Author: Rap Hooks

When Emmanuel Kelly was 11 years old, he put a note on his mirror that he looked at every day manifesting his dream of sharing a stage with Coldplay. And now, after checking that bucket-list item off after opening for the band in his native Australia last year on their Music of the Spheres Tour, the singer who first rose to prominence with a breathtaking cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine” on The X Factor Australia in 2011 has ticked off another major lifetime goal.

“It’s pretty extraordinary,” Kelly told Billboard a few days before performing with Coldplay at Sunday’s (July 13) 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final halftime show. Kelly, who was found in a box in a park during the height of the Iraq War as a baby, severely injured by chemical warfare, is the first differently abled pop artist to perform at a halftime show, and he is more than happy to take credit for blazing that trail.

“It’s a market that has never been represented on this scale and someone always has to be the first and for me to be that is a sign of the times,” he said of singing alongside fellow pop icons Tems, J Balvin and Doja Cat and duetting on”Sky Full of Stars” with Coldplay from the roof of MetLife Stadium in New Jersey during the match between Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain.

Billboard chatted with Kelly about the halftime show curated by Coldplay singer Chris Martin — co-produced by Global Citizen, in partnership with Live Nation, Done+Dusted and DPS — and how he turned his childhood dream into a globetrotting reality.

This is the first time a person with a disability will headline a global event or halftime show of this magnitude. How does that feel to hear that?

Extraordinary… the wall and barriers are breaking down and we’re living in a society that recognizes that talent is talent and a gift is a gift. It’s an honor and a privilege and I feel like the luckiest person in the world. I’m a huge fan of FIFA and a huge fan of people being seen for who they are and I get to show that to 2.5 billion people on Sunday.

Have to ask, what’s your team?

I’m a Chelsea fan in general, but for a long time I was a Real Madrid CF fan, but I felt they got too rich and got too many players. But I’m also a fan of players and I gravitate towards individuals who are awesome human beings in whatever form, because all humans have the capability to be great.

Talk about performing with Tems, J Balvin, Doja Cat and Coldplay at the Club World Cup final. That’s a pretty epic stage to be on for what will likely be most of the world’s first exposure to you.

It’s not bad. I like to say they’re all taking the lineup with me. [Laughs] I’ve been a huge fan of J Balvin since he globally popped on the scene 10 years ago and I’m a big Latin music fan in general. Reggaeton was going to be a start for me at one point. … I’ve done a few Latin tours. Doja, she’s a class act and has this unassuming nature but is so cool and vibey. And then Tems, I’ll be honest, I was new to her music until Chris introduced me to her. I’m in love, she has a really cool vibe. I’m in great company with Chris, though I’m not even sure why he’s singing with me. [Laughs] He should be grateful he’s allowed to sing with me.

How did you end up on this bill? What’s your relationship with Chris?

He’s a brother to me. It started in 2016 when we first met.

What was the connection?

Energy, positivity, love. I’m a believer that everything in this universe has its way and there are random acts, but those acts lead to cause and reaction. Where Chris was at in his life and his career and where I was at in my life and career created a random act and the cause of that was Chris learning about me and the reaction was Chris taking action to want to meet me and become my mentor. I told him he’s been an inspiration to me since I was a little kid. One of the first songs I learned when I came to Australia [at 8-years-old Kelly and his brother were brought to Australia by humanitarian Moira Kelly and underwent life-saving surgeries] and could barely speak English was [Coldplay’s breakthrough 2000 hit] “Yellow.” I can only shine so bright, but everybody’s brightness shines because they have electricity around them that fires those bulbs and lights them up.

What was the spark from Chris?

Chris has an electricity that allows me to shine as bright as I can be and he has people around him who do that for him and now we kind of do that for each other. When I was 11-years-old I put a sign on my mirror and looked at it every day and it said I would tour with Coldplay one day. During a dark time when I was homeless in L.A. and lost hope and love for myself, I found a way out by remembering all the good in my life. I let go of ego and pride and asked for help and I took that sign from when I was a kid and put it on the wall again and said, “this dream cannot end.” [Coldplay’s] “Yellow” was the first song I ever learned, before “Imagine,” and I sang it to my mom, who had no idea who they were. Chris is an extraordinary individual who has an electricity that fires a lot of people up. I was going around Hollywood asking everyone — from Snoop Dogg and the Quincy Jones camp to random Joe Blows — if they knew Chris Martin. I asked 1,500 people in the span of six months and the 1,499th person connected me with Dr. Habib Sadeghi [co-founder with Martin of the Love Button Global Movement]. He said “it will happen when it’s supposed to happen.”

