Kroi released their first new song of 2026, “Kinetic.” The song was produced by Incognito’s Bluey, who Kroi’s members are longtime fans of.

Billboard JAPAN had the opportunity to sit down with Kroi and Bluey during his visit to Japan. The roundtable discussion shed light on the powerful bonds that developed between these artists through the process of creating music together.

What led to this collaboration?

Uchida: Last year, we performed in The Great Escape, and someone floated the idea that since we were going all the way to London, we should record there. Until now, we’d never written music together with a producer, so we wanted to work with local artists or producers in the UK. I shot my shot and said “I want to work with Bluey!” I figured it would be impossible, but he accepted.

So you were a big fan of Bluey from the start?

Uchida: A huge fan. All of us love Incognito. They’re what got me into music in the first place, so I was so happy when he said okay. Being here together, talking like this? It’s like a dream.

How was it when you jammed together in the UK?

Chiba: It was the first time we’d ever had someone produce us, and it was so much fun. Normally, we would have to decide on each and every thing ourselves, but when working with Bluey, he’d tell us if there was something missing, and he’d give suggestions. We knew we could rely on him. It was a wonderful experience. We were in the studio together for about three days, and every morning, when we got together, Bluey would take us to a café next to the studio. He’d have a salad, and we’d have sandwiches and coffee. Through that time together, we built even stronger bonds than we would have through the music creation process alone. We got to know each other and become friends. It was a truly precious experience.

Bluey: Before they arrived, I was already at the café, standing there waiting for them. My friend asked me “How are you going to know it’s them?” I said “I think I’ll know when their car gets here.” So the car arrives, and they get out, and they look like characters right out of an anime (laughs). We didn’t go straight into the studio, but first went to a café, and we hit it off right away.

Masuda, do you have any memories of the meeting?

Masuda: Bluey’s a legend, so I was really nervous, and I was worried about whether I’d be able to play well in front of him. But the minute we went in, he said “who’s the drummer?” And I said “I am.” And he immediately ordered these sandwiches.

What about you, Hasebe?

Hasebe: I started taking guitar lessons back in junior high school, and when I was practicing strumming, my guitar teacher assigned me Incognito’s “Colibri” to practice on. That’s where I first heard Incognito. I was incredibly nervous playing guitar in front of the man himself during the recording, but it was so much fun. And it was so moving being able to play in Bluey’s own studio, “Colibri Sound Recorders.”

Bluey: The engineer, Mo (Mo Hausler), played a huge role in the studio. When you work with musicians like them, who’ve got really sharp, unique vibes, you need an engineer with a feeling of transparency. Transparency about whether everything’s being recorded in full, whether you’re spending too much time on it, whether you’re able to quickly record the best sounds. That transparency really brought out what we did when we played together.

This song feels a little different than most Kroi songs. There’s a freshness to it.

Uchida: Right, it has a bit of an Incognito sound to it, but we were the ones who wrote and played the music, so the song’s sound is really a fusion of the Kroi and Incognito sounds, which is great.

Bluey: I’m glad to have been part of their journey. But I’m just one little part of it. The biggest part is that they’re all wonderful musicians in their own rights, and they were able to come together to discover the shared sound of Kroi. They all believe in Leo’s songwriting, and Leo believes in their playing and their ability to communicate with the audience. They find strength in each other. They know what each of the others is capable of, and they bring out the best in each other.

I get the feeling that this collaboration connected you to each other at a deeper level and really built bonds of trust.

Uchida: We were together with Bluey for three full days, communicating a lot like this. And I felt so much love around Bluey. João (João Caetano), who laid down some percussion, also had a lot of love and respect for Bluey, so we got along really well. Everyone was drawn in by that aura of love around him. He attracts some truly wonderful performers, and I’m glad that we were able to number among them.

The way the song starts with Bluey’s voice was also very unique.

Uchida: Right. Bluey was recording the backing chorus, and we got him to record that intro for us on short notice.

Bluey: They seemed so happy, I was truly glad to be able to be involved in the process. That’s why I asked for them to let me introduce myself, for my own audience. What we’re doing right now isn’t just the work we did in the studio. We’ve started something that’s going to keep on going. I want Incognito fans around the world know that I’ve worked with Kroi. I was glad to be able to start the track by saying “Bluey from Incognito here.” That was my way of saying “Thanks.”

To wrap things up, Uchida, could you share your feelings on the creation of “Kinetic”?

Uchida: With the decision to make the song in London, I also wanted it to be the embodiment of the music we wanted to create. Making it together with Bluey felt like going back to my roots, but at the same time evolving. Now I know that was the right decision. What Bluey was talking about before was what we felt when we listened to Incognito’s music. That’s why we grooved so well when we finally met. Not everyone in the band speaks English, but we all broke out in laughs and smiles. When that happened, I truly understood that the energy that comes from music really shapes and guides people. I realized that we were on the right path, and that was truly the best thing about the whole experience.

Bluey: Maybe they thought they’d be working with Doraemon. After all, he’s blue-y too (laughs).

