When Alok returns to London this June, it’s not just another show.
He’s heading back to Brixton — the same area in the capital where he once worked as a barman after moving there in 2010 and struggling to find gigs — to debut Rave The World, a new concept he’s been building across both his live shows and his music. The show is set to run for one night only at the O2 Academy Brixton on June 5, and for him, it carries a lot of personal weight.
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The project also marks a shift from his previous Keep Art Human era, a show rooted in ideas around technology, presence and how people engage with music. That production leaned heavily on scale, with large stage builds, choreographed dancers and a visual narrative that unfolded across the set, which he famously brought to Coachella in 2025.
With Rave The World, he’s moving in a slightly different direction. The idea is to strip things back to something more immediate, a concept that lands within seconds, whether it’s on a festival stage or placed in the middle of a street. At the core of it is what he describes as a “rave box,” a compact setup where pre-shot clips of dancers are projected in a way that makes them feel physically present.
It’s also designed to travel. Unlike his previous productions, which relied on large builds and dozens of performers, this one can move easily across spaces while still holding its own visually.
At the same time, the idea extends beyond the stage. Speaking exclusively to Billboard U.K., Alok shares that he’s closing his label Controversia and starting a new one under the same name, Rave The World, using it as a space for music that sits closer to clubs, raves and festivals, and doesn’t necessarily fit within a major label system.
Back when he first moved to London with his twin brother, things looked very different. Their psytrance project had early traction, but the move didn’t go the way they expected. “We didn’t have the requests, we didn’t have gigs,” he says. “Me and my brother, we broke up our project.” What followed was a reset, one that eventually led him to start over on his own.
Now, more than 10 years later, he’s going back to that same part of the city to make good on a mission over a decade in the making.
You lived in London back in 2010. What do you remember from that time, and how did it shape you?
I lived there with my twin brother [Bhaskar Petrillo], and we had a psytrance project called Logica. It was going quite well on platforms like Beatport and we had a lot of requests in Europe. We moved there thinking it was going to be good for the career, but what happened was actually the opposite. We didn’t have the requests, we didn’t have gigs.
That’s when I created my project, Alok. It was a moment where I kind of freed myself from a prison that I created by myself. I came from a very underground scene and I wanted to do something different.
When I came back to Brazil, I told my dad that I wanted to quit music and go to university because it was so complicated to live through art. I was seeing everyone struggling financially. But my dad told me that if he had my talent, he would be way bigger than I am and wouldn’t be wasting time. He said if you want to abandon something, quit the university. So I said “OK, this is my last try. I’m going to keep doing it, but I’m going to do what I want to do, not what you want me to do.” And that was the best decision.
Why was it important for you to go back to Brixton for this particular show, and to do it as a one-night-only?
When I was in London I started dropping my C.V. [curriculum vitae] in all the clubs, but no one answered. One day, a club told me they weren’t looking for DJs but needed a bartender. I started to study and I became a barman in a pub in Brixton, so going back there now feels like a full cycle.
It wasn’t even my idea in the beginning. The team came up with it because they wanted to do something that could close the cycle. When they brought it to me, it gave me a lot of memories and triggers.
I think I need to go through it. It’s something personal for me. Sometimes you try to avoid it, like why go [back to] Brixton again? But now I have to go back and kind of… heal myself.
What is Rave The World and how did that idea come together?
In order for me to really move anything in a direction, I need to have a purpose for it. Otherwise it just doesn’t drive me. Last year I turned 34 and for the first time I realized that there’s a new generation coming and they’re shaping the culture in a way I haven’t seen before. In my generation, we followed a lot of the rules. This one is completely different. They have the internet, social media power, and they’re changing everything.
At that moment, I felt I needed to connect with them. So we were thinking about a concept, and at first it was like ‘let’s save the world.’ But then I asked my creative director’s daughter – she’s Gen Z – what she thought, and she said she’s sick and tired of people saying that. She said “there’s no other world, this is the only one, and you guys failed with it and now you want us to save it.”
That was very interesting, because we realized we were not connected. So I just thought, “OK save the world, remove the ‘S’ and make it Rave The World.” When I Googled it, it said “do you mean save the world?” I said no, I mean rave it. And when I told her that, she said that’s amazing, she connected with it. That’s how it came into fruition.
You mentioned a ‘rave box’ as part of the show. What does that actually look like?
We needed something super simple and efficient, something you understand in a few seconds. Because with Keep Art Human, we needed a big stage, like 50 dancers and all that. It’s not easy to bring that everywhere.
So we created this rave box. We shoot real dancers and project them inside, so when you see the show, it feels like they are really there. And we can place this box anywhere in the world, even in the middle of the street, and people get it immediately. That’s how we concentrated everything into one concept.
You’ve played to massive crowds over the years, including over one million people at shows like Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. What does that actually feel like in real time?
Honestly, when you play for over a million people, you only realize that when you see the footage after. In the moment, you can’t really understand it.
That’s why we created the pyramid, 30 meters high and 360 degrees, so I can see everyone around. That’s the only stage where I can actually see the full crowd. We’ve been doing these big shows for years, but I think now people are paying more attention.
You recently collaborated with Khalid on “Dive Into Me.” How did that come together?
We had already worked on some versions of “Dive Into Me” consisting of samples by “What’s a Girl to Do” by Fatima Yamaha, but didn’t have the rights to release it. Then Khalid came up with a version, and we pitched again.
He changed the lyrics of the verse and did a fantastic job. We spent like eight hours in the studio recording a lot of lines. Then the next day he said he still missed some things and went back to the studio again. I really loved working with him. He works very hard and has a lot of passion for what he does.
You also recently made an appearance at Sphere in Las Vegas with ILLENIUM, which has become one of the most talked-about venues globally. What was that experience like for you?
It’s one of those very unique venues in the world. The experience is really out of this world. It’s something that can change the music industry. But it wasn’t my show, I was supporting ILLENIUM. He did everything and gave me space with visuals and effects. He was super humble to do that. His performance is so outstanding, it’s like a movie.
Alongside the Rave The World concept and show, you’re also launching a new label under the same name. What does that next phase look like for you?
I’m going to release songs that match this concept. Not many releases, because I’m not worried about quantity. I just want to release what I really believe in. Some of these songs might not be accepted by a major label because they are more for clubs and festivals, but that’s the direction now.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-08 16:30:592026-05-08 16:30:59Alok on Returning to London With Bombastic ‘Rave The World’ Show: ‘It’s Personal For Me’
This week, Billboard’s New Music Latin poll — curated with key recommendations by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — features a number of new albums, including Carín León’s Muda; Codiciado’s Así Es La Vida; Omerta, a joint album by J Balvin and Ryan Castro; and Chuyin’s Los Locos Nunca Mueren.
