NBA star Jaylen Brown has revealed his pick for the worst song of all-time, and Ice Spice should cover her ears. The Boston Celtics forward and A$AP Ferg sat down with Complex recently for an episode of GOAT Talk, where he begrudgingly disclosed that he’s not a fan of Ice Spice’s “Think U the Shit (Fart).”

Brown initially was apprehensive to speaking his mind, but the candid baller quickly caved. “I can’t … I’m not even gonna say it because they gonna think I’m hating,” he said. “First one that came to mind is the Ice Spice joint, ‘I’m not even the fart, you thought I was the s–t.’”

Ferg fired back, teasing JB about the poop-themed track: “Why you not jacking that? It don’t sound good coming from a woman you feel like? Cuz women is people too — they could fart and s–t.”

Ice Spice has yet to publicly respond to Brown’s critique. Billboard has reached out to her rep for comment.

“Think U the Shit (Fart)” was released in January and became Ice Spice’s highest charting solo single to date when it debuted inside the Billboard Hot 100’s top 40 at No. 37.

The RIOTUSA-produced song was thought to be a Latto diss track, and also served as the lead single for The Bronx native’s Y2K! debut album, which arrived in July.

While he’s not dominating the NBA courts, Brown picked up a new hobby this offseason, as he made his debut as a rapper in August. JB teamed up with A$AP Ferg for “Just Do It” — a jab at Nike’s signature tagline.

Watch Jaylen Brown and A$AP Ferg talk about Ice Spice’s song below.

Changes are coming to Montreal’s nightlife. Following public outcry over the closure of the popular venue La Tulipe, Mayor Valérie Plante announced this week (Sept. 25) that venues will now be exempt from the bylaw that led to its closure.

The venue announced this week it would cease operations due to a decision by the Quebec Court of Appeal, which mandated the venue to not emit sound that could be heard in an adjacent building.

Specifically, in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough of Montreal (a popular area for live music), music venues will no longer be subject to Section 9 of the bylaw governing noise regulation, which specifies that amplified sound cannot be audible in a neighbouring building. Projet Montreal, Plante’s party, has also committed to improving the city’s soundproofing program and presenting a new nightlife policy in October.

Plante posted a video on Instagram, sharing her own dismay at the news that La Tulipe would be closing its doors for the foreseeable future. She expresses concern that one person could derail an entire music venue.

“Yes to neighbourliness, but no to the dictatorship of neighbours,” Plante says in the video.

La Tulipe isn’t the only venue in the city to be affected by noise bylaws. Popular spots like Divan Orange and Diving Bell Social Club have previously closed down due to noise complaints.The outcry to the news about La Tulipe indicated a growing frustration amongst cultural laborers in the city, which has a reputation as a haven for arts production in Canada. – Rosie Long Decter

Newly Announced Rogers Stadium Will Become One of Canada’s Biggest Music Venues

On Thursday (Sept. 26), Live Nation and Northcrest Developments announced Rogers Stadium, the new 50,000 capacity outdoor venue in Toronto opening in June 2025. The venue will instantly become one of the biggest in Canada, with a slightly higher capacity than Toronto’s other stadium, Rogers Centre. It’s also one of the world’s few venues of the size that isn’t also home to a sports team.

The venue will be located at YZD, on the site of what used to be the Downsview Airport in North Toronto. Bombardier used the land for an air field, air force base and testing base for aircrafts. In 2018, Bombardier sold the facility to Northcrest Developments and will move its operations to Pearson Airport.

The company is redeveloping the land into mixed-use residential communities, a $30B plan that is slated to take 30 years. In the meantime, the 370-acre site, now called YZD, is being used for a variety of arts, community and other initiatives as part of “Meanwhile Use Strategy.”

After the announcement press conference, Billboard Canada spoke to Erik Hoffman, president of music at Live Nation Canada, about why they decided to open the venue and why now. Hoffman says the decision was inspired by a specific artist.

