On Monday (March 16), Lyor Cohen, global head of music at Google and YouTube, reaffirmed the company’s stance on generative AI and highlighted its emphasis on being “a primary driver of fan loyalty” in his first newsletter of the year. 

In the newsletter, published on the YouTube blog and sent to music industry partners, Cohen noted that YouTube is “in the thick of a transformation period with the integration of generative AI across our businesses.” He went on to quote YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, who wrote in January, “‘AI will remain a tool for expression, not a replacement.’”

“That means building tools that unlock a new wave of storytelling capabilities for artists, songwriters, and creators,” Cohen continued. “Like Lewis Capaldi’s extraordinary reimagined ‘Something in the Heavens’ video that was created by [AI creative studio] Wonder Studios, made with [Google’s AI-powered video creation platform] Flow. We’re also doubling down on the kinds of systems you’ve trusted for years — like Content ID — to build new guardrails for likeness detection, while also combating the spread of low-quality AI content on our platform.”

Cohen went on to share a note the company received from Universal Music Group chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge, sent after YouTube reported in October that it had paid out more than $8 billion to the music industry between July 2024 and June 2025. “I’m energized by the unprecedented growth that AI can unlock for artists and songwriters — so we must continue our work together on responsible innovation that respects and amplifies human creativity,” Grainge wrote.

Further on the subject of AI, Cohen added later, “I keep reminding myself that in many ways we’ve been here before, and for the most part, we emerged stronger because we worked together to shape the possibilities and tackle the problems. This moment is no different. We can’t run from it — we’ve just got to build it responsibly, creatively, and together.”

Elsewhere in the letter, Cohen called YouTube “the undisputed home of the music video” and characterized videos as “a primary driver of fan loyalty.”

“In addition to official content, we are uplifting content from the ‘extended’ artist world — think cultural moments like Coachella and the Olympics, or the raw intimacy of an NPR Tiny Desk concert — that extends fandom even further,” he wrote. 

As for music fans, Cohen wrote that YouTube’s “goal is to be the lighthouse that helps them cut through the clutter” of “a tidal wave of choice.” 

“We know that in order to foster sustainable artist careers, helping fans discover the interconnected visual world of an artist is more important than ever,” he continued. “Digging through the crates to find a life-changing track or seeing your favorite band play live for the first time — those are seminal experiences. While the journey to get there has changed, the feeling when it hits remains the same. Together we need to focus on growing dedicated fanbases that put every album on repeat and buy tickets for every tour.”

You can read the full letter below.

From: Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music, YouTube/Google 

Subject: The right side of history 

Damn … did you see what I saw between the Grammys, the Super Bowl, and The BRITs? Music isn’t just at the center of culture, it IS culture. 

Watching ROSÉ and Bruno Mars open The Grammys with APT. – one of last year’s top songs on YouTube with over 2.3 billion views – blew my mind! And what about Olivia Dean winning Best New Artist? Seven years ago she walked into our office with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a dream. Today, she is a Grammy- and BRITs-winning global superstar. Then came the Super Bowl. I’m not even sure who won the game because Bad Bunny stole the show. The performance has over 120 million views on YouTube, which doesn’t surprise me because he’s got 19 music videos with over a billion views, the most of any artist in history. To top it off, ROSALÍA brought Berghain to life at The BRIT Awards and changed the game with an absolutely extraordinary performance that earned over 4 million views in 2 days on YouTube.

These moments reassure us that artists are harnessing the power of visual storytelling. As the undisputed home of the music video, YouTube has evolved into a comprehensive visual storytelling ecosystem where artists build deep, lasting connections with their global community. 

With billions of logged-in viewers watching music videos on our platform each month, it’s clear that the music video isn’t just surviving, it’s thriving as a primary driver of fan loyalty. In addition to official content, we are uplifting content from the ‘extended’ artist world – think cultural moments like Coachella and the Olympics, or the raw intimacy of an NPR Tiny Desk concert – that extends fandom even further. A recent masterclass was Baby Keem’s Ca$ino album rollout, which started with documentary content, rolled into an exclusive fan-first listening event, and culminated in the Birds & the Bees official video. Baby Keem moved beyond the album drop and built a world that ignited his global audience. This is the blueprint for engagement. It ensures that on YouTube, a song isn’t just one of the thousands that gets released each day – it’s the spark that connects artists and fans on a much deeper level. 

