Category: Music

The Wiggles sparked a wave of online reactions after revealing during an Australian radio appearance that they aren’t particularly familiar with Oasis — even confusing the Britpop icons for The Beatles at one point.

The moment unfolded during an appearance by Anthony Field and Lucia Field — the father-daughter duo currently performing as the Blue Wiggles — on Nova 96.9’s Ricki-Lee & Tim. While participating in a game identifying famous songs, the hosts played Oasis’ 1995 hit “Wonderwall,” prompting Lucia to admit she didn’t recognize it.

“Controversially, I like Blur more … that is why I have no idea,” Lucia said, referencing Oasis’ long-running Britpop rivalry with Blur.

The comment stunned the hosts, with Tim Blackwell responding, “No! That is gonna go everywhere.”

Anthony then admitted his own knowledge of Oasis was limited, recalling a moment during a visit to Abbey Road Studios with his son.

“I bought him what I thought was a Paul McCartney and John Lennon poster and he said, ‘They’re the guys from Oasis,’” Anthony said. “I am so out of touch mate.”

Despite the confusion, Anthony did recognize the band’s signature song title, adding: “I know they had a song called ‘Wonderwall.’”

The exchange arrives during a major resurgence of interest in Oasis following the band’s blockbuster reunion tour, which has driven huge global demand and sold-out stadium dates across multiple continents. The Britpop group — led by brothers Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher — scored eight No. 1 albums in the U.K. and became one of the defining rock acts of the 1990s with songs including “Wonderwall,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Champagne Supernova.”

“Wonderwall” remains the band’s biggest hit in the United States, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1996 while topping the Alternative Airplay chart.

The Wiggles, meanwhile, continue to expand well beyond children’s entertainment, recently collaborating with artists across pop, country and rock while building a strong following among adult audiences through festival appearances and viral crossover moments.

The group appeared on the Nova program to promote their new song “Sparkle.”

Singer Keli Holiday says he was denied re-entry into the United States during his North American tour, forcing him to cancel a planned New York City performance and return home early.

The Australian artist — the solo project of Adam Hyde from Peking Duk — shared the news with fans over the weekend after being detained at the U.S.-Canada border following shows in Toronto.

“Unfortunately I’m not going to make it to tonight’s show at Baby’s All Right in NYC,” Holiday wrote on Instagram. “I have spent all day detained at the Canadian border and denied entry back into the U.S. despite having the proper visa documentation in place.”

“I’m still trying to get clarity on the situation myself,” he added.

Holiday had been scheduled to play a short run of North American dates between May 1 and May 7, with the Brooklyn show set to close out the tour. A representative later confirmed he had since returned to Australia ahead of upcoming dates across New South Wales and Victoria.

The incident comes at a time of growing concern around U.S. border processing and visa scrutiny for international travelers and touring artists. Proposed changes tied to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) program have sparked discussion in Australia and New Zealand over stricter entry requirements and expanded screening measures.

Hyde launched Keli Holiday in 2021 as a more personal and indie-leaning counterpart to Peking Duk, the chart-successful electronic act he formed with Reuben Styles. Peking Duk broke through with hits including “High” featuring Nicole Millar, which reached the top five on the ARIA Singles Chart and helped establish the duo as one of Australia’s biggest electronic acts of the 2010s.

As previously reported, Holiday is the highest-flying homegrown artist on the latest ARIA Albums Chart with Capital Fiction, his second collection, which opens its account at No. 3. As a member of Peking Duk, he peaked at No. 12 with 2018’s Reprisal.

Capital Fiction houses the cut “Dancing2,” which recounts the story of how Hyde met his partner and love of his life, Sydney media personality Abbie Chatfield. The single came in at No. 2 on triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown for 2025, won for best video at the last year’s ARIA Awards, and Holiday performed it at the top of the recording industry’s annual ceremony.

Under the Keli Holiday name, Hyde has moved toward a moodier mix of indie-pop, dance and alternative music, releasing tracks including “Dancing2” while building a dedicated following through club shows and festival appearances.

