Whether they’re physically together or not, the women of BLACKPINK will always be in each other’s area at heart. While speaking to Billboard‘s Lyndsey Havens for the K-pop star’s January cover story published Thursday (Jan. 9), JENNIE opened up about how she and bandmates LISA, ROSÉ and JISOO have stayed close despite taking time over the past year or so to focus on their own respective solo projects.  

“We are all so caught up with life,” the “Mantra” singer begins, revealing that the girls talk in a group chat labeled under a sweet family-of-four emoji. “Obviously, we can’t be calling each other every day.” 

“Even though we know we can’t see each other so much, it doesn’t really feel any different than all the other years because we know we’re here for each other,” JENNIE continues. “They’re literally a phone call away. And at this point, we respect each other’s space so much. So if there’s anything to be happy for, to celebrate, we’re all in it together.” 

BLACKPINK last dropped an album in September 2022, with Born Pink debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. After an expansive global tour in support of the LP, the four girls dispersed to realize their solo dreams; so far, LISA has dropped a string of singles, including “Rockstar,” and taken an acting role in the upcoming third season of HBO’s White Lotus, while ROSÉ released her debut solo album, rosie, in December. 

Meanwhile, JENNIE starred in The Weeknd’s HBO show The Idol and is now finishing up her own debut album. “I’ve missed the girls,” the “SPOT!” singer adds to Billboard. “I’ve missed doing tours with them. I miss our silly moments … You know, everyone took their own journey [during] this time, and I’m excited to share that with the girls.” 

Full-band activities are expected to pick back up at some point in 2025 for BLACKPINK, although fans can’t be sure yet what the reunion will look like. YG Entertainment promised in 2024 that a tour was part of the plan, but in LISA’s November Billboard cover story, she seemed skeptical.  

“That’s what they say?” the “New Woman” artist said at the time, appearing unconvinced.

Even so, LISA added that she “can’t wait” to get back in the BLACKPINK groove. “We know each other so well and know how much energy we have to put into every single project,” she said. “They’re like family.” 

Flavor Flav and Guy Fieri’s Flavortown are a match made in heaven.

The Public Enemy rapper is set to perform at Fieri’s third annual Flavortown Tailgate ahead of the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans, La., on Feb. 9 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time. The event is free for all fans of all ages via TickPick and will take place at Mardi Gras World.

However, fans can secure their entry with a Taste of Flavortown ticket for $49.99, granting two complimentary bites from Guy Fieri concepts, or purchase a VIP Ticket for $349.99 which includes an all-you-can-eat dining experience and open bar.

Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate will also feature performances from Diplo and New Orleans rock group Cowboy Mouth. Throughout the day, fans will be able to experience Diners, Drive-In, and Dives favorites alongside hand-picked local restaurants. Partners for the event include Carnival, Crock-Pot, King’s Hawaiian, Sabra, Anheuser- Busch, TickPick, Verizon, GNC, Tyson, Hellmann’s, Natalie’s Juice, Flavortown Sauce and Flavortown Cookware.

Registration for the free event begins Thursday at the official website here. Fans can also enter to win VIP tickets to Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate and Shaq’s Fun House by applying here.

Super Bowl LIX kicks off at 5:30 p.m. CT at Caesars Superdome. Kendrick Lamar will headline the 2025 Apple Music Halftime Show, marking the second time the hip-hop superstar will grace the stage at the NFL’s main event, after he was a special guest alongside Dr. Dre’s West Coast hip-hop showcase in 2022. 

Even though he’s been teasing his upcoming solo Bully album, Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — still has some promo left for his Vultures 2 collab album with Ty Dolla $ign. Ye and Ty stuck with the AI theme as they released the abstract “530” visual on Wednesday night (Jan. 8).

While the Vultures duo doesn’t make an appearance in the black-and-white clip, the storytelling aspect remains as they seemingly poke fun at women making cosmetic alterations to their faces to live up to unfair beauty standards through the use of puppets.

The poignant track finds Ye looking inward and reflecting on a deteriorating relationship, with some aspects appearing to align with his divorce from Kim Kardashian.

“Why when somebody break your heart, it help fix your vision/ If you fall in love with a demon or a diva/ Pray your soulmate got a soul when you meet her,” West raps with heartache over a pitched-up sample.

“530” serves as one of the fan-favorite gems from Vultures 2, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 107,000 total units earned in August. The track reached No. 37 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

2025 is shaping up to be another busy year for Ye. After returning to social media earlier this year and recharging with a trip to the Maldives to celebrate his wife Bianca Censori’s 30th birthday, West could be turning his focus back to his Bully album rollout in the coming months. The project will be Ye’s first solo LP since 2021’s Donda. The cover art has already been released, and various snippets have also surfaced on social media.

Watch the “530” video below.

Lyndsay Cruz, who has served as executive director of the Academy of Country Music’s Lifting Lives philanthropic arm since 2019, has stepped down.

