Over the weekend, The Kid LAROI took the stage at Nova’s Red Room for an intimate performance at Selina’s Sydney, the legendary venue nestled within Sydney’s Coogee Bay Hotel.

Known for its history of hosting iconic acts such as Midnight Oil, INXS, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters, Selina’s provided the perfect setting for an evening that showcased the Gadigal-born artist’s talent and connection with fans.

LAROI opened the night with his latest track, “Baby I’m Back,” setting the tone for a stripped-back set that reimagined his chart-topping hits. “This is a little bit of a different show,” LAROI told the crowd, describing the performance as an opportunity to “have some fun” in a more intimate atmosphere.

The intimate audience of just 500 were treated to performances of songs including “Girls,” “Nights Like This,” “Heaven,” and the emotional “Where Does Your Spirit Go?” Between tracks, LAROI engaged candidly with fans, sharing anecdotes and even surprising a few lucky attendees with ‘friends and family’ tickets to his upcoming Sydney show.

One of the most memorable moments came when LAROI performed his global hit “Stay,” asking the crowd, “Are there any Justin Bieber fans here?” Cheers erupted as he reflected on the collaboration. “It was a pleasure to write the track with Justin. I still like the song after three or four years, which is surprising,” he shared.

The night closed on a high note with a powerful rendition of “Love Again,” a standout from his 2023 debut album The First Time. Fans sang along to every lyric, underscoring the deep connection between the artist and his audience.

This performance comes just days before The Kid LAROI’s highly anticipated appearance at the 2024 ARIA Awards, where he is nominated in four major categories, including Best Solo Artist and Song of the Year for “Nights Like This.” The awards, set to take place on Nov. 20 at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, will feature performances by fellow Australian artists CYRIL, Jessica Mauboy, Amy Shark, and Hall of Fame inductee Missy Higgins.

LAROI’s rise to global stardom has been extraordinary, marked by major Billboard milestones. In 2021, his collaboration with Justin Bieber, “Stay,” soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the youngest Australian artist and the first Indigenous Australian to reach the top spot.

That same year, his mixtape F— Love debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making him the youngest artist to achieve this since Billie Eilish in 2019 and the first Australian male solo act since Keith Urban in 2013.

SXSW London has shared details about the ticket sale for 2025’s upcoming inaugural event in the U.K. Taking place in east London’s Shoreditch neighborhood from Jun. 2-7, the upcoming event will be the first time that SXSW has taken place in Europe, in addition to its home in Austin, Texas, and expansion into Sydney, Australia.

Passes for the entire event across the Conferences, Music and Screen Festivals will be available to purchase, as well as for individual separate programming strands. Tickets will go on sale on Nov. 21 and a 25% discount will be applied to those who purchase a pass from the general sale before Dec. 19. With the exclusive price offer, prices range from £488 for the individual programme strand passes, to £975 for platinum passes. For further ticket information, head to the SXSW London website.

SXSW London has also announced additional details about the venue partners throughout Shoreditch. These include Truman Brewery, Village Underground, Rich Mix, Shoreditch Town Hall, Shoreditch Church, Christ Church Spitalfields, Dream Factory (Chance St & Rivington St), Kachette, Bike Shed Moto Co, Shoreditch Studios / Over the Road, and Protein Studios.

Billboard has been confirmed as the event’s first official partner, and will host a night of music during the festival with a globally-renowned artist performing at the event. The show will also be ticketed to the general public. 

Mike Van, president of Billboard said, “We’re thrilled to partner with SXSW London for the inaugural 2025 event. This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to supporting and celebrating the global music community. Billboard will bring a night of live music celebrating world class artists, both established and on the rise, and will offer fans a truly unique experience within the festival.”

The festival will partner with local charities and community groups to provide 500 complimentary passes to ensure “the rich diversity” of the city is represented throughout the events and programming.

