U.K.’s Beyond The Music Conference Confirms New Location and Dates for 2026 Edition

Beyond The Music will return in 2026 in a brand new venue, Billboard U.K. can exclusively reveal.

The third edition of the music conference and festival will take place at Salford’s MediaCity from Oct. 7-9 and bring together leading figures from across music, culture, tech, politics and beyond. 

The news arrives as Greater Manchester celebrates another bumper year for music, having played host to the 2026 BRIT Awards and the MOBO Awards at the city’s Co-op Live venue. The former had never been held outside for London before, and is also set to be the host of 2027’s 50th anniversary edition.

Beyond The Music will utilise the MediaCity campus, including dock10 Media City studios and various iconic Salford music venues. The programming will feature a number of keynote conversations, industry showcases, networking opportunities and cross-sector partnerships. 

The event will coincide with Salford’s centenary celebrations, honoring the 100th anniversary of the Royal Charter that granted Salford city status; the city forms part of the Greater Manchester metropolitan area.

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, will host the All Content AI Summit with the aim of being together “leading practitioners and policymakers from every content industry together to align on a shared, rights and integrity-first position for AI.” The event will take place on Oct. 9 and comes as the U.K. government abandoned its plans for an ‘opt-out’ approach to licensing by AI firms; the move was celebrated by a number of the U.K. music industry.

Beyond the Music will utilize a variety of multi-purpose spaces across the campus, studios and the adjoining Quayside shopping centre, with a number of shows to be held at some of Salford’s existing venues. MediaCity is home to a number of broadcasters and media organizations including the BBC and ITV Studios.

Tickets for the event are on sale now, including the introduction of the Pay It Forward scheme, which aims to maximise accessibility for those who are hoping to advance their career within the music industry but may not be able to afford the full ticket price.

Speaking on the announcement, Burnham said, “Greater Manchester has always been at the forefront of cultural innovation, and Beyond The Music is a vital opportunity for the sector to come together and address the challenges and opportunities facing music and content creation. That’s why I’m proud to host the All Content AI Summit, which will provide a space to consider the ethical questions raised by new technologies and how we can protect creators’ rights.”

He added, “Greater Manchester has always been willing to take a stand on the issues that matter — standing up for the people behind the music, making sure they are recognised, rewarded, and able to build sustainable careers. That’s what we mean by balancing growth with responsible innovation. With its move to MediaCity and bigger than ever programme, Beyond The Music is helping to cement our city region’s place at the centre of the creative economy.”

Further lineup announcements will be made in the coming months.

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Scott Mills Fired From BBC Radio 2 Following ‘Personal Conduct’ Allegations

BBC Radio 2 DJ Scott Mills has been fired following allegations made over his personal conduct. Mills hosted Radio 2’s popular Breakfast Show, which reached 6.5 million listeners on a weekly basis and made it the U.K.’s most popular show in the slot.

The announcement was made by the U.K.’s public service broadcaster on Monday morning (March 30) with a spokesperson saying that “while we do not comment on matters relating to individuals we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted and has left the BBC“. Mills has not yet commented on the announcement.

Mills regularly hosted a number of high-profile interviews with recent appearances from Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Louis Tomlinson, Robbie Williams and more. He took the slot in 2025 following Zoe Ball’s departure and joined the Radio 2 schedule in 2022. 

In an email sent to staff, Lorna Clarke, the BBC’s director of music said: “I know that this news will be sudden and unexpected and therefore must come as a shock. Not least as so many of us have worked with Scott over a great many years, across a broad range of our programs on R1, 5Live, R2 and TV I felt it was important to share this news with you at the earliest opportunity.”

Mills joined the BBC in 1998 and held a number of roles at Radio 1, the BBC’s youth-focused radio station. In 2022, he departed the station after 24 years to replace Steve Wright.