In addition to the new LPs, Grupo Frontera and Alejandro Fernández dropped their first collaborative effort, called “Cada Vez Me Gusta Más,” a song about an impossible breakup.
Representing two powerful generations of música mexicana, the trailblazing group and iconic singer narrate a story about a man who follows his heart and doesn’t listen to the opinions of other, nor takes relationship advice. “If you could see her one night through my eyes/ I assure you that you, too, would show her off,” goes the chorus.
Sonically, the track is powered by a one-minute traditional ranchera melody à la Fernández before transitioning to Frontera’s signature norteño sound.
Artists such as Sebastian Yatra, RaiNao, and Christian Nodal also released new music this week.
The most recent New Music Latin poll was topped by Jorge Luis Chacin’s album De Amor, Sueños y Cantares with more than 57% of the vote. Which release this week do you think is best? Give these new releases a spin and vote for your favorite new Latin music release below.
Editor’s Note: The results of the weekly New Music Latin poll will be posted if the poll generates more than 1,000 votes. This poll closes at 11 a.m. ET on Monday, May 4.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-08 16:30:592026-05-08 16:30:59Grupo Frontera & Alejandro Fernández’s Collab & More: Vote for the Best New Latin Music Release This Week
When Zach Top made his debut on airwaves in 2021 with “Sounds Like the Radio,” the song took listeners “back [to] ’94, you know.”
Radio in that era was a different animal — more than 90% of American adults used a clock radio to start their day, and the biggest competitor for in-car listening was the factory-installed CD player.
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Today’s landscape is less favorable for over-the-air radio. More than 80% of the population now uses a smart phone as the alarm, and over 25% of listeners don’t have a single AM/FM radio in their home, according to Michigan-based Jacobs Media’s 22nd annual TechSurvey 2026. Additionally, during their commutes, drivers have satellite radio, audiobooks and streaming apps among numerous non-radio options that didn’t even exist back in ‘94.
The TechSurvey, released in an April 24 webinar, suggests that even stations’ most ardent fans will soon be tuning in to the radio more on other devices than on AM/FM hardware. Listening to Zach Top — or Morgan Wallen or Ella Langley or anyone else — is a different experience on those devices than on a traditional radio, and programmers will want to adjust their stations to take advantage of consumers’ behavior as they continue to move to those platforms. How will that change broadcasters’ approach?
“That’s kind of the holy-grail question,” says Jacobs Media president and founder Fred Jacobs.
The TechSurvey, a study drawn from people in station databases, measures the listening habits and opinions of radio’s most committed customers across all formats. (The study does not reflect casual listeners). It demonstrates that those super-users still listen to their favorite AM/FM stations 54% of the time on a radio. But 44% of the time, they access those stations through other sources, including mobile phones, PCs or smart speakers such as Alexa. That 10% difference between AM/FM tuners and other options is far smaller than the 71% spread in 2013. Based on the trend line, it’s likely that the competing devices will surpass traditional AM/FM listening in just two to three years. How successfully broadcast executives handle that flip will determine the medium’s future and have a large impact on the artists and labels who supply the music stations with a big chunk of their content.
The features of those alternate gadgets — as well as the environment in which they’re used — shape the way listeners engage with the medium. During rush hour in the car, where most radio tune-in occurs, preset buttons allow the commuter to switch stations easily. To maximize impact, programmers attempt to keep as many drivers’ attention as possible with engaging content to build the largest possible audience during a commute that lasts, on average, less than 30 minutes.
The same customer, listening at work or home, is less likely to change the channel while using the radio as background for other activities. In that setting, programmers generally benefit by providing content that is steadier, more reliable and less obtrusive, attempting to keep the listener’s engagement as long as possible.
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Balancing those competing data points — the size of the cumulative audience versus the time spent listening — is the challenge for radio decision-makers, who may need to tweak their approaches as the audience shifts its habits. They could alter the size of playlists, the frequency of an individual title’s repetition, the size of commercial breaks or the amount of disc jockey conversation as the audience moves to different devices. And those decisions come as modern in-car dashboards feature increasingly elaborate infotainment systems that further threaten to deflate listenership in the space where radio has long dominated.
“Listening in the car to a regular AM/FM radio is still the No. 1 way that people listen to their favorite radio stations,” Jacobs says. “But the more that cars become connected, and the more that cars allow you to pair your phone or they have embedded apps on their home screens, the more pressure that puts on radio broadcasters to win the war.”
Radio’s future is further complicated by the audience itself, according to this year’s TechSurvey. The average age of the current P1 listener is 58.4 years (the country format, at an average 57.1 among its most enthusiastic supporters, is only slightly younger than radio as a whole). As recently as 2023, radio’s P1s averaged 55.5 — the listener base increased by three years in that short window. That means stations are not cultivating superfans in younger demos fast enough to replace older fans as they disappear.
It represents an “epic fail,” Jacobs says, noting that broadcasters have been so devoted to the 25-54 demographic that they are neither catering to the dominant older segment of their audience nor cultivating the younger listeners who need to come on board to keep radio thriving.
“We have not spent any energy, time or money on people, really, under the age of 25,” Jacobs laments. “Teens were [formerly] an integral part of radio listening and also radio sales. Those were the people discovering the new music, and those were the people who were genuinely excited about what was going on. Most radio stations haven’t included them in the strategic mix now for decades.”
The extreme demos — consumers under 25 and over 55 — may be key to radio’s future strength, presenting a conundrum since both have different engagement profiles. A sizable chunk of the P1 listeners who are older than the medium’s 58-year average age are retired and thus commuting less, reducing their in-car listening. Since radio is a life-long habit, they’re increasingly tuning in via Alexa, Google Home or their computer, and listening for longer stretches.
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The younger demos, whose media habits are shaped primarily by their use of smart phones, are prone to shorter listening occurrences, which would seem to require a different programming approach. Focusing on the older base would create the best short-term Nielsen ratings, though their age necessarily means their numbers will dwindle in the approaching decade. Engaging youth would likely not pay off in a sizable increase in those demos for a number of years, if at all.
“Radio as an industry has not adjusted to the demographic realities,” Jacobs says. “That’s why you begin to start looking at data like this and going, ‘Whoa!’ This thing is becoming a really difficult challenge with each passing year as the audience ages out.”
