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With a refreshingly fearless attitude in their self-crafted smash singles, one of which was the No. 1 K-pop song of last year as chosen by Billboard critics, (G)I-DLE has become creative leaders in the latest generation of South Korean–pop acts. Now, the girl group takes another big step to stay ahead of the pack.
Billboard can exclusively reveal that Asian-focused music and media company 88rising and K-pop mega-label and management agency Cube Entertainment officially come together via a new single from the latter’s chart-topping girl group.
Releasing this week, “I DO” comes as the K-Pop Stars to Watch‘s first-ever original English single. The heartfelt mid-tempo strikes a noticeably different chord than the group’s recent string of brash and bold bangers like “Queencard,” “Nxde” and “Tomboy” and shines via a sweet, emotional and easy-to-sing-along-to vocal performance from members Soyeon, Minnie, Miyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua. Cube and 88rising confirm that “I DO” is the first track off HEAT, the name of (G)I-DLE’s upcoming EP co-executive produced by 88rising via the collaboration.
“We’re very excited about the release of HEAT, which will be our first EP fully in English,” says Woohyung Ahn, CEO of Cube Entertainment, to note the company’s first original English-language project in its nearly 17-year history. “HEAT is all about being confident and bringing the spirit of an endless summer with you wherever you go. We hope that the release of HEAT will allow us to bring the message and mission of (G)I-DLE to the whole world.”
“We’ve been a fan of (G)-IDLE for a long time because, creatively, they are so in tune and involved with the music and stuff they put out,” adds 88rising CEO and founder Sean Miyashrio. “That was something to me that was refreshing about the group that I always felt. I was just like, ‘Wow, they really know what they want to do which is really important—it makes the process so much more meaningful when there is such a firm belief and point of view the artists have and I felt really honored that they would be open to collaborate with us.”
88rising executive vice president John Yang shares, “When we met (G)I-DLE members, they were just so full of excitement and positivity; their energy is contagious—it’s something I haven’t experienced before and, naturally, we just got really excited about what we could do together.”
Cube noted 88rising’s “in-depth knowledge about the music industry” and strength in “A&R and creative infrastructure” throughout the collaboration process, while Yang specifically highlighted (G)I-DLE’s 24-year-old leader and primary songwriter and producer. “Soyeon knows what she wants and thinks of every member in so much detail for every song from the delivery of the vocal to the tone and the overall cadence of the song—she truly is a genius.”
While 88rising has bulked up its roster with signings from the K-pop space like LØREN, Jackson Wang, BIBI, Chung Ha and Seori in recent years, Miyashrio notes this EP has been in the works for a year after their initial introduction.
“Just like I need to have a real connection with the artists and projects we work on…we just got to work, simple as that,” the 88rising CEO and founder says. “(G)I-DLE are super confident and have a great understanding of who they are and what they want to do. At the end of the day, we just want to support what already is such a force however we can; that’s what makes all of this fulfilling.”
“I DO” drops on Thursday, July 13, at 8 p.m. ET (Friday, July 14 at 9 a.m. KST) alongside an official music video. Meanwhile, HEAT releases globally on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m ET. Pre-order for the record will go live alongside the release of “I DO.”
Taylor Swift is in complete control of the U.K. chart race with Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the third instalment of her “Version” LPs.
Based on midweek sales and streaming data captured by the Official Charts Company, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) has already accumulated 48,0000 combined units (sales and streams), to lead the Official Chart Update.
It’s highly unlikely Swift can be caught. The new set, a rerecording of her third album, 2010’s Speak Now, is outselling the rest of the top 10 combined, the OCC reports.
Should it hold its spot when the chart proper is published, Swift would nab a tenth consecutive U.K. No. 1. That feat stretches over a little more than a decade, and would extend Swift’s lead as the female solo artist with the second most No. 1 albums in U.K. chart history, behind only Madonna, with 12.
Swift’s chart domination is especially impressive when considering her U.K. leg of The Eras Tour is booked for almost a year from now. Anticipation is sky-high for her live shows in Australia, where Swift currently locks up the entire top five on the ARIA Chart, a never-seen-before phenomenon.
Coming in at a distant No. 2 on the U.K. chart blast is Wham’s retrospective The Singles: Echoes From The Edge of Heaven, which benefits from the debut of the ‘80s pop duo’s Netflix documentary. Echoes should give Wham, comprised of the late George Michael with Andrew Ridgeley, their sixth top 10 album as a duo.
Completing the podium at the midweek stage is California soul trio Gabriels’ debut set Angels & Queens, new at No. 3, while iconic British singer and songwriter PJ Harvey’s I Inside The Old Year Dying is on course to become her first top 10 in seven years (the last was The Hope Six Demolition Project, which summited in 2016). Dying is new at No. 4 on the midweek survey.
Also eying top 10 berths are D-Block Europe’s fresh mixtape DBE World, at No.7, and the Pigeon Detectives’ TV Show, at No. 10, for what could become the alternative rock band their first top 10 showing since 2008.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday (July 14).
One of The Sex Lives of College Girls suitemates is leaving the nest. Renee Rapp will be leaving the Max comedy series during the upcoming third season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
However, Rapp’s departure won’t be a sudden one, as her character Leighton Murray will appear as a recurring guest star as she gears up to leave Essex College. During the second season, Leighton came out to her father and quit her sorority.
