LONDON – Following the arrival of the U.K. government’s Spring Statement – an overview of the upcoming budgetary and spending plans – on Wednesday (Mar. 26), the U.K. creative industries are expressing concern over what the new budget could mean for artists, grassroots music venues and music education this year.

Since coming into power after winning an overwhelming majority with 412 elected MPs in last July’s General Election, Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party and Lisa Nandy — the U.K.’s culture, media and sport secretary — have run their campaign on promises of economic growth and a greater respect for the British arts. Last summer, they pledged a new National Music Education Network in their manifesto that would deliver increased resources for parents, teachers, and children. The creative industries were also named as a growth-driving pillar in the U.K.’s modern industrial strategy, with an aim to grow the sector by £50 billion by 2030.

In November, Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered the first Labour budget in 15 years, which raised some taxes – notably national insurance contributions for employers – that will allow the government to invest in the National Health Service (NHS), education and infrastructure. She also committed £6.7 billion ($8.6 billion) for education investment in 2025.

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In the Spring Statement, however, which was delivered by Reeves from London this afternoon, a fresh set of cuts to government spending and public investment were outlined. She also told MPs that “the world has changed” since her first budget just under five months ago, and that those changes were to blame for the string of downgrades she put forward.

When discussing departmental budgets – which dictate how much different parts of government can spend until 2030 – Reeves said she aims to make the state “leaner and more agile.” Early reports suggested that day-to-day department spending was set to increase by an average of 1.3% per year above inflation; Reeves confirmed it will, in fact, rise by 1.2%. Furthermore, she confirmed that cuts will fall on departments outside of health, defense and education, whose departmental spending is not “protected,” she said.

“The Spring Statement makes it clear that most government departments, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, face real-terms cuts,” Roberto Neri, CEO of The Ivors Academy, tells Billboard U.K. “This will put further pressure on already stretched budgets at the BBC and Arts Council England, two of the most significant commissioners of new music.”

Years of underfunding from previous governments, tough financial conditions for artists and grassroots venues and complex issues surrounding generative artificial intelligence (AI) are all significant challenges for the sector. A hearing at The Houses of Parliament in October 2023, for example, found that 1,000 music teachers have been lost in the past decade, while a 2025 report by Music Mark found that Labour had inherited a shortfall in its music education budget over the next five years.

A briefing published by U.K. Music in Sept. 2024, meanwhile, suggested that the international appetite for British music remains strong – with overall exports growing by 15% to £4.6 billion ($5.9 billion) last year – but that the health of the country’s music ecosystem must be looked at more closely, Neri posits.

“Since the pandemic, the U.K.’s music industry has grown almost twice as fast as the wider economy — and we’re fighting to ensure songwriters and composers see more of the benefits,” Neri says. “As the government prioritises economic growth, it should back our world-leading songwriters and composers, the source of all value in music, and invest in the infrastructure they depend on.”

The lack of new policy around music and culture in the Spring Statement is also of concern to Ben Selway, managing director at Access Creative College (ACC), the U.K.’s largest independent training provider across creative fields. Former pupils at Access Creative’s seven national campuses include Ed Sheeran (now a patron of the ACC), Rita Ora and Jorja Douglas of BRIT-nominated girl group FLO.

The future of music education in the U.K., Selway says, depends on “how effectively we are able to reverse the negative trends we’ve seen over the past decades, from the closure of grassroots music venues to a reduction in funding in real terms, and mitigate the risks that threaten the music industry, such as AI and copyright.”

Selway also highlights the recent statement made by the Ed Sheeran Foundation, whose namesake made headlines earlier this week with the release of an open letter – signed by other A-listers including Sir Elton John and Harry Styles – calling upon the government to ensure music education remains high on the agenda. “This creative industry brings so much to our culture, our communities, our economy, our personal wellbeing, but music education has fallen through the gaps. That’s why I’m asking the government, collectively, to correct the mistakes of its past and to protect and grow this for generations to come,” Sheeran wrote.

