When Amazon asked Carter Faith to record a version of Faith Hill’s “Let’s Go to Vegas” to promote the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards’ return to Nevada, she delayed a flight to Europe several days to accommodate the opportunity.

Since their Faith-based names overlapped, Carter felt an affinity for Hill growing up, and the chance to do a song she associated with one of her heroes was too good to pass up.

“When you’re younger, you feel connected to people for random things, and that was one of the things for me,” Carter says. “They asked me to sing that song. I was like, ‘Hell, yeah, I’ll cut it.’”

She had been forewarned that she did not qualify for the ACM’s new female artist trophy. The rules on the Academy’s website indicate that, among several other factors, an artist has to have earned a top 50 single, and Faith had yet to issue a song to radio. So when she found out during her overseas trek that Cherry Valley was a finalist for album of the year at the ACMs, which will be presented May 17, she knew something significant had occurred.

“I don’t have a hit on there, I don’t have a radio song, I don’t play these arenas,” she says. “But I feel like people just really connected with the music because it was different and said something that maybe a lot of people haven’t said in a while. Or ever.”

Cherry Valley is named loosely for a small community 40 miles east of Nashville’s Music Row. Faith had seen the name on a road sign, and she imagined a place where an upbeat veneer disguises a stream of difficult personal topics among its citizenry. The album explores sex, drugs, religion, hypocrisy and alcohol in a range of styles. The opening title track is a string-enhanced, cinematic outing, but the 15-song project drifts through folk, honky-tonk and traditional pop textures. Despite the wide range, it all holds together like an audio version of Valley of the Dolls: titillating, cheeky and gorgeous.

“Carter and I listened to a lot of older music,” notes producer Tofer Brown (Willow Avalon, Little Big Town). “We just are inspired by The Beach Boys, The Beatles, old country and all that. And we started noticing all these records that we were referring to, they all came out of, like, 1966, ‘67 and that era. The Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and the sonics and the feel and the emotion and the heartbeat behind those records kind of inspired us.”

While the individual songs wander a bit stylistically, they’re united by Faith’s simultaneously bold and fragile vocals and a consistent production team. Brown employed the same studio band on every track; if a player was unavailable for a particular date, they rescheduled at a time when the whole crew could reconvene.

“It was a band of brothers and sisters coming together with the same thesis statement and shooting for the same target,” Brown says. “I think that that really helped with the cohesiveness.”

Faith wrote her first song at age 16 back in North Carolina, instinctively using music to process her emotions over a breakup. Writing became a pursuit, and she enrolled at Nashville’s Belmont University, focused on composition. She secured a songwriting deal with Universal Music Publishing Nashville, then signed with the company’s recorded music division, since renamed MCA, despite her initial reservations about performing.

“I’ve always kind of grappled with the thought of people seeing me sing these songs and being on stage,” she says. “I had such bad stage fright — you know, going up on stage and singing your songs is vulnerable. I think I’ve come into myself as I’ve lived here.”

As the album coalesced, Jessie Jo Dillon, who founded MCA’s Gatsby label, encouraged Faith to align with her imprint. Both Dillon and Brown protected her instincts, supporting her when her artistic decisions veered left of center.

“Me and Topher, we talked about it a lot,” Faith says. “We were like, ‘This should be the record that, if we never get to make another record, that this is something we’re proud of.’ And I really try to do that with every single decision. I just want to do it all up and not play it safe.”

The bigger the risk, of course, the bigger the potential reward, and the gambles in Cherry Valley paid off creatively. It became a critical favorite and obviously impressed ACM voters, sneaking onto the final ballot despite the organization’s tendency to celebrate hits.

Gatsby, meanwhile, isn’t done with Cherry Valley. The company greenlighted an updated version — Cherry Valley Forever: The Deluxe Album — with five new songs, due July 24. None of them were recorded when the original album streeted, though the community theme of the project and the existing variety of the material made it fairly easy to fold in new songs.

“Just like any town can grow, Cherry Valley can grow,” Brown suggests. “We allowed ourselves to be like, ‘Oh, we might be adding a new neighborhood,’ rather than being like, ‘How does this fit so perfectly?’ If you do that, you’re going to lose your mind, and you’re going to overthink things.”