One surprising source of optimism might come with the development of the smart TV. Still relatively new, the device is used only 2% of the time by radio’s strongest consumers, but it’s particularly popular among Gen Z. It might be a method in which stations are able to groom the youngest part of the audience to become the future core.
Thus, to quote Zach Top, it “sounds like the radio” would benefit from catering to the aging part of its audience, which is likely to engage for longer periods of time as it increasingly stays home, while simultaneously building its younger segment, which could be listening longer if it discovers radio through its use of smart TV.
The rules around media ownership are likely to be relaxed, Jacobs notes, and he suggests that chains that typically operate five or six outlets in a particular market would benefit from having one of its stations devoted to 55+ demos and another focused on 12-24.
“You need to think,” Jacobs says, “about both things at the same time.”
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-08 16:25:592026-05-08 16:25:59Radio’s Future Shaped By Tech: What Music Execs Need To Know About Impending Changes
Luke Combs earns a fifth week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart with “Sleepless in a Hotel Room.” The song leads the list dated May 16 with 34.5 million impressions, up 4%, May 1-7, according to Luminate.
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The command ties Combs’ third-longest, matching 2023’s “Fast Car,” 2021’s “Better Together” and 2019’s “Even Though I’m Leaving.” Only his “Beautiful Crazy” (seven weeks, 2019) and “Forever After All” (six, 2021) have spent more time on top.
With six No. 1s that have led for at least five weeks, Combs matches Kenny Chesney and Toby Keith for the second-most leaders. Tim McGraw leads with seven; Morgan Wallen is in fifth place with four.
Dating to Country Airplay’s 1990 inception, just 6% of No. 1s have led for five weeks or more. The longer runs thin out quickly, as only 3% have ruled for six weeks or longer, with 1% reaching seven or more. Nate Smith and Wallen share the longest reigns, with 10 weeks each for Smith’s 2023 hit “World on Fire” and Wallen’s 2022 smash “You Proof.”
No. 1 runs of five weeks or more have tended to arrive in waves rather than evenly across the chart’s history. The biggest concentration came from the late 1990s through the mid-2000s, with the ‘00s alone producing exactly half the songs that have led for five weeks or more (31 of 62). After a relatively sparse 2010s, the ‘20s have brought a renewed run of such No. 1s (14).
‘Rocky Mountain’ High
Elsewhere, Corey Kent and Koe Wetzel’s “Rocky Mountain Low” rises two places to No. 10 on Country Airplay (16.6 million, up 7%). It’s Kent’s third trip to the tier and Wetzel’s second.
Kent last reached the top 10 a year ago this week with his eventual one-week No. 1 “This Heart.” Wetzel previously did so with his Jessie Murph collaboration “High Road,” a five-week leader in 2024-25.
All charts dated May 16 will update Tuesday, May 12, on Billboard.com.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-08 16:25:592026-05-08 16:25:59Luke Combs’ ‘Sleepless’ Stays Up at No. 1 on Country Airplay Chart for Fifth Week
Chris Brown’s albums bring about many feelings. Excitement from his diehard fanbase. Hate from the people who understandably cannot forgive and forget his past transgressions. Exhaustion from the music fans who prefer shorter tracklists and runtimes. Most of all, the reminder that he is a machine.
To debut in the mid-2000s, be white-hot, almost get cancelled, and still be a top name in R&B well into the 2020s is mind-boggling. He has circumvented multiple controversies that would have killed the career of a singer who didn’t inspire such devotion from their fans (or, frankly, have the same undeniable talent).
There is no question that he loves music and performing, which will be on full display for his forthcoming co-headlining tour with Usher, who is surprisingly not on the album. Nonetheless, it only made sense to put out a new LP before they hit the road for The R&B Tour: Raymond & Brown this June. CB’s 12th studio album, BROWN, is a 27-track buffet offering up his entire skillset, including some records strong enough to become part of his canon over time.
Because that is the real conversation about Breezy these days. He sneaks in a high-charting record here and there, but he is firmly a legacy act. First-week sales and release-day streams aren’t, nor shouldn’t be, a significant part of the discourse around him. The question is, can he dig deep and make songs that boost his already impressive catalog?
It is safe to say that, for those willing and patient enough to go on the 27-song marathon, they will find tracks that could answer “yes” to that inquiry. Take a deep breath, stretch, hydrate and go on this journey with Billboard as we see where these records measure up to one another. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a few that could break through his high ceiling and potentially be discussed among his all-time hits.
In times of upheaval, there is always opportunity — a condition that aptly describes the past year in the indie sector of the music business. Across the industry, there has been change: in leadership, in ownership, in distribution, in what it means to be independent and in creative control.
And at the same time, the indie world is thriving. Some of the biggest artists in the world — like this issue’s cover subject, RAYE — are independent; the industry’s biggest deals are being made by independent companies, like France’s Believe, preparing for its much-vaunted entry into the United States; and by label ownership, independents made up 44.15% of the U.S. recorded-music industry in the first quarter of 2026, a figure nearly twice as high as any major company.
As the tectonic plates of the business continue to shift, one thing is clear: It’s good to be indie.
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Associations
Ian Harrison CEO, American Association of Independent Music Lisa Hresko COO, American Association of Independent Music; president, Foundation for Independent Music
Gee Davy CEO, Association of Independent Music
Helen Smith Executive chair, IMPALA
Charlie Lexton CEO, Merlin
Lexton
Kate Shortt
Since taking over as Merlin’s CEO in January — succeeding the organization’s previous leader, Jeremy Sirota, now at Suno — Lexton has a simple overriding mission: using the “collective value” of the indie digital rights agency’s members to “enable and support their independence.”
Shortly after Lexton assumed leadership of the organization he’s been with since its 2007 founding, Merlin announced it had struck a licensing deal with generative AI startup Udio, enabling Merlin’s stable of indie labels, distributors and artists to be compensated for allowing their recordings to be used in AI training. This followed a previous opt-in licensing deal Merlin struck with ElevenLabs for its music model Eleven Music, which marked “the first at-scale deal between a global rights holder and a significant AI company,” Lexton says.
These deals proved that “AI companies can reach commercial agreements with music rights holders,” Lexton says. “We are here to do business and deals are achievable.”
However, he qualifies, “We will only do business with partners who respect copyright. That ultimately means partners who agree to terms that respect the investment, by artists and entrepreneurs, that it takes to make great music. Those terms are not solely about payments, they’re also about the inclusion of guardrails that protect the integrity of existing catalogs and the ability of artists and labels to control the use of their intellectual property.