Sophie Brownlee, external affairs manager at the Music Venue Trust (an organisation that supports the grassroots music scene) told Billboard U.K. that “the chancellor, treasury and DCMS have all the facts and data they need to know how to reverse the decline in access to live music and culture in our communities.” She added: “For the chancellor to choose, once again, not to act on this opportunity will not generate growth or meet the Government’s wider ambitions for the creative industries. Instead, it will see more grassroots music venues close, many in already deprived communities, further jobs lost, and the continuation of undervaluing local culture in the U.K.”

Though Reeves announced plans to invest more in AI technologies across the civil service and defense sectors, her statement didn’t broach the government’s 10-week consultation – which took place in late 2024 – on if copyrighted content, including music, can lawfully be used by developers to train generative AI models.

In recent months, the AI question has become a highly debated talking point among the industry, proving controversial among creatives and copyright holders. The government’s resulting report said an “opt out” approach would give rights holders a greater ability to license the use of their content, but those plans are yet to be confirmed.

Tom Kiehl of U.K. Music argues this is not a time to become complacent. “The chancellor has talked again about her strategy for economic growth and some of the potential benefits of AI,” he says. “However, there was nothing in her statement about the huge damage that would be caused to the music industry by government plans to give AI firms unfettered access to music under sweeping changes to copyright law. The proposals would be a disaster for the U.K.’s £7.6 billion music industry. 

“We need an urgent rethink from the Government and the Chancellor over those plans,” Kiehl continued, “which would allow firms to train their AI models on British music without having to pay or seek permission from the people who created the work or own the rights.”

Billboard Women In Music 2025’s lineup keeps on growing, with Tina Knowles, Becky G, Suki Waterhouse and more joining as presenters and honorees. Keep watching to see who else will be at Women in Music! 

Watch the live event on March 29 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on the Billboard Women in Music 2025 channel exclusively on Vizio Watch Free +. 

Are you excited for this year’s Billboard Women In Music? Let us know in the comments below!

Narrator:
This year, get ready for the biggest Billboard Women in Music yet. It’s all happening live March 29. Tina Knowles will receive the Mother of the Year award, where we’re honoring women like aespa, Ángela Aguilar, Anna, Charlotte Cardin, Erykah Badu, GloRilla, Gracie Abrams, JENNIE, Megan Moroney, Meghan Trainor, Muni Long, Tyla and more! Julia Michaels, Kali Uchis, Becky G, Madison Beer, Mickey Guyton, Summer Walker, Tanner Addell, Suki Waterhouse, Lauren Jauregui, Victoria Monét and Zara Larsson join an already stellar lineup of powerhouse women as presenters, each playing a pivotal role in shaping the music landscape. Woman of the Year? Doechii. The show will be hosted by Laverne Cox. 

Laverne Cox:
Girl, it’s Laverne Cox, and it is almost time for Billboard’s Women In Music. Are you ready? 

Narrator:
Find all the details over at BillboardWomeninMusic.com. Watch the live event on March 29 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on the Billboard Women in Music 2025 channel exclusively on Vizio Watch Free +. 

Playboi Carti tops Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart for the third time, debuting atop the tally dated March 29 with “Evil J0rdan.”

The new track, off Carti’s latest album Music, bows with 30.8 million official U.S. streams earned in the week ending March 20, according to Luminate.

It’s the rapper’s first fully solo No. 1 hit on Streaming Songs and second as a lead act. He first reigned as a featured artist on Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Carnival” alongside Rich the Kid for three weeks starting in February 2024, followed by a one-week run atop the list last October on “Timeless,” his collaboration with The Weeknd.

Playboi Carti first reached Streaming Songs in 2017, when “Magnolia” peaked at No. 11. He has 33 career entries on the tally, including 12 top 10s, four of which come via the latest ranking. “Rather Lie” with The Weeknd follows “Evil J0rdan” at No. 2 (28 million streams), and then comes “Good Credit” with Kendrick Lamar (No. 7, 18.7 million) and “Crush” with Travis Scott (No. 9, 18.2 million).

In all, 22 songs from Music, Playboi Carti’s third studio album, appear on Streaming Songs, making him the sixth artist to notch at least 22 appearances on the survey in a single week, and it’s the 10th time in all that any act has done so. Taylor Swift holds the all-time record at 31 songs (May 4, 2024).

