Category: Music

Maesic had been making electronic music for the better part of a decade when he met Diplo at a club in France. The French producer later DM’d Diplo, asking if he could send over his unreleased music who told Maesic to pass it to his A&R. Maesic sent the files, then waited a year for a response. But when the answer came, things moved fast.

“He was like, ‘Yo bro, the music is fire,’” Maesic recalls the A&R saying. He also told Maesic that Diplo was playing that night in St. Tropez, a short drive from where Maesic was then staying.

“So I drove over there, and I met Diplo for the first time,” he says. “The meeting was short, but it was really good.”

The two artists began working together over email, then text, and in September of 2023, Maesic flew to Los Angeles for a studio session at Diplo’s house in Malibu. He didn’t know it was a test, but after the session was over, he was told he’d passed.

“The [A&R] John [Connolly] was like, ‘We wanted to see how you were in studio, because it’s really important, the human side of the of the music production. You you had a great vibe. You’re perfect.”

Thus began a working relationship that’s resulted in Maesic collaborating on hits including Major Lazer and Jung Kook’s 2023 track “Close to You” and Diplo and Jessie Murph’s “Heartbroken,” among a long list of ghost productions and collabs Maesic has done with other artists. Out in Malibu, Maesic and Diplo often start their work days with a game of pickleball and a sauna session before heading to the studio.

But the biggest perk has been the experience and connections. Maesic calls the last two years “a snowball effect.” Living in L.A. has connected him with the city’s (and Diplo’s) sprawling network of artists, with Maesic spending a lot of time with L.A. scene stalwarts like Wax Motif and Dillon Francis. A meeting with Anyma at a club in Ibiza also lead to Maesic’s credit on Anyma’s May album The End of Genysis.

But happily, his biggest success has been his own. After making the track in his Paris living room, Maesic released his breakout single “Life Is Simple (Move Your Body)” in March. Lyrics about life optimization tips — “if you don’t have enough time, stop watching TV,” demands vocalist Salomé Das — are fused with a simmering beat.

“My roommate showed me the ‘life is simple’ sample and said, ‘You should do a song with these,’” he recalls. “So I put those vocals on my beat, and it sounded really good.” Maesic sent the song to Diplo, who told him the chords sounded like Marshall Jefferson’s 1986 house classic “The House Music Anthem (Move Your Body)” and that he should try to mix the two vocals. So he did, “and it sounded really good.”

Maesic had already released a six-song string of tracks on Helix Records, the label founded by Patrick Moxey in 2022. As it turned out, Jefferson’s catalog is published through Helix’s affiliated company, Payday Music Publishing, so Helix sent it to Jefferson for clearing and Jefferson sent back a few tweaks. French producer Bob Sinclar, a friend of Maesic’s, also gave a few arrangement suggestions.

But by this point point, he’d “heard it so many times I didn’t know if it was good or not anymore.” So he also sent it to his friend Hugel, the star French producer. “He was like was like, ‘Bro, this is a hit.’” Hugel was right. Upon release, “Life Is Simple (Move Your Body)” started getting roughly 4,000 streams a day, then 50,000 a week. All the artists involved in the song seeded it out to the dance community ahead of release, with Helix’s global promo teams working it with partners at DSPs, radio, and beyond.

A clip of dance legend Fatboy Slim playing the song then went viral this past spring, and then Helix commissioned a post from TikTok-er Crazy Auntie Ann, who’d already posted a video dancing to “Move Your Body” and was a longtime fan of Jefferson’s original. Maesic and Jefferson also created content together ahead of the release date, with all of these moments ultimately sending the song to No. 1 on Beatport’s Afro-house chart and putting it at No. 4 on the Beatport Top 10. Maesic says the track is now averaging 300,000 streams a day.

The success has changed his life. “I’ve been making music for a lot of people in the background for so long, and this is finally giving light to my artist project and to Maesic,” he says. “I get like, five texts a day, like people in a coffee shop in Guatemala or at the gym in Ibiza, being like, ‘They’re playing your song.’ People send me vocals wanting to collab. It feels really good.”

He’s been working towards this success since he got into dance music in 2013, when he was in his early teens and Martin Garrix released his era-defining smash “Animals.” Maesic, born Emeric Boxall, not only loved the song, but was inspired by the fact that Garrix was famously just 16 years old when he made it.

