Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

This week, Doja Cat travels back in time, Laufey meets her moment and Sombr makes a sparkling debut. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Doja Cat, “Jealous Type” 

Doja Cat has always existed as a singer and rapper, but on new single “Jealous Type,” she seems to exist between two eras: while the single from upcoming album Vie proudly wears its ‘80s rhythmic pop influences on its tiger-print sleeves, Doja carries a modern ferocity, pummeling her relationship woes in the second verse with lines like, “I don’t need a pin-drop or a text tonight / I ain’t even coming out with you, you don’t wanna show me off to your ex or your friends tonight.”

Laufey, A Matter of Time 

Laufey’s trajectory cannot be replicated — she’s a Chinese-Icelandic singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist, revitalizing jazz and mastering classical pop in front of packed arenas — and her singular spot in modern music makes A Matter of Time so triumphant: her latest full-length sounds unstuck from sonic or storytelling expectations, and thus, Laufey once again surpasses them.

Sombr, I Barely Know Her 

“Back to Friends” and “Undressed,” Sombr’s pair of streaming smashes, were not flukes: the singer-songwriter born Shane Boose is adept at refracting immediate pop hooks through an earnest croon that’s ripe for alternative radio play, and on debut album I Barely Know Her, he handles every genre exercise — from the slick dance-funk workout “12 to 12” to the breathtaking folk ballad “Canal Street” — with ease, talent and truth.

BigXThaPlug, I Hope You’re Happy 

Love “All the Way,” BigXThaPlug’s top 10 team-up with Bailey Zimmerman? You’ll find a lot more to embrace on I Hope You’re Happy, the Dallas hip-hop star’s full-length country foray: while Nashville staples like Jelly Roll, Darius Rucker, Luke Combs and Ella Langley handle the hooks, BigX bodies the rap verses, resulting in a mash-up jamboree that’s earnest, commercially viable and a whole lot of fun.

Kid Cudi, Free 

Scott Mescudi’s creativity runs in so many different directions, and across various multimedia platforms, that a new, proper Kid Cudi album always feels like both a gift and a check-in with an old friend; Free lives up to its title, composed of lyrical fearlessness and fuzzed-out musical explorations (crank “Truman Show” up to the absolute maximum volume, please) that made him such a beloved figure at the start of his career.

Stray Kids, KARMA 

After conquering charts and arena stages around the world, Stray Kids spend new album KARMA challenging themselves: there’s plenty of their hard-charging, electro-rap pop sound across the best-selling K-pop group’s latest proper album, but songs like “In My Head” and “Ghost” tweak their formula in compelling new ways, and nod toward Stray Kids’ musical growth.

Offset, KIARI 

As one might expect for a project titled after his birth name, KIARI finds Offset at his most vulnerable, with the Migos mainstay offering a snapshot of his whirlwind life and memories of his rise within popular hip-hop while joined by a wrecking crew of guest stars, including Gunna, Teezo Touchdown, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Key Glock, the lattermost on the head-knocking highlight “Run It Up.”

Editor’s Pick: Deftones, private music 

Deftones’ gradual rise to rock’s commercial elite — in which they’re playing to their biggest crowds ever, 30 years into their career — has coincided with consistently great-to-excellent studio output; when it comes to their brooding, atmospheric hard rock, private music does not reinvent the wheel, but songs like “infinite source” and “cut hands” contain more tempo and swagger than their recent full-lengths, and often sport thrilling highs.

Olivia Dean has announced her largest headline shows to date with an upcoming U.K. and Europe arena tour. 

The 26-year-old will kick off the run on April 23, 2026, at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro before traveling on to Manchester’s Co-op Live (April 25) and a pair of dates at London’s O2 Arena (April 29-30). 

She’ll then hit a number of major European cities from May 8, hitting venues in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, France and more. Tickets go on sale from Dean’s website on Aug. 29.

The shows will make for her biggest ever bookings in the U.K. and will follow the release of her second studio LP, The Art of Loving, on Sep. 26. The lead single from that record — “Nice to Each Other” — has peaked at No. 10 on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart, while new single “Man I Need” is tracking to be this week’s highest new entry, according to the Official Charts Company.