“The deals we have struck fulfill those criteria,” he continues, “and not only have we found great partners, we have demonstrated it’s possible for AI companies to build music products without looking for exceptions to existing legal frameworks.”
Also under Lexton’s leadership, Merlin recently announced it had signed a deal with Pipeline, which will offer advances — through more than $200 million in capital — to member companies against digital royalties generated by Merlin, effectively opening up another funding stream for the indie labels it represents.
Noemí Planas CEO, WIN
Labels & Distributors
Alejandro Duque President, ADA Kyle Aycock CFO, ADA Adriana Sein Global head of artist and market development, ADA MaryLynne Drexler Global head of content acquisition and business and legal affairs, ADA Bryan Roberts Vp/head of A&R and label acquisition, ADA
Chris Swanson Co-founder, All Flowers Group Sam Valenti IV Co-founder, All Flowers Group; founder, Ghostly International Caleb Braaten Founder, Sacred Bones Records Nigil Mack Founder, drink sum wtr
Dean Tabaac Head, AMPED Pip Smith Vp of sales/GM, AMPED Jocelynn Pryor Vp of marketing, AMPED
Eli Piccarreta Senior vp of A&R, Artist Partner Group Alec Henderson Vp of marketing, Artist Partner Group
Iain Catling CEO, AudioSalad
Lonny Olinick CEO, AWAL Bianca Bhagat GM, AWAL Pete Giberga President of North America, AWAL
Humberto Novoa CEO, Azteca Records Sergio Pérez Vp, Azteca Records
Emmanuel de Buretel Founder/CEO, Because Group
Nabil Ayers President, Beggars Group Claire Taylor U.S. GM, Beggars Group Andy Larsen Head of sales, Beggars Group Pam Garavano-Coolbaugh Head of U.S. product management, Beggars Group
Romain Vivien Global head of music/president, Europe & USA, Believe Elsa Bahamonde Bourgain President, artist services and label and artist solutions, Believe Brian Miller Chief business officer, TuneCore Nicki Shamel Head of TuneCore, U.S. & Canada, TuneCore
Dan Waite CEO, Better Noise Music
Seth England Partner/CEO, Big Loud Records Jordan Pettit Stacy Blythe Co-presidents, Big Loud Records Paul Logan Senior vp of sync, Big Loud Records Joey Moi Partner/producer, Big Loud; president, Big Loud Rock
Seon Jeong Shin President, BIGHIT MUSIC
Scott Borchetta Founder/chairman, Big Machine Records, Nashville Harbor R.E., Borchetta Entertainment Group
Gordon Kerr President/CEO, Black River Entertainment Rick Froio Executive vp, Black River Entertainment
Dan Gill Executive vp of recorded music, West Coast, BMG JoJamie Hahr Executive vp of recorded music, Nashville, BMG Sean Heydorn Senior vp, Rise Records
Andre Benz Co-founder/CEO, broke records Brandon De Oliveira Co-founder/COO, broke records
Yo Gotti Founder/CEO, CMG
Tom Becci CEO, Concord Label Group Fred Gillham COO, Concord Label Group Hazel Malit CFO, Concord Label Group Andy Serrao Chief creative officer, Concord Label Group
Jonathan Strauss Co-founder/CEO, Create Music Group Alexandre Williams Co-founder/COO, Create Music Group Wayne Hampton Co-founder/chief business development officer, Create Music Group
Mike Curb Chairman, Curb Records
Justin Lubliner Founder/CEO, Darkroom Records Layne Cooperstein GM, The Darkroom Oliver Jordan Head of global strategy, Darkroom Records
Jamie Oborne Founder/owner, Dirty Hit
Ken Bunt President, Disney Music Group David Abdo GM, Disney Music Group Chip McLean Senior vp/head of business affairs and development; GM, Disney Concerts Worldwide
Phil Bauer President, DistroKid
Peter Berard U.S. label manager, Domino Recording Company Pushkar Ojha Director of operations, Domino Recording Company
Berard
Erin Thompson
Ojha
Caitlin Pasko
Domino’s biggest success story over the last year was the launch of Isle of Wight-bred rock band Wet Leg’s second album, moisturizer, which dropped last July. The set’s fourth single, “mangetout” — propelled in part by a key synch in an episode of the smash TV series Heated Rivalry — subsequently scored a No. 2 placement on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart.
“We have seen them go from performing at small clubs like the Echo to selling out amphitheaters such as the Greek and even playing the main stage of this year’s Coachella, all within the span of five years,” says Berard of the group. Wet Leg also scored a pair of Grammy nominations at this year’s ceremony — for best alternative music album and best alternative music performance — after taking home three trophies in prior years.
Elsewhere, Domino recently launched the electronic and dance music imprint Smugglers Way, whose roster includes Alan Braxe, DJ Falcon and Phoenix, along with collaborative works from Domino artists like Panda Bear, members of Hot Chip and Ela Minus. The lattermost also received a Latin Grammy nomination last year — “a first and rewarding honor for Domino in our continued effort to highlight exceptional artists from around the world,” Berard says. “It was very satisfying for our staff who have worked closely with Ela since early in her career to witness her profile build to this level of recognition.”
Looking ahead, Domino wants to continue “to look for ways to highlight our music in unique avenues,” Berard says, whether through synchs — also including Hot Chip’s live performance in the second season of Netflix’s Beef — or collaborations. A few notable examples on the latter front include KT from Upchuck joining Hayley Williams onstage at an Atlanta concert; Sasami teaming up with Clairo on a single from the former’s last album, Blood on the Silver Screen; and Daniel Avery’s collaborations with Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell, The Kills’ Alison Mosshart and others on his 2025 album, Tremor.
Peso Pluma Co-founder/CEO, Double P Records George Prajin Co-founder/president, Double P Records
Molly Neuman President, CD Baby Ben Patterson President, Downtown Artist & Label Services Christiaan Kröner President, FUGA
Michael Gallegus Executive vp of business and legal affairs, EMPIRE Ted May Senior vp of international marketing, EMPIRE Jentry Salvatore Vp of A&R and creative development, EMPIRE Samyah Ahmed Chief of staff, EMPIRE
Brett Gurewitz Founder/CEO, Epitaph/ANTI- Records Sue Lucarelli President, Epitaph Records
Glen Barros Managing partner, Exceleration Music John Burk Charles Caldas Amy Dietz Dave Hansen Partners, Exceleration Music
Shawn Barron Ty Dolla $ign Co-founders/co-CEOs, EZMNY Records
Ty Dolla $ign (left) and Barron
Anika Jess
When Leon Thomas first previewed his second album, MUTT, for Ty Dolla $ign, he didn’t just press play — he made a presentation. Plugging his laptop into a TV, Thomas walked through a PowerPoint outlining the album’s color palette, visual world and even the stylists he envisioned would bring it to life.
Three years later, that meticulous vision paid off: MUTT earned Thomas — signed to Ty and Shawn Barron’s EZMNY Records — two Grammy Awards, a best new artist Grammy nomination, a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and an opening slot for Bruno Mars’ The Romantic tour.
“Watching Leon win two Grammys, top radio charts across three formats with ‘MUTT’ and ‘Watching Us’ — his collab with Wale — sell out both his North American and European tours, then go right into the Bruno Mars stadium tour has been incredible,” Barron says.
Founded by Barron and Ty Dolla $ign, EZMNY Records has served as the launchpad for Thomas’ evolution. From a burgeoning songwriter who co-penned SZA’s Grammy-winning, Hot 100 No. 2 hit “Snooze” to one of R&B’s most electric new voices, Thomas has become the blueprint for EZMNY’s brick-by-brick mentality.
“It’s a true testament to the power of artist development, good music and staying the course,” says Barron, whose growing roster features rjtheweirdo, Bizzy Crook, Keith Turner and Saige Michael.
Last year, MUTT proved to be a slow-burning breakthrough. After missing the Billboard 200 upon its 2024 release, the project began to steadily gain traction, earning gold certification — with the title track eventually climbing to No. 6 on the Hot 100 last November.
“We’re just getting started,” Ty Dolla $ign says.
Chris Atlas President, FatBeats Kevin Engler GM, FatBeats
Zack Bia Founder/CEO, Field Trip
Derek Davies Dave Wallace Co-founders/co-CEOs, Futures Music Group Sarah Kesselman GM/chief marketing officer, Futures Music Group
Dana Biondi Partner/artist manager, G59 Records
Larry Jackson Co-founder/CEO, gamma. Ike Youssef Co-founder/president, gamma.
Shawn Holiday Co-founder, Giant Music Nate Albert President, Giant Music Matt Lamotte Managing director/executive vp of marketing, Giant Music
Daniel Glass Founder/president, Glassnote Music
Logan Mulvey CEO, GoDigital Music Lauren Demarte COO, GoDigital Music
Tip “T.I.” Harris CEO, Grand Hustle Music Thuy-An Julien Chief business officer, Grand Hustle Music
Neil Jacobson Founder/CEO, Hallwood Media Danny Jacobson Head of A&R, Hallwood Media Niki Zahedi Senior vp of A&R/management, Hallwood Media
From left: Neil Jacobson, Zahedi and Danny Jacobson.
Jennifer Miller
In September, Hallwood raised eyebrows by signing the first known record deals for what it calls “AI music designers,” trying to turn what many in the traditional music industry considered a novelty or nuisance into a real business. “I never sign AI,” Neil Jacobson says. “I sign the real people behind them.” That includes the human backers of AI projects Xania Monet, who reached No. 3 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart, and The Soulful Gentleman, who reached the Viral 50 Spotify charts in 17 different countries.
Jacobson and Hallwood’s year, however, has gone beyond AI-related projects. The company’s human stars had strong growth years as well, including management client 2hollis, whose 2025 album, star, became one of the most acclaimed projects of the year; Remy Bond, who just toured Europe; and Sturdyyoungin, who hit No. 17 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart in March.
Jacobson says he’s also proud of Hallwood’s venture capital side, which invested in AI music company Suno’s $250 million Series C round through Hallwood Ventures. He calls Suno, which has been sued by multiple music companies for training on musical copyrights without a license, “a transformative company and the most exciting investment in music this year.”
When surveying the past 12 months, Jacobson says he’s most proud of his “really well-balanced approach” to Hallwood, which does everything from merchandise to management, label and publishing services. “Everything is growing. It feels really strong and solid — and frankly none of it has happened with a Billboard No. 1 hit,” he says. “To have all of these wins to point to before we’ve had that undeniable No. 1 hit has been really awesome to see.”
Jae Yoon Choi Founder/CEO, hello82
Louis Posen Founder/president, Hopeless Records Erin Choi GM, Hopeless Records Eric Tobin Executive vp of A&R and business development, Hopeless Records
Julius “J” Erving Founder/CEO, Human Re Sources; executive vp, The Orchard; executive vp of creative development, Sony Music Entertainment
Pascal Bittard Founder/president, IDOL
Brent Faiyaz Founder/CEO, ISO Supremacy Ashani Allick Head of A&R and marketing, ISO Supremacy
Alison Ball CEO, JBR Creative Group Eric Benét President, JBR Creative Group
Ball
Harp Digital Media
Benét
Helen Perez/Harp Digital Media
Established in 2023 by veteran A&R executive Ball and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Benét, JBR Creative Group notched several successes in the past year. Its scorecard includes an Adult R&B Airplay No. 1 with the Benét and Chanté Moore pairing on “So Distracted,” plus two top 10 showings on that chart: Joe Leone’s “Over Under” with Ne-Yo and Benét and India.Arie’s “Must Be Love.”
Both Benét tracks appear on his 2025 album, The Co-Star. Leone also co-wrote another song that landed at No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay, J. Brown’s “True Love.” Rounding out JBR’s roster is singer-songwriter Autumn Paige, who released her debut EP, Down the Rabbit Hole, last year.
In positioning JBR as an independent force in R&B, Ball says the company is taking a “disciplined, strategic approach focused on building real infrastructure, developing artists like Leone and Paige, expanding our catalog and strengthening our partnerships across distribution, marketing and synch. It’s about creating a sustainable ecosystem where artists can grow.”
With a string of hits including “Spend My Life With You” featuring Tamia, “Georgy Porgy” featuring Faith Evans and “Sometimes I Cry,” Benét is a four-time Grammy nominee. He kicked off his solo career in 1994 when he signed with Warner Music. Before partnering with Benét, Ball built her career in the A&R arena. Prior to serving as vp of A&R at Warner Bros. Records, she held posts as senior director of A&R at RCA Records and director of A&R at EMI. Along the way, she has worked with Prince, Chaka Khan and Curtis Mayfield, among others.
“Moving forward, we’re building on JBR’s momentum by continuing to scale our catalog, leaning into direct-to-fan engagement and executing more intentionally across every release,” Ball says. “The goal is long-term value — growing a company and a roster that can compete globally while staying authentically independent.”