At the same time, our twin engine of advertising and subscription revenue has continued to deliver, most recently paying out over $8 billion to the music industry between July 2024 and June 2025. Our commitment to monetization is absolute. But it doesn’t stop there. 

I recognize that the democratization of music hasn’t been a straight line. Fans are still experiencing a tidal wave of choice, but our goal is to be the lighthouse that helps them cut through the clutter. We know that in order to foster sustainable artist careers, helping fans discover the interconnected visual world of an artist is more important than ever. Digging through the crates to find a life-changing track or seeing your favorite band play live for the first time – those are seminal experiences. While the journey to get there has changed, the feeling when it hits remains the same. Together we need to focus on growing dedicated fanbases that put every album on repeat and buy tickets for every tour.  

We are also in the thick of a transformation period with the integration of generative AI across our businesses. I want to reinforce a key point our CEO, Neal Mohan, recently shared in his annual letter to the YouTube community: “AI will remain a tool for expression, not a replacement.” That means building tools that unlock a new wave of storytelling capabilities for artists, songwriters, and creators. Like Lewis Capaldi’s extraordinary reimagined Something in the Heavens video that was created by Wonder Studios, made with Flow. We’re also doubling down on the kinds of systems you’ve trusted for years – like Content ID – to build new guardrails for likeness detection, while also combating the spread of low-quality AI content on our platform. 

I keep reminding myself that in many ways we’ve been here before, and for the most part, we emerged stronger because we worked together to shape the possibilities and tackle the problems. This moment is no different. We can’t run from it – we’ve just got to build it responsibly, creatively, and together. 

Sir Lucian Grainge, who has been a key partner of ours and a critical ally in the launch of YouTube Music for over a decade, recently congratulated us on our payout milestone, sharing, “This is just YouTube’s first $8 billion; there’s still a world of opportunities to unlock the next 8!” He added, “I’m energized by the unprecedented growth that AI can unlock for artists and songwriters – so we must continue our work together on responsible innovation that respects and amplifies human creativity.”

Our mission for 2026 is clear: Help artists and songwriters harness the power of visual storytelling to build their global audiences and lifelong careers. At the same time, help fans cut through the noise and take them on an immersive journey to find the music that soundtracks their life, creating connections that run deep along the way.

Let’s go! 

With respect, Lyor

Sabrina Carpenter paid homage to one of Argentina’s biggest heroes — while singing and dancing along to Bad Bunny, no less — by sporting a Lionel Messi jersey ahead of her headlining set at the country’s iteration of Lollapalooza.

In a TikTok posted Sunday (March 15), the pop star models a white-and-blue-striped Argentina National Football Team jersey with Messi’s famous No. 10 emblazoned on the front. Lip-syncing to Benito’s Billboard Hot 100 hit “Tití Me Pregunto,” she strikes different poses and mouths, “Selfie, say cheese.”

In the caption, Carpenter wrote, “ole ole ole Argentina.”

That night, the Grammy winner would take the stage in front of thousands of fans in Argentina, helping to close out the final night of the festival. Carpenter headlined Lollapalooza Argentina alongside Tyler, the Creator and Chappell Roan, with the 2026 lineup also featuring Doechii, Lorde, Deftones, Turnstile, Skrillex and more.

But while festivalgoers were cheering Carpenter on during her time on stage, people in the comments of her video were campaigning for a collaboration. “Sabrina x Bad Bunny when??” one person wrote, while another said, “WE NEED A SABRINA x BAD BUNNY COLLAB!!!”

The video comes a little more than a month after Carpenter and the Puerto Rican superstar crossed paths at the 2026 Grammys, where they were captured in photos chatting on the ceremony floor. Both were nominated for album of the year, with Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos ultimately beating out Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend — both of which topped the Billboard 200 — for the prize.

Watch Carpenter catch a vibe to Bad Bunny in her Messi jersey below.

@sabrinacarpenter

ole ole ole Argentina

♬ son original – 🌸

Death Cab for Cutie is back with a new single and an album on the way, as announced Monday (March 16).

Bandmates Ben Gibbard, Nicholas Harmer, Jason McGerr, Dave Depper and Zac Rae revealed that I Built You a Tower — their first LP since 2022 — will arrive June 5 via ANTI- Records. It’s preceded by “Riptides,” a harrowing track that dropped the day of the announcement and explores “the challenge of dealing with personal struggles as the world around us experiences tragedy and loss on an unfathomable scale,” Gibbard said in a statement.

He added that the song is also about “how when these two elements intertwine themselves in our psyches, it feels utterly paralyzing.”