Throughout 2025, Dean has played a number of shows supporting Sam Fender (the pair later collaborated with a new version of his song “Rein Me In”), and festival slots at Glastonbury Festival and Forwards in Bristol. She recently embarked on a North American headline run that included shows in New York, Boston, Los Angeles and more.

In October, Dean will join Sabrina Carpenter at a number of the pop star’s headline shows this fall, including four nights at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Dean’s debut album, 2023’s Messy, hit No. 4 on the U.K. Albums Chart.

Here’s the full list of Dean’s 2026 tour dates:

While producing what became Ray Charles‘ final album, Genius Loves Company, John Burk asked the soul music legend if he might re-sing a part. “No,” Charles said. “I ain’t doing that.”

Burk revisited the subject later, in a quiet moment at the studio, asking Charles to explain his reluctance. “It’s about what I’m feeling, at that moment,” Charles replied. “That’s what you want on the record.”

Charles, of course, was right: Genius Loves Company, released after the singer, pianist and songwriter’s death in 2004, went triple platinum and won the Grammy for album of the year. And Burk, a partner at Exceleration Music, remembered that conversation when preparing to reissue four albums from Charles’ catalog of 60-plus releases earlier this year. The first, 1974’s Come Live With Me, out today (Aug. 22), is what Burk calls a “heartbreak and sadness and loneliness album,” a gem that didn’t make the Billboard 200. “It’s one of the best examples of Ray truly expressing himself.”

The album, Burk adds, is “ripe for discovery” and came out “when the marketplace was just so different than what he was doing. It didn’t quite fit in certain charts and radio formats.”

The four releases Burk has prepared are from Tangerine Records, Charles’ longtime indie label, with which Exceleration partnered in 2021. An investment group formed by ex-execs from Concord Music Group, Merlin and others, Exceleration has spent the past five years investing in influential indie labels such as blues powerhouse Alligator Records, alt-country fixture Bloodshot Records and ’90s-rock stalwarts Kill Rock Stars. After making a deal in 2021 with the Ray Charles Foundation, Exceleration rolled out reissues from the singer’s vast catalog — the 90-track True Genius box set in honor of what would have been Charles’ 90th birthday in 2020, then Charles’ classic country albums such as the two volumes of Modern Sounds and Crying Time.

Burk, one of five partners at Exceleration, says the upcoming Charles reissues — Ingredients In a Recipe for Soul is due Sept. 19, Love Country Style, Oct. 24, and No One Does It Like … Ray Charles, Nov. 21 — will be part of a long, gradual rollout of Charles’ “massive catalog.” Although Rhino Records reissued much of Charles’ catalog in the ‘90s with lavish CD packaging, Burk says, “There’s a lot more to discover about Ray Charles than the public may know. A lot of this stuff’s just not out.”

Despite a long association with Atlantic Records, Charles spent much of his career as an indie artist, albeit funded by large corporations such as ABC and British Decca. Love Country Style, from 1970, is in the mode of Charles’ 1962 masterpiece Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music and includes a bluesy cover of Johnny Cash‘s “Ring of Fire”; 1963’s Ingredients In a Recipe for Soul, which hit No. 2 on the charts, opens with his classic version of Harlan Howard‘s “Busted”; and No One Does It Like … Ray Charles! is a new title compiling non-album singles from 1962-1965, including “No One” and “Something’s Wrong.”

Tangerine, named after Charles’ favorite fruit, was not actually the original record company that released Come Live With Me — that album belonged to Charles’ later label, Crossover, according to the singer’s 1978 autobiography Brother Ray. The material on the other three reissues comes from ABC, which in the early ’60s lured the singer from Atlantic Records, the label that made him famous. “Look,” he told ABC lawyers before signing, according to Michael Lydon‘s 1998 bio Ray Charles: Man and Music: “Since I’m producing my own music, I want to own my own masters.” Such a deal was unprecedented at the time, as labels have insisted on ownership of masters for decades. But ABC agreed — as long as the deal kicked in after five years.

“He’s just completely free and doing what he felt like doing,” Burk says about these recordings. “He built his own everything — his own record company, his own publishing company, his own management company, his own studio, his own tour bus, his own plane. He was completely independent.”

