ARMY, did you ever think this moment would actually come? After years of waiting and wondering, BTS‘ new album ARIRANG is finally here, marking the long-awaited comeback of the world’s biggest boy band.

Featuring 14 tracks with production from Diplo, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Mike WiLL Made-It and Ryan Tedder, the LP released Friday (March 20) showcases RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook in a more mature, artistically refined light than ever before. The septet kept anticipation high by declining to release a single ahead of the LP, dropping tracks “Body to Body,” “Hooligan,” “Aliens,” “FYA,” “2.0,” “No. 29,” “SWIM,” “Merry Go Round,” “NORMAL,” “Like Animals,” “they don’t know ’bout us,” “One More Night,” “Please” and “Into the Sun” all at once.

The Bangtan Boys last released a full-length in 2020, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with that year’s Be. Also in 2020, BTS reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with smashes “Life Goes On” and “Dynamite,” after which the group would top the chart again with “Butter,” “Permission to Dance” and “My Universe” with Coldplay. At the height of their dominance, however, the members would enlist in the South Korean military to fulfill mandatory service requirements while staggering solo releases.

After the last of the members were discharged, the group almost immediately got back in the studio. In a GQ cover story ahead of the release of ARIRANG, Suga promised the album would feature a “diversity of genres,” while RM called it “truly the whole package.”

Later, label BigHit Music explained the inspiration behind the LP’s title, which is borrowed from the name of a traditional Korean folk song. “Transcending time and generations, the song has long been associated with emotions of connection, distance, and reunion,” a January press release stated, calling ARIRANG “a deeply reflective body of work” that explores BTS’ “identity and roots.”

Now that the album is finally here, BTS will proceed with a comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on Saturday (March 21). After that, the group will travel to New York City for a Spotify fan event followed by appearances on back-to-back episodes of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In April, the band will kick off a sprawling stadium tour of the globe.

Listen to BTS’ first album in six years, ARIRANG, below.

Earlier this year, Feid received a Grammy nomination for best música urbana album with FERXXO VOL X: Sagrado—an album he produced and composed entirely himself. The experience, which he describes as “overwhelming, stressful and really hard,” is what ultimately led to the creation of his new project, FEID VS. FERXXO, out Thursday (March 19). 

“Being alone in the studio helped me immensely in approaching and starting work on this [new] album, because my perspective had shifted by the time I set out to tackle a song—whether regarding my melodies, the skills I had already developed as a producer, or simply sitting down to convey to someone how I wanted a track to sound,” Feid tells Billboard over Zoom. “For this album, I wanted to sit down and record specific instruments with specific producers. It was a more collaborative effort, because, at the end of the day, that’s what music is all about: teamwork.”

On the seven-track EP, the Colombian artist teamed up with his longtime producers Jowan, Rolo, Wain and Sky Rompiendo; the creative approach, however, was different. 

“This was the first time I actually sat down, took a deep breath, and focused on working on something,” he explains. “The last time I found myself sitting still—albeit under duress—was after my accident [in 2021], and I was in recovery working on ‘Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo.’ But this time, I wanted the year to be one of deep reflection: to understand the pulse of the market, to see what is needed from me, to figure out what I wanted to do with the future of my career, and to determine the direction in which I wanted to head.” 

That reflection and observation is what he precisely delivers on FEID VS. FERXXO—the first installment of a four-part full-length album set to be released this year.  

“There has always been a healthy debate regarding the distinction between the two: ‘Is this a Feid track? Or is it a Ferxxo track?’ I realized how much I enjoy reading and understanding exactly what my audience wants whenever I’m about to release new music,” he notes. “This time around, I sensed that they were longing for something that, perhaps, they no longer felt was present in my newer songs.” 

On the EP, Feid is represented through chill reggae tunes (“Que Vuelta Vos”) and romantic boleros (“Boleritox”), whereas Ferxxo sounds on progressive Afrohouse beats (“La Mejor Música”) and hard-hitting perreos (“Trancaito”). The previously-released “Se Lo Juro Mor,” which became the artist’s 12th No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart last December, perfectly combines both worlds. 

“I feel that writing is always about offering an opinion on a situation—how I would react in the face of heartbreak, or when missing someone, or when saying, ‘I killed it; things are going really well for me,’” he elaborates. “I feel that the two personas have very different personalities. It’s through the songwriting process that I’m able to determine whether a track leans more toward Feid or Ferxxo.”

FEID VS. FERXXO marks the artist’s debut release under his own record label Grabaciones Los Poderosos, where he will have full ownership of his masters and long-term control of his catalog. 

“I’m absolutely fascinated by it; I feel like it’s going to be the best project I’ve ever released in my entire life—though I’m not sure if it will be the definitive one, since right now I’m in such an amazing headspace—working hard, taking so much in, and constantly learning,” Feid says. “I just hope God keeps granting me the creativity to keep surpassing myself and evolving… but as of right now, it is the most complete, most incredible thing I’ve ever done.”