“The idea came from [working with] a major artist who we were very frustrated that we couldn’t find dates [for],” says Hoffman. “They were just going to bypass Toronto on their world tour.”

That act (unrevealed, but there’s plenty of room for speculation) will now play Rogers Stadium next summer, one of 12-15 shows on the 2025 slate. Hoffman says almost all of those shows are already booked. 

“It’ll be the biggest year we’ve ever had in stadium-level touring. By far,” he says. “It’s the kind of acts that you would traditionally see at an NFL stadium in the U.S. or the Rogers Centre here. The biggest acts in the world, and some of them setting up for multiple days.”

Stadium and festival-size shows are in high demand, he says, and Toronto is one of the top stops on any world tour. The city is also multicultural and multilingual, which makes it an ideal market for exploding genres from around the world including K-pop, Latin music and Punjabi music. Stadium shows from Indian star Diljit Dosanjh in Toronto and Vancouver this summer have shown there’s an appetite. 

“If the fans weren’t coming, [artists] wouldn’t stage shows that big,” Hoffman says. “Not to dumb it down too much, but if they keep selling out stadium shows you do more stadium shows.” – Richard Trapunski

Somali-Canadian Artist K’naan Charged with Sexual Assault

Canadian musician K’naan has been charged with sexual assault.

A charge sheet was filed this week (Sept. 26) in Quebec City for the musician and director, born Keinan Abdi Warsame, for a count of sexual assault dating back to 2010, The Canadian Press reports.

The arrest warrant alleges that the assault took place between July 16 and 17 in Quebec City, which coincides with a show he played at Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ) in 2010. CBC reports that the complaint was first filed in May of 2022 with the Montreal police, but was later transferred to Quebec City. The assault allegedly took place in a hotel room on territory covered by the Quebec City police force.

K’naan, who’s known for his 2009 hit “Wavin’ Flag” (later rerecorded as the global anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup), took an extended break after his 2012 album Troubadour and spent time in both Canada and the United States. Recently, he has recently returned to prominence.

The Somali-Canadian musician returned with “Refugee” in 2023, a song that he said was intended to feel “like a home for those of us made homeless by conflict.” K’naan won the Best Song for Social Change Award by the Recording Academy at this year’s Grammy Awards.

Just over two weeks ago, K’naan made his debut as a director, premiering his feature film Mother Mother at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. This week, on Sept. 24, K’naan attended the SOCAN Awards at History in Toronto and accepted the SOCAN Cultural Impact Award for the lasting global impact of his anthem, “Wavin’ Flag.”

Warsame was not in attendance for the proceedings in Quebec. The case has been set for April 2025. According to Radio-Canada, Warsame’s lawyer has requested he be tried in English in front of a jury. – R.T.

With acting stints on Victorious and Insecure and a Grammy win for co-writing SZA’s monster R&B smash “Snooze” in his rearview, Leon Thomas is ready to level up. As he prepares for the full release of sophomore studio album, Mutt, on Friday (Sept. 28), the virtuosic multihyphenate artist declares, “It’s war outside.” 

As the first signee to Ty Dolla $ign’s EZMNY Records – an imprint launched in 2022 through his joint venture deal with Motown – Thomas gets a routinely up-close look at how one of 2010s R&B’s greatest movers and shakers transitioned from an ever-dependable supporting star to a lead artist with Billboard 200-topping albums and Billboard Hot 100-topping singles of his own. Those studies have resulted in a notable shift in headspace for Thomas; “It’s a blessing to have these talents. I worked hard on them, so I gotta treat them right, and these songs are definitely a representation of that,” he tells Billboard days after our Ice Spice-hosted R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players Week afterparty (Sept. 6). 