“Evil J0rdan” is also Playboi Carti’s third No. 1 on Rap Streaming Songs and is his fourth on R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs.

Concurrently, as previously reported, “Evil J0rdan” starts at No. 2 on the all-format Billboard Hot 100, while parent album Music debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Grammy-nominated artist mgk (formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly) has signed with WME for representation worldwide. The global touring artist and actor (real name Colson Baker) was previously represented by UTA.  

mgk has notched 19 Hot 100 hits including No. 4 entry “Bad Things” with Camila Cabello in 2017, 2021’s “My Ex’s Best Friend” with blackbear, which reached No. 20, and “Lonely Road,” his 2024 collaboration with Jelly Roll, which reached No. 33. All Billboard chart data is provided by Luminate.  

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All of mgk’s six studio albums have landed in the top 10 of the Billboard 200. Two of them — 2020’s Tickets to My Downfall and 2022’s Mainstream Sellout — debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Mainstream Sellout earned a 2023 Grammy nomination for best rock album and was supported with a sold-out North American and European tour.  

mgk has also posted 10 appearances on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and 53 entries on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. He has additionally surpassed 20 billion streams globally, according to WME. 

Beyond music, mgk has built an acting career with film roles in Beyond the Lights (2014), Nerve (2016), Bird Box (2018), and The Dirt, the 2019 Mötley Crüe series in which he portrayed Tommy Lee. In 2022, he starred in the critically acclaimed Taurus and also wrote, co-directed and starred in Good Mourning

mgk’s influence extends into fashion and business, including his 2022 runway partnership with Dolce & Gabbana, his Cleveland-based 27 Club coffee brand, his nail polish brand UN/DN LAQR and his production company Floor 13. 

mgk’s upcoming 2025 tour dates include two appearances at the Warped Tour 30th anniversary stops in Washington, D.C., and Orlando, Fla. He continues to be managed by Steve Astephen, Ashleigh Veverka and Andre Cisco

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

After sweeping the Chicago Cubs during MLB World Tour 2025: Tokyo Series in Tokyo, Japan, superstar baseball player Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers are coming back home for MLB Opening Day.

Detroit Tigers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers takes place at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday (March 27).

When Does Detroit Tigers vs. L.A. Dodgers Start?

Detroit Tigers vs. L.A. Dodgers broadcasts live, with a start time of 7:10 p.m. ET/4:10 p.m. PT.

Where to Watch Detroit Tigers vs. L.A. Dodgers Online

The Detroit Tigers vs. L.A. Dodgers game airs on ESPN. It will be available to livestream on Hulu + Live TV. Keep reading for more details on how cord-cutters can watch the Tigers-Dodgers game online with Hulu + Live TV.

How to Watch Detroit Tigers vs. L.A. Dodgers with Hulu + Live TV

Detroit Tigers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers on ESPN is available to watch with Hulu + Live TV. Prices for the cable alternative start at $82.99 per month, while each plan comes with Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ at no additional cost. Sign up for a 3-day free trial to try out the streaming service for yourself.

Hulu + Live TV might be best for those who want all of these streaming services together in one bundle. It also features many other networks, including MLB Network, ESPN2, Fox Sports, CBS Sports Network, ABC, Hallmark Channel, BET, CMT, Disney Channel, NBC and more.

What Is Shohei Ohtani’s Walkup Song During Detroit Tigers vs. L.A. Dodgers?

During games, L.A. Dodgers superstar Shōhei Ohtani typically walks up to the plate for an at-bat to the song “The Show Goes On” by Lupe Fiasco.

Starting at 7:10 p.m. ET/4:10 p.m. PT, the Detroit Tigers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers airs on ESPN on Thursday (Mar. 27). The game is available to livestream with Hulu + Live TV.

Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox dealsstudio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.

“We’ve been trying to spread our music from Japan to the world,” Lilas Ikuta, singer for the Tokyo-based duo YOASOBI, told the audience at a sold-out Peacock Theater show in Los Angeles during a break in the group’s frenetic, synth-driven pop show. Already stars in their home country, Ikuta, who goes by the stage name Ikura, and her bandmate, Ayase, are beginning to get serious help finding fans beyond their home turf.