Maesic started tinkering on a DAW and absorbing the big room house of the era via the internet, becoming a fan of artists such as Steve Aoki, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and Tiësto. He started remixing their music and releasing his edits on SoundCloud, sometimes putting up his bootlegs even before the originals were released, a clever move he used to gain traction. His parents and music teacher encouraged him, and by the time he was 16 — he’d done an official remix of Maroon 5’s 2017’s “Cold.” Then at 18, he signed with Universal Music France, where he produced dance pop aimed at radio, a sound he says, “I don’t relate to today, but which got me playing shows and festivals.”

After his tenure with the label ended, he spent time in Paris before temporarily moving to Miami, where, he says, “I knew no one.” But a producer he’d met in France owned a studio in town and, through that connection, Maesic started ghost producing for artists across hip-hop, reggaetón, electronic and beyond. “I learned so much and met so many people during those two years,” he says. He then returned to France committed to working on his own project, a moment that coincided with the rise of Afro and Latin house, sounds Maesic started producing in with a focus on making music to play during his shows. This was around the time he linked with Diplo.

When he talks to Billboard over Zoom, Maesic’s momentum is obvious. Funny and engaging, he takes the call in the sunshine from an outdoor cafe in Corsica. Tomorrow he’ll fly to a show in Ibiza, then in France, then South Korea, Bali, Serbia’s EXIT festival and beyond, with the run eventually landing him at Burning Man at the end of the summer and more shows unrolling from there. For someone who, at 25, has already been working at music for roughly half his life, he seems genuinely gobsmacked by — yet also zen about — how it’s all going.

“I try to enjoy the process and the path, because you can get caught up so quickly in like ‘What’s next song? What’s the next show? What’s next thing?’ I used to be like that. Now, I try to take a deep breath in and enjoy the cities I’m traveling to what’s happening in each moment.” (In terms of what’s next musically, however, a trio of remixes of “Life Is Simple (Move Your Body)” have been released throughout June, with the most recent by French producer Trym out today, June 30.)

Maesic’s humanistic approach to his career also applies to the studio, where he focuses on genuine connections. “Being a producer is like being a vibe creator too,” he says. “I’m emotional and hyper-sensitive, so I feel like I feel the emotions and the vibe of people in the studio and know what to tell them and how to get the best out of them. Makes jokes, talk with people, make them feel good.”

Embodying genuine humanity amid an industry moving at warp speed seems to be setting Maesic up for a fruitful future. His career so far is not just a testament to talent and hard work, but also that being a good hang is both a nice way to live and a competitive advantage.

“It’s like a shortcut in some ways,” he says, “because you just become friends and create relationships with people, and that opens doors.”

A paparazzo and photo agency have dropped lawsuits alleging Jennifer Lopez infringed their copyrights by posting pictures of herself outside a Golden Globes pre-party to Instagram and X without paying to license the images.

Federal court notices from Saturday (June 28) say photographer Edwin Blanco and agency BackGrid USA are voluntarily dismissing the pair of lawsuits they brought against Lopez last month. These types of dismissals are often the result of settlements, though it’s not clear whether the pop singer and actress paid to get the cases dropped.

The lawsuits centered on two images of Lopez standing outside the Amazon MGM Studios x Vanity Fair Party at Los Angeles’ swanky Bar Marmont the night before the Golden Globe Awards in January.

A lawyer for Blanco and BackGrid, who own the photos, claimed Lopez posted them to both her Instagram and X pages on Jan. 5 without permission. This supposedly set off a spate of reposts from fan pages and fashion brands, including the designer of a faux fur coat Lopez was wearing in the pictures.

Blanco and BackGrid’s attorney said he contacted Lopez’s team about the alleged copyright infringement soon after these posts went up. They had “fruitful discussions” about a monetary settlement, the lawyer claimed, but failed to reach a deal before the lawsuit was filed.

The legal complaint accused Lopez of willful infringement under the federal Copyright Act, carrying possible damages of up to $150,000 per photo.

The lawyer for Blanco and BackGrid and reps for Lopez did not immediately return requests for comment on Monday (June 30).

It’s quite common for celebrities to be sued for posting paparazzi photos of themselves on social media. Major artists, including Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber, have settled similar lawsuits in the last few years, and Robin Thicke was sued for the same thing earlier this month.