Fans flooded Holiday’s comments with support after the canceled New York show was announced, with many urging him to reschedule the date once the visa issue is resolved.

How do you celebrate your first trip to Saint Lucia? If you’re Ella Mai, you do so by absolutely killing your World Beats set at this year’s Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival.

Just a few weeks after playing a pair of sold-out South African shows, the Grammy-winning British R&B singer descended upon the Caribbean for another international date ahead of this summer’s Do You Still Love Me Tour. The nearly 40-date trek will visit major cities across the United States, Europe, and the U.K., with ascendant R&B singers Ama and Girlfriend joining as support acts.

Set to kick off on July 7 in Toronto, this new tour also marks Mai’s first such outing since welcoming her baby son with NBA star Jayson Tatum. As she deftly floated between day-one bangers (“She Don’t”), certified classics (“Boo’d Up) and never selections (“Somebody’s Son”), Ella’s forthcoming tour began to form right in front of the Saint Lucia Jazz crowd.

“This is the first time that we’re doing a production; we want to step it up a bit,” she tells Billboard backstage after her performance. “Most of my shows thus far have concentrated on vocals. And not that we won’t be vocal heavy — because we absolutely will — but, with this album, I wanted to immerse people in my world a little bit more. We’re gonna basically bring that to life on the tour, and I’m excited to get on stage and sing new music and have people sing it back to me. And even if they don’t sing it back to me, this new album means so much to me that being able to share it alone is going to be incredible.”

In February, Do You Still Love Me? debuted at N. 44 on the Billboard 200, reaching No. 14 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums thanks to the Adult R&B radio hits “Tell Her” (No. 26) and “Little Things” (No. 19). Executive produced by Mustard, the 14-track album marked the official follow-up to the “Trip” singer’s sophomore record, Heart of My Sleeve, which hit No. 15 on the all-genre Billboard 200.

R&B boasted a dominant presence at this year’s Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival. In addition to Ella Mai, the island nation also enjoyed performances by Tems and Brandy & Monica, with more dancehall-leaning acts like Dexta Daps, D’yani and Valiant keeping R&B a foundational element of their sound. From last year’s R&B crossover hits like Leon Thomas’ “Mutt” and Kehlani’s “Folded” to buzzy new R&B projects this year from Durand Bernarr (BERNARR.) and Jai’Len Josey (Serial Romantic), the genre has been steadily regaining its footing in the streaming era — and Ella Mai is still rooting for it.

“It’s just such a great time for the genre, and it’s incredible to see since it gets so much [flak],” she says. “Nobody asks why today’s rock [music] doesn’t sound like the 90s. Every other genre, I feel, is allowed to evolve and become its own thing in its time. I get it — I love ’90s and 2000s R&B, and it’s nostalgic for us because we grew up on it, but there’s a real R&B resurgence going on right now. And it’s always been there, actually, you just might have to look a bit harder than usual.”

When NBA YoungBoy announced he was dropping out of his headlining slot at Rolling Loud Orlando on Thursday (May 7), festival organizers were left scrambling. Artists like Rod Wave and YEAT were speculated to be floated, but RL ultimately settled on Ken Carson to close out Sunday night (May 10).

On its face, the decision made sense with fellow Opium titans Destroy Lonely and Playboi Carti performing on Saturday (May 9), so much of the label’s fanbase was already going to be on festival grounds for the weekend.

Carson, whose More Chaos topped the Billboard 200 last year, continued his elevation by taking advantage of the real estate using his newfound headlining Rolling Loud set to kick-start The Xperiment era.

The Atlanta native hit the smoky stage around 9 p.m. ET and premiered an unreleased track, which is expected to appear on his upcoming LP, that had the crowd going berserk and chanting along to the rage-filled production.

The 26-year-old kept the energy up, jumping around his catalog for the first 13 songs or so, which included the anticipated unreleased snippet “Grow Apart,” but understood the assignment as a headliner looking to make a statement to hip-hop and invite other fans who may not be as familiar with his discography.