YOASOBI’s appearance that night was part of a concerted effort to push Japanese pop music — J-pop — far beyond the island nation. The March 16 showcase — matsuri ’25: Japanese Music Experience LOS ANGELES, which also featured Ado and ATARASHII GAKKO! — is the creation of The Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA), an organization created by the five Japanese music industry organizations, along with Los Angeles-based promoter Goldenvoice. CEIPA was founded in 2023 by the Recording Industry of Japan (RIAJ), the Music Publishers Association of Japan (MPAJ), the Federation of Music Producers Japan (FMPJ), Japan Association of Music Enterprises (JAME) and All Japan Concert and Live Entertainment Promoters Conference (A.C.P.C.) An industry mixer and panel discussion before the concert was hosted by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Consulate-General of Japan in L.A.

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The quest to take J-pop global also has the financial heft of Japan’s largest corporation. In February, CEIPA announced a partnership with Toyota and the launch The Music Way Project, an effort to bring Japanese music to a global audience. The Music Way Project will have overseas bases in L.A., London and Thailand to organize showcases in those regions. It will also help develop artists through a three-pronged approach that includes student seminars, in collaboration with Japanese universities; seminars for young music professionals; and a songwriting camp. Toyota’s “innovation and adventurous spirit,” said CEIPA executive director Taro Kumabe at the press conference, “aligns perfectly with our mission to take Japanese music further into the world.”

The global success of South Korean music — K-pop — and the resulting growth of companies such as HYBE and SM Entertainment have people in Japan wondering why J-pop can’t be the next great music export. “There is a chance for Japan as well,” Tatsuya Nomura, board member of CEIPA and president of FMPJ, told Billboard through an interpreter. “You have to understand, K-pop music is based on ‘80s Japanese pop. So, as long as we strive forward, we can do it.”

Japan already has a presence in the U.S. mainstream through video games (Final Fantasy, Pokémon), anime (Spirited Away), fashion (Uniqlo), food (sushi) and martial arts (karate). But while K-pop songs and albums regularly appear at the top of Billboard’s U.S. charts, J-pop remains a niche. A few Japanese artists have made some headway. In 2019, pop trio Perfume became the first J-pop act to perform at Coachella. Babymetal, a heavy metal band fronted by three females, tours the U.S. regularly and has appeared at festivals such as Sick New World and Rock on the Range. YAOSOBI performed at Lollapalooza and Coachella in 2024 but didn’t build a U.S. tour around those appearances.

Successfully breaking J-pop in the U.S. and other foreign markets would provide a financial windfall for the Japanese music industry. While Japan was the second-largest recorded music market in 2024, according to the IFPI, it was just 23% the size of the U.S. And because streaming dominates in the U.S. — it accounted for 84% of 2024 revenue, according to the RIAA — there is a huge, internet-connected audience ready to push play on emerging trends. Last year, the global music market reached $29.6 billion, with $20.4 billion coming just from streaming.

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South Korea’s early embrace of streaming helped K-pop find fans in the U.S. and elsewhere. With streaming starting to take off in Japan, Nomura believes the time is right for J-pop to look beyond its borders. “Up until now, the Japanese market was mainly focused on CD sales,” he says. “But after COVID happened, people started listening to music on a streaming service. That opened a new page for Japanese music outside of Japan.”

Japan’s government wants to give J-pop a push, too. Faced with decades of deflation and stagnant wages, it’s looking to its content industries to help lift wages and commodity prices. These grand ambitions were laid out in a 2024 report by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) titled, “Grand Design and Action Plan for a New Form of Capitalism 2024,” which described the government’s dedication to increase exports of the country’s content — including music — to a world audience that’s easily reachable by digital distribution. The plan includes, among other things, education, assisting business development and using global platforms “to encourage the formation of local, dedicated fan communities.” Nomura said CEIPA does not receive any government funding.

Michael Africk, a former recording artist with songwriting and production credits on numerous hits in Japan, also believes that J-pop is ready for a bigger stage. Africk’s Handcraft Entertainment recently raised $1 million to help build a multi-faceted company that Africk says will encompass music, fashion, merchandise and cosmetics. The relatively small sum is just “a start,” he says, and the next funding round is already underway.