Pepe Aguilar CEO, Machin Records/Equinoccio Records
Patrick Amory Co-owner/president, Matador Records Gerard Cosloy Chris Lombardi Co-owners, Matador Records
Sean Stevenson President/CEO, MNRK Music Group
Michael Goldstone Founder/co-owner/co-president, Mom+Pop Music Thaddeus Rudd Co-owner/co-president, Mom+Pop Music
Terry McBride Co-founder/co-CEO, Nettwerk Music Group Simon Mortimer-Lamb Co-CEO, Nettwerk Music Group
Ricky Reed Founder/CEO, Nice Life Recording Company Nicole Enos Senior vp of operations and business affairs, Nice Life Recording Company
Reed
Chantel Anderson
Enos
Shlomit Levy Bard
Last year, Nice Life Recording Company celebrated The Marías snagging a best new artist Grammy nomination, and the group’s lead vocalist, María Zardoya, launched her first solo project, Not for Radio, joining the Coachella lineup as a surprise act ahead of releasing her three-track EP Bloom. Coming up this year, Tinashe will follow her 2025 summer hit with Disco Lines, “No Broke Boys,” with a new body of work, and Lizzo will release her next album.
Reed says he’s “tripling down on the care-forward, music-first, DIY ethos that we’ve become known for.” As distribution companies and other indies get bought up by the majors and venture capital, he’s determined to keep the artist central to all of Nice Life’s releases.
“As an artist-owned company, we know what it means to ‘want it’ and are drawn to true musical originals and outsiders that take that approach,” Reed says. “The name Nice Life itself is an ode to my late manager who was an outsider as well. When he would see someone who didn’t have to fight to get to where they are, with a smirk he’d say, ‘Nice life, bro.’ ”
While majors are setting their sights on the indie market, both Reed and Enos say they’re seeing just as much opportunity for themselves as major labels.
“The old ideas of what was achievable by independent labels versus majors has disappeared,” Reed says. “Success comes from the quality of the art and passionate, hard work. Whoever wants it more wins.”
Enos adds, “Artists don’t have to choose between scale and care anymore. Indies are competing for and winning the same artists as majors, not by outspending them but by moving fast and showing up with a truly white-glove, boutique approach.”
Marie Clausen Managing director for North America, Ninja Tune
Emmanuel Zunz Founder/CEO, ONErpm
Brad Navin CEO, The Orchard Colleen Theis President/COO, The Orchard Richard Gottehrer Co-founder/chief creative officer, The Orchard Mary Ashley Johnson Executive vp of commerce, The Orchard Alan Becker Senior vp of artist and label partnerships, The Orchard
Gottehrer
Meredith Nadeau
Richard Gottehrer is rock’n’roll history. The industry icon, 86, wrote his first song on piano, “I’m on Fire,” in the 1950s after hearing Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” — and Lewis later released it as a single in 1964. Gottehrer was there in the early days of the girl-group sound, co-writing The Angels’ “My Boyfriend’s Back” in 1963. He was there at the start of the British Invasion, as a member of The Strangeloves, and co-founded Sire Records in 1966 with Seymour Stein. He was there at the advent of punk and at CBGB in 1976, producing the first two Blondie albums, and helped take new wave to the top of the charts, producing the first Go-Go’s album. In the ’80s and ’90s, he produced for as many as 40 artists.
But beyond Gottehrer’s creative endeavors, he’s also an indie music industry champion. From the early 1960s through 2010, all of his creative work and entrepreneurial business enterprises happened in the independent sector. Even now, 14 years after Sony acquired a majority stake in the company he co-founded with Scott Cohen in 1997, The Orchard, he has remained indie: The Orchard is the largest distributor of independent music in the world.
Of all of his accomplishments during his 65-plus years in the music industry, Gottehrer counts co-founding The Orchard as his proudest.
Read the full story on The Orchard’s Richard Gottehrer here.
Tim Putnam Co-founder/president, Partisan Records Zena White COO, Partisan Records Jeff Bell Label manager, Partisan Records
Putnam
Jasmine Archie
White
Jasmine Archie
The night that Zena White moved from the United Kingdom to America, she dropped her bags at her new Manhattan apartment and walked a few blocks to the Lower East Side’s Bowery Ballroom. It was October 2017, and White, who had relocated for a new job at Brooklyn-based Partisan Records, was checking out Cigarettes After Sex, the dream-pop band that had recently released its debut on the indie label.
The band’s career — and White’s, too — would soon change dramatically. Less than a decade after playing small clubs like the 575-capacity Bowery, the Texas act is headlining arenas, with its debut album certified platinum and over 3.2 million equivalent album units moved across its three studio sets, according to Luminate. And White is now Partisan’s COO, helping to oversee its eminent indie roster.
“The era that I have been at Partisan is really neatly bookended by Cigarettes After Sex,” White, 40, tells Billboard from Los Angeles, the night before Coachella launches with Partisan signees Geese, Blondshell and Interpol on the bill. “We were really focused on setting up a global footprint for them and then using that global footprint to advance our capabilities as a company and as a team.”
Co-founded in 2007 by Tim Putnam and Ian Wheeler, Partisan featured in its early years a modest roster led by indie-rock bands, most notably Deer Tick, and the catalog of the late Afrobeat great Fela Kuti. But in the last decade, under the guidance of Putnam, now its president, and White, its small-but-mighty roster has become one of the most lauded in indie music. Partisan is responsible for launching next-gen rock heavyweights Fontaines D.C. and IDLES, home to critical darlings including Blondshell and Laura Marling, steward of catalogs for the legends Cymande and DJ Rashad — and behind the biggest indie-rock breakout in recent memory, Geese.
Read the full story on Executives of the Year Tim Putnam and Zena White here.
Sung Soo Han Master professional, PLEDIS Entertainment
Jimmy Humilde Co-founder/CEO, Rancho Humilde Miguel “Mickey” Sanchez President, Rancho Humilde
Humilde
Courtesy of Rancho Humilde
Sanchez
Courtesy of Rancho Humilde
“Rancho Humilde has already done what most labels are still chasing: building a global movement,” Humilde and Sanchez said in a joint statement. Over the last year, the Mexican music label has reaffirmed its status as one of the most influential forces driving Latin music’s global growth. Founded in Los Angeles, the trendsetting imprint’s powerhouse roster includes Natanael Cano, Junior H and Legado 7.