Alongside the Breakfast Show, he appeared on a number of television shows for the BBC including music TV show The Pop Years and the corporation’s coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest. Mills earned £355,000 – £359,999 ($469,000) according to the latest annual report, making him the 11th biggest paid star.

Mills was absent from Monday’s broadcast, with Gary Davies assuming broadcasting duties. Davies is set to appear for the remainder of the week.


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Juno Awards 2026 Best Moments: Joni Mitchell Sings, Rush Reunites, Drake Pays Tribute to Nelly Furtado

The Juno Awards may have had trouble attracting a-list young stars at Saturday night’s industry gala, but plenty of legends showed up for the broadcast on Sunday night (March 29) at TD Coliseum in Hamilton. The gala presented the bulk of trophies, with only four plaques handed out on the broadcast, plus a hall of fame induction for Nelly Furtado and a special lifetime achievement award for Joni Mitchell.

Pre-Junos, the greatest excitement around this year’s broadcast came with news that Mitchell would attend in person to accept her lifetime achievement award, with noted Canadian artists led by Sarah McLachlan and Allison Russell on hand to pay tribute by performing such Mitchell classics as “Case Of You,” “Both Sides Now” and “Big Yellow Taxi.” The finale saw all the performers join in on the classic, including Nelly Furtado, Jully Black, The Beaches, Alessia Cara, Sofia Camara members of Arkells, Billy Talent and more. Then, Joni herself joined in for the final notes “and put up a parking lot” to major applause.

That segment closed out the two-hour show, living up to expectations. Mitchell was introduced by Prime Minister Mark Carney, and she was visibly touched by the honor. “I’m so glad to be back in Canada,” she said, praising Carney multiple times. “I live in the States, and we know what’s happening here.”

Rush Reunites

The broadcast kicked off with a bang, and a surprise one at that. With minimal intro, hard rock global superstars Rush made their first-ever Junos appearance, delivering a high-octane version of “Finding My Way,” the first song on their first album. It was the first Rush performance since 2015 and the 2020 death of drummer Neil Peart, ahead of their upcoming stadium tour.

In the media room after, singer Geddy Lee explained that “choosing a song was impossible, so we asked management to choose one.” They settled on the first song on their first album, from 1974. Guitarist/founding member Alex Lifeson joked that he hopes he survives the upcoming global Rush tour.

“It is 85 shows, more than we’ve done in a long time. It’ll be exhausting, but we’ll come out stronger.” Both Rush members praised their recently recruited new drummer, Anika Nilles, and, referencing late drummer/lyricist Peart, Lee noted “music is still a part of us. Music lives beyond tragedy.”

The Beaches, Daniel Caesar and Cameron Whitcomb Win Big Awards

After appearing at the podium at Saturday’s gala as winners in the rock album of the year category, Toronto rock quartet The Beaches returned to the winner’s circle for the prestigious group of the year category. This marks the third straight year they have won this award, a rare and highly impressive feat. On the broadcast, they chose to play a powerful ballad, backed by strings, and then hopped back on stage to accept their Juno. In a short acceptance speech, the group stressed “there is no better feeling than coming home.”

Two other winners from last night also got to shine by both performing on the broadcast and accepting another Juno. At the Awards Gala, young B.C. country singer-songwriter Cameron Whitcomb took home the trophy for country album of the year, for The Hard Way, and tonight he was victorious as breakthrough artist or group of the year. Whitcomb has earned that title in rapid fashion, and he is now back in the charts with a brand new single, “You And Me.”

In his acceptance speech he noted that “I still don’t know why I’m blessed with this opportunity, but I won’t squander it. I’ll stay sober.” To the press later, he added this advice: “Don’t drink, don’t do drugs, stay low-key.”

Daniel Caesar was the winner in the coveted songwriter of the year category last night, but was not in attendance to accept. He did show up to both perform and collect a special international achievement award, recognizing the strides he has made in global markets. His 2025 album, Son of Spergy, became his third top 10 album on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart. He has made multiple appearances on influential NPR performance series Tiny Desk, and appeared on the cover of Billboard and Billboard Canada last year.