For now, the original package allows Faith to go to Vegas for her first awards-show performance, with Brown behind her in the backing band. She’s aware of her outsider status, even though her ACM nomination suggests she’s as welcome at the MGM Grand Garden Arena as she is in Cherry Valley.

“I’m the new girl,” she says. “I’m nervous, and I don’t know these people that I’m going to be backstage with. I’ve heard about them, I’ve heard their music on the radio, I’ve seen them, and I’m a big fan of them, but I do feel like I’m kind of stepping into a world I’m not super a part of yet. That’s a little scary.”

Meanwhile, Faith does get to make another album. She’s already considering 20-30 titles for the next project, and she’s completely aware that it’ll be a different experience. With Cherry Valley, she recorded her songs not knowing who might hear them. Now, she has fans — in the industry in addition to the general public — who may expect a certain sound or approach. Her new challenge is to avoid becoming overly self-conscious, to continue to be real as she wanders beyond the fictitious Cherry Valley.

“I see a lot of people become caricatures of themselves, and I really try not to do that,” she says. “That’s kind of what I love about my favorite artists, is that they still feel like themselves.”

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The hype over KPop Demon Hunters isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Hot off the announcement of a world tour inspired by the hit Netflix film, fans can now pick up official KPop Demon Hunters trading cards online.

Released by the Asian collectibles brand KAYOU, the cards come in two editions: a “Classic” edition with eight rarities and an “Energy” edition with 11 rarities, including serialized rarities designed to cater to collectors and superfans alike. The cards all feature characters, motifs and scenes from the Oscar-winning animated film.

The set includes the chance to pull eight “ZR” cards inspired by the Honmoon, with bold graphics and striking fluorescent ink detailing that matches the “intensity” of the film’s final showdown to seal the energy field. There are also eight “CR” cards, inspired by the HUNTR/X World Tour, with cards showing the girl group in different cities like Paris and Hong Kong.

This set features vivid, pearlized character cards of Rumi, Mira and Zoey, plus Jinu and the Saja Boys. There are 12 different categories of cards to collect in total, with each set ranging from three to 24 types.

The most collectible cards in the “Energy” series are the SE cards, which are inspired by the film’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Golden,” and feature premium laser etching, portrait-style artwork and a shimmery — yes, golden — effect. Each card is individually serialized from numbers 1 to 366, with the so-called “birthday numbering” celebrating a year since the film debuted online. These are expected to be the most coveted pulls.

Another serialized tier is found in the BP cards, which are numbered from 1 to 999 and capture HUNTR/X in performance mode, before “the spotlight hits, the idol steps on stage and the magic starts,” per a product description.

This is an officially licensed merch release from Netflix, joining other products like official character T-shirts, water bottles, toys and accessories. The KAYOU x KPop Demon Hunters trading cards are available to preorder now with a ship date of August 31. Amazon’s preorder price guarantee ensures that you’ll pay whatever the lowest price is for these cards, between the time you place your order and the day it ships.

Previous KAYOU card drops now go for as much as $100 on sites like eBay online, and the brand is no doubt hoping the Demon Hunters cards will be as valuable — and collectible. Shop the new release and see more KAYOU trading card packs and collectibles here.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Michael Jackson was a megastar for most of his life. Known as The King of Pop, the Grammy Award winner always seemed to find his way into the spotlight. However, he tended to lead a pretty private life, too, or as private as one can get. The “Leave Me Alone” singer rarely shared details about his family, children or personal life, utilizing that privacy as a necessary escape from it all when the camera flashes and tabloids got to be too much.

That is why the book Moonwalk: A Memoir is such a rare piece of music history. It is the only official autobiography from Michael Jackson, offering fans a glimpse into his world in his own words. The book is a great opportunity for new and old fans to dive deeper into his life.

Right now, it’s available on Amazon, retailing for $29 for a hardcover version and $14.99 for the Kindle edition, and at Barnes & Noble for $30 hardcover and $14.99 for an eBook option.

Moonwalk: A Memoir covers both the joyful and harder moments of Michael Jackson’s childhood, along with his time in the Jackson 5. The singer touches on his process and inspirations behind some of his biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits, including “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “Thriller.”

A section of the bestselling autobiography focuses solely on anecdotes on Jackson’s famous friends, including Diana Ross, Berry Gordy, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney, Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando, Katharine Hepburn and others. Jackson also wrote candidly about the crushing isolation he felt in the spotlight, along with the ever-hot topic of plastic surgery and the “bizarre” rumors that swirled around him. While there are a number of unofficial tellings of Jackson’s life, this one comes straight from the source.

Meanwhile, Michael Jackson is experiencing a resurgence in pop culture, largely thanks to the film about his early years titled Michael. Since its release in late April, the record-breaking film became the second highest-grossing biopic of all time, beating out Elvis, which was directed by Baz Luhrmann. The movie brought in more than $600 million around the globe, according to Deadline, so far.

On the Billboard charts, Jackson had a triumphant homecoming. The singer’s landmark album Thriller returned to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart dated May 16. This is the first time the album has reclaimed the spot in four decades.

Priced starting at $29, you can shop the 1988 autobiography Moonwalk: A Memoir on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The bitter legal battle between Fuerza Regida and its label Rancho Humilde is heating up, with the band now accusing the company of holding them in “unlawful captivity.”

In a new court filing Thursday (May 14), attorneys for the fast-rising regional Mexican group are urging a judge to let them continue accusing Rancho of violating California’s so-called seven-year rule, which prohibits exclusive services deals like record contracts that run any longer than that.

Fuerza says Rancho is holding them in “unlawful personal services captivity” and is “weaponizing” that illegal control to block the group from playing at major events, including this spring’s MLB World Baseball Classic and the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

“The weapon Rancho has been using to block [Fuerza]’s appearances at seminal events … has destroyed irreplaceable opportunities one by one while this litigation proceeds,” the group’s attorney, Kenneth D. Freundlich, writes in the filing, obtained and first reported by Billboard.

Rancho Humilde, a popular indie label founded by Jimmy Humilde known for fueling the recent boom in corridos tumbados, has been sparring in court for months with Fuerza, one of its top acts. The band’s 111XPANTIA debuted last spring at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, the highest ever for a Spanish-language album by a duo or group.

In a September lawsuit, the label accused the band of breaching its record deal by unilaterally doing features for other artists and inking live performance contracts with Apple Music and Live Nation. It claimed the group would owe more than $15 million in damages when the case was over.

Fuerza Regida then countersued a month later, alleging the indie label had withheld millions of dollars in royalties and tried to “sabotage” its success — including by leaving it off Latin Grammy Awards submissions. It has since argued that the alleged retaliation has continued with blocked opportunities for the World Cup and the soundtrack for the popular Grand Theft Auto video games.

Last month, Rancho asked the judge to dismiss much of Fuerza’s case, including its accusations over the seven-year rule (formally California Labor Code Section 2855). Though the band first signed its record deal in 2018, the label argued Fuerza had willingly signed new deals in 2021 and 2022 that had clearly restarted the clock.

“California courts do not mechanically aggregate successive contracts for purposes of Labor Code Section 2855 and California law does not treat successive written contracts … as a ‘single unified transaction’ simply because their terms, added together, exceed seven years,” the label’s lawyers wrote in their April motion.

Rancho argued that the later deals gave Fuerza both a $1.8 million settlement payment and a $300,000 signing bonus, making each one a “discrete, superseding contract” that had reset the seven-year limit.

But in Thursday’s response, Fuerza’s attorneys say Section 2855 is “rooted in California’s constitutional prohibition on involuntary servitude” and cannot be evaded merely by foisting additional contracts on artists that are “stacked infinitely.” And they say the band didn’t really want to sign those new contracts anyway.

“[The band] signed them because it had no choice,” the band’s attorneys write. “The old contract was in force. FRC could not negotiate with anyone else. FRC could not test its market value. FRC was not free.”

The case remains in its earliest stages, as both sides try to dismiss the other’s accusations at the outset. If the judge allows either side’s case to move ahead, the parties will proceed into discovery and toward an eventual trial. Neither side returned requests for comment on Friday (May 15).