—This interview by Tomohiro Ogawa first appeared on Billboard Japan

While Carmit Bachar may not know why she wasn’t invited to the Pussycat Dolls‘ upcoming reunion tour, original member Jessica Sutta is pretty sure she knows exactly why she was left out.

In the latest episode of The Maverick Approach podcast, Sutta reveals to host Maverick Bailey why she believes she was not given the opportunity to return to the girl group this year.

“I aligned with Bobby Kennedy, which is aligned with MAGA,” Sutta said, adding, “I was a liability,” and calling the reunion a “cash grab.” Sutta shared that she previously didn’t identify as political but became so because her “life depended on it.”

In a 2025 interview with Daily Mail, Sutta shared that she suffered a “debilitating” injury that she attributes to the COVID-19 vaccine. Ultimately, this is what led to her connection to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom she campaigned for during the 2024 U.S. presidential election. On the podcast, Sutta expresses that while she does not agree with everything President Trump does, because she feels strongly about health secretary RFK Jr. and his policies, she owns the MAGA label — even in the face of backlash.

“People are screaming at me, ‘You’re MAGA, You’re MAGA,’” she says. “Yeah, I am MAGA. I triple down on it because I’m sick of people telling me who I should be.”

This is not the first time Sutta has spoken out about the reunion. In the days following the band’s big announcement, she took to her Instagram with a length statement saying that she learned about the reunion right before it was made public, and that she “didn’t have much time to prepare for the reaction that followed online.”

“And if we are really being honest, you can’t trip on what’s behind you,” she concludes in her caption. “Good luck, ladies.”

Sutta is not the only member of the girl group to be excluded from the reunion event. After The Pussycat Dolls announced the three-person tour and released their new single, “Club Song,” Carmit Bachar took to Instagram to share that she did not know the reunion was happening.

“I was not contacted regarding the group’s decision to move forward, and I learned of these plans at the same time as the public,” Bachar wrote in the caption to her post. Ultimately, she’s decided to move on and focus on her well-being and upcoming projects.

The original six-piece lineup of Pussycat Dolls comprised of Nicole Scherzinger, Kimberly Wyatt, Ashley Roberts, Melody Thornton, Bachar and Sutta, with only Scherzinger, Wyatt and Roberts returning for the reunion. Though Bachar and Sutta — who were included in PCD’s 2020 reunion — have expressed their feelings on being excluded, Thornton — who hasn’t been part of the group since 2010 — has yet to speak out publicly.

Korea’s music industry is fighting back against artificial intelligence with an unprecedented show of unity. On Feb. 26, six major music rights organizations launched the K-Music Rights Organization Mutual Growth Committee in Seoul, warning that the next 24 months will determine whether Korean creators survive the AI revolution.

“The next two years are the golden time that will decide the life or death of Korea’s music industry,” committee chair Lee Si-ha said at the launch event. “Individual responses from separate organizations can’t stop this massive wave of change. The entire industry must stand together.”

The coalition includes the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA), Korea Music Content Association, Korea Music Performers Federation, Korea Recording Industry Association, Korea Entertainment Producers Association and the Together Music Copyright Association. Together, they represent virtually every stakeholder in Korea’s domestic music ecosystem.

The groups adopted an “AI-Era Music Rights Declaration” demanding three core protections: a ban on AI training without creator consent, mandatory transparency in AI generation processes and clear legal distinctions between human-created and AI-generated works.

Korea has already felt AI’s impact firsthand. When KOMCA discovered that trot singer Hong Jin-young’s hit “Love Is 24 Hours” was composed by GIST professor Ahn Chang-wook’s AI program EvoM, the organization froze royalty payments for the AI-created songs in July 2022. EvoM had generated 300,000 compositions over six years, selling 30,000 tracks and earning 600 million won in revenue.

The legal reasoning was stark: Korea’s Copyright Act defines creative works as “creations expressing human thoughts or emotions.” If AI is the creator, there’s no legal basis for royalty payments.

That 2022 controversy became the flashpoint for Korea’s AI music rights debate. It exposed a fundamental problem: AI was already producing music consumed by millions, but the law hadn’t caught up.

The core issue is training data. Generative AI systems learn from millions of existing recordings to create new music, typically without obtaining permission from original rights holders. The result can unconsciously mimic existing melodies and styles.

Another legal gap compounds the problem. Under Korean law, a singer’s voice itself isn’t defined as a copyrightable work. Even when AI cover creators illegally clone famous K-pop idols’ voices, existing performer rights protections can’t effectively stop the flood of unauthorized content online.

K-pop artists face the heaviest burden. A 2023 Security Hero report found that Korean singers and actresses make up 53% of the individuals featured in deepfake pornographic content worldwide. Eight of the top 10 individual targets were Korean female singers.

The global exposure K-pop acts like BTS, NewJeans and BLACKPINK have achieved has paradoxically made them prime targets for AI-generated fake content. Voice synthesis technology has advanced to the point where fans say they “can’t tell who’s real anymore” when AI cover songs flood YouTube.