Helping induct Caesar with the international achievement award was fellow R&B star Mustafa, who referenced “the infinite brotherhood we cultivated, he from Oshawa, me from Regent Park.” Mustafa noted “you hear a stillness in his songs, and he took that stillness to a global stage.” Accompanied by his own guitar and subtle backing vocals, Caesar delivered a typically soulful ballad.”

Caesar also collected the Juno for contemporary R&B recording of the year for Son of Spergy, one of just four trophies handed out during the broadcast. When he accepted this Juno, Caesar brought up his dad, the titular Spergy.

Joni Mitchell Speaks & Sings

When talking to the media at the conclusion of the gala, McLachlan was clearly excited about paying tribute to Joni Mitchell, a crucial inspiration, at tonight’s show. “I idolized her and I dissected her music,” said McLachlan. “Joni had asked me to create a medley around her songs for the tribute. She showed up at rehearsals today, and that was the first time she’d heard it.”

Another major surprise was a video tribute to Nelly Furtado by one of Canada’s biggest stars, Drake. The rapper praised the influence he took from her, imagining as a kid that he could have the same heights and Billboard hits that she did. He tipped his hat to her making strides as a woman in music, and said “the men in this industry do not make it easy.” He joked that her influence was so vast that he even broke his Junos boycott, staying away since he hosted the show in 2011 but was shut out of all his awards.

A cast of Juno Award-winning artists gathered to pay tribute to Furtado, who was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the event. Those performing included Alessia Cara, Lido Pimienta, Jully Black, Kardinal Offishall, Shawn Desman and Tanya Tagaq, and they joined Furtado’s own band, led by musical director Herag Sanbalian, who curated the selection of her greatest hits.

In her acceptance speech, Furtado expressed her great pride in Canada. “I’m a product of the Canadian dream. I live and work here, I totally believe in Canada,” she stated. She also singled out the Canadian black music community: “They embraced me so much early in my career.”

Majid Jordan also presented the fan choice award to bbno$, winning for the second year in a row. He made memorable headlines last year for his comments about Elon Musk, but was not there to accept this time around.

Here are all the winners from the Juno Awards broadcast:

JUNO FAN CHOICE

WINNER: bbno$ (Independent*Broke/CMG)

Cameron Whitcomb Atlantic/Warner

James Barker Band Universal

Josh Ross Core Entertainment/Universal

Justin Bieber Island/Def Jam/Universal

Karan Aujla Warner

Shawn Mendes Island/Universal

Shubh Independent

Tate McRae RCA/Sony

The Weeknd XO/Republic/Universal

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Cameron Whitcomb (Atlantic/Warner)

Goldie Boutilier Independent

Jade LeMac Warner

Jutes Position Music

MICO Wasted Years/Columbia/Sony

Noeline Hofmann La Honda/The Orchard

Sacha Sony

Saya Gray Dirty Hit/Virgin

Sofia Camara 21 Entertainment/Universal

yung kai BMG/Flood Division

GROUP OF THE YEAR

Arcade Fire Columbia/Sony

Mother Mother Warner

Peach Pit Columbia/Sony

WINNER: The Beaches (AWAL)

Three Days Grace RCA/Sony

CONTEMPORARY R&B RECORDING OF THE YEAR

Set Me Free Adria Kain ArtHaus/Circle of 5ths/APG

Mirage Avenoir LISTEN TO THE KIDS/Santa Anna/Sony

WINNER: Son Of Spergy Daniel Caesar Hollace/Republic/Universal

PAID IN MEMORIES Jessie Reyez FMLY/Island’Universal

Life 2 Majid Jordan OVO/Sony

THERAPIST SadBoi LVRN/The Orchard


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‘That’s What This Is All About’: Kevin Lyman on 30 Years of Vans Warped Tour and What Comes Next

When Kevin Lyman launched Vans Warped Tour in 1995, he made a decision that confused a lot of people in the industry: no headliners.