As Billboard wrote in 2022, U.S. copyright law is on the side of photographers and image licensers. Though it may seem odd, celebrities do not automatically co-own images of themselves and therefore don’t have the right to repost them for free.

Last week, Billboard staff unveiled its favorite songs of 2025 so far. Now, it’s your turn.

With year-defining hits from Kendrick Lamar and SZA, Doechii, Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter and dozens more artists, it’s difficult to choose. So many tracks have made statements in 2025, from younger artists such as Lola Young and Addison Rae finding breakout moments — thanks to splashy releases “Messy” and “Headphones On,” respectively — to established stars like Lorde and Bon Iver making comebacks with new LPs Virgin and Sable, Fable multiple years after they last dropped albums.

The year so far has also been full of chart-toppers that have been nearly unshakeable in their runs at No. 1. Dot and SZA’s “Luther” spent an eye-popping 13 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, while Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” ruled the listing for five weeks before that. Going into the second half of 2025, Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” is the track to beat; the TikToker’s breakout smash has reigned at the chart’s summit for four nonconsecutive weeks, interrupted only by Carpenter’s “Manchild” debuting at No. 1 earlier in June.

If the amount of good music that has emerged from 2025 so far is any indication, the next six months will also be full of high-quality new releases. But for now, Billboard wants to know what you think of this year’s releases thus far (after checking out our ranking of the 50 best tracks here). Vote for your favorite song of the year so far below.

Shortly after Olamide presented EMPIRE founder and CEO Ghazi with the Clive Davis Visionary Award at Billboard‘s first Global Power Players event in London last month, the YBNL label boss didn’t rest on his laurels and continued refining his craft on his 11th studio album, Olamidé. The Nigerian rap legend taps in with Wizkid twice on the horn-heavy “Kai!” single (featured in last month’s African Fresh Picks column) and boastful “Billionaires Club” cut with Darkoo while linking up with American hip-hop heavyweight Dr. Dre on the smooth “Indika” collab with Spinall.

After becoming the first Ghanaian solo female act to perform at Coachella this past spring, Amaarae continues to put her cultural pride on display with her third studio album Black Star, due Aug. 8 via Interscope Records. And she fuses highlife, kpanlogo and more on the LP’s lead single “S.M.O.,” which stands for “Slut Me Out.” Meanwhile, there are new heavyweight cuts from Young Jonn, SPINALL, Crayon, BNXN and more.

We’ve highlighted 10 of our favorite new songs by African acts that have come out roughly within the last month. Check out our latest Fresh Picks, and curate your new soundtrack for the summer with our Spotify playlist below.

Odeal, “London Summers” 

Odeal is ready to be outside with a new ting on his arm on “London Summers,” the first single from his upcoming EP The Summer That Saved Me. Shae Jacobs and Jack Dine blend the shuffling percussion of house with Afrobeats and R&B’s breezy grooves to create Odeal’s latest day party jam. And his sensual lyrics, like “Headed back to your place/ I done fell in love with your taste/ Never get enough of your fragrance” capture the fleeting exhilaration of a summertime fling – as well as the hope it lingers a little longer after the season’s over.  

Bloody Civilian, “Ladida” 

The Nigerian singer-songwriter-producer returns with “Ladida,” her first single of 2025. The rousing Afro-fusion production soundtracks the hormonal rush that only her lover gives her, but the lighthearted bounciness of her “La-di-da-da-da-da” hook puts her back at ease.  

Maleek Berry feat. Wizkid, “Situation” 

Maleek Berry reunites with longtime collaborator and friend Wizkid on the sizzling highlight track “Situation” from his debut album If Only Love Was Enough. Berry finds himself stressing over a girl who’s giving him the run around, but Wiz reminds her she’d still be his even in another life. “Back in the day we understood each other very well, and I think that’s what has allowed us to keep this connection for all these years and understand each other musically for all these years,” Berry told Clash of his working relationship with Wizkid. 

Amaarae, “S.M.O.” 

