Jimmy Barnes Drops ‘DEFIANT’ Album Ahead of Australian Tour: Stream It Now

Australian rock legend Jimmy Barnes has released his 21st solo studio album DEFIANT, just one day before launching a national tour across Australia.

Out now via Mushroom Music, DEFIANT arrives after a difficult period for Barnes, who has undergone multiple surgeries in recent years, including a life-threatening heart operation. Despite the challenges, the Cold Chisel frontman says the new 10-track set carries a message of resilience.

“Nobody lives this long without copping some knocks and I’ve taken my fair share, particularly lately,” he said in a press statement. “But none of us can control what life throws at us. We can only control how we respond — and for better or worse, I’ve never liked to take a backward step.”

While he didn’t intend for the album to take on a particular theme, Barnes says that in hindsight, DEFIANT reflects a consistent message.

“I didn’t set out to do it deliberately but now that the album is finished, I can see there’s a recurring theme about the satisfaction you can get from fighting back. That’s why it’s called DEFIANT.”

The album marks his first new project since 2022’s Blue Christmas and follows a career that includes a record-breaking 15 solo No. 1 albums on Australia’s ARIA Albums Chart — more than any other artist in ARIA history. He’s also notched five more chart-toppers with Cold Chisel, making him a singular force in Australian rock.

“I’m ready to rock!” Barnes said. “All of the songs on DEFIANT are made to play live and I can’t wait to blow the roofs off with them in my live set.”

“I’m really looking forward to getting back on stage with my band again. I’m so proud of this new record – all the songs mean a lot to me and I can’t wait to share them with you. It’s going to be some serious fun!”

The Defiant Tour kicks off June 7 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre and will continue through major cities including Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, wrapping in Canberra later this month.

In addition to the album and tour, Barnes will appear on the debut season of That Blackfella Show, billed as Australia’s first national First Nations variety show. The series is filmed in front of a live studio audience and features a lineup that includes rapper BARKAA, comedians Steph Tisdell and Dane Simpson, and broadcaster Abbie Chatfield.

DEFIANT is available now on all streaming platforms.

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Morgan Wallen Extends ARIA Reign With ‘I’m the Problem’

Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem continues its reign atop the ARIA Albums Chart, holding steady at No. 1 for a third consecutive week.

With this run, the album becomes the longest-running No. 1 by a country artist in Australia in nearly a decade, since Lee Kernaghan’s Spirit of the Anzacs spent four weeks at the summit in 2015. The all-time country record remains Shania Twain’s Come On Over, which dominated for 20 non-consecutive weeks in 1999.

Wallen is also making waves on the ARIA Singles Chart, landing at No. 14 this week with “What I Want,” featuring Tate McRae.

Speaking of McRae, the Canadian pop star debuts at No. 5 with “Just Keep Watching,” her contribution to the Brad Pitt-led F1 soundtrack. The track, co-written by Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, becomes her 11th top 20 hit on the ARIA chart. Her highest-charting single to date, “Greedy,” peaked at No. 2 in 2023.

Meanwhile, Taylor Swift’s Reputation rockets from No. 34 to No. 2 this week following the news that she has secured the master rights to her first six albums. Four of those — Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) — have been re-recorded and released. The exceptions are Reputation and her 2006 self-titled debut. In recent interviews, Swift has confirmed that she has completed “less than a quarter” of Reputation (Taylor’s Version). The original album previously spent two weeks at No. 1 in 2017.

Miley Cyrus also enters the albums chart this week, with Something Beautiful debuting at No. 4. It’s her ninth studio album and eighth to chart inside the top 20 in Australia. Three of her albums have gone all the way to No. 1 — Breakout (2008), Bangerz (2013), and Endless Summer Vacation (2023). As Hannah Montana, she also charted three top 20 albums.

On the Aussie front, beloved indie rockers Cloud Control re-enter the ARIA Albums Chart at No. 19 with their 2010 debut Bliss Release, following their surprise reunion after a seven-year hiatus. The album originally peaked at No. 20 and earned the band critical acclaim and a devoted local following. Their highest-charting release remains Dream Cave, which reached No. 9 in 2013.

Finally, Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” holds at No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart for an 11th straight week. The streak ties it with seven other long-running chart-toppers in Australian history, including Wings’ “Mull of Kintyre,” Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You,” Spice Girls’ “Wannabe,” Drake’s “God’s Plan,” The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” 24kGoldn and Iann Dior’s “Mood,” and Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves.”

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Lil Wayne’s ‘Tha Carter VI’: All 19 Songs Ranked

Lil Wayne has turned the Earth into Planet Weezy once again. Wayne returned to deliver Tha Carter VI on Friday (June 6), which comes seven years after the fifth installment of his critically-acclaimed series.

Weezy tackles an array of sonics and utilizes various flows across the 19-track effort, which features guest appearances from BigXthaPlug, MGK, Kodak Black, Wyclef Jean, Jelly Roll, Big Sean, Mannie Fresh, 2 Chainz, Bono, Andrea Bocelli and two of Wayne’s children.

The New Orleans rap deity will take a bow and a well-deserved victory lap on Friday night when he takes the Madison Square Garden stage for the first time as a solo headliner to debut cuts from his latest effort and reunite with those who have been on this Hall-of-Fame journey with him for nearly three decades.

Lil Wayne didn’t give much insight into the album beforehand, as fans only got a sliver of “The Days” featuring U2’s Bono, which was implemented as part of the NBA Finals coverage ahead of a wild game one between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

This is Wayne’s first solo album since 2020’s Funeral, which topped the Billboard 200. Weezy has lived on top with Tha Carter series as the last three installments have all gone No. 1.

The NYC takeover officially kicks off Tha Carter VI Tour before taking a few weeks off and picking up again later in June for a 34-date trek across North America.

Fans can also purchase various merchandise bundles and vinyl records on his website, while Weezy also notched chic merch collabs with Barriers and BAPE.

Billboard ran through all 67 minutes of C6 and ranked every track from worst to best below.

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Nick Jonas Reportedly Set to Portray Paul Stanley in KISS Biopic

The forthcoming KISS biopic has found an unexpected star, with Nick Jonas reportedly set to portray the band’s frontman, Paul Stanley.

Per a report from Deadline, Jonas is preparing to close a deal which will see him taking on the role of KISS’ vocalist and rhythm guitarist in Shout It Out Loud. The role will also reportedly see Jonas doing his own singing as he takes on cuts from the hard rock outfit’s celebrated back catalog.

The upcoming film will be directed by McG, with a screenplay written by Darren Lemke set to go into production towards the end of the year. Deadline also reports that the highly-anticipated role of bassist Gene Simmons is yet to be cast.

Though Jonas may seem like an intriguing choice given his role as a member of the decidedly more clean-cut and pop-rock focused Jonas Brothers, he’s been a constant presence in the world of stage and screen for over two decades. 

Alongside stage credits which include productions such as Hairspray, The Sound of Music, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Jonas has also appeared in films such as Goat, Midway, and the recent Jumanji franchise. He is also slated to appear alongside Paul Rudd in the forthcoming musical comedy Power Ballad.

The KISS biopic has been in the works since 2021, with manager Doc McGhee revealing in early 2023 that it would initially arrive the following year, with Shout It Out Loud reportedly set to focus on the group’s early period.

“It’s a biopic about the first four years of KISS,” McGhee explained. “We’re just starting it now. We’ve already sold it, it’s already done, we have a director, McG. That’s moving along and that’ll come in ’24.”

KISS first formed in New York City in 1973, with their self-titled debut arriving the following year. Their hard rock stylings and theatrical stage presence made them one of the most iconic bands of the era, with the group being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. 

The veteran group would perform their final show in December 2023 following their lengthy End of The Road tour, and are reportedly set to launch a digital avatar show in Las Vegas in 2027

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Sly & the Family Stone’s Earliest Known Live Recordings to Be Issued on New Album

Close to 60 years since they were committed to tape, the earliest known live recordings of Sly & the Family Stone will be released this year.

Dubbed The First Family: Live at the Winchester Cathedral 1967, the collection of unearthed live cuts will be issued on July 18 via High Moon. 

They’ll be available as digital, vinyl and CD editions, with physical copies being issued with a booklet featuring never-before-seen photos, interviews with Sly Stone and original band members, and liner notes from producer Alex Palao. The CD edition will also feature their cover of Otis Redding’s “Try A Little Tenderness” as an exclusive bonus track.

Recorded on March 26, 1967, the live set sees the influential group performing as part of their four-month residency at the Winchester Cathedral club in Redwood City, California. Recorded by first manager Rich Romanello, the tapes were soon shelved, but later rediscovered in 2002 by Dutch twins and band archivists Edwin and Arno Konings.

“The Winchester Cathedral recordings showcase a one-of-kind outfit that was already at the peak of its powers, long before it became internationally famous,” said Palao in a statement. “Sly is fully in command, while the unique arrangements and tighter-than-tight ensemble playing point clearly to the road ahead, and the enduring influence of Sly & the Family Stone’s music.” 

Alongside the announcement of the package, a preview of the record has been released by way of final track, “I Gotta Go Now (Up On The Floor)/Funky Broadway.”

Despite being recorded in March 1967, the live set features no tracks which would appear on their debut album – A Whole New Thing – when it arrived in October of that year. Largely comprising cover songs, only the opening track, “I Ain’t Got Nobody (For Real),” would be issued on one of the band’s albums, appearing on Dance to the Music in 1968.

Sly & the Family Stone would release a total of ten albums across their 19-year career, with the band coming to an end in 1983, and later being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Stone would release a solo album in 1975, with his most recent full-length release being 2011’s I’m Back! Family & Friends.

Earlier this year, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson directed the film Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), which provided a deeper look into the life and legacy of its titular musical mastermind.

“I wanted to investigate and interrogate the idea of Black genius. How is it different from the idea of genius in general? What is the effect of being saddled with that label? How much promise is built into it, how much fear and how much unreasonable expectation?” Questlove said in a statement. “Sly wanted to take you higher — I hope that this film also takes you deeper.”

Listen to “I Gotta Go Now (Up On The Floor)/Funky Broadway” below:

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Lil Wayne Returns With ‘Tha Carter VI’ Album: Stream It Now

It’s officially Tha Carter VI time. Lil Wayne is back and he unleashed the anticipated sixth installment to his Hall-of-Fame series on Friday (June 6).

Seven years after C5, Weezy returned with the next chapter for Tha Carter. He brought a star-studded cast with him that includes BigXthaPlug, Big Sean, Bono, MGK, Kodak Black, Jelly Roll and 2 Chainz.

On the production side, the New Orleans rap legend recruited Wheezy and Ye (formerly Kanye West) behind the boards.

Tha Carter VI is Weezy’s first solo album since he dropped Funeral at the top of the decade, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The last three installments of the Carter series have topped the charts.

Wayne gave fans an early taste of the first possible single with “The Days” featuring Bono, which was used as part of an NBA Finals promo by ESPN ahead of game one of the Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday (June 5).

Weezy also hopped on a FaceTime call with Justin Bieber ahead of the album’s arrival. “Checking in with [Goat],” Bieber captioned the screenshot on his Instagram Story. “It’s a painful walk but we got each other.”

Friday will be a celebratory night for Wayne, who will be headlining Madison Square Garden in NYC for the first time as a solo artist, while delivering the live debut of Tha Carter VI for the lucky Big Apple fans in attendance.

The performance will kick off Tha Carter VI Tour before going on a hiatus for a few weeks and picking up again later this month for a loaded 34-date trek across North America, which includes stops in Atlantic City, N.J.; Toronto; Cincinnati; Minneapolis; Milwaukee; Detroit; Phoenix, Seattle; Los Angeles; Austin; Dallas; Atlanta and more before finishing in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Oct. 2.

Avid Wayne fans can shop a plethora of C6 merch bundles on his website featuring collaborations with Barriers and BAPE.

Stream Tha Carter VI below.

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KATSEYE Heats Up ‘Gnarly’ Summer with Ice Spice Remix: Stream It Now

KATSEYE says it’s going to be a “Gnarly” Summer, especially with Ice Spice on the new remix that dropped Friday (June 6).

“Oh my god, this song’s so lit,” KATSEYE quoted the song’s lyrics on Instagram underneath the remix’s gnarly cover art featuring an anonymous hand ready to cut into a double decker sandwich.

The six-piece girl group – featuring members Daniela, Lara, Manon, Megan, Sophia and Yoonchae – originally dropped “Gnarly” in April. The hyper-pop hit became the group’s career-first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at No. 92 last month. “Gnarly” will be featured on its sophomore EP BEAUTIFUL CHAOS, due June 27 via HYBE x Geffen.

Megan said in a recent Billboard interview that “it’s a ‘Gnarly’ Summer,” which means it’s all about “not being afraid of being cringe … letting your intrusive thoughts win,” she elaborated, while Lara chimed in to say it’s also about “being very wild — and a little bit messy.”

The 2025 Billboard 21 Under 21 honorees will perform “Gnarly” at the 2025 Kids’ Choice Awards on June 21, which will be hosted by Tyla.

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For Ice Spice, the “Gnarly” remix marks the Bronx MC’s first musical release of the year following her 2024 debut album Y2K! and the deluxe edition, Y2K!: I’m Just a Girl. The 10-track LP included Hot 100-charting singles “Think U the Shit (Fart)” and “Did It First” with Central Cee. It reached No. 18 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Listen to the “Gnarly” remix below.

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Mariah Carey Makes a ‘Dangerous’ Comeback With First New Song in Years: Stream It Now

Mariah Carey isn’t playing it safe on new single “Type Dangerous,” which ushered in a new musical era for the vocalist Thursday (June 5).

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Featuring the superstar singing over a swaggering, percussion-heavy beat, the track showcases Mimi channeling her sultriest, most confident self. “Looking for the dangerous type,” she croons. “I like them dangerous/ That’s my type/ I said I love them dangerous.”

The track arrives after several days of teasing on Carey’s social media accounts, with the icon first getting her Lambs hyped by sharing a video of herself in a luxury car, listening to a mysterious track titled “T:D_MC16.mp3.” In that same clip, the camera panned down to show that the vehicle’s license plate displayed the characters, “MC16” — leading fans to conclude that the Songbird Supreme also has a new album on the way.

“Type Dangerous” serves as Carey’s first proper single in years, with the five-time Grammy winner last dropping an album, Caution, in 2018. The project — which marked the 15th album in her discography — reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200.

Carey has since busied herself with her annual “All I Want for Christmas Is You” promotional cycles, as well as celebrating the anniversaries of her most iconic albums. Most recently, she commemorated The Emancipation of Mimi turning 20 years old by dropping an expansive two-disc set compiling numerous remixes, bonus tracks, radio mixes and a cappella cuts. (Billboard also celebrated the milestone by ranking all 18 of the album’s original tracks.)

Listen to Carey’s new song “Type Dangerous” below.

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Addison Rae’s ‘Addison’ Album: All 12 Tracks Ranked

Addison Rae’s rise to main pop girl is equal parts master class and modern spectacle. Having started on TikTok, becoming one of the platform’s top users known for choreographing brief dances to catchy hits, Rae always had her sights set on a bigger stage — literally.

In the past year, she’s performed onstage with Charli xcx and Troye Sivan at the New York stop of their Sweat Tour, and at Coachella this past April, Rae performed again with Charli but also Arca, who remixed Rae’s “Aquamarine” into a track titled “Arcamarine” months prior. During the live performance, Rae unveiled her debut album’s release date, writing “June 6” on her underwear.

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Now – nearly one year after the release of her hit single “Diet Pepsi” — June 6 has come and the moment is Rae’s alone to bask in. Across her debut album’s 12 tracks, there are two interludes and zero features; all songs were co-written by Rae, alongside collaborators Luka Kloser and Elvira Anderfjärd.

And while for many this moment has felt like a long time coming for the fast-rising, always captivating pop artist, it may just as soon come to an end; as Rae’s website states under each available item (including a CD, black, light blue and tangerine vinyl and a sold-out box set) Addison is “the first and last album by Addison Rae.”

If the album is a one-and-done, it’s immediately iconic. An accomplishment surrounded by whispers of “she did that.” Or, it could be nothing more than an indication that the Addison Rae the Internet has come to know is simply shifting before our eyes. Rae even said in her ELLE cover story that she’s going by “just Addison now.”

Whatever comes next for the artist, she can always look back on Addison as a project that is entirely her — and perhaps far more honest and vulnerable than even she anticipated to be. As a result, Rae’s debut proves her to be one of one among pop’s current crew. So whether or not there’s more to come, just put your “Headphones On” and hit repeat – and read below for Billboard’s ranking of all 12 tracks.

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Talking Heads Mark 50 Years Since First Gig With ‘Psycho Killer’ Video

50 years to the day since their first live show, Talking Heads have unveiled the official video for their first charting single, ‘Psycho Killer.”

Released on Thursday (June 5), the clip marks the gold anniversary of the band’s debut performance at iconic New York City club CBGB. Opening for fellow New Yorkers the Ramones, the performance comprised just nine songs, including “Psycho Killer,” which would be released as their third single in December 1977.

Issued on debut album Talking Heads: 77, the single would become the group’s first to impact the Hot 100, reaching No. 92 in early 1978. However, it lacked any official visual accompaniment until now, with the Mike Mills-directed clip featuring Academy Award-nominated actress Saoirse Ronan navigating the mundanity of modern life as she slowly destabilizes.

“This video makes the song better,” the band wrote in a statement. “We LOVE what this video is NOT – it’s not literal, creepy, bloody, physically violent or obvious.”

Alongside the release of the video, Talking Heads have also announced the super deluxe edition of their second album, 1978’s More Songs About Buildings and Food, with the limited box set due for release on July 25.

Talking Heads lasted from 1975 until 1991, with their 16-year career resulting in eight studio albums. 1983’s Speaking in Tongues was their most successful, peaking at No. 15 on the Billboard 200, with lead single “Burning Down the House” giving them their highest-charting single when it reached No. 9 on the Hot 100.

Though the group would split in 1991, their final live performances would take place seven years earlier as part of the Speaking in Tongues tour in 1984. They would later reunite for one solitary performance for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Reports of “bad blood” between the group has been the stated cause behind no further reunions, though David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison did appear together for the first time since 2002 as part of the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 to celebrate the re-release of their Stop Making Sense concert film.

However, while this in-person reunion has left fans eager for a return to the live stage, the band seem less than eager to do so, with members even going so far as to turn down a reported $80 million offer for a series of shows in late 2023.

Watch Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” below.

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