The DHS has responded to Olivia Rodrigo‘s recent remarks about the department’s use of one of her songs in a video promoting ICE.

In a statement shared with Billboard on Thursday (March 19) — just hours after the singer’s British Vogue cover story was published, featuring Rodrigo calling ICE’s actions “disturbing” — a spokesperson for the DHS said, “America is grateful all the time for our federal law enforcement officers who keep us safe.”

“We suggest Ms. Rodrigo thank them for their service, not belittle their sacrifice,” it continued. “ICE does NOT separate families. Parents are given a choice to either take their child with them or place them in the care of someone they designate. This is consistent with past administration’s immigration enforcement.”

Billboard has reached out to Rodrigo’s rep for comment.

The first sentence in the DHS spokesperson’s comment references lyrics in Rodrigo’s “All-American Bitch,” the song used in a November video glorifying footage of ICE officers tackling and forcibly detaining people. At the time, the Grammy winner had commented, “don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda.”

Four months later, Rodrigo again condemned ICE in British Vogue. “That was awful. Dystopian,” she said of finding out the agency had used her Billboard Hot 100 hit without permission. “The way that ICE is ripping apart communities and terrorizing people is so disturbing. It’s a really sad, scary time.”

Even before the unauthorized song usage, Rodrigo was speaking out against ICE. Amid the organization’s raids on immigrant communities in Los Angeles last year, she wrote on her Instagram Story, “I’ve lived in LA my whole life and I’m deeply upset about these violent deportations of my neighbors under the current administration … Treating hardworking community members with such little respect, empathy, and due process is awful.”

Numerous other stars have voiced criticism for the actions of ICE under President Donald Trump as well, particularly after the deaths of Minnesotan civilians Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both of whom were shot and killed by immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis at the beginning of the year. The DHS has also hit back at other musicians beyond Rodrigo, claiming in a statement to Billboard that Billie Eilish was spreading “garbage rhetoric” by resharing posts calling ICE a “terrorist organization” in January.

Though two-time CMA entertainer of the year winner Luke Combs grew up listening to country artists such as Eric Church, Garth Brooks and Vince Gill, he also soaked in the sounds of rock and pop acts, including the five-member boy band Backstreet Boys.

In a new episode of Hot Ones, Combs spoke about how listening to the vocal group taught him about singing.

“I mean obviously there’s five different singers in the group, right? And they all kind of get turns to showcase their particular style. And everybody’s kind of got different ranges and different natural tendencies that they try to use,” he said. “They’re incredibly singable verses and choruses. Those songs were engineered to be like musical drugs. Like you hear them and it’s just like I want to hear this again. I need to hear this again.”

He added, “And you know as you kind of study those things, learning to write songs, you realize that was done intentionally. Like there is a science to writing those kind of songs. And there needs to be a hook every 20 seconds that people remember and moments that people want to come back to. And you learn that. You also learn how to do the same chorus melody, maybe in a different style. Because if Nick Carter is singing it, and, you know, Kevin [Richardson]’s singing the next one, it’s like they just have these little differences and inflections that ultimately matter and lead to the success of a group like that and help a young singer who’s learning to find their voice and hone their talent, it helps them learn five different things at one time instead of hearing one singer do something. You get to hear five singers sing the same chorus instead of one. So, it’s really interesting.” 

Combs’ own commanding, silk-and-sandpaper vocal is unmistakable. His debut single, “Hurricane,” peaked at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart in 2017 and has since been certified RIAA 12x Platinum. Combs poured not only his talent into this debut single, but also his money. During his Hot Ones episode, Combs said he spent his final $200 at the time on mastering his debut single.

“Interestingly and luckily enough, it was the only song that was in any state close enough to putting out. So, it was basically a Hail Mary of like, ‘Well this is all we got. It’s either this or nothing.’ So I spent the last $200 I had. I hadn’t done that previously so I hadn’t put that in my budget as an expense that I needed to be aware of. And it comes down and I’m like ‘dude I don’t have enough money to master these. Which one is good enough?’ And he’s like ‘this one.’ And I’m like ‘perfect, let’s do it. Put it out.’ It sells 10,000 units the first week. Which I thought was cool, that’s probably what everyone’s doing. Or that’s less than everyone’s doing. Because, again, I don’t know.”

He added, “And it turns out apparently it wasn’t what everyone was doing and it was a lot more for an independent kid who’s dropped out of college to move to town and doesn’t have anything going on. And that’s kind of what led to 100 other dominoes falling in my favor so I’m very thankful for that moment and obviously it was supposed to work out that way.”

“Hurricane” was the first of 19 No. 1s Combs has earned on the Country Airplay chart so far. Combs’ upcoming album The Way I Am releases Friday (March 20).

See Combs’ full episode on Hot Ones below: