There’s a new boy band in town. Friday (Aug. 16) marks the official debut of the newly formed Japanese act ONE OR EIGHT. The eight-member group — composed of Mizuki, Neo, Reia, Ryota, Souma, Takeru, Tsubasa and Yuga – is sharing its second single with the energetic “Don’t Tell Nobody” and its accompanying music video.

The song follows debut single “Kawasaki” – a hip-hop-leaning track inspired by the Japanese automotive brand of the same name – that the group posted along with its Instagram launch in June. In its first week, the performance video they shared garnered more than 6 million views. 

ONE OR EIGHT, backed by entertainment company Avex in Japan and the U.S. (with Brandon Silverstein’s S10 as the Stateside Avex partner), stands out not only for its fusion of hip-hop with pop, but also the way in which the act celebrates its Japanese culture through lyrics, choreography and the members’ streetwear-inspired aesthetic. Even its name points to the group’s roots, as it’s derived from the Japanese idiom “Ichi ka Bachi ka,” roughly translating to “all or nothing.”

“We’re thrilled to present ONE OR EIGHT as a first of its kind collaboration that combines the musical, cultural, and innovative resources between the US and Japan branches of Avex, launching a lasting mission for a new generational hybrid model to push Japanese music as a global phenomenon,” says Naoki Osada, CEO of Avex U.S.

Adds Takeya Ino, president of labels at Avex Japan: “At Avex, we embrace challenges and respect the U.S. music culture. Utilizing the creative networks we’ve built in the U.S., our members are ready to embody the spirit of ‘all or nothing’ after years of preparations.”

“Don’t Tell Nobody” was written with David Stewart and co-produced by Stewart and hitmaker Ryan Tedder.

Watch the music video below.

Amy Shark makes it three successive No. 1s in Australia with Sunday Sadness.

The Gold Coast-raised singer and songwriter cruises to the summit of the ARIA Chart, published Friday, Aug. 16 with Sunday Sadness, her fourth studio effort.

Her debut 2012 album, It’s A Happy City, released under the name Amy Cushway, didn’t chart, notes ARIA. As Amy Shark, she powered to No. 1 for one week in 2018 with Love Monster, and led the survey in 2021 for two weeks with Cry Forever.

“Words cannot explain how much this No. 1 means to me,” she comments. “Sunday Sadness has been three years in the making and I’m so glad you all love it as much as I do. Today is a day I’ll never forget”
Sunday Sadness completes a trilogy of No. 1s for homegrown acts on the national chart, burying a 10-month dry spell.

Also, it’s one of four Australian-made albums to debut in the top 20, for Australian music’s “most successful week of 2024,” ARIA claims.

“Huge congratulations to Amy, her team, and her incredibly devoted fans on a third No. 1 album and a career that continues to reach new heights,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd.

“Amy at the top of the chart marks three weeks of Aussies at No. 1, on top of that, four homegrown debuts in the top 15 is an unbelievable result that our whole industry should be proud of. What a week for Ausmusic.”

Those homegrown hits include Grinspoon’s eighth studio album, Whatever, Whatever, new at No. 3; King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s 26th studio album Flight b741, new at No. 8; and First Nations hip-hop collective 3%, new at No. 12.

Meanwhile, Filipino-British singer and songwriter Beabadoobee lands her first top 10 in Australia with This Is How Tomorrow Moves, new at No. 6. That bests the No. 19 peak for her 2022 release Beatopia.
Finally, DICE rolls to No. 27 with Midnight Zoo, the Perth quartet’s debut album.

Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Billie Eilish scoops her third solo No. 1 as “Birds Of A Feather” flaps its wings, up 2-1. Eilish replaces herself on top, as her guest appearance on Charli XCX’s “Guess” dips 1-3.
Earlier, Eilish reigned over the chart for two weeks in 2019 with “Bad Guy” and for three weeks with 2023’s “What Was I Made For?.” Eilish’s third and latest studio LP, Hit Me Hard And Soft, holds at No. 2.

Finally, as Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine slices up the global box-office, one of the songs from its soundtrack powers into the top 40: NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye”. Released in 2000, the song originally spent five weeks at No. 1. Thanks to its sync to the bloody opening scene of the superhero smash, “Bye Bye Bye” returns to the chart at No. 20.

Fresh off their headline-grabbing performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre are gearing up to drop their latest project, Missionary, this November.

But the biggest surprise? Legendary musician Sting is among the featured artists on the album.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Dr. Dre couldn’t hold back his excitement, revealing, “We have Sting on the song. Man, it’s an amazing roster of artists that’s on this album. I shouldn’t have revealed that, to be honest.”

The unexpected collaboration adds a twist to the forthcoming album, which already carries the weight of being the first full-length project Dre has produced for Snoop since their iconic 1993 album Doggystyle.

The friendship and musical chemistry between Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg is legendary.

It all began with Dre’s groundbreaking 1992 album The Chronic, which introduced Snoop to the world and set the stage for his debut album, Doggystyle, a year later. Missionary promises to be a continuation of this storied partnership, with Dre sharing, “This one’s gonna show a different level of maturity with his lyrics and with my music. I feel like this is some of the best music I’ve done in my career.”

The Compton native added, “It’s an album that women are going to enjoy, and like I said, it shows a massive amount of growth and maturity with the lyrics and with the music.”

Dre also offered some insight into the production process, saying, “I wanted 14 songs, Snoop wants 16, so we have that thing happening. I’m on song number 11 as far as the mixes go. I have to be done and delivered by September 1 to have a November release.”

Dr. Dre has consistently shaped the Billboard charts over the years, starting with his groundbreaking debut solo album, The Chronic (1992), which hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and produced the iconic single “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang,” reaching No. 2 on the Hot 100.

His 1999 follow-up, 2001, continued this momentum with smash hits like “Still D.R.E.” and “Forgot About Dre.” Beyond his own music, Dre’s production genius has been behind numerous chart-topping albums and singles, and, of course, the Doc was instrumental in launching Eminem’s career.

Two of the world’s biggest artists have teamed up to release a late-stage song of the summer contender, with Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars dropping their new song “Die With a Smile” and its music video at midnight ET Friday (Aug. 15).

The musicians barely gave fans a heads up before unveiling the new project, the existence of which they only confirmed less than 12 hours ahead of its arrival. Gaga simply posted the cover art — which finds the duo posing in matching retro red-and-blue outfits — and wrote, “WHILE YOU WAIT TILL LG7…“DIE WITH A SMILE” a duet with @brunomars ❤️‍🔥”

The “Rain on Me” singer did, however, tease that the collaboration was in the works two days prior, sharing an inconspicuous video of her playing a tune on piano while wearing a T-shirt with Mars’ face on it. Fans put two and two together when they also noticed her commenting emojis on the Silk Sonic band member’s Instagram post.

It’s been a while since either artist has released proper solo music. Gaga’s last album Chromatica dropped in 2020, while Mars’ 24K Magic is approaching its eight-year anniversary. The former topped the Billboard 200, and the second peaked at No. 2.

Luckily for fans, the Haus Labs founder is planning to release another album soon, something she’s teased multiple times on social media. She also played snippets of two songs on the project for fans gathered outside her hotel in Paris, where she performed during the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony.

Listen to “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars below.