Mutt finds Thomas fully stepping into his love for rock music – from the influence of his parents while growing up in Brooklyn to his recent obsession with Black Sabbath’s 1970 Paranoid LP. Featuring collaborations with Ty Dolla $ign, Masego, Wale, Baby Rose, Axlfolie and Freddie Gibbs, Mutt brings Thomas to the frontlines of another kind of war. A 21^st-century specific battle of the ebb and flow of relationship arcs uniquely informed by dating apps and shifting generational perceptions of marriage and love. Back in June, Thomas told Billboard that he was “happy being single and wanted to document that.” Now, the R&B maestro offers up Mutt as a sort of musical anthropologic survey on the state of love and courtship in the 2020s. 

In an expansive conversation with Billboard, Leon Thomas breaks down the making of Mutt, muses about a return to acting and sings the praises of microdosing psychedelics. 

How do you find growing up in Brooklyn has influenced your sound and approach to music? 

It’s interesting! Growing up in Park Slope, the kids on my block [were] multicultural. We had the Spanish homie down the block and this white girl I used to skateboard with all the time [who] was putting me onto rock’n’roll and grunge and punk. Going to school in Cobble Hill, I was down the street from the Gowanus Projects, so I’m also tapping in with Dipset and the whole Uptown sound of hip-hop from that era. I [was] a student of the world growing up in New York. I got to hear everything. 

Do you feel like any of those influences really shined on Mutt in particular? 

For sure. My parents were part of the Black Rock Coalition out here. They was playing at rock clubs like CBGB, my mom used to have dyed hair and shit, my pops had the Jheri Curl and he was playing all the solos. Growing up, rock has been a big influence and there’s a couple of records [on Mutt] where I play with those themes. I like to blend genres on certain songs. I never like to go full-blown The Strokes or anything, because I don’t want to confuse my fan base. But just know it’s always there. 

Is that something that weighs on your mind as you make each new project? Trying not to confuse your fan base while still staying true to your artistic development? 

I don’t want to say this and sound like a d–k, but I really create selfishly. I’m chasing shit that feels good for me, man. The whole reason I was really excited to be an artist is because when I’m working with other artists, they’re just so stressed about TikTok and singles and shit. For me, when I’m an artist, it’s like a break from the boundaries and the borders. I can actually paint freely and do what the f—k I want to do. And I want to win. I’m lucky to have really talented friends who are down to do features and build with me, but I’m definitely just rocking with my taste buds, because I’m usually pretty early on shit. 

Why was “Mutt” the right choice for both a title track and the lead single? 

Well, they’re giving me a month to promote this f—king album, bro. [Laughs.] So I’m thinking about it like this: “That’s the title track, it’s got a little tempo, it’s funky as hell… a win is a win!” We can tell people about the album at the same time that we push the single. I’m just doing my best to fight through the clusterf—k that is the Internet right now and not get swept away by Ice Spice beefing with [Cleotrapa].

In so many ways, the online world feels even more overstimulating than it already is. How do you not lose your mind trying to make sure you and your art are heard and seen? 

There’s all these echo chambers and like… I’m f—kin 31, bro. I’m not doing TikToks everyday! Making music means a lot to me, and my music deserves promotion. I’m doing my best to stay tapped in, and I’m just finding my own special way to let people know what I’m on and what I’m doing. There’s always things I can do better, but I think sit-downs like this are really important to help make it tangible and real for people. 

We last spoke in Nashville earlier this summer and you were telling me about the process of creating Mutt. What were some of those experiences on your single journey that helped put this record together? 

Materialism is a constant theme that flows in and out of this album. Living in L.A., it’s interesting, because everybody’s searching for the next best thing on both sides of the fences. The girls are doing that and the guys are doing that. Everybody’s really confused and there’s a reason that these podcast mics are well-used. [Laughs.] It’s f—king insane being single right now. It’s diabolical, bro. The way I see it, I’m gonna at least document my process. There’s been no other generation that had to deal with Tinder, Instagram, Snapchat, all this other shit – our grandfathers don’t know what the f—k that is! I can’t ask my dad for advice, this is a whole different pocket! I’m really showing my experience through modern technology, and how it influences the way we interact now when it comes to love. 

A lot of these songs are about the ups and downs. These songs have been written a million times over from different perspectives and different generations, but I like how specific and detailed I’m getting with the lyrics on this one. 

Was most of the album written in L.A.? 

L.A. and Florence, Italy, which is random. I was out there working with Ty Dolla $ign and Ye on Vultures 1 for two and a half months. It was right after I put out my first album [2023’s Electric Dusk]. I was finally feeling free again to start thinking about new concepts. One of my favorite joints, I wrote walking through the Ritz Carlton Garden, which is like the Medici estate. Beautiful statues, everything is art, and I was super frustrated that day. That’s why the song’s broody as shit, but having those experiences really helped me round out the end of this album. 

But most of [Mutt] was made in my house. I just bought a crib in Mid-City, and I set it up to be a creative zone for myself. I bought some paintings and art to just really capture my essence. 

Do you find the different locations bring different things out of you in the songwriting process? 

For sure. “Mutt,” in particular, I wrote on my living room floor – shoutout to Polkadot and Silom, those two companies sponsored me randomly. I was microdosing a little bit, and it was an interesting study [about] how it connects the neural pathways in your brain if you go on one day, off two days. I was doing that while I was writing a lot of like tail-end of this album. “Mutt” was inspired by my dog fighting with my cat, and him looking all sad after he got told off by my cat. I saw the similarities between us two and how we have good intentions, but we don’t always do the right thing. 

How do you balance having those conversations about us as men not always upholding our best intentions without making it feel like you’re glorifying those choices? 

That’s the whole thing. If you really listen to the verses, I’m talking about being vulnerable and actually wanting to love: “You can break my heart if you want to.” I’m super down, but you might have to train his dog because it’s been a while. I feel like toxic R&B isn’t new or special right now, but I think it’s important to really highlight the nuances of what we’re going through. There’s a reason a lot of people aren’t married at 25 or 24 right now. There’s a lot of options and that creates turbulence. 

It’s not about being good or bad, it’s about being a person. This whole thing was an internal journey of really figuring it out. We all have that yin and yang, so it’s important to talk about that and and hold myself accountable in ways that I could have done better and talk about the things that some of the girls who were dealing with me could have done better. 

“Answer Your Phone” is a knockout ballad. Talk to me about cutting that vocal. 

That one was written by Diane Warren. She’s done some huge records, and that’s probably the only song I didn’t have a hand in writing. I was just trying to show off for a legend, man. 

She sat me down in the studio at the piano and played me the song by heart like we was in the f—king ‘60s. It was such a moment. I locked in with Freaky Rob and he came through on guitar, drums and bass and we kind of Quincy Jones’d that shit out till it felt really good. To see a legend like [Warren] be amazed and happy and excited and watching her inner child come out while she was listening to it for the first time was amazing. I’m a huge fan of hers. I’m a student of the game, I know she’s written like 20 No. 1s or something! 

What’s your favorite Diane Warren song? 

“Have You Ever” by Brandy. 

On “Dancing With Demons,” you sample some dialogue from Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle. Why did that feel like the right texture to add to the song?  

I set up like a three-week session at my house. I set up lights all over my crib; I was really living life in [pajamas] with a lot of UberEats. I had some psychedelics going on, but I can’t watch live action films when I’m microdosing. So, I watched anime and that film was on. I found some similarities to what I was writing about at the time and it just made sense to me. [Film composer Joe Hisaishi] is really amazing, and I just liked how cinematic that track came together. It was really a spiritual moment. I’m glad it all flowed and people are talking about it because it’s one of my favorites. 

Do you find that you get inspiration from movies a lot? 

Hell yeah. Coming from the world of acting, sometimes I miss it, man. I miss the process of losing yourself in the character. A lot of my free time is just me watching really good old-school films. I’m into a lot of film noir. I also like tapping into the genres that I hadn’t gotten into as much when I was younger. Film is the thing that I need. I need a movie on when I’m cooking, it just helps my brain a little bit when I’m searching for something. 

Do you want to return to acting in the future? 