You opened four shows in Sydney with Coldplay last year and now you’re jumping up to the biggest stage there is, so describe the plans for the FIFA gig.

Chris will be coming out as my special guest, even though it was all planned by him! [Laughs] We will come together to sing “Sky Full of Stars,” which is a beautiful sentiment for anyone who wants to reach out to the stars and grab them. I believe that this will be one of the greatest halftime shows from a spectacle point of view we’ve ever seen. The way the MetLife stage is set up we’re on the third floor up on the roof and singing in the sky.

You’ve achieved so much against such major odds. If you had a message for other aspiring singers, of whatever ability, what would you tell them?

Be your version of an outlier. Be an outlier and don’t be afraid to be different. Being different is cool. I’ve had labels and execs and shows turn me down because I’m an outlier, and that’s never stopped me. Don’t complain about the situation; fix it yourself. If you don’t like how things are rolling, do something about it. Be the change. You be the change and be the best version of yourself and don’t be afraid to be different.

Drake isn’t letting his feud with Kendrick Lamar fade anytime soon.

During his set on the second night of the 2025 Wireless Festival in London on Saturday (July 12), the 38-year-old rap superstar responded as the crowd at Finsbury Park erupted into a chant of “f—k Kendrick.”

Catching wind of the chant, Drake turned to his longtime associate Chubbs and said, “Grab me a shot. I’ll drink to that.” The moment came shortly after the “What Did I Miss?” artist challenged the audience to “name another artist” who could go head-to-head with him onstage.

K. Dot wasn’t the only one in Drake’s crosshairs during his weekend outing in the U.K. The Toronto MC also appeared to take a shot at NBA legend LeBron James by subtly altering the lyrics to his track “Nonstop.”

“How I go from 6 to 23, no LeBron,” he rapped, flipping the original line and hinting at tension in their once-close friendship.

The lyrical tweak comes shortly after fans noticed Drake had covered his LeBron James tattoo, replacing it with new ink honoring reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Following an R&B-centered performance during opening night on Friday (July 11), Drake shifted gears on night two of the Wireless Festival with a London-themed show that celebrated the U.K.’s rap scene, welcoming a lineup of British heavyweights, including Skepta, Central Cee and Dave.

During Saturday’s set, Drake made a bold statement that stirred national pride and debate. “Nobody can out-rap London — nobody,” he told the crowd. “No disrespect to America. No disrespect to my country. But, nobody can out-rap London rappers. This is the best, this is the highest level. This is what I aspire to be.”

Drake is headlining all three nights of this year’s Wireless Festival, which marks its 20th anniversary. He’s set to close out the event on Sunday, with other major performances from Burna Boy, Vybz Kartel and Popcaan. The festival also marks Drake’s return to U.K. stages for the first time in six years.

The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack climbs 3-2 on the Billboard 200 chart dated July 19 — a new peak — in its third week on the list. The set earned 75,000 equivalent album units (up 21%) in the United States in the tracking week ending July 10, according to Luminate. It’s the first soundtrack to debut in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 and then see unit increases in its second and third weeks since the Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 album in 2017.

In the 2020s, only four soundtracks have reached the top two on the Billboard 200: KPop Demon Hunters, Wicked (which debuted and peaked at No. 2 in 2024), Barbie (also No. 2 debut and peak, in 2023) and Encanto (nine weeks at No. 1 in 2022).

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new July 19, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard’s website on July 15

Of the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack’s 75,000 units earned in its third week, SEA units comprise 70,000 (up 24%, equaling 96.33 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs — it holds at No. 2 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 4,000 (down 6% — it rises 21-9 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (up 6%). (The album continues to only be available to purchase as a digital download album. A CD edition of the album is due in August, while a vinyl edition is slated for an October release.)

As the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack racked up 96.33 million streams for its songs in its third week, it scores the biggest streaming week for a soundtrack in more three years. The last soundtrack to post a bigger streaming figure was Encanto, on the March 12, 2022-dated chart, when it rang up 101.16 million streams for its songs in its eighth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

KPop Demon Hunters premiered on June 20 in a limited theatrical release in the U.S., and on Netflix, alongside its soundtrack release. In the tracking week ending July 6, KPop Demon Hunters held at No. 2 in its third week on Netflix’s Top 10 Movies in United States chart.

Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem has spent its first two months on the Billboard 200 at No. 1 as the set holds atop the chart dated July 19, earning 151,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending July 10 (down 12%). The album opened at No. 1 on the May 31 chart.

Cumulatively, Wallen’s three No. 1 albums (I’m the Problem, One Thing at a Time and Dangerous: The Double Album) have spent a total of 37 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. That sum ties him with Harry Belafonte and Drake for the fifth-most weeks at No. 1 among male artists in the history of the Billboard 200 (since it began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March 1956). Among the gents, the leaders are: Elvis Presley (67 weeks), Garth Brooks (52), Michael Jackson (51), Elton John (39), Belafonte, Drake and Wallen (37 each). Among all artists, The Beatles have the most weeks at No. 1, with 132 across 19 No. 1 albums.

Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200, the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack hits a new peak, climbing 3-2 in its third week on the chart. Meanwhile, Toby Keith’s chart-topping 35 Biggest Hits surges 43-9 in the wake of streaming gains generated by Independence Day festivities.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new July 19, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on July 15. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Of I’m the Problem’s 151,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending July 10, SEA units comprise 143,500 (down 12%, equaling 188.69 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs — it leads Top Streaming Albums for an eighth week), album sales comprise 6,500 (down 12% — it rises 11-5 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (down 23%).

The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack climbs 3-2 — a new peak — in its third week, earning 75,000 equivalent album units (up 21%). It’s the first soundtrack to debut in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 and then see unit increases in its second and third weeks since the Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 album in 2017.

In the 2020s, only four soundtracks have reached the top two on the Billboard 200: KPop Demon Hunters, Wicked (which debuted and peaked at No. 2 in 2024), Barbie (also No. 2 debut and peak, in 2023) and Encanto (nine weeks at No. 1 in 2022).

Of the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack’s 75,000 units earned in its third week, SEA units comprise 70,000 (up 24%, equaling 96.33 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs — it holds at No. 2 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 4,000 (down 6% — it rises 21-9 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (up 6%).

As the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack racked up 96.33 million streams for its songs in its third week, it scores the biggest streaming week for a soundtrack in more three years. The last soundtrack to post a bigger streaming figure was Encanto, on the March 12, 2022-dated chart, when it rang up 101.16 million streams for its songs in its eighth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

KPop Demon Hunters premiered on June 20 in a limited theatrical release in the U.S., and on Netflix, alongside its soundtrack. In the tracking week ending July 6, KPop Demon Hunters held at No. 2 in its third week on Netflix’s Top 10 Movies in United States chart.

Wallen’s former leader One Thing at a Time climbs 6-3 on the latest Billboard 200 (with 39,000 equivalent album units earned; down 2%); SZA’s chart-topping SOS rises 7-4 (36,000; down 7%); Sabrina Carpenter’s former No. 1 Short n’ Sweet bumps 9-5 (35,000; up 6%); Wallen’s chart-topping Dangerous: The Double Album ascends 11-6 (29,000; down 4%); Bad Bunny’s former No. 1 Debí Tirar Más Fotos jumps 16-7 (nearly 29,000; up 3%); and Karol G’s Tropicoqueta falls 5-8 (just under 29,000; down 29%).

Toby Keith’s 35 Biggest Hits returns to the top 10, rallying 43-9 with 26,000 equivalent album units earned (up 56%) following streaming gains generated by Independence Day celebrations. The album, released in 2008, hit No. 1 on the Feb. 17, 2024-dated chart in the wake of Keith’s death that Feb. 5.

Of 35 Biggest Hits’ 26,000 units earned, SEA units comprise 24,000 (up 59%, equaling 32.93 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs — it jumps 43-11 on Top Streaming Albums). The rest of the album’s 2,000 units were generated by album sales and TEA units. About one-third of the album’s streams for the week were generated by Keith’s 2002 No. 1 Hot Country Songs hit “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” which was also his most-streamed song of the week.

Closing out the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200 is PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s former No. 1 $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, rising 17-10 with 26,000 equivalent album units earned (down 5%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.