The song’s visual features the band performing under a colorful light show, with purple and blue hues bouncing off the musicians’ silhouettes and shadows. It gives fans their first taste of the contemplative moodiness on I Built You a Tower, which Gibbard wrote while navigating the stress of fronting two bands — beginning in 2023, he led both Death Cab and Postal Service on a joint nostalgia tour — while his personal life was at the point of “collapse,” according to a press release.

“There’s this need to find a place in ourselves to put loss and grief,” Gibbard said of the LP in a statement. “A place that can hold it so we can move on with our lives. But there are these moments where the trauma breaks out of that shell we created for it.”

Death Cab last dropped an album four years ago, reaching No. 60 on the Billboard 200 with Asphalt Meadows. The rockers have notched 10 total entries on the chart, including the No. 1 album Narrow Stairs (2008).

After releasing I Built You a Tower, Death Cab will embark on a tour kicking off in May. The trek will span North America and Europe with support from Jay Som, Japanese Breakfast, Nation of Language and Lala Lala.

Watch the “Riptides” music video below.

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Hilary Duff is back in the cultural zeitgeist after taking a lengthy hiatus, and everyone’s talking about her.

It all started with the release of Duff’s album Luck… or Something in February of this year after a decade away from the music industry. The album took the No. 2 spot on Billboard’s Top Album Sales and debuted in the top 10 across four Billboard album charts (dated March 7). In July, the singer plans on embarking on her The Lucky Me Tour, her first in nearly two decades. Duff is an important figure to many, especially Gen Z folks who grew up with the singer constantly on their TV screens whether on Lizzie McGuire or as Olivia Burke on Gossip Girl.

Duff’s music was, and is, also a source of her fame with tracks like “Sparks,” “Come Clean” and “What Dreams Are Made Of” on constant repeat for us ’90s babies. On the Billboard Hot 100, Duff broke the top 30 with tracks like “With Love” and “Wake Up,” while the aforementioned hit “Come Clean” peaked at No. 35. Duff’s 2026 album is unlike anything we’ve seen from the star before. It’s more mature than her previous works. In a recent interview on Mythical Kitchen’s Last Meals, Duff spoke about her life in the spotlight and how making the music felt necessary and freeing. “Being able to be truthful and make music and just say what’s bouncing around in [my head] is a different experience than the girl who was making music and hoping it was on the radio,” she says in the clip.

When she’s not in the studio or out on tour, Duff spent her free time flexing her love of fragrance by cultivating a surprisingly great line of home fragrance products for her brand Below 60. The line includes scented candles and diffuser plug-ins that fill any room with inventive scent combos from blood orange and ginger to hyacinth, honeysuckle and jasmine. The collection is available to shop on Amazon for easy access. You can shop our favorites from Duff’s Below 60 line below.

Our Favorite Candles from Duff’s Line

Duff’s line of candles is 10 oz. and is said to last for up to 40 to 50 hours and features a range of interesting scented options. These candles are hand-poured, meaning their glass containers are filled by hand, and are made with natural essential oils. Every candle, no matter the scent, is made of paraffin-free soy wax, which, according to Below 60, offers an even, slow burn overall.

Some of our favorite scented candles available are Brighter Than A Blood Orange Moon, retailing for $29.99, Meet Me in The Garden for $37.99 and My Love Language is…for $29.99. Blood Orange Moon is scented like blood orange and fresh ginger, which makes this candle smell fruity and zingy, while Meet Me in The Garden is floral and fruity with notes like black currant, rose and violet leaf. Both scents would be perfect for spring. My Love Language is… is the most medicinal of the three, with notes like spearmint and fennel, which are both spicy and herby.

Our Favorite Diffuser Fragrances & More from Duff’s Line

Duff’s line also includes diffuser plug-ins with equally attractive scent profiles, including some that mimic the candles mentioned above. These plug-ins are often oil-based and clip or plug into a wall component that steadily releases fragrance into any room for a controlled scented experience. The good thing about diffusers like these is that they tend to last longer than your average candle. On average, plug-in scents can last up to two to six months. Every plug-in from the collection retails for $12.99.

If you want to get the most bang for your buck, we’d suggest getting the three-scent kit for $58.96 that includes a diffuser and three accompanying scents. That’s three scents, plus a diffuser, $14.74 each. We like the scents I Knew You Would Notice, which mixes hyacinth, honeysuckle and jasmine for a floral finish and Meet Me in The Garden which is scented exactly like the candle we mentioned above.