“We’re thrilled to share how many incredible venues are working with us already for SXSW London’s Shoreditch takeover next June,” said Katy Arnander, director of programming for SXSW London. “Shoreditch is renowned as a vibrant centre for creativity and technological innovation, as well as for its diversity, energetic youth culture, global cuisine and nightlife. We’re excited to be working closely with local stakeholders to ensure the festival creates a positive impact for the community it will take place in.”

In October, SXSW London announced that it would begin the process of accepting session proposals from the public across the various programming strands. The festival says that “thousands of session proposals have already been submitted from over 50 countries across the world.” The submission portal will remain open until Nov. 29 at the festival’s website.

Back in April 2021, it was announced that SXSW had signed a “lifeline” deal with P-MRC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and MRC, making P-MRC a stakeholder and long-term partner with the Austin festival. P-MRC is the parent company of Billboard.

Jin‘s Happy tops this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Nov. 15) on Billboard, choosing the BTS member’s debut EP as their favorite new music release of the past week.

The poll featured a strong competition from all genres, but Jin’s new collection especially inspired fans to make their choice heard, bringing in almost 83% of the vote. Voters this week chose Happy over new music releases from talent including Gwen Stefani, Tate McRae, Linkin Park, Shawn Mendes, Rauw Alejandro, Shaboozey, Lil Nas X and more.

Happy, the long-awaited set from the BTS superstar, has just six tracks, but it’s the longest listening experience fans have gotten from him yet; on his own Jin’s previously released singles only, making him the seventh and final member of BTS to put out a multi-song solo project.

“Putting the album together has allowed me to pause and reflect on just how much ARMY means to me,” Jin recently told Billboard. “As I worked on each track, I thought about what I wanted to convey to them, how I want to bring joy and happiness to them, while also expressing how much I missed them during our time apart.”

Jin was referring to the break he had from music while completing his mandatory military service.

“Before enlisting,” he said, “I was focused mainly on our group activities, so a solo album didn’t feel right at the time. But with all the members now taking turns serving, it felt like the right time to share something personal with ARMY who have supported us all along. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I’ve enjoyed making it.”

Among the new music trailing behind Happy on this week’s poll is Gwen Stefani’s Bouquet, which came in second place, and Tate McRae’s “2 Hands,” which came in third.

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

Canadian post-rock collective Godspeed You! Black Emperor have announced the postponement of the remaining dates of their U.S. tour following illness within the camp.

The group’s label, Constellation Records, confirmed the news on social media on Sunday (Nov. 17), confirming that information regarding rescheduled dates will be forthcoming. The label also made a point to assuage fans’ fears, concluding with the phrase “Everything will be okay”.

The affected shows include scheduled dates in Saxapahaw, NC; Washington, D.C.; Brooklyn, NY; Norwalk, CT; Boston, MA; and Philadelphia, PA from Nov. 17 to Nov. 24 inclusive. Currently, the band’s tour is set to recommence on Nov. 25 with a show in their hometown of Montréal.

News of the postponement comes just days after the band were forced to cancel dates Nashville, TN; Knoxville, TN; and Atlanta, GA due to a “band health situation”.

The group did return to the stage on Saturday (Nov. 16) with a show in Charleston, SC, though fan reviews indicated the band played a somewhat truncated set. A statement from Constellation Records indicates the canceled dates will hopefully be rescheduled for 2025.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor have been touring globally since February in support of their recently-released eighth album, “NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD”. The record is the fourth to be released since the band’s 2010 reunion, having initially split in 2003 after nine years together.

Their first album post-reunion, 2012’s ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!, became their highest-charting record in the U.S., reaching No. 45 on the Billboard 200, and also saw the band win the 2013 Polaris Prize.

In a statement following their win, the group explained that it would donate the entirety of their $30,000 Prize money to found and fund a program which will provide musical instruments to prisoners in Quebec, “if they need them.” The band also used the statement to criticize the corporate sponsorship of the Prize, in addition to its very existence within the “horrifying malaise” of the world.