Every artist on the bill listed alphabetically, given equal billing, equal space on the poster. Three decades later, with Warped returning for its biggest edition yet — five two-day U.S. festivals across Washington D.C., Long Beach and Orlando, plus international debuts in Montreal and Mexico City — that decision looks less like idealism and more like foresight.

“The industry talks a big game about artist development,” Lyman tells Billboard. “But we are willing to die trying.”

The 2026 edition, produced in partnership with Insomniac Events, is the most ambitious iteration of Warped since the touring festival wrapped its original run in 2018. Each two-day event will feature over 100 artists spanning rock, pop punk, alternative, emo, hip-hop, ska and beyond, alongside world-class skateboarders and action sports athletes. But before a single fan sets foot on the grounds, Lyman has already started doing things differently — rolling out the lineup one artist at a time over a 30-day period exclusively on Warped’s social platforms, rather than dropping the full bill in one announcement.

The strategy is grounded in something Lyman has been quietly researching for years. “In my personal research, talking to as many students and young people as possible, I ask how many lines do you normally read down a poster before you decide if you like a festival,” he says. “The answer is two or three. That leaves little chance for artist development.” By announcing artists individually, each act gets a moment in the spotlight that a traditional poster drop simply can’t offer.

The results have been measurable — each band has received a minimum of 80,000 views on their announcement videos, with many reaching upward of 200,000.

It’s an approach that extends a philosophy Warped has held since day one. In an era where an artist’s stream count is publicly visible and algorithms dictate discovery, the festival’s insistence on alphabetical listing and no headliners is a quiet act of resistance.

“The larger bands will continue to gain streams,” Lyman says, “but our goal is to find bands that we can help double theirs.”

Warped has a track record of doing exactly that. Eminem, Katy Perry, Paramore and Fall Out Boy all built crucial early momentum on its stages. Lyman sees the current landscape as wide open. “There are so many bands, and it’s awesome to see more diversity within this scene than ever — so many incredible women taking the lead right now.”

Perhaps the most striking element of Warped’s fan-first model is that tickets go on sale before the full lineup is even announced — and fans buy them anyway.

“Warped has a die-hard group of true music fans who trust us to deliver a full day of music, culture and fun at a fair price,” Lyman says. “That trust means everything.”

What that trust buys, in practice, goes beyond the music. Lyman is careful to point out that, despite the existence of a VIP tier, there is no VIP area in front of the stage — general admission gets to the barricade. And the festival’s best moments, he says, are the ones nobody planned.

“Last summer, things like Tony Hawk singing ‘Superman’ with Goldfinger and then grabbing a board and dropping into the ramp weren’t planned or marketed,” he says. “Vic Fuentes from Pierce the Veil came by for a surprise acoustic set. Deryck Whibley jammed with School of Rock. You walk around a corner and Ice-T is in the Borderlands Rage Room smashing things.”

The effect, he says, is that fans leave with stories that belong entirely to them.

Taking the festival international for the first time at this scale required finding partners who could carry that spirit across borders. In Mexico, Lyman is working with Ocesa, with point person Jose Miguel Romo Reyes — who grew up attending Warped — leading the charge. In Canada, longtime promoter Evenko is back on board. “If the people on the ground don’t live and breathe it, it doesn’t translate,” Lyman says.

The Insomniac partnership, meanwhile, came together more naturally than Lyman expected. “Many people at Insomniac worked on Warped with me in the past and understood the ethos,” he says. “Pasquale [Rotella] and I are just as passionate about our communities as each other.”

One of the partnership’s non-negotiables was the ticket price — keeping it accessible, as it has always been, to the kind of young fan Warped was built for.

