Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to New Music Friday’s most essential releases each week — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

Last week, we featured Noah Kahan, Kacey Musgraves, The Pussycat Dolls and more.

This week, BTS is back! The K-Pop sensation returns with with its latest studio album, Arirang. Also: Niall Horan releases the much-teased lead single, “Dinner Party,” from his forthcoming album, and Lizzo kicks off her new music era with “Don’t Make Me Love U”… plus much more. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

BTS, Arirang

ARMY can rejoice, because the Bangtan Boys are back in a big way. After the members of BTS (RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook) stepped away from the group to fulfill government-mandated time in the South Korean military and pursue solo endeavors, the seven members have reunited for the first BTS full-length in six years: Arirang. The 14-track project features an impressive roster of superstar producers, including Diplo, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Mike WiLL Made-It and Ryan Tedder. Led by “Swim,” a track that fuses dance-pop production with the group’s signature blend of singing and rapped vocals, it’s clear that BTS have not missed a step; the group not only sounds ready to meet this moment, but eager to dominate the world once more.

Niall Horan, “Dinner Party”

After politely picking up the tabs for various dinner guests across Los Angeles and New York restaurants, it’s now clear Niall’s intention may have had some hidden meaning, too. The former One Direction member has shared a new single, which happens to be the title track for his forthcoming new album, Dinner Party, out June 5. He previously revealed that his longtime girlfriend, whom he met at a dinner party, inspired the song — and much of his new project. Fittingly, “Dinner Party” is a mid-tempo pop song perfect for swaying to with a smitten smile, complete with swoon-worthy lyrics: “One kiss on your neck, it was so concrete/ I’m done looking for somebody.”

Lizzo, “Don’t Make Me Love U”

The latest from Lizzo balances vocals fit for a ballad with assertive lyrics — aimed at herself — all united by funky and glimmering pop production. The video for “Don’t Make Me Love U” offers more insight into the single’s inspiration, as it shows Lizzo confronting and embracing a past version of herself. For anyone following along, Lizzo has been in her healing era — and now, as a press release for the single shares, she’s kicking off her “new musical era” to match.

Paris Paloma, Miyazaki

“I have something to say/ As has anyone who’s ever made anything worth enjoying/ Nobody can destroy it,” sings British singer-songwriter Paris Paloma on her latest single. It’s an immediately grabbing opening, forcing casual listeners to perk up and pay attention. And she makes it worthwhile, continuing to sing in defense of human creativity — especially with the rise of AI. Fittingly, the track is named after Hayao Miyazaki, the Studio Ghibli director who famously called AI-generated art “an insult to life itself.” In turn, Paloma sings: “I’d do it unpaid, unseen, unthanked/ It’s worth more than anything that I have…I won’t let you take it from me.”

Dermot Kennedy, “Honest”

Ahead of his upcoming third album, The Weight of the Woods, out next week (March 27), Dermot Kennedy has shared another preview in “Honest.” The surging song balances his signature rasp with an urgency that feels less familiar for the Irish singer-songwriter. Throughout the near four-minute song, Kennedy struggles with love lost, admitting: My heart’s too honest/ All my colours spilling out/ Cause I know you’re all I want/ Have we missed our moment? How could fate be so unfair?” And in a compelling twist, the song doesn’t boast a happy ending but rather acceptance of what is, with Kennedy speak-singing: “I can change my path, I can learn his heart but I cannot change his will.”

True music moments are born when cultures collide.

On Friday, Ghanaian megastar Shatta Wale shared his new “Ain’t Nobody” single, which features EGOT-winning global R&B icon John Legend. Executive produced by Leslie Quaynor, “Ain’t Nobody” arrives via Fantasy Entertainemnt Group as a breezy anthem of love and loyalty.

“Gyal you are mi happiness/ Still mi love your snappiness/ You the girl weh me wanted to know me when no one else/ Making love to you and you say boy mi love your scrappiness,” Shatta sing-chats in a ’90s reggae cadence over a soulful mélange of guitars and brass, before Legend chimes in with his buttery vocals in the soaring chorus. “Who gon’ give it to you/ Like I give it to you/ Don’t get it confused/ Ain’t nobody,” the “All of Me” singer belts.

Written by both artists alongside Rob Murat, who co-produced the song with Sean Kantrowitz, “Ain’t Nobody” bridges reggae and R&B by relying on the genre’s shared muses of love and relationships. The rollicking collaboration serves as the official lead single for Shatta’s forthcoming studio album, currently slated for a fall release. Of course, the Ghanaian powerhouse is no stranger to joining forces with American superstars. In 2019, Beyoncé recruited him for “Already,” a fan favorite cut from her The Lion King: The Gift compilation soundtrack.

“Ain’t Nobody” also marks Legend’s second new collaboration of 2026. Last month (Feb. 26), he teamed up with Maryland-based artist Foggieraw for “Grow Up.” Although it’s been nearly four years since his last R&B studo album, 2022’s Legend, the acclaimed multi-hyphenate has kept busy. He spent most of 2025 on an arena-headlining tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of his landmark Get Lifted debut LP. In addition, he released three major collaborations, including link-ups with Clipse (“The Birds Don’t Sing”), Norah Jones (“Summertime Blue”) and Tasha Cobbs-Leonard (“Church”). Notably, “Church” earned Legend his first Grammy nomination for best gospel performance/song.