Charles was with ABC from 1960 to 1973, and for the last five years of that deal, his music came out under the Tangerine-ABC label, according to Brother Ray, the autobiography written with David Ritz. He returned to Atlantic Records in 1977. “I loved Tangerine,” Charles said in Man and Music. “But to run a label, especially a small label, you have to keep your hands in it. I was spread too thin, but I wasn’t about to give up my own music or going on the road. At least Tangerine didn’t lose any money, and figuring in all I learned, I’d say we came out ahead.”

Stockholm-born music library giant Epidemic Sound appointed Danijela Horak as vice president of artificial intelligence, effective Sept. 1. Horak joins from the BBC, where she led AI research and advised the Responsible AI group, launching tools like BBC Transcribe and BBC Verify. With over 12 years clocked in media and enterprise AI — including leadership roles at AIG — the Londoner brings deep technical expertise at the company, where she’ll lead AI strategy and development of creative tools like AI voiceovers and smart audio recommendations, reporting to CTO Rikard Herlitz. “We’re really proud of the suite of AI-powered soundtracking tools we’ve developed for creators and believe we’re just scratching the surface in terms of improving their creative processes,” said Herlitz. Epidemic Sound’s AI strategy centers on enhancing human creativity, not replacing it, CEO Oscar Höglund told Billboard earlier this year. 

LOCASH’s Galaxy Label Group promoted Cheryl Broz to vice president of operations, and hired Mitch Mills as national director of promotion. Broz will lead digital initiatives and marketing strategy; prior to joining the Galaxy Label Group in 2024, Broz worked at Crave Records, Columbia Records, Arista Records, EMI, Island-Def Jam and Curb Records. Mills’s role will include all formats including Hot AC, pop, country and more. Mills most recently spent 15 years at Atlantic Records/Elektra and previously served as vice president of Adult Top 40 at Motown Records. –Jessica Nicholson

BOARD SHORTS: Dan Simpson, head of music operations at Meta, has been elected chair of the DDEX board, succeeding Kim Beauchamp of Universal Music Group. A longtime contributor to DDEX, Simpson has played key roles in working groups focused on digital sales reporting, release notifications, and streaming fraud detection… Neal Spielberg of Spielberg Entertainment has been elected president of the Leadership Music board for 2025–26. Leadership Music is a leadership program for the music industry that has graduated over 1,400 leaders nationwide (Spielberg is class of ’95). Joining him are Diane Pearson, Scott Gerow, Steve Eggart and Brad Bissell, along with six newly appointed board members.

A2IM made staffing updates, welcoming Grey Gordon as communications and digital marketing manager and promoting Chirag Patel to senior director of membership, and Emmaline McCourt to membership director. Gordon brings over a decade of experience in branding and digital strategy, having worked with Brooklyn Basement and indie artists like Oshima Brothers. Patel, known for expanding A2IM’s network of 800-plus companies, offers a global perspective from his work in India and the U.S. McCourt, who joined A2IM in 2023, now leads member onboarding and the mentorship program, which has supported over 700 pros. She also represents A2IM at conferences and serves on industry boards, including the Recording Academy’s New York Chapter.

iHeartMedia is transforming its Multi-Market Partnerships Group into the newly named Enterprise Business Development Group, led by longtime executive Julie Donahue. This move aims to better align sales and partnership efforts across divisions including Inside Sales, Unified Partnerships, and Political. Donahue, a 23-year iHeartMedia veteran, will serve as president of the newly formed EPDG. In this role, she’ll lead the integration of key sales and partnership divisions and collaborate closely with senior execs to drive strategic growth and unify biz operations across the company. CEO Bob Pittman and COO/CFO Rich Bressler called the change a “key step in strengthening iHeartMedia’s ability to maximize performance and drive long-term success.”

NASHVILLE NOTES: RED Creative Group named Kaileen Smith as director of A&R, where she’ll lead publishing operations and support the company’s writers and artists. Smith brings experience from Boom Music Group, UMG Nashville and Sony Music Nashville, having contributed to multiple No. 1 singles… GrassRoots Promotion welcomed promotion manager George Davis to the company. The move represents a flip from the broadcast side of the business; he most recently was KBXB Sikeston, Mo., midday host… While David Corlew recently sold his interests in Blue Hat Records, co-founded by the late Charlie Daniels, he remains president/executive director of The Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project, a veteran-affiliated nonprofit… Nashville-based VNTG PR rebranded as Sotis Entertainment Group, whose roster includes Chris Janson, Terry McBride and McBride & The Ride.

