The Velvet Sundown, the AI-generated retro rock group that launched out of nowhere in June, has done something many real bands struggle to achieve: Gain worldwide media attention that converts into streams at Spotify and other streaming platforms. 

In the week ended July 3, The Velvet Sundown’s catalog of 26 songs — spanning two albums — generated 2.59 million streams globally, according to Luminate. That’s a staggering 399% increase from the previous week. The surge followed a flood of online coverage at music trades, mainstream newspapers, and popular YouTube channels, all intrigued by the novelty — and the ethical implications — surrounding an artificial band that diverts attention (and royalties) from actual musicians.  

After more than two weeks of media coverage, the buzz hasn’t died down. The Velvet Sundown has been featured in major publications, including articles at BBC.com and a long-form think piece in The Atlantic. In an era when viral fame often fades in hours, the sustained interest — from both the media and the public — is remarkable. Just six weeks ago, the band had zero streams. Today, it boasts 1.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, up from approximately 300,000 following a viral Reddit post about the band on June 24. To capitalize on the momentum, The Velvet Sundown will release yet another album on Monday (July 14).

The notoriety of being an AI band has translated into modest real-world success. By Tuesday (July 8), the attention had propelled The Velvet Sundown’s track “Dust in the Wind” to No. 1 on Spotify’s Viral 50 chart — a measure of recent popularity and social engagement — in the U.K., Ireland, Israel, Iceland and Sweden, and into the top 10 in Australia, Canada, Denmark and a handful of other countries. “Dust in the Wind” also landed on iTunes’ top tracks list in Switzerland (No. 3), Poland (No. 9), Austria (No. 14), Canada (No. 20) and Sweden (No. 23), according to Chartmetric.

The Velvet Sundown represents a reality of the music business in 2025: Getting online attention, whether complimentary or critical, helps an artist rise above the noise and find listeners. Notoriety — being known for something negative — isn’t necessarily a liability.  

For all the people turned off by The Velvet Sundown’s artificial origins, there may be other listeners who stick around, says Phillip Lybrand, creator of the AI-generated band Hoverborg. The group’s album The Good Stuff, a collection of catchy pop-punk songs, used Lybrand’s lyrics but was otherwise conceived entirely on the generative AI platform Udio. The Good Stuff received some positive press and online streams early on, but coming clean about the band’s origins actually added to its momentum. “I’ve sold through Bandcamp more copies of it digitally, and the physical CD and vinyl, since letting people know it was AI-generated,” Lybrand says, adding that only one person has asked for a refund.

Even though streaming platforms are awash in AI-generated content — Deezer estimates that 18% of its daily uploads come from AI — the success of The Velvet Sundown stands out. The band’s albums, complete with evocative, surrealistic artwork, do an excellent job of capturing the look and feel of a psychedelic folk-rock band. Importantly, the songs reveal a level of expertise that is typically absent from hastily created AI music, says author and audio engineer Bobby Owsinski: “It does take a fair amount of skill and a fair amount of time to come up with that.”

Real-life music groups Kneecap and Bob Vylan have also grabbed worldwide attention for controversy as of late. Kneecap, a hip-hop trio from Northern Ireland, gained notoriety in April for the anti-Israel comments it made during its performance at Coachella. More media impressions followed: Kneecap split with its agent, Independent Artist Group, after Coachella, and band member Mo Charra (born Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh) was indicted on a terrorism charge in the U.K. for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London. Charra was released on bail on June 18, but the controversy wasn’t over.

Both Kneecap and Bob Vylan ran into trouble following their appearances at Glastonbury in late June. Kneecap’s Charra voiced support for Palestine and criticized U.K. Prime Minister Kier Starmer — with an expletive — for stating the Irish group should not be allowed to perform at the annual event in Somerset, England. And Bob Vylan singer Pascal Robinson-Fraser, who performs as Bobby Vylan, led a chant of “death, death to the IDF,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces, the country’s national military. Since the performances were broadcast live by Britain’s public service broadcaster, the BBC, both Kneecap and Bob Vylan are facing a criminal investigation.

The uproar that followed Kneecap’s Coachella set has had an undeniable effect on the metrics that denote success. From the week before Coachella to the week after Glastonbury, Kneecap’s weekly global on-demand streams more than doubled. The increase in new listeners isn’t necessarily fleeting: Chartmetric data for the last 30 days shows that Kneecap’s new followers on Spotify have grown faster than its monthly listeners, suggesting that people who recently discovered the group are more than casual fans. As for Bob Vylan, Glastonbury led to a nearly 13-fold increase in the duo’s weekly streams.

In music, gaining fame for political statements isn’t necessarily bad for business. For groups such as Public Enemy and Rage Against the Machine, being controversial was part of the appeal. Today, though, the internet amplifies statements and preserves them for posterity. “Artists ought to be ready to live and die by what they’re putting out to the world,” says Johnny Cloherty, CEO of Genni, a social media creator network. In the case of The Velvet Sundown, people won’t forget that the viral band was created using AI technology. The question there is whether, ultimately, they’ll even care. 

Donovan Mitchell has made a ton of shots in his life, but none more important than successfully sliding a ring on Coco Jones’ finger.

The R&B singer announced her engagement to the NBA star on Friday (July 11) with a picturesque sun-kissed photo showcasing her precious bling.