Enter some star-studded guests, the first being Lil Tecca. The “Dark Thoughts” rapper was a seamless fit and was more than worthy of having his own set at the main stage this year, coming off a major 2025. The duo joined forces for “Tic Tac Toe” and “500lbs.”

Fellow Opium runningmate Destroy Lonely was next up in the lineup, as they connected for “The Acronym” and “Singapore,” the latter of which was without their mentor Playboi Carti. “That’s my song, too,” he quipped from backstage while watching his pupils.

Young Thug was all over Rolling Loud throughout the weekend and he didn’t even have his own set. Billboard spotted Thug enjoying some Popeyes near the festival earlier in the weekend. He popped out once again for Ken Carson, while they performed his UY SCUTI standout “Yuck” and then Thugger took the solo spotlight to revv up the crowd for his “Digits” classic.

Some might say they save the best for last, and Playboi Carti batted clean-up in the all-star guest line-up. He traded his YSL suit look for a 2Pac t-shirt, leather pants, and a pair of crispy white high-top Air Force Ones.

The 00 connection premiered a pair of collaborations, including the bouncy “ARP,” which finds Carti utilizing his deep voice flow, while “Cover My Ears” leans into the Whole Lotta Red-esque production that’s been a mainstay for the rock stars.

Carson teased mere seconds-long snippets of unreleased grails “Boil” and “Stars” before finishing off his potent set with another new song, which is heavily influenced by 2hollis’ “Girl.” One poignant bar found KC getting vulnerable about critics boxing him into one genre. “No matter what I make, they gon’ call it rage,” he raps.

As the dust settled on another successful Rolling Loud weekend, one fan emerged from the moshpit warfare, lending his stamp of approval. “That was the greatest set of my life,” he said to a friend while coming down from a euphoric high.

Ken Carson notched his first No. 1 album last year and his recent tour stops across the globe have looked bonkers. If he plays his cards right heading into The Xperiment, rap could have another niche superstar on its hands that the mainstream won’t be able to ignore.

MUNA‘s new album Dancing on the Wall tops this week’s best new music poll.

Listeners voted in a poll published Friday (May 8) on Billboard, choosing the LA indie-pop trio’s new record as their favorite music release of the week.

Dancing on the Wall rose to the top in a week that also featured Charli xcx‘s hotly anticipated genre-pivot single “Rock Music,” new full-lengths from J Balvin and Ryan Castro, Lykke Li, Little Simz and The Chainsmokers, plus new singles from The Last Dinner Party, PJ Morton, Ashley McBryde and more.

The win marks a significant moment for MUNA, the trio of Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson and Josette Maskin, who return with their third studio album on Saddest Factory Records — their first release since their breakout 2022 self-titled record. That album broke through to mainstream audiences on the strength of the Phoebe Bridgers collaboration “Silk Chiffon” and earned widespread critical acclaim. Dancing on the Wall finds the band continuing to evolve their signature brand of euphoric, emotionally direct indie pop, with the title track arriving as one of the year’s most immediate and danceable releases so far.

Meanwhile, the second-place finisher Charli xcx’s “Rock Music” marked a deliberate departure from the Brat-era sound that defined her 2024 commercial breakthrough.

“If I’d made another album that felt more dance-leaning, it would have felt really hard, really sad,” she told British Vogue in April. ahead of the single’s release. “What’s interesting for me is to bend the possibilities of what my perspective on that could be.” The single arrives ahead of a still-unannounced new album.

See the final results of this week’s poll below.

Eric Church spoke to the class of 2026 through song at UNC-Chapel Hill’s commencement ceremony on Saturday (May 10), where the country star gave an inspired keynote address and performance of “Carolina” for his fellow Tar Heels.

Pieces didn’t fall into place for the commencement speech Church delivered at Saturday’s ceremony at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C., until he wrote the way he knows best. Sunglasses on, instrument in hand, he looked out at the crowd celebrating more than 7,000 graduates and turned their commencement speech into the most sincere guitar lesson they’ll likely ever experience.