Day After Day Productions (DADP) announced a major leadership restructuring to support its continued growth and client-focused services. Aidan Flynn has been promoted to co-head of the newly formed casinos, corporates, and colleges division, alongside CEO Seth Shomes, with Jordan Golenberg named director. Michelle Scarbrough will lead the new theater/PAC/symphony division, joined by Olivia Bentley as director. Marcus Greenstein becomes head of fairs, while Josh Jones is elevated to director of central services & senior booking coordinator. Veteran agent Jordan Burger joins as senior agent, focusing on festivals and destination events. Additionally, Kafarrah Chavarria has been appointed acting director of human resources. DADP, relaunched by Shomes in 2021 and partnered with Yucaipa Investments in 2022, is an indie booking agency.

Nex Team Inc. appointed Helena Ngo as head of music, a newly created role where she will lead music strategy, licensing, and artist partnerships, reporting to vp Alex Wu. Ngo brings extensive experience from her previous roles at Fender, where she led artist marketing, and Dolby, where she helped launch Dolby Atmos Music with major streaming platforms.

Amuse announced Steeve Führ as its new chief financial officer, joining the Swedish digital music distribution company during its scale-up. Führ brings extensive financial leadership experience from roles at Benify, Edgeware and Apple Nordics, including successful IPOs and international expansion. In his new role, Führ will focus on global growth and financial discipline. “We are thrilled to have Steeve step into the CFO role at such a pivotal moment for Amuse,” said Giorgio D’Ambrosio, interim CEO. “His deep financial expertise and leadership will be invaluable as we continue to scale the business globally with a focus on long-term profitability.”

Last Week’s Turntable: Alfonso Perez Soto Exits WMG After 20 Years

On Feb. 6, 2024, a gathering of 25 top Contemporary Christian, Gospel and country music artists took place just south of Nashville, at World Wide Stages in Spring Hill, Tenn.

Led by 45-time GMA Dove Awards winner Michael W. Smith and GMA Dove Award winner Darlene Zschech, the artists came together to create the upcoming album House of Worship, a collaborative work that reimagines classic worship songs as duets meant to bridge generations.

The album features Brenton Brown, Brian and Jenn Johnson, Brian Doerksen, CeCe Winans, Charity Gayle, Chris Brown of Elevation Worship, Christy Nockels, Chris McClarney, Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes, Zschech, Ed Cash of We The Kingdom, Hillary Scott of Lady A, Israel Houghton, Josh Baldwin, Kari Jobe, Leeland Mooring, Martin Smith, Matt Redman, Smith, Mitch Wong, Naomi Raine, Pat Barrett, Paul Baloche and Tim Hughes.

House of Worship is set for release in January 2026 through The Fuel Music.

The first single from the project brings together Zschech and 17-time Grammy winner CeCe Winans for a new rendition of Zschech’s 1994 hit “Shout To The Lord,” which Zschech originally recorded with Hillsong Music.“Every song is a prayer rising, not from artists, but from sons and daughters crying out to God together.”

“Every song is a prayer rising, not from artists, but from sons and daughters crying out to God together,” Zschech told Billboard in a statement.

The new project was recorded and filmed in-the-round at World Wide Stages, with all 25 artists together in the same room. Executive produced by Smith and Zschech, and produced by Paul Mabury (Lauren Daigle, Cory Asbury) and John Hartley (Twila Paris, Leigh Nash), the album also features a top-shelf lineup of musicians, including Smith on piano, Mabury on drums, Dwan Hill on keyboard, and Stu Garrard on guitar.

“When we were in the process of planning the House Of Worship recording, our goal was to pull together a few of our friends in the worship community to join us in singing some of the best loved worship songs of all time,” Smith tells Billboard in a statement. “What took us all by surprise was the level of response from worship leaders from around the world who quickly let us know they were in! They also committed to staying through the recording and joined the circle of worship for each song. The presence of the Spirit, mixed with the unity of purpose and spontaneity, was so beautiful to be a part of.”

House of Worship is also in negotiations now for a national theatrical release to coincide with the release of the album.