And it is that fan Lyman keeps coming back to when he talks about what the festival is trying to do in 2026 — the Gen Z kid who has never had a music discovery experience that wasn’t mediated by an algorithm. “Hopefully goosebumps,” he says simply, when asked what a live stage can offer that a playlist cannot. “Like I got 40 years ago. The kind you only get from a live performance.”

As for what that looks like at its best, Lyman doesn’t have to think long. Watching Hayley Williams grow across three consecutive years on Warped into the artist she became is one answer. But last summer gave him another. “Watching The All-American Rejects close out the show in Long Beach — after a year of playing backyard concerts — in front of 50,000 people,” he says.

“That’s what this is all about.”

Vans Warped Tour 2026 runs across Washington D.C., Long Beach, Orlando, Montreal and Mexico City. Full lineup and ticketing details at vanswarpedtour.com.

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Wu-Tang Clan Fans Offered Refunds After Several Members Absent From Australian ‘Final’ Shows

Ticketek has offered refunds to fans attending Wu-Tang Clan‘s Melbourne and Sydney shows after multiple members of the hip-hop collective failed to appear on the Australian tour, which was promoted as a full-lineup farewell run.

Method Man, Raekwon, Cappadonna and Young Dirty Bastard were all absent from the group’s Brisbane Entertainment Centre show on March 25, according to fans who took to social media following the performance, with only RZA, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck and U-God took to the stage.

The absences were at odds with how the tour had been marketed.

Upon its announcement last October, Wu-Tang Clan and promoters TEG Dainty and Untitled Group billed the run as featuring “all members,” and described the dates as the group’s “final” appearances in Australia. In the lead-up to the tour, Wu-Tang Clan shared an Instagram Story indicating Method Man would not be travelling to Australia — but made no announcement about the other missing members.

Ticketek subsequently offered refunds to Melbourne and Sydney ticket holders.

“We want to make fans aware that due to unforeseen circumstances, a couple of members will be unable to join the remaining tour dates in Melbourne and Sydney,” the ticketing platform said in a statement. “Wu-Tang Clan will be performing and bringing everything that has made them one of the most iconic live acts in hip-hop history.” Fans who no longer wished to attend were offered the option to claim a refund.

Wu-Tang Clan previously toured Australia in May 2023 alongside Nas on the NY State of Mind tour.

Formed in Staten Island, New York, in 1992, Wu-Tang Clan are widely regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time. Their 1993 debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is considered a cornerstone of East Coast hip-hop and remains one of the most critically acclaimed rap albums ever recorded. Their 1997 follow-up Wu-Tang Forever debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and topped charts in the U.K., Canada and New Zealand, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album.

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Kylie Minogue Confirmed as 2026 AFL Grand Final Headline Act

Kylie Minogue has been confirmed as the headline entertainment act for the 2026 AFL Grand Final at Melbourne’s MCG on September 26 — the first Australian artist to headline the event since 2021.

The AFL announced the deal on Sunday, with Minogue describing it as a homecoming. “The AFL grand final at Melbourne’s one and only, forever iconic MCG? Yes please!” she said in a statement. “As a Melburnian, I’m so excited to be coming home for the biggest day in the Aussie sporting calendar.”

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon confirmed the league had been chasing Minogue for some time.

“There is no better artist to headline the performance prior to our biggest game of the season,” Dillon said. “Our AFL team recently joined Kylie at the MCG for the grand final content shoot, and you could already feel the excitement for September building.”

Minogue is the first Australian to headline the grand final entertainment since a collection of local acts led the 2021 event at Optus Stadium in Perth, where the game was held due to COVID lockdowns in Melbourne. The league has leaned heavily on international acts in recent years — Snoop Dogg headlined in 2025, while KISS, Robbie Williams, Katy Perry and The Killers have all featured in the past decade.

Born and raised in Melbourne, Minogue is one of the most decorated pop artists in Australian and British chart history. She has scored 11 No. 1 albums on the U.K. Official Albums Chart — drawing level with David Bowie, Eminem and Rod Stewart — and became the first female artist to score No. 1 U.K. singles across four consecutive decades when she topped the chart at Christmas 2025.