Yeah, but I don’t like the “pick me, massa!” moment [of the audition process]. It’s insane. Being around Issa Rae on Insecure and seeing her power as a Black woman, that’s what I want. Donald Glover, too, I’m a huge fan of him. I really look forward to having a moment where I come up with a TV show or a movie that encompasses my crazy brain. 

The cast of characters on Muttt and Electric Dusk are pretty similar. Why was keeping a consistent set of collaborators important to you? 

The way my label set this up, I had to do two albums in one cycle. I’m really like to work with my friends, bro. I like vibe out. I like it to feel organic and natural. After the first album, a lot of people are like “Alright! Let’s call in Metro Boomin and all these n—as we do not know who do not came about us and will charge $40,000 for a track.” [Laughs]. I was vibing with my homies and people I had a real relationship with. Throughout the album, I got really close with Freaky Rob and D. Phelps. There’s a reason that Ty’s back, I’m always with him because I’m signed to him. It definitely made a lot of sense to do another record for this album. 

Were there any moments where you felt a little bit of anxiety knowing that this is your first project since “Snooze?” 

Nah, that ain’t got shit to do with me. It does, but it doesn’t, you know? SZA worked really hard to get there. Before she put out [Ctrl], I was working with her a little bit with my boy Childish Major. I see the similarities between like her being super f—king tight and people not really knowing yet. This game is very political and it’s also about having real fans and that’s why I’m building an actual fan base that understands me and that wants to rock with me and buy the vinyls and the merch and the rest of it.  

I’m just being patient with myself, and not putting unbelievable amounts of pressure on what I do, just because I did hit records with other people. It took a while for me to start doing that in writing and production as well. I’m definitely not afraid of building something that’s sturdy instead of having a crazy record that blows out of nowhere with no real fan base to follow it.  

I loved the chemistry you and Masego cultivated on “Lucid Dreams.” How did that collaboration come together? 

My boy, Jesse Boykins, he’s one of the original hype beast cool kids. I remember when I was in high school, I used to see him and Theophilius London and all the cool kids in in New York running around, taking pictures and just being fly as s—t. When he came to LA, I was one of the first people he kicked it with. He’s really tight with Masego, so we invited me to the studio with him – it was very Zen, incense burning and s—t. Sego was in there are we have two hours to write the record because I had another session right after, but me and Masego became instant homies. To this day, we’re working on a new project together. That original session was just two really talented guys having fun, but it was a conversation too.  

After the break-up, my ex left mad clothes at the crib! [Laughs.] Literally a whole wardrobe of s–t; chicks would come over like, “Why do you have heels in your f—king closet?” and then I’d have to explain the whole thing. It turned into this really cool conversation about your significant other leaving things after a breakup… it’s almost like a totem of the relationship not being over. 

The concept of marriage gets some airtime on Mutt as well. Were there any other moments in your life where you weren’t thinking about marriage? 

When I was younger and broke and s–t, I just felt like the idea of marrying somebdoy and being that guy is insane. You want to be a provider and support your significant other. It’s not about gender roles or anything, it’s just about wanting to kill s—t. I feel like I had so much to figure out – I still do – but I love where I’m at right now. It even helps me sing records like “I Do” a little bit better. I’m still making it work, but I feel more comfortable supporting somebody else outside of myself now. 

From an artistic and business standpoint, how would you compare your approach to this album versus Electric Dusk? 

I learned a lot being on being in the Motown Universe and hanging around Ty a lot. He’s big on hits, he’s big on “Let’s get the number on, baby!” He has this competitive energy to it and I’m very “flower child” about it all.  As I got into this new album, I was like, “Oh shit, it’s war outside.” I’m really going for blood. I’m very confident, I’m f—king nice. Now I’m like, f—k all the humble s–t, but not in a bad way. I’m ready to shift into another gear. 

As we get closer to the album drop, what’s the one song on the record that you’re most excited for day one Leon Thomas fans to hear? 