“I have torn up multiple speeches,” said Church, who’s twice topped the Billboard 200 albums chart, and had three No. 1s and two No. 2s on Top Country Albums. “I have thrown things. And in one of my fits of frustration, I sat down with a guitar. And I thought, man, who am I kidding. I need to figure out a way to do this with a guitar.”

To begin, the Granite Falls, N.C., native told the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s graduating class, “I want to start with a sound. You know this sound. It’s a guitar that’s out of tune — something that almost gets there, it tries, but doesn’t. Some ancient, honest part of your brain knows it immediately. You don’t need training to hear it. You just know. That sound is the sound of something beautiful that has not been tended to.”

Then the metaphor that carried Church’s commencement speech came in: “Six strings. When all six are in tune, the chords they make can stop a conversation cold, carry a broken person through the worst night of their life, or make a room full of strangers feel for three minutes like they’ve known each other forever. But if even one is off, the whole chord unravels. Not gradually, not politely. The moment you strike it you know. I believe your life runs on this principle.”

In the singer-songwriter’s address to students, the six strings of a guitar represented faith, family, heart, ambition and resilience, community, and one’s sense of self. Church spoke of each guitar string and its significance to the life they’d construct post-graduation, encouraging the class of 2026 — 4,453 undergraduates, 1,608 master’s and 981 doctoral degree students, 5,594 of which are North Carolina residents — to aspire to flourish while tending to their roots.

“I want you to want things. You should want things. The world has more than enough people standing at the edge of their own potential waiting for a permission slip that was never gonna arrive. Want the thing. Say it out loud. Build toward it with everything you have,” Church said.

But he cautioned, “Your generation faces a temptation no generation before has ever faced. The temptation to perform to everyone and belong to no one. To be globally visible and locally invisible. To have thousands of followers and no one knows actually where you live. Resist it. Plant yourself somewhere. Put down roots with the full intention of growing there. Learn the actual names, not usernames, of the people around you. Volunteer. Coach the team. Build the thing your community needs even if the internet will never see it.”

In another section of his commencement speech, he reminded the class, “You were made uniquely, wonderfully, distinctly. There’s a sound only you can make. A voice that has never existed before you and will never exist again. A contribution only you can bring. A way of seeing that belongs to only you. The world does not need another cover song. It needs an original.”

“Six strings,” Church said in his keynote address. “Six strings of light and willingness to keep them in tune. Six principles. Six pillars. When all six are in tune with each other, the chord your life makes is full and resonant and true. All six will drift. Not one or two. All six. In their own time, in their own season.”

He continued, “Your faith will go quiet when you need it loud. Your family will get complicated in a way only the people that love you most can complicate things. You will go through hard seasons with your spouse. Your ambition will hollow out and your resilience will wear thin. Your community will start to feel like an obligation, and your world will try to sand down the edges of exactly who you are.”

“This is not failure,” said Church. “This is not weakness. It’s the inevitable, universal experience of living in an imperfect world that doesn’t stop to let us tune up. And the difference between a life that sounds like music and a life that sounds like noise is whether you stop and listen. Whether you’re honest enough to hear which string has drifted out of tune, humble enough to make the adjustment instead of just turning up the volume and hoping nobody notices. Because you will notice. The part of you that knows what the chord should sound like will always notice. It will not let you go. Life won’t be right until it is tuned. Trust what your heart hears and is telling you about your song.”

Of course, an Eric Church commencement speech at a North Carolina school wouldn’t be complete without a performance of “Carolina,” the title track of his second studio album released in 2009. Church played the song on guitar as rows upon rows of new grads put their arms around one another and swayed.

Watch Church’s full commencement address to UNC-Chapel Hill’s class of 2026 below. He’s one of several artists invited to deliver keynote remarks at graduation ceremonies this year, including country peers Riley Green at Jacksonville State University and Luke Combs at Appalachian State University. In pop, Hilary Duff gave a commencement speech to Northeastern University’s 2026 class.