In Australia, she holds eight ARIA No. 1 albums and is the country’s highest-selling female artist, with more than 80 million albums sold worldwide. She has won two Grammy Awards and four Brit Awards across a career spanning 17 studio albums.

In the U.S., Minogue hit the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 twice — with “The Loco-Motion” (No. 3, 1988) and “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (No. 7, 2002) — and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with Fever (2001). Her 2023 single “Padam Padam” became a global viral phenomenon, reaching the top 10 in the U.K. and cementing a commercial and cultural resurgence that has continued with Tension II (2024) and her 2025 Christmas chart-topper.

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Grupo Frontera, Guns N’ Roses & Turnstile Among Best of Day 2 of Tecate Pa’l Norte 2026

The second day of Tecate Pa’l Norte brought the spectacular launch of Guns N’ Roses’ world tour to Monterrey, Mexico, on Saturday (March 28) — featuring the live debut of their two new singles, “Nothin’” and “Atlas” — during a day characterized by a heavy dose of classic and alternative rock. Grupo Frontera also used the renowned festival to kick off their Triste Pero Bien C*brón Tour in grand style, with scheduled stops in multiple countries across Latin America and Europe.

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Other acts like Turnstile, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Kygo, Simple Plan, The Warning, Enjambre, Cypress Hill, Elena Rose, Lasso, Judeline, Luck Ra and El Bogueto also stood out during the festival’s second day of activities, held at Parque Fundidora in the border city near the United States.

Among the surprise acts was Mijares, who took the stage to delight attendees with his classic “Soldado del Amor.” Additionally, Paty Cantú surprised the audience with a special appearance, showcasing her rockier side alongside the powerful trio The Warning. Likewise, a standout moment was the collaboration between singer-songwriter Paloma Morphy and young huapango folk-rock musician Macario Martínez on the Entre Cheves y Compas stage.

The program continues Sunday (March 29) with headlining performance by The Killers, and appearances by Zoé, Halsey, Panteón Rococó, Omar Courtz, Cardenales de Nuevo León, Marky Ramone, Rusowsky and Yami Safdie, among others.

Below are five of our favorite moments from day two of Tecate Pa’l Norte 2026. For a summary of day one, with Tyler, The Creator, Deftones and more, click here.

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DJ Dan, Legendary West Coast House Producer, Confirmed Dead

Legendary West Coast house producer DJ Dan has died, a representative for the artist confirmed to Billboard on Sunday (March 29).

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A cause of death has not yet been revealed. The artist’s exact age has also not been confirmed, although various reports put him in the 55-57 age range.

“It is with profound sorrow, deep admiration, and an enduring sense of gratitude and love that we announce the passing of Daniel Wherrett — known professionally to the world simply as DJ Dan — one of the most beloved, genre-defying, and genuinely influential pioneers in the history of American electronic music,” reads a statement provided to Billboard. “He leaves behind not just a discography, but a culture — a way of feeling music that touched millions of souls across four decades and five continents. He often said he felt his purpose in life was ‘to heal through music.’”

Ticket holders to DJ Dan’s scheduled Saturday (March 28) night performance at the club Dead Ringer in Reno, Nevada, report that DJ Dan did not show up to the event, with the promoter later posting a statement to Instagram saying that “unfortunately DJ Dan is unable to make it tonight.” A person close to DJ Dan tells Billboard that he had not been responding to text messages for two days prior to his death.

Born Dan Wherrett in Lacey, Washington, the producer initially moved to Seattle to study design, but was bewitched by the world of electronic music. He moved to Southern California in the early ’90s, a time when the city was a nexus for the burgeoning underground rave scene. In the mid-90s he moved to San Francisco, co-founding the city’s Funky Tekno Tribe collective and establishing himself as a crucial member of the West Coast underground electronica scene, touring the world and working across house, techno, breakbeat and beyond.

In 1998, DJ Dan recorded his first of three Essential Mixes for BBC Radio, with the last one recorded alongside the legendary Frankie Knuckles at Winter Music Conference 2007. Over the years he graced many DJ lists, with DJ Mag ranking him at No. 5 on its 2006 list of the world’s top 100 DJs.

Had three hits on Billboard‘s Dance Club Songs chart, including one No. 1: “That Phone Track” in 2004.
He also charted three albums on Billboard‘s Top Dance Albums chart, going as high as No. 11 in 2011 with In Stereo.

“Those who knew Dan personally knew a man who saw music in colors. Disco was orange;
techno was blue and brown; progressive sounds were a cool, deep blue,” continues the statement on his passing. “He described his DJ sets as ‘peaks and valleys of energy through color’ — and that synesthetic vision translated into something audiences felt in their bodies long before they understood it with their minds. He credited his inspiration to James Brown, his parents, and ‘all the underdogs who fought their way to success in life.’”

“Off the stage, he was a cook, a traveler, an obsessive record collector whose family bought him a new turntable every Christmas — not because it was tradition, but because it was the only gift he ever wanted. He was passionate about food, art, and the way disparate things could combine into something neither had been alone. That was his philosophy in the kitchen and on the dance floor alike: bring together things that traditionally shouldn’t go together, and find out what happens.”

“He leaves behind his music, his label, his mixes, and the countless thousands of dancers who found themselves — truly found themselves — in the middle of one of his sets. The world is quieter today. But press play on anything he touched, and you will hear exactly why we mourn him, and exactly why we are forever grateful he was here to inspire us.”

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Fans Choose Melanie Martinez’s ‘HADES’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music

HADES, the new album from Melanie Martinez, tops this week’s fan-voted music poll.

Fans voted in a poll published Friday (March 27) on Billboard, choosing the alt-pop artist’s latest LP as their favorite new release of the week.

HADES leads the pack in a week that also saw new music releases streaming in from Conan Gray, RAYE, Charlie Puth, Miley Cyrus and more. At the poll’s closing time on Sunday, Martinez finished with 67% of the vote.

HADES was previewed by singles including “Possession” and “Disney Princess” ahead of its March 27 release.

In London, Martinez recently held a staged “Listening Chamber” event (directed by NIYADRE and produced by Bad Bones Films’ Laurence Warder and Daragh McCann) for the album; watch it in full in the video above.

“I started this album thinking I was writing a futuristic dystopia,” Martinez said in a statement about HADES, her fourth full-length studio album, upon its release via Warner Music this week. “But I realized I was just documenting the world we’re already living in. HADES is a cracked mirror. Beneath the rage, it’s a refusal to go numb – a call to feel, to see clearly, and to ask if we can still create something beautiful from the chaos we’ve been given.”

The 18-track collection is the follow-up to 2023’s Portals, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

Among the new releases trailing behind HADES are Conan Gray’s “The Best,” with 20% of the vote, and RAYE’s This Music May Contain Hope, with 7% of the vote. Charlie Puth and Miley Cyrus rounded out the results, placing in fourth and fifth.

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


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BTS Earns 7th No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 With ‘ARIRANG’

BTS’ ARIRANG debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated April 4), scoring the reunited pop group their seventh leader. The set opens with 641,000 equivalent album units earned — the largest week for an album by a group since the chart began measuring by units in December 2014. Of that sum, 532,000 are in pure album sales (purchases of physical and digital albums), landing BTS the biggest sales week for an album by a group in more than a decade.

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ARIRANG follows BTS’ previous No. 1s Proof (2022), BE (2020), MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 (2020), MAP OF THE SOUL : PERSONA (2019), Love Yourself ‘Answer’ (2018) and Love Yourself ‘Tear’ (2018).

Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200 chart, Luke Combs captures his seventh top 10 set, as The Way I Am bows at No. 2.

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 2,500 ad-supported or 1,000 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new April 4, 2026-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on March 31. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Of ARIRANG’s 641,000 equivalent album units earned in the latest tracking week, pure album sales comprise 532,000 (the group’s biggest sales week ever; it debuts as BTS’ seventh No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 95,000 (equaling 99.10 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs, BTS’ biggest streaming week ever for an album; it debuts at No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise the remainder.

BTS claims the biggest week for an album by units earned since Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl debuted at No. 1 with an historic 4.002 million units on the Oct. 18, 2025-dated chart. BTS has the biggest week for any album by a group, by units, since the Billboard 200 began ranking by equivalent album units in December 2014.

By pure album sales (purchases of physical and digital download albums), BTS has the biggest sales week for any album since Showgirl started with 3.48 million copies sold. The last group to have a larger sales week was One Direction, with the debut week of Midnight Memories (547,000 sold, Dec. 14, 2013-dated chart).

ARIRANG’s first-week sales number was largely powered by physical sales (516,000) bolstered by its availability across 17 vinyl variants and nine CD editions, all of which have the same tracklist. (All contain collectible items such as photocards, stickers and posters.) Vinyl sales accounted for 208,000 — BTS’ best sales week on vinyl and the largest by a group in the modern era (since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991). It’s also the sixth-largest vinyl sales week for an album in the modern era; Taylor Swift has the top five. The biggest week for a vinyl set in the modern era was registered by the opening week of Showgirl, with 1.334 million.

ARIRANG’s release date of March 20 was announced on Jan. 1, though its title was not revealed until Jan. 16. The album was ushered in alongside the global live Netflix special BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG on March 21. The set’s lead single, “SWIM,” was released simultaneously with the album, and the track’s music video premiered the same day. Later in the release week, BTS performed on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, on March 25 and 26.

Next month, the BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ will launch on April 9 in Goyang, South Korea, and arrive in the United States on April 25 in Tampa, Fla. The trek will continue through the U.S. and Mexico through May 28, before heading overseas. The tour returns to the U.S. on Aug. 1 and is set to wrap its U.S./Canada dates Sept. 6 in Inglewood, Calif.

Luke Combs collects his seventh top 10-charted album on the Billboard 200, as The Way I Am arrives at No. 2 with 101,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 76,000 (equaling 77.66 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it debuts at No. 2 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 23,000 (it debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise the rest.

The album was preceded by seven charted hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, three of which reached the top 10: “Back in the Saddle,” “Sleepless in a Hotel” and “Be by You.” All three have also reached the top 10 on the Country Airplay chart, with “Back in the Saddle” topping the list for two weeks in November.

The Way I Am adds to Combs’ top 10 total on the Billboard 200, following Fathers & Sons (No. 6 peak in 2024), Gettin’ Old (No. 4, 2023), Growin’ Up (No. 2, 2022), What You See Is What You Get (No. 1, 2019), The Prequel (No. 4, 2019) and This One’s for You (No. 4, 2018).

ARIRANG and The Way I Am are the only debuts in the top 10 on the latest Billboard 200. Of the eight remaining titles in the top 10, just one is not a former No. 1 (Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving at No. 6).

Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem falls 2-3 (76,000 equivalent album units earned, up 4%), Harry Styles’ Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. slips 1-4 in its third week (64,000, down 35%) and Don Toliver’s Octane rounds out the top five, rising 6-5 (55,000, down 2%).

Dean’s The Art of Loving climbs 7-6 (54,000 equivalent album units, down 2%), Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS falls 5-7 (53,000, down 7%), Bruno Mars’ The Romantic is a non-mover at No. 8 (45,000, down 16%), Wallen’s One Thing at a Time rises 12-9 (38,000, up 7%) and the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack is steady at No. 10 (36,000, down 4%).

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.


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