I feel like the Shade Room aunties are really going to like “Yes It Is.” I feel like they gonna f—k with me, it’s just body roll ready. They can dig into that one. I gave ‘em one, because I’m wilding on the rest [of the album], you don’t even know what genre I’m in in. But that one is straight up and down R&B with some church chords. The day ones are going to like that. 

There are some other ones like “Used To” (with Baby Rose) that I think will resonate well. It’s cool to have that male-female back and forth. 

What are your touring plans looking like? 

I’m opening up for Blxst for [about] 20 dates and I’m also doing a headline tour too. That’s when I get to bring the whole band and shit. Man, touring…. Oh my God! Can I make some money, please?! [Laughs]. 

When you were in the trenches of your Mutt era, what was the soundtrack? 

This is random as hell, but I was really obsessed with Ozzy Osbourne. Black Sabbath had this album called Paranoid and I was just really rocking with it. Lots of Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Marvin Gaye. I was also working with George Clinton randomly on some record that he was doing, and I really started digging into P-funk and researching all the different artists that he had locked in under his labels. A lot of that dog stuff came from that too, paying homage to the funk legend that is George Clinton. 

Are you still in your Mutt phase? 

I don’t even really think there was like a solid phase or anything. I just think when you get out of a relationship, it’s like, “Oh! I can talk to people again.” I was just documenting that. Now, I’m just chilling, bro. I don’t really have too much time to frolic around the world and get messy. It’s important right now for me to focus and I wish I could have a real significant other that I was building with prior to this, so it could just be more status quo and chill. But for now, I’m keeping my life as simple as possible. 

Do you feel like you hear the call of the status quo the older you get? 

Yeah, man. All the homies is getting married. I got a bachelor party to go to in a couple months. I do get a little FOMO. Everybody’s doing the adulting thing, but I’m just busy. It’s not even fair to a significant other right now. It’s nice to maybe flirt with the idea of it, but to be honest though, I don’t know.  

Who have you been in the studio with recently? 

Me and Giveon have been working a bunch. That’s my brother, we got the same management, so it’s always nice locking in with him. I got some great songs that we’ve worked on together. I’m really excited for the world to hear. Masego, like I said before. Me and Aminé have been really close too, and he’s just so dope. It’s cool to make beats and not be pigeonholed to the same 12 pockets. He’s down to explore and he can rap his ass off. He’s writing like crazy in the studio. Big Sean just put out his new project, so I was working with him and he put Uncle Charlie [Wilson] on the joint I was on, which is amazing. And with Ty, I’m definitely little bro when it comes to him. I’m always in the studio rocking with him and writing records. It’s been cool to see his process and his journey to No. 1s. 

I’m really looking forward to just continuing to shoot my shot for myself. It’s been a lot of work on me because I have to be selfish in that way right now. It’s war outside. I gotta get out there and make this s—t happen, man. 

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

This week, Lady Gaga puts on her Joker makeup, The Weeknd joins forces with Playboi Carti and Stevie Nicks meets the moment. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Lady Gaga, Harlequin 

Although Harlequin is not exactly a new Lady Gaga album — the 13-song project is largely a mix of covered show tunes and rearrangements that serves as a companion piece to next week’s big-budget film sequel Joker: Folie à Deux — the original track “Happy Mistake,” a breathtaking ballad in the same sonic universe as Gaga’s A Star is Born work, more than justifies this stopgap before the next official full-length.

The Weeknd with Playboi Carti, “Timeless”

Two weeks after The Weeknd and Playboi Carti separately returned with highly anticipated solo tracks “Dancing in the Flames” and “All Red,” respectively, the pair of A-listers have linked up on “Timeless,” which will appear on The Weeknd’s upcoming album Hurry Up Tomorrow but pushes the superstar more towards Carti’s synth-heavy futuristic rap, courtesy in part of co-producer Pharrell Williams.

Stevie Nicks, “The Lighthouse” 

Stevie Nicks wrote new single “The Lighthouse” following the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year, but the legendary singer’s voice resonates regardless of the historical context, as she sings, “I have my scars, you have yours / Don’t let them take your power.”