Beyond music, Rancho Humilde has extended its reach into film. “We signed a multimillion-dollar film deal with Columbia Pictures, which marked Rancho Humilde’s first long-form feature, CLIKA, which hit the top 10 on Netflix,” Humilde and Sanchez added. The movie — starring Jay Dee, frontman of Rancho Humilde act Herencia de Patrones — encapsulates the rise of corridos tumbados and the cultural movement the label sparked: “We’re moving from soundtracks to screens, and it’s only the beginning.”
Their achievements are backed up by data, including 80 billion global streams across platforms, according to the executives. Junior H sold out 27 dates on his $ad Boyz Live and Broken Tour, including two nights at the Hollywood Bowl. His first album in more than years, Depr<3$$ed MFKZ, a collaboration with Gael Valenzuela, debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on Top Latin Albums. Meanwhile, Herencia de Grandes hit No. 1 on Hot Regional Mexican Songs with their track “Ya Borracho.”
Looking forward, the Rancho Humilde team is focused on “more global touring, more chart-topping releases and continued artist expansion.” With upcoming music from Cano, Oscar Maydon and rising star Lencho, who has nearly 10 million monthly Spotify listeners, Rancho Humilde remains a rising force in the industry.
Ben Washer CEO, Reach Records Lecrae Moore President, Reach Records
Javier “Jay” Sang Founder/CEO, Rebel Music/Open Shift Distribution
Michael Petkov Head of international, Redeye Worldwide
Noah Assad CEO, Rimas
Lynn Oliver-Cline Founder/CEO, River House Artists Zebb Luster Executive vp/artist manager, River House Artists
Darius Van Arman Co-founder/CEO, Secretly Distribution Chris Welz COO, Secretly Distribution
Jon Coombs Vp of A&R, Secretly Group Ben Swanson Co-founder/COO, Secretly Group Phil Waldorf Co-founder/chief marketing officer, Secretly Group Robby Morris Vp of creative marketing, Secretly Group Emily Puterbaugh Vp of streaming, Secretly Group Kraegan Graves Vp of operations, Secretly Group
Servando Cano CEO, SERCA Music
Daniel Jang Dmitry YJ Tak Co-CEOs, SM Entertainment
Jorge Juarez Founder/president, Socios Music
Sung Jin So Master professional, Source Music
Seth Faber GM, Stem Bobby Davin Senior vp of A&R and label partnerships, Stem
Jesús Ortiz Paz CEO, Street Mob Records
JOP
Street Mob Records
Founded by Fuerza Regida frontman Jesús “JOP” Ortiz Paz, the Southern California-based indie label has become a force in regional Mexican music, building a roster of over 25 artists and songwriters, including Chino Pacas, Calle 24 and Clave Especial.
“We’re making history right now,” JOP says. “[Fuerza Regida] went from arenas to a full stadium tour,” which will kick off June 18 at San Diego’s Petco Park.
The San Bernardino, Calif., group also delivered one of the biggest moments in Latin music history with the release of its ninth studio album, 111XPANTIA, in May 2025. The set — jointly released by Rancho Humilde and Street Mob Records and distributed by Sony Music U.S. Latin — debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest-charting regional Mexican music album ever; with Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS holding the top spot, the chart placements also marked the first time that Spanish-language albums occupied Nos. 1 and 2 on the chart. The set also featured “Marlboro Rojo,” a smash hit written by standout Street Mob songwriter Miguel Armenta that reached No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay and spent 21 weeks on the Hot 100.
“It’s not just Fuerza. Street Mob [artists] took over, too,” JOP adds. The label’s younger acts are quickly shaping the future of música mexicana: Chino Pacas entered the top 10 of the Top Regional Mexican Albums chart in August with his second full-length, Cristian, while Clave Especial reached No. 83 on the Hot 100 with “Ferrari,” released in April. “Our artists and writers are leveling up,” JOP says. “Chuyin is hitting major festivals without even dropping a project yet. That’s when you know it’s real.”
The label’s approach is as bold as its roster. “This year we are really focusing on writing camps to keep elevating the sound,” he says. “We’re leveraging a 360 approach to the marketing, touring, merch and experiences that bridge sports, entertainment, fashion and beyond.” For Street Mob, the goal is clear: “To keep pushing this worldwide.”
Megan Jasper CEO, Sub Pop Jonathan Poneman Co-founder/co-president, Sub Pop Tony Kiewel Co-president, Sub Pop
Gregory Hirschhorn Co-founder/CEO, Too Lost Alex Silverstein Co-founder/COO, Too Lost
Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith Founder/CEO, Top Dawg Entertainment
Annie Ortmeier Co-president, Triple Tigers Records Kevin Herring Co-president, Triple Tigers Records; co-president, Akando Music
Steve Stoute CEO, UnitedMasters Jesse Morav Vp of A&R, UnitedMasters Sasha Safavi Vp of legal/head of music licensing, UnitedMasters
Troy Carter Co-founder/CEO, Venice Music Suzy Ryoo Co-founder/president, Venice Music
J.T. Myers Nat Pastor Co-CEOs, Virgin Music Group Pieter van Rijn COO, Virgin Music Group Jaqueline Saturn President of North America/executive vp of global artist relations, Virgin Music Group
Asmarina Zerabruk Global head of projects, Young Recordings
Contributors: Trevor Anderson, Ed Christman, Chris Eggertsen, Eric Frankenberg, Ariel King, Carl Lamarre, Gail Mitchell, Isabela Raygoza, Kristin Robinson, Dan Rys
Methodology: Record companies are defined as independent by their ownership through entities other than the three major music groups. Distributors, regardless of their corporate ownership, qualify as independent through the repertoire they market. Companies self-certify they meet these criteria in submitting nominations. Nominations for all of Billboard’s industry-sourced executive lists open no less than 150 days in advance of publication, and a submission link is sent by request before the nomination period. (Email thom.duffy@billboard.com for inclusion on the email list for nomination links and for how to obtain an editorial calendar.) Billboard’s 2026 Indie Power Players were nominated by their companies and chosen by editors based on factors including market share as measured by the Billboard charts, using data available as of April 16. Career trajectory and momentum were also considered. Where required, U.S. record-label market share was consulted using Luminate’s current market share for albums, plus track-equivalent and streaming-equivalent album consumption.
This story appears in the May 9, 2026, issue of Billboard.
Ariana Grande is planting the seeds for her Petal era to begin. The pop superstar announced on Friday (May 8) that her upcoming eighth studio album’s lead single is titled “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” and it’s set to blossom in just a few weeks.
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Sharing the track’s black-and-white artwork — a closeup photo of Grande’s face with her hair falling over her eyes, similar to the Petal cover art — the singer wrote on Instagram, “hate that i made you love me … my first single off of petal.”