Last week (March 12), Legend officially joined the Cats: The Jellicle Ball Broadway producing team alongside Tony winner Mike Jackson via their Get Lifted Film Co. banner.

Stream “Ain’t Nobody” now.

ARMY, did you ever think this moment would actually come? After years of waiting and wondering, BTS‘ new album ARIRANG is finally here, marking the long-awaited comeback of the world’s biggest boy band.

Featuring 14 tracks with production from Diplo, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Mike WiLL Made-It and Ryan Tedder, the LP released Friday (March 20) showcases RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook in a more mature, artistically refined light than ever before. The septet kept anticipation high by declining to release a single ahead of the LP, dropping tracks “Body to Body,” “Hooligan,” “Aliens,” “FYA,” “2.0,” “No. 29,” “SWIM,” “Merry Go Round,” “NORMAL,” “Like Animals,” “they don’t know ’bout us,” “One More Night,” “Please” and “Into the Sun” all at once.

The Bangtan Boys last released a full-length in 2020, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with that year’s Be. Also in 2020, BTS reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with smashes “Life Goes On” and “Dynamite,” after which the group would top the chart again with “Butter,” “Permission to Dance” and “My Universe” with Coldplay. At the height of their dominance, however, the members would enlist in the South Korean military to fulfill mandatory service requirements while staggering solo releases.

After the last of the members were discharged, the group almost immediately got back in the studio. In a GQ cover story ahead of the release of ARIRANG, Suga promised the album would feature a “diversity of genres,” while RM called it “truly the whole package.”

Later, label BigHit Music explained the inspiration behind the LP’s title, which is borrowed from the name of a traditional Korean folk song. “Transcending time and generations, the song has long been associated with emotions of connection, distance, and reunion,” a January press release stated, calling ARIRANG “a deeply reflective body of work” that explores BTS’ “identity and roots.”

Now that the album is finally here, BTS will proceed with a comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on Saturday (March 21). After that, the group will travel to New York City for a Spotify fan event followed by appearances on back-to-back episodes of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In April, the band will kick off a sprawling stadium tour of the globe.

Listen to BTS’ first album in six years, ARIRANG, below.

Earlier this year, Feid received a Grammy nomination for best música urbana album with FERXXO VOL X: Sagrado—an album he produced and composed entirely himself. The experience, which he describes as “overwhelming, stressful and really hard,” is what ultimately led to the creation of his new project, FEID VS. FERXXO, out Thursday (March 19). 

“Being alone in the studio helped me immensely in approaching and starting work on this [new] album, because my perspective had shifted by the time I set out to tackle a song—whether regarding my melodies, the skills I had already developed as a producer, or simply sitting down to convey to someone how I wanted a track to sound,” Feid tells Billboard over Zoom. “For this album, I wanted to sit down and record specific instruments with specific producers. It was a more collaborative effort, because, at the end of the day, that’s what music is all about: teamwork.”

On the seven-track EP, the Colombian artist teamed up with his longtime producers Jowan, Rolo, Wain and Sky Rompiendo; the creative approach, however, was different. 

“This was the first time I actually sat down, took a deep breath, and focused on working on something,” he explains. “The last time I found myself sitting still—albeit under duress—was after my accident [in 2021], and I was in recovery working on ‘Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo.’ But this time, I wanted the year to be one of deep reflection: to understand the pulse of the market, to see what is needed from me, to figure out what I wanted to do with the future of my career, and to determine the direction in which I wanted to head.” 

That reflection and observation is what he precisely delivers on FEID VS. FERXXO—the first installment of a four-part full-length album set to be released this year.  

“There has always been a healthy debate regarding the distinction between the two: ‘Is this a Feid track? Or is it a Ferxxo track?’ I realized how much I enjoy reading and understanding exactly what my audience wants whenever I’m about to release new music,” he notes. “This time around, I sensed that they were longing for something that, perhaps, they no longer felt was present in my newer songs.” 

On the EP, Feid is represented through chill reggae tunes (“Que Vuelta Vos”) and romantic boleros (“Boleritox”), whereas Ferxxo sounds on progressive Afrohouse beats (“La Mejor Música”) and hard-hitting perreos (“Trancaito”). The previously-released “Se Lo Juro Mor,” which became the artist’s 12th No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart last December, perfectly combines both worlds. 

“I feel that writing is always about offering an opinion on a situation—how I would react in the face of heartbreak, or when missing someone, or when saying, ‘I killed it; things are going really well for me,’” he elaborates. “I feel that the two personas have very different personalities. It’s through the songwriting process that I’m able to determine whether a track leans more toward Feid or Ferxxo.”

FEID VS. FERXXO marks the artist’s debut release under his own record label Grabaciones Los Poderosos, where he will have full ownership of his masters and long-term control of his catalog. 

“I’m absolutely fascinated by it; I feel like it’s going to be the best project I’ve ever released in my entire life—though I’m not sure if it will be the definitive one, since right now I’m in such an amazing headspace—working hard, taking so much in, and constantly learning,” Feid says. “I just hope God keeps granting me the creativity to keep surpassing myself and evolving… but as of right now, it is the most complete, most incredible thing I’ve ever done.”