Tommy Richman, Coyote 

Tommy Richman could have coasted on new-school R&B bangers like “Million Dollar Baby” and “Devil is a Lie” through the rest of 2024; instead, debut album Coyote (which stunningly contains neither of his first two hits on its track list) is decidedly a more bold affair, refracting funk, synth-pop, New Jack Swing and hip-hop through the lens of Richman’s singular croon.

Rosalía feat. Ralphie Choo, “Omega” 

While a fair share of Rosalía’s fantastic 2022 project MOTOMAMI boasted combustible rhythms and dance hooks, “Omega,” a new team-up with Ralphie Choo, serves as a potent reminder of the singer’s vocal might, with handclaps floating her melisma here and each syllable of the chorus delivered with piercing emotion.

Luke Bryan, Mind of a Country Boy 

A press release for Luke Bryan’s album describes Mind of a Country Boy as “the culmination of a career spent studying songs and living the hunting, fishing, and loving everyday lifestyle he sings about”; indeed, there’s an authenticity intrinsic to Bryan’s latest that separates the longtime star from his country brethren, particularly on tracks like “Kansas” and “Country On.”

The Cure, “Alone” 

The Cure’s first new song in 16 years is essentially a best-case scenario for longtime fans of the all-time greats: “Alone” is a gorgeous, nearly 7-minute rock epic, with a sweepingly mournful arrangement and Robert Smith sounding like he never stepped away from the recording studio.

Linkin Park, “Heavy is the Crown” 

If “The Emptiness Machine” reasserted Linkin Park’s rock-solid songwriting and introduced new co-vocalist Emily Armstrong into the mix, follow-up “Heavy is the Crown” fully unleashes the newly reformed band, recalling the bruising rap-rock of “Faint” and “Bleed It Out” while allowing Armstrong to unveil her own extended scream.

Editor’s Pick: SOPHIE, SOPHIE 

In her too-brief time in the spotlight, SOPHIE reconstructed the very fabric of dance and electronic music with a singular verve and boundless talent; SOPHIE, a bittersweet posthumous album which her family helped cross the finish line, honors her brilliance with wondrous moments that recall her career peaks, and glimpses of what could have been.

As their third album arrives, New York collective MICHELLE is leaning into boy bands and girl groups for inspiration.  

It’s not that their latest, Songs About You Specifically out today via Transgressive Records, particularly sounds like One Direction, Spice Girls or Fifth Harmony, but examples of modern pop with four lead vocalists are hard to come by outside those groups. 

“When you’re trying to learn vocal arrangements and trying to reference music that also has this many vocals, the only music you can find are these girl bands,” says Julian Kaufman, who, along with Charlie Kilgore, handles much of the production in the band. “There are girl bands like The Shirelles from the ‘50s and ‘60s that are a singing a little more vintage pop and that’s great. But in the last 30 years, all you really get is the *NSYNCs and the Fifth Harmonies of the world.” 

On Songs About You Specifically, tapping into those inspirations has led to all the voices of MICHELLE singing out in crisp clarity on songs collectively written in the small town of Ojai, Calif. outside of Los Angeles.  

Unlike their previous releases (2018’s HEATWAVE and 2022’s After Dinner We Talk Dreams), their third studio album does not divvy up songs by each singer and features multiple vocalists on each track, which adds a richness to the sextet’s unique brand of indie pop.  

“We try very hard to make sure everybody sounds different,” says Kaufman, adding they have the vocalists (Sofia D’Angelo, Layla Ku, Emma Lee, and Jamee Lockard) sing on different mics and took inspiration from mid 2010’s hip-hop where features took on extremely different resonances when they were recorded separately and stitched together in a studio. “[We were] making sure that each singer has a slightly different sense of harmony. The first verse of ‘The Dropout’ and the second verse of the song have the same melody, but one is sung by Layla and one is sung by Jamee and the harmony stacks they sing are different… Can you hear any of this stuff? No, but it all adds up to subtle things in your brain.”  