Calling it “one of my favorite songs i’ll ever write,” Grande revealed that she co-produced “Hate That I Made You Love Me” with Max Martin and ILYA, whom she called “my favorite collaborators and dearest human beings in the world.”
“i simply cannot wait for it to be yours,” the Grammy winner added.
The new song will drop on May 29, about two months before Petal arrives at the end of July. The project will follow up 2024’s Eternal Sunshine, which topped the Billboard 200 and spawned two No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “Yes, And?” and “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).”
The day prior to announcing “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” Grande gave fans more details about the new album by sharing a video of herself discussing its themes with her team. “It’s a little feral,” she said in the clip. “It’s definitely from a place I’ve been maybe too shy or polite to tap into before. This kind of just feels like, ‘F–k it.’”
See Grande’s announcement for “Hate That I Made You Love Me” below.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-08 15:35:582026-05-08 15:35:58Ariana Grande Announces ‘Petal’ Lead Single & Release Date: ‘One of My Favorite Songs I’ll Ever Write’
Billie Eilish said what she said. After facing backlash for stating that people cannot both eat meat and claim to love animals, the pop star shared a series of disturbing footage showcasing the mistreatment of livestock in the food industry and wrote a blunt message doubling down on her position.
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Interspersed between clips of animals such as pigs and cows suffering in overcrowded enclosures and facing violence from their handlers, Eilish began by writing, “stay f–king mad at ME … i really don’t give a goddamn f–k.”
“go watch a documentary or two and some footage of what is done to the animals u claim to love and what it does to the planet u pretend to love as well,” she continued. “if that footage was hard for u to watch i encourage u to pls take a look at urself.”
The Grammy winner went on to say that she’s “so tired” of it being controversial to have “empathy for living beings,” adding, “pls continue to live in a constant state of cognitive dissonance and denial and try to convince urself that ur not living a lie.”
Eilish’s posts come shortly after she was asked in a video interview with Elle, “What’s one hill you’d die on?”
“Y’all not gonna like me for this one,” she responded at the time. “Eating meat is inherently wrong. Two things cannot coincide: ‘I love animals … and I eat meat.’ You can’t do both. You can eat meat, go for it. You can love animals. But you can’t do both.”
The comment sparked a flurry of discourse online about the verity of her stance, but clearly, Eilish isn’t budging. The hitmaker has long been an advocate for veganism, animal rights and environmentalism. She is active in mom Maggie Baird’s organization Support + Feed, which is dedicated to fighting climate change and food insecurity by increasing access to plant-based food.
The two-time Oscar winner has also prioritized cruelty-free manufacturing processes when it comes to her fashion partnerships with brands such as Nike and Gucci. “The one that was seen by the most people was getting Oscar de la Renta to stop using fur when they made me a dress for the Met [Gala],” Eilsh told Billboardin 2024.
“That was really important to me … I’ve tried to be a big advocate of no animal products in clothing, and it’s hard,” she continued at the time. “People really like classic things. I get it, I’m one of them. But what’s more important: things being original or our kids being able to live on the planet and them having kids?”
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-08 15:25:582026-05-08 15:25:58Billie Eilish Doubles Down on ‘Eating Meat Is Inherently Wrong’ Stance by Sharing Footage of Animals Suffering
Think Mad Max: Fury Road, but make it K-pop. In the upcoming video for their single “BOOMPALA,” from their sophomore full-length album, PUREFLOW pt. 1 (May 22), girl group LE SSERAFIM slip into futuristic outfits and have a wild party with a group of back-up dancers that include a duck, aliens, a horned devil and some other out-there companions.
The South Korean quintet shared some behind-the-scenes snaps from the shoot with Billboard , in which members SAKURA, KIM CHAEWON, HUH YUNJIN, KAZUHA AND HONG EUNCHA slip into some witchy outfits in front of a giant bank of speakers and bliss out on a giant truck outfitted with a series of horns and speakers that brings to mind a more musical version of the flame-throwing, guitar-slinging Coma-Doof Warrior from the 2015 Mad Max sequel.
To launch their new era the group dropped the first single, the high-energy dance track “Celebration,” last month and on Thursday (May 7) their label, HYBE, gave a sneak peek at “BOOMPALA” in a short YouTube video. It opens with KIM AND HUH sitting at a dinner table with HUH lamenting thoughts that are “tangled up in a knot” and that her mind won’t stop racing. Contemplating the issues, KIM suggest, “just stop,” as HUH puts a finger to her lips in thought, revealing a scaly, reptilian hand with razor-sharp nails.
They agree that fans will like the new song, which makes way for the group dance to the bouncy track with the instantly catchy refrain, “Boompala, boompala, boompala, yeah/ You can’t hold on to the clouds in the air.”
PUREFLOW is the follow-up to the group’s 2023 debut studio album, UNFORGIVEN, and their first release since the 2025 single “SPAGHETTI” featuring BTS’ j-hope.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-08 15:25:582026-05-08 15:25:58Go Behind The Scenes on LE SSERAFIM ‘BOOMPALA’ Video Shoot
This has been a huge week for Caissie Levy. The musical theater veteran was nominated for her first Tony Award on Tuesday (May 5), earning a nod for best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical for her work in the Broadway revival of Ragtime.
“To be nominated for the first time means so much to me,” Levy told New York Theatre Guide after the news broke. “I’m truly overwhelmed and can’t stop smiling. And now, I’m going to drop my kids off at school! Balance.”
With Mother’s Day coming up on Sunday (May 10), it’s a fitting week for her Tony nom, given that she plays the role of Mother in the celebrated production. Ragtime isn’t Levy’s first matriarchal turn, either – she played Diana Goodman, a mother with bipolar disorder, in the West End premiere of Next to Normal (and was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2024 for it) and previously played mothers in Caroline, Or Change and Sarah Silverman’s The Bedwetter.
The Ontario-born actress is a mother in real life, too: Levy has two children, a 10-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl, with David Reiser. To celebrate mothers on- and offstage, Levy shared a Mother’s Day playlist with Billboard of 10 of her favorite mother-related songs. Naturally, Broadway is represented (via a classic from Into the Woods), but the playlist encompasses many musical styles and eras, from Joni Mitchell to Ms. Lauryn Hill to Foy Vance.
Check out Caissie Levy’s Mother’s Day playlist below, as well as her personal thoughts and recollections about each song and why it hits close to home for her.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2026-05-08 15:20:592026-05-08 15:20:59Tony Nominee Caissie Levy Shares the Ultimate Mom Playlist for Mother’s Day