The shift comes as the organization seeks a director based in Nashville. The Academy moved its headquarters from Los Angeles to Nashville in December 2022. Cruz, who is looking for other opportunities, lives in Los Angeles with her family where the Academy had been based.

“I am so proud of the work that my team and I accomplished during my time at ACM Lifting Lives. With a focus on health-related initiatives, we were able to help the country music industry through the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuing mental health crisis, all while working to remove the stigma around mental health struggles,” said Cruz, who was on Billboard’s Country Power Players list in 2022 and 2023 and on Billboard’s Women in Music list in 2023.

During Cruz’s tenure, Lifting Lives raised more than $6 million. More than $4 million was disbursed from Lifting Lives’ COVID-19 fund to over 2,000 people in 42 states. Lifting Lives’ mental health fund, which was created as COVID-19 waned, has handed out $400,000 in grants to individuals and organizations that prioritize mental health support for those working in the country music industry.

“It was only with the help of the passionate people in the industry who are willing to give back that we were able to raise and distribute over $6 million during my time leading ACM Lifting Lives. We had artists like Lainey Wilson, Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, Luke Bryan, and so many others step up to help when they knew others needed it,” Cruz said. “Some of the moments that stick out in my head over the past few years include our Covid fund, mental health focus, music therapy programs and mostly, the industry and artists stepping up to support Lifting Lives with their time and resources. Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson singing ‘Save Me’ at the ACM Awards in 2023 inspired by ACM Lifting Lives mental health related work was one of the top highlights of my time with the organization.”

Cruz says she hopes to continue to work in philanthropy as she believes deeply in the mission of such organizations as Lifting Lives — as both executive director and someone who needed help.

“As I leave my post, I want to reiterate how important the support for organizations like this is, and for individuals going through struggles,” Cruz says. “The mental health crisis is so prevalent, especially in the entertainment and music industries, and I’m proof of that. I’ve had recent struggles with mental health, having to step away from my role for a moment to take care of myself and give permission to feel. It’s been life-changing to get a handle on my own life and focus on what’s really important, and I will continue to do that moving forward, and help others with their struggles.”

The Academy has not yet begun its search for her replacement.

Sony Music Publishing Nashville has renewed its publishing agreement with GRAMMY-winning country singer/songwriter Lainey Wilson. Also a CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year winner, Wilson is one of the most popular voices in Nashville today with hits like “Watermelon Moonshine,” “Heart Like A Truck” and collaborations with other top talents like Cole Swindell, Jelly Roll and HARDY. Wilson is also known for her role on the hit Paramount + series Yellowstone.

Warner Chappell Music Benelux has signed Australian DJ CYRIL. One of Australia’s fast rising stars in electronic music, CYRIL hit the scene as an instant sensation with 2023’s “Sumblin’ In.” He continued the momentum in 2024 with a remix of Disturbed’s “Sound of Silence.”

Kobalt has signed a global publishing deal with acclaimed Mexican folk artist Kevin Kaarl. From Meoqui, Chihuahua, Mexico, the 24-year-old artist and songwriter already has three albums out to date, and he has done it all independently. Now, Kaarl is putting the finishing touches on his fourth album Ultra Sodade, expected to release later this year.

Concord Music Publishing has signed Justin Donahue to a global co-publishing agreement. Professionally known as Jung Youth, the singer/songwriter/producer’s deal will include his full catalog and all future works. Over the last few years, Jung Youth has established himself through credits on tracks like NCT 127m Tomee Prott, CHERUB, Social Club Misfits Devon Again and Snow Wife, and he also has his own solo artist project dating back to 2017.

Splice is launching the country music genre in its Create AI tool, which allows producers, songwriters and instrumentalists to easily search for samples among Splices multi-million track catalog to use in their original songs. This tool also uses AI to create stacks of samples from the Splice library that work well together, allowing creatives to kick start the songwriting process in a new, user-friendly way. While AI is used to aid in searching and pairing up sounds, all the samples available in Splice Country (and in Splice overall) are human made. Splice Country samples include performances from Nashville musicians like Devin Malone (Jelly Roll, Carrie Underwood) and Kate L. Malone (Sam Hunt, Emma White)

Story House Collective has launched a joint venture with Essential Music Publishing. As part of the partnership announcement, the two companies have jointly signed songwriter and producer Matt Armstrong, best known for working with Christian hitmakers like Casting Crowns, Passion, Bethel Music, Chris Tomlin and more.

Warner Chappell Music and Ned Cameron have signed Nashville-based talent HALLIE to a global publishing agreement. HALLIE’s work as a producer and songwriter spans many genres, including pop, country, rock, hip-hop, k-pop and more. “I’m thrilled and honored to begin this journey,” she says of the new deal.

Centricity Music has signed Rachel Purcell to an exclusive record and publishing deal. From Muscle Shoals, Ala., Purcell has seen success as an artist, recording under her maiden name, Rachel Wammack, but she is ready to reintroduce herself — this time as a faith-based artist and songwriter. Now that she is fully stepping into the realm of Christian songwriting, she says it has all felt “very divine… The songs would finish themselves before I could even get it all out.”