It appears as if Mitchell popped the question in front of white candles as Jones donned a matching white dress. The backdrop couldn’t be any more perfect with the sun about to set as the newly engaged couple shared a kiss.

Jones and Mitchell received countless congratulatory messages in the comments on IG saluting their love. Angel Reese, Lady London, Ciara, Jaylen Brown and Jessie Reyez all chimed in. “Yaaaaaayy!! So happy for you guys,” CiCi wrote.

The Grammy-winning singer and the Cleveland Cavaliers star had been dating for over a year, but kept things on the hush publicly, before Jones confirmed the couple was indeed an item in March while appearing on Club Shay Shay.

“I love the internet because they definitely clocked my tea. Little spies everywhere,” she told Shannon Sharpe. “I’m happy and I will say, my music is my outlet where I tell my stories and my truth. Some things I keep for myself because this is my life, too. I say some things and you can hear it on my album.”

Jones continued: “Secrecy is not what I prefer. I don’t want to feel like I have to be somebody secret. I don’t want to make anybody feel like they’re mine. For me, I’m trying to protect myself, and I’m trying to protect my family and who I love, so I am more private.”

The countdown to Coco walking down the aisle is on. Both are thriving in their respective crafts. Mitchell is coming off an All-Star NBA season in Cleveland, while Jones released her anticipated Why Not More? debut album in April.

Find the engagement photo here.

Bad Bunny, Tupac and Elvis Presley will always be remembered as some of the hottest musicians of their generations — and not just on the charts.

A piece published by Harper’s Bazaar on Wednesday (July 9) ranked all three stars on a list of the 50 “hottest men of all time,” giving points for sexiness and charm. The Puerto Rican rapper placed at No. 8 on the lineup, while the late West Coast hip-hop titan and Memphis rock legend sit at Nos. 2 and 17, respectively.

According to the list, Benito’s “peak” level of hot came when he showed off his abs in his March Calvin Klein advertisement. Pac’s steamiest moment was when he rapped shirtless in the “Hit ‘Em Up” music video, while The King’s was whenever he busted out his infamous “Jailhouse Rock” dance moves, the publication argues.

But those three stars aren’t the only musical artists who made the cut. Lenny Kravitz placed highly at No. 3, while Maluma, Zayn Malik and A$AP Rocky occupied spots lower on the top 50.

In addition to musicians, actors such as Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Damson Idris, Idris Elba, Jacob Elordi, Keanu Reeves and Theo James earned places on the ranking as well. The list was led by frontrunner James Dean, with fellow Old Hollywood dreamboats Paul Newman and Marlon Brando also getting recognition.

The “hottest man” honor is just the latest feather in Bad Bunny’s cap this year. He’s also been turning up the heat ever since he dropped album Debi Tirar Mas Fotos — which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — from hosting Saturday Night Live in March to breaking sales records with his upcoming tour.

But while he and the other aforementioned stars may have ruled the Harper’s Bazaar list, similar rankings from different publications prove that such lists are subjective — and there’s plenty of hotness to go around. In 2024, for instance, People named Harry Styles — who doesn’t even appear on HB‘s ranking — the sexiest musician alive, while also giving special mentions to Joe Jonas, Shaboozey, Zach Bryan and Role Model.

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Justin Bieber just dropped his seventh studio album, Swag. What better way to celebrate this monumental occasion than by shopping the best Amazon Prime Day deals on his retro merch?

The “Flatline” singer surprised Beliebers everywhere by teasing the project during the afternoon Thursday (July 10), just hours before the new project arrived. Fans are rightfully shocked, given Bieber hasn’t released a full-length album in four years.

Nevertheless, this new LP features 21 tracks, which were revealed Thursday without context in a black-and-white video posted to the singer’s Instagram: “All I Can Take,” “Daisies,” “Yukon,” “Go Baby,” “Things You Do,” “Butterflies,” “Way It Is,” “First Place,” “Soulful,” “Walking Away,” “Glory Voice Memo,” “Devotion,” “Dadz Love,” “Therapy Session,” “Sweet Spot,” “405,” “Swag,” “Zuma House,” “Too Long” and “Forgiveness.” A bonus track titled “Standing on Business” was also added upon the album’s release, featuring a sample of Bieber’s viral “what’s not clocking” exchange with paparazzi in June. The album is available to stream now.

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With so much buzz on Bieber, it’s likely his merch prices will skyrocket. You can beat the surge early by shopping a slew of T-shirt options via Amazon on sale now during Prime Day. Fit for old and new fans alike, these tees reference different eras and monumental albums of Bieber’s storied career, from his 2010 My World 2.0 to blonde Biebs a la “Sorry” from 2015 and beyond.

Each shirt is made of breathable cotton and comes in both men’s and women’s sizing options, from XS to 6XL. There are also got youth and girls sizing for younger fans looking to get in on the re-upped “Bieber fever.” One of our favorites is the #Belieber tee in white with black lettering. Retailing for $19.99, this shirt makes reference to Bieber’s loyal fan base in a cheeky way that harkens back to the good old days of stan culture.

Other T-shirts on sale make reference to some of the Canadian-born singer’s biggest hits, such as 2015’s “What Do You Mean?” or “Peaches” released back in 2021. All of the deals you can snag right now are exclusive to some of his older T-shirt designs. If you want newer merch, including pop sockets, hoodies and crew necks, they’re all available for full price on Bieber’s official Amazon storefront.

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