While some contemporary artists might scoff at the bubblegum pop comparisons, D’Angelo loves it. “Wait, so when you listen to MICHELLE, are you like, ‘Oh my god, that’s Emma. Oh my god, that’s Jamee. Oh my god, that’s Layla. Oh my god, that’s Sofia’? Hell yeah,” she says. “I’m freaking out about this, because this is what I would do with One Direction.”  

MICHELLE is also leaning into the stage presence of the major pop acts. While a MICHELLE show has never lacked energy, Ku says people can expect more elaborate choreography. “Shout out to overlord Lee. She choreographs everything with great intent,” Ku says. “We’ve been putting so much work into this dancing element of our performance. It’s become very visually pleasing. I see videos of us dancing and I’m like, ‘Yeah, we ate that up.’” 

Audiences can also expect live drums, coordinated outfits (not matching just yet, but they tease the possibility) and lots of hairography.  

“The last two shows we did [on the Still Woozy tour] we had wind machines or fans at the edge of the stage. Oh boy, did that make a difference,” says Lee. “You’re like, this is just where I stand to sing and then you see a video and…it’s life changing.” 

“Those experiences when the fan was in my hair made me realize this is what I’ve always wanted to do for my whole life. This is what I would do with the hair dryer in my bathroom when I was a kid singing Miley Cyrus or Britney Spears or Beyoncé or whatever,” says D’Angelo. “The hair is really the fifth vocalist, the fifth dancer in the band.” 

When the group was recording the new record in Ojai, they would split up into writing groups of two or three and whichever group finished their track first would make dinner for everyone else. Having six writers, all from varying backgrounds, genders, sexualities and styles gives MICHELLE the rare ability to create honest music from many perspectives.  

“It’s so exciting that we can write about queer relationships or maybe an experience that only two of the members have had, but we can present it under [MICHELLE],” says Lee. “We have this vessel to constantly be tons of different things that are true to different parts of the group.” 

MICHELLE has successfully avoided being pigeonholed as just a queer band or just a pop group over the past six years, as their sound has evolved and changed. For their latest, direct inspiration is extremely difficult to pinpoint. There are the ‘90s R&B sounds on “Akira” and the beachy breeziness of “Cathy.” There are traces of late 2000s and early 2010s indie like Phantogram and Phoenix, alongside consistently strong basslines and danceable drumbeats.  

“Sonically, it is not very clear what genre this [album] is. That is something we were going for,” says Kaufman. “We were trying to have that thing where you put on this album and it’s not exactly just another pop album. This is MICHELLE. That’s the intention.” 

“When we went into writing we wanted to experience catharsis and really express ourselves,” says D’Angelo. “With this record, it was anything goes in terms of what we were bringing into the room. The focus was just crafting great music, helping each other. If someone had an idea, being there for them.” 

The group has always billed themselves as a predominantly queer collective and, as the culture embraces LGBTQIA+ artists like Chappell Roan, MUNA, Reneé Rapp, Janelle Monáe and more, MICHELLE sees this as a turning point for queer representation.  

“Queer people aren’t going anywhere. Lesbians aren’t going anywhere,” says Lockard. “We finally reached a moment in pop culture where queer people feel comfortable sharing who they are and it’s being well received. It’s just going to continue to grow as younger queer listeners are hearing these artists and writing their own stories.” 

“The only element of this moment that I’m looking forward to ending….” Ku adds — pausing while her bandmates laugh, in order to reassure, “Everyone’s going to be like, ‘I feel that’ at the end of my sentence. Don’t worry.

“Whenever there’s rumblings of a cultural shift with young people, there is a quick [instinct to] vulture, to prey, swarm, that companies hop on,” she continues. “The music industry is a huge perpetrator of that — and I look forward to when the commodification of queer aesthetic and art comes to a close. So many of our queer musical predecessors did it in anonymity for so long, and I look forward to when it’s just music and stories being told by these people are accepted and understood to be regular rather than something to profit off of.”