Amaarae champions sexual liberation and summertime gratification on “S.M.O.,” the slinky lead single from her upcoming third album Black Star. In a press release, the Ghanaian-American star says “S.M.O.” is inspired by “Ghanaian ‘80s highlife trailblazer Ata Kak and blends it with a mean Detroit club bass, a drum roll akin to both Magic System’s ‘1er Gas ‘1er Gaou’ and Michael Jackson’s ‘Rock With You’ and an infectious zouk melody that sounds like a steel pan lipsing an evil synth.” She compares the song’s sensual messaging to Janet Jackson’s “The Pleasure Principle” and Donna Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby,” adding, “I don’t know how much clearer one can get when they ask you to ‘SLUT ME OUT.’”  

Olamide, Wizkid & Darkoo, “Billionaires Club” 

Olamide is living it up on “Billionaires Club” with Wizkid and Darkoo from his latest self-titled album. P.Priime’s blissfully laidback production provides the perfect backdrop for Olamide and Wiz’s braggadocious verses. Meanwhile, Darkoo impressively holds her own while putting her sexy touch on the third verse that brings the song to a sweeping, cinematic close.  

Olamide, “1 Shot”

Olamide’s self-titled latest album is full of outstanding collaborations with some of the brightest lights in Nigerian music right now: Wizkid, Seyi Vibez, Darkoo, Asake, SPINALL, Young Jonn and Boj among them, and he even clears space for a Dr. Dre verse. But he hardly needs help in producing a great song, and on the solo cut “1 Shot” he reminds everyone that he’s hands down among the greatest and deserves mention among his peers on the continent. It’s an instantly catchy track with throwback vibes and a swagger to it that only really he can pull off.

Young Jonn feat. Asake, “Che Che”

Long a superproducer in his own right, Young Jonn at this point can be considered at the forefront of Afrobeats as a lead artist, too, with a track record of dropping big hits for a few years straight now — and this collaboration with the young legend Asake stands alongside his other recent work in that regard. It’s an intricate production, with Jonn taking the first verse and the hook before clearing way for Asake to do his thing. 

Spinall feat. Destin Conrad and JayO, “Want You”

DJ Spinall has, like Young Jonn, made a successful foray into lead artist territory in the last few years, and seems to save his best stuff for his own projects. This one has a late-night sweaty summer dancefloor vibe, as excellently produced as anything in his catalog, with breathy vocals to match. His instrumentation has always stood out, and does again here.

Crayon, “Roju”

“Roju” is a vocal showcase for the Nigerian singer, as well as a love song to both a woman and the world. With a hard-driving drum background that belies its light and airy feel, Crayon delivers a big standout in his career in time for the summertime, with a hook that soars majestically over a swelling organ. 

BNXN & FOLA, “Very Soon”

BNXN has become one of the most reliable hitmakers in the game over the past few years, with his heartfelt and melodic vocals often shining through brightest. On this track, he and FOLA trade lines seamlessly and effortlessly, with the young singer fitting right in on the emotional track about a strained relationship that both sides are trying to save.

Oh, those summer nights. It’s been 47 years since the release of Grease, the 1978 movie musical starring Olivia Newton-John as Sandy and John Travolta as Danny, and its blockbuster soundtrack that reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and notched four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100. On Friday night (June 27), the movie-star version of Danny Zuko, Travolta himself, reemerged at the Hollywood Bowl.

Travolta — who was in his early 20s during his time at Rydell High on the Grease film set, and is now 71 — made an unannounced appearance Friday at the Hollywood Bowl’s summer Grease Sing-A-Long event, all dressed up as Danny.

The actor captured his leather jacket and slicked-back hair throwback for fans, sharing the moment later on Instagram.

“Tonight at the Hollywood Bowl, for the first time I surprised everyone at the GREASE Sing-A-Long and dressed up as Danny Zuko. No one knew. Not even the cast,” Travolta revealed in his post.

“Thank you for a great evening,” he added, directing followers to swipe to watch a video filmed during his visit to the June 27 get-together for Grease fans, which had encouraged attendees to show up in costume and was advertised as an evening “where you are the stars and Grease is truly the word! Watch Danny, Sandy, and the gang while singing and dancing along to the lyrics as shown on the screen.”

Little did they know that the OG leader of the Rydell High T-Birds would be rockin’ and rollin’ and whatnot amongst them.

“A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop, a-wop-bam-boom!” he led the crowd with glee.

See Travolta’s video clip — and a closeup photo of what Danny Zuko looks like in 2025 — on Instagram here.