boone’s a remarkable talent, and audiences finding him here and abroad are recognizing that.
Despite the structural challenges around Australian artists and charts, the broader environment and institutional and government support is probably the best it’s been in a long time, which also makes a real difference. Bodies like Creative Australia are adding much-needed firepower to our ability to push for more meaningful global cut-through on projects, and hopefully, that support continues to grow for Australian artists over time.
Mullens: The wider TMRW team are really humming right now. From sell-out national Ministry of Sound shows, 150-plus unique tours in 2025, alongside 200-plus releases, we are working with a lot of experience and data to propel our artists’ careers, not just in Australia, but globally.
The group nabbed 12 of the top 20 on the ARIA dance chart. How does this rank among the label’s all-time success stories?
Fraser: We haven’t seen success converge like this all at once before, with multiple distinct entries near the top of the charts; that’s just the honest answer. But I think what makes it possible now, beyond the music itself, is that the company is in a genuinely great place operationally. The team is resourced and structured to execute across multiple projects simultaneously, which matters enormously when you have a range of developed and still-developing projects or opportunities all finding their moment at the same time. A few years ago, we might have had the music but not the capacity to maximize it. Right now we have both, and that feels like a meaningful difference.
How are you feeling about the landscape for indie labels here in Australia?
McGee: Twenty-five years in, the landscape for independent labels in Australia has shifted dramatically, particularly as traditional pathways to success evolve and they always will. The cycles of change are getting smaller, but electronic music has proven uniquely resilient. Constantly adapting and finding new ways to connect with audiences.
While the ARIA Singles Chart may not reflect the depth of local talent, the strength of the dance space tells a different story, driven in part by a great ecosystem of local events and festivals that are creating real viral moments for emerging artists who may not be touring internationally. Part of our strength is that we’re not just a recordings company. As the landscape of traditional radio and media changes, we have persevered within our own ecosystem, rather than rely on traditional means of support.
Whether it’s across recordings, agency, events, publishing or management, we have the means to support ourselves when these shifts occur.
For us, it’s an exciting time, and the future looks bright. In addition to our larger artists, we’re focused on developing artists with genuine global potential. Amongst them artists like Djanaba, Carter Walsh, Sumner and Alexa Leary and so many more of which we’re super excited to be working alongside.
If Hayley Williams were a doctor, she would prescribe everyone a dose of ego death.
Ego death was created to help people “deconstruct expired systems” and “survive the daily onslaught of a sexist, racist, white supremacist, phobic and fascist hatred.” Ego death should not be taken by those allergic to empathy. At least, that’s what fans were told during the opening monologue of Williams’ Tuesday night (May 12) performance at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.
Williams released her third solo studio album Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party last summer to great critical acclaim and with it, earned herself four nominations at the 2026 Grammys. After a canceled 2020 trek meant to support her first solo LP, Petals for Armor, Williams has finally embarked on her first ever solo tour. Supporting Ego Death, Hayley Williams at a Bachelorette Party kicked off on March 28 in Atlanta before snaking its way across the United States (and a stop in Ontario). This week, the Paramore front woman is closing the North American leg of her first solo tour with three sold-out dates in L.A.
Although Williams brought the Parafour — Paramore’s touring band — along for the ride, fans should not expect to hear any Paramore songs on this tour. In fact, they also should not hope to hear anything off of either of Williams’ first two solo albums — 2020’s Petals for Armor and 2021’s FLOWERS for VASES/descansos — either. Instead of showcasing her other musical ventures, Williams opted to perform every track from Ego Death on this trek. But with a 20-piece track list with songs that cover everything from breakups (“Parachut,” “Good Ol’ Days”) to bigotry in the U.S. South (“True Believer”) to effective antidepressants (“Mirtazapine”), Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party provided plenty of material for an incredible concert set list.
But of course, Williams — who first dropped the album as a series of 17 unannounced singles on her website last August — had a couple of extra tricks up her sleeve. From a surprise Jack Antonoff cameo to a heart-wrenching Nina Simone cover, below are Billboard‘s five favorite moments from the May 12 “Hayley Williams at a Bachelorette Party” show in Los Angeles.