Following news that she’ll be leaving the show, the 23-year-old musician took to social media to reflect on how the show changed her life and career. “College Girls moved me out to LA and introduced me to some of my favorite people,” she wrote in a statement. “2 and a half years later — it’s given me y’all and this community.”
She continued, “A lot of queer work gets belittled — but playing Leighton has changed my life. I love who I am 10x more than I did before knowing her. I hope she gave y’all a little bit of that too. She’s such a tiny part of representation but even the tiny parts count. I wouldn’t be half the person I am without her and y’all. I love that b—- more than you know.”
It’s been an exciting few years for Rapp, who signed to Interscope Records in 2022 and has since released a debut EP, Everything to Everyone. She’s gearing up to release her first full-length LP, Snow Angel, on August 18. Rapp also played Regina George in the Broadway adaptation of Mean Girls, and she’ll reprise the role in the upcoming film version.
See Rapp’s statement on her Sex Lives of College Girls departure below.
Taylor Swift encouraged fans to “make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it” in her Midnights track, “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” and Swifties did just that.
Trading colorful, beaded friendship bracelets has officially become a fun activity for attendees of Swift’s sweeping Eras stadium tour, with fans taking to social media to show off their arms full of fun bracelets that make references to various Swift songs, album eras, inside jokes among fans and lyrics.
While how the trend started seems to be in direct reference to the lyrics of Swift’s Midnights track, the multi-Grammy winner also shared an arm full of friendship bracelets to Instagram in 2019, leading up to the release of her Lover album. Her bracelets included references to her love of cats (including her youngest feline Benjamin Button), her 2008 album Fearless, support for the LGBTQIA+ community and, of course, Lover.
The trend has become so widespread just two months into the tour, that even celebrities have been joining in on the fun. Everyone from Sabrina Carpenter, Gigi Hadid and Jennifer Lawrence to Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Aaron Dessner and even Swift herself have been spotted accepting friendship bracelets from Swifties, and have even taken to social media to show off their colorful arm candy.
In honor of the friendship bracelets that have taken over the Eras tour, we’ve compiled all of the best moments featuring the trend, including celebrity participants and some seriously creative references. See them below.
Demi Lovato is out here lookin’ like revenge, feeling like a ten on Monday (July 10), announcing that they’re unveiling a rock version of their 2017 pop hit, “Sorry Not Sorry.”
The 30-year-old superstar teased the track — which features Guns N’ Roses lead guitarist Slash, on her Instagram Stories — and while the lyrics are the same, “Sorry Not Sorry” got a edgy twist thanks to the guitar legend’s riffs and Lovato’s unbridled vocals.
See the tease before it disappears here.
Upon its original release in 2017, “Sorry Not Sorry” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, marking her highest-charting hit. The track spent an impressive 36 total weeks on the tally.
“Sorry Not Sorry” follows a string of rock-ified versions of Lovato’s prior hits. The star dropped an amped-up, guitar-centered version of their 2013 hit “Heart Attack” back in March, and followed it up with a rock version of “Cool for the Summer” in May.
Following the “Heart Attack” release, the singer explained they wanted a new version of the song that was more representative of the rock music presented on their most recent album, Holy Fvck. “I’m so happy to be able to give a new life to ‘Heart Attack’ with a sound that reflects where I am with my music,” Lovato said in a press release.
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TOMORROW X TOGETHER and the Jonas Brothers‘ “Do It Like That” has topped this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (July 7) on Billboard, choosing the collaboration between the K-pop group and the sibling trio as their favorite new music release of the past week.
“Do It Like That” brought in nearly 89% of the vote, beating out new music by Taylor Swift (Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)), NewJeans (“Super Shy”), FendiDa Rappa featuring Cardi B (“Point Me 2”), Rauw Alejandro (Playa Saturno), and others.
Produced by Ryan Tedder, the prolific creative behind such hits as OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars” and Beyoncé’s “Halo,” “Do It Like That” is the first team-up between TXT and the JoBros.
Accompanied by percussive bounce, snaps and pops for the song’s instrumentals, the groups find themselves marveling in the excitement of a new romance that keeps on surprising them. “Yeah, oh, my God/ Don’t know how you do it like that/ Blow my mind/ Then somehow you bring it right back,” they take turns singing on the chorus.
Trailing behind “Do It Like That” on the poll is Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the newly released re-recorded version of her 2010 album, with almost 9% of the vote.
See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.
Madeline Edwards reveals five things you didn’t know about her.
Madeline Edwards
Hi, I’m Madeline Edwards and here are five things you may not know about me.
I used to write sci-fi fiction when I was a little girl and I might still write sci-fi fiction maybe.
My mother’s Polish, and we ate a lot of Polish food growing up and I hated it.
I have a pet peeve, and it is definitely when people don’t finish what they’re chewing in their mouth before they take a drink. It really irks me. I hate that so much.
One thing people may not know about me is I would really love to start my own western line one day. I think it would include cowboy hats and obviously turquoise and cool fringe jackets and stuff. I think that’d be really cool.
I love making cocktails. It is a really cool thing that I picked up during COVID. And when I was at home, I was reading a bunch of cocktail books and learning what liquors to mix and what bitters to use. So that is one of my like, little, you know, talents that I have when I have people come over, I made something called the new fashioned, which is basically the same ingredients as an old fashioned but you use mezcal instead.