HYBE has responded by acquiring AI voice startup Supertone for 45 billion won, taking a 56.1 percent controlling stake. The message is clear: Korea’s biggest entertainment companies are internalizing AI voice technology rather than waiting for regulations to catch up.

Globally, the music industry’s approach has evolved from early litigation toward negotiation and licensing. In June 2024, the three major labels — Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music — jointly sued AI music startups Udio and Suno, alleging that both platforms trained their models on copyrighted recordings without permission. Through late 2025, the major labels reached varying settlements and licensing arrangements with these platforms as the industry shifted toward seeking structured commercial relationships with AI companies rather than relying solely on the courts.

The shift from courtroom battles to conference room deals signals that major labels see coexistence with AI as inevitable. The legal conclusions, however, remain unwritten.

KOMCA has moved faster than most of its global counterparts. As of March 24, 2025, all new music registrations require a signed statement certifying that “AI was not used and the work consists solely of human creative contributions.” False statements can trigger legal liability, royalty freezes and removal of works from the database.

The policy doesn’t ban all AI use. KOMCA’s official position is that works created “100 percent by AI” cannot be registered. But if AI served as an assistive tool while the human creator’s core contribution remains clear, copyright protection may still apply.

This aligns with guidance from the World Intellectual Property Organization, which stated in a 2024 report that “AI-centric creations are difficult to protect under current copyright frameworks.”

The newly formed committee plans to build a blockchain-based unified infrastructure to track AI-generated and distributed music data. The system aims to connect international standard identification codes used for musical works and sound recordings with content identification systems used by major platforms, creating auditable records of AI training pathways.

This integrated data structure aims to increase copyright tracking transparency and create auditable records of AI training pathways.

The question now is whether regulatory frameworks can match the pace of technological change. Korea experienced the cost of legal gaps through the EvoM case. KOMCA’s proactive policy and the solidarity committee’s launch position Korea among the fastest-moving nations on AI music governance.

Yet structural gaps remain, including inadequate legal protections for vocal identity, unclear standards for determining whether AI-created works qualify as copyrightable and limited enforcement mechanisms against platforms hosting unauthorized AI covers.

Whether this industry-wide coalition can move beyond declarations to meaningful institutional reform and technical defenses will become clear within the next two years. The countdown has begun.

This story was originally published by Billboard Korea.

J. Cole pulled up on Cam’ron’s Talk With Flee this week, where he revealed that Kendrick Lamar originally had a pair of features on an earlier version of The Fall-Off. Unfortunately, Cole pivoted after the tracks were leaked.

“I had The Fall-Off finished. I probably had to tweak a couple of mixes,” Cole said. “At that time, I had been working on The Fall-Off, which was done, and by the way, somebody leaked it. I know who leaked it — it’s cool he put it out there. [Kendrick] was on two joints.”

When The Fall-Off ultimately arrived in February, Kendrick was nowhere to be found on the double-disc album. It’s unclear if this had anything to do with Cole and Lamar’s brief feud in April 2024, which the Dreamville boss walked back and apologized for dissing K. Dot on Might Delete Later closer “7 Minute Drill.”

Cole may provide more detail on the matter when the full interview with Cam’ron is released on YouTube on Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET.

Digging a bit deeper, before The Fall-Off‘s arrival, J. Cole explained that he felt re-energized creatively after sidstepping the Lamar feud, which led to him recording the second part of the double-disc.

“2 years ago, after the events that still feed the algorithm to this day, I became incredibly re-inspired, and the album slowly blossomed into a double disc as the concept expanded. I felt there should be an additional cover that represented that,” Cole wrote in a February IG post. “Something just as strong as the first, with my face on it, so when I look back in 20 years, I can see an image of who I was at the time I released the project I worked on for so long.”

In the past, Cole and Kendrick have teamed up on tracks like “Forbidden Fruit” and Jeezy’s “American Dream.” J. Cole actually played a pair of unreleased collabs with Lamar on his Inevitable audio series in late 2024, but they were recorded circa 2010.

Elsewhere in the interview, just prior to revealing the scrapped Lamar verses, Cole shared his initial reaction and swing of emotions to hearing Kendrick’s explosive verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” in March 2024, which lit the fuse and saw him essentially call out Drake and Cole in a response to their Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “First Person Shooter.”

“My first reaction is that sh– is hard. It’s a hard a– verse, undeniable,” he said. “The beat crazy, the song is ill. He went crazy. That’s my first reaction because I don’t know what I’m necessarily listening for.

Cole explained how that quickly changed. “My second reaction is not now, ” he added. “This is inconvenient for me. Right at that time, I had just got off tour with Drake and I had Might Delete Later in the chamber.”

J. Cole then responded to Lamar with the aforementioned “7 Minute Drill,” which he scrubbed from streaming services and then apologized to Kendrick onstage at his Dreamville Festival for in April 2024. This all cleared the way for Drake and K. Dot to battle later that month.

Watch the clip below.