Africk sees South Korea’s success as a blueprint for how Japan can work in foreign markets and tailor its music to Westerners. K-pop “Westernized really well,” he says. “They understand the economics and the way business works over here. The Japanese struggle with that a bit.” After decades spent working on both sides of the Pacific, Africk believes his experience will help Handcraft bridge the business culture divide between the world’s two largest music markets.

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For J-pop to cross over in the West, the artists and music will need to fit the tastes of listeners. Africk explains that J-pop that’s popular in Japan tends to have vocal sounds and chord changes that Western audiences aren’t used to hearing. He seeks out artists who cross cultures seamlessly, speak both Japanese and English perfectly, and have appeal in both Japan and English-speaking countries. While K-pop leans heavily toward ensembles, Handcraft, which is distributed by Virgin Music Group outside of Japan and B ZONE within Japan, has signed two individual artists, Anna Aya and Hana Kuro.

There were two other signs of Japan’s expansion this month. First, blackx, an Asian-focused music investment firm, and ASOBISYSTEM, a management and production company that represents more than 100 artists, formed a strategic partnership to build J-pop outside of Japan. The pairing is meant to provide artists with resources, help them connect with fans globally and create cross-industry collaborations. Then on Tuesday (March 25), Japanese music company Avex made a major move into the U.S. market by naming Brandon Silverstein, founder of S10 Entertainment, the CEO of its newly formed U.S. arm, Avex Music Group. As part of the deal, Avex acquired 100% of S10’s publishing division and added to its existing stake in the management business. The hiring and investment will help Avex break Japanese artists in global markets and position Avex “as a potent force in the international music landscape,” Avex CEO Katsumi Kuroiwa said in a statement.

The Japanese industry will make another push in May with the inaugural Music Awards Japan, an ambitious, two-day event that will name winners of 62 categories based on votes from more than 5,000 members of the Japanese music industry. Set for May 21 and 22 in Kyoto, the awards show will be broadcast in Japan by NHK and will be streamed globally by YouTube. Toyota is a top sponsor of the event.

“Beginning with matsuri ‘25 and the Music Awards Japan, we hope that these events will become the sort of conception or beginning to a lot of different Japanese music artists being able to create more, expand their expression and creativity, to share their love for music with different fans around the world,” CEIPA’s Nomura said during the press conference. “This is going to define the future of the Japanese music industry.”

PinkPantheress is back!

The 23-year-old star took to Instagram on Wednesday (March 26) to tease some sort of new release. “May 9th,” she wrote with a kiss emoji alongside a photo of herself, looking into the camera with her hand on her hip against a white background.

As of press time, PinkPantheress didn’t indicate whether the release date is for a single or a full album. See the post here.

The star has been taking it easy the past few months after she cancelled all her remaining 2024 tour dates in August — including planned gigs opening for Olivia Rodrigo and Coldplay and her own Capable of Love headlining tour — to focus on her “physical health and overall wellbeing.”

In January, she returned to social media, writing on X, “oh we are soooo back #2025,” alongside two snaps of her working a laptop in what looks like a home studio. “i missed y’all [heart emoji] thanks for waiting on me.”

PinkPantheress broke out in 2021 while still at university when she posted the single “Break It Off” on TikTok, which led to the 2022 release of her breakthrough single, “Boy’s a Liar,” later remixed with Ice Spice in a version that hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. She released her debut album, Heaven Knows, in 2023 and her most recent solo single was last year’s “Turn It Up“; she also appeared on 2024 collabs with Kaytranada (“Snap My Finger”) and Le Sserafim (“Crazy”).

In 2024, the superstar released the Producer of the Year honor at Billboard’s Women in Music event.

Neon Carnival has announced the line-up for this year’s late-night blow-out after party in Indio, CA that will take place on April 12.

The 14th year of the event founded by L.A. nightlife impresario Brent Bolthouse and produced by Jeffrey Best of Best Events will once again take place at the Desert International Horse Park and feature sets from Anderson .Paak‘s record-spinning persona, DJ Pee .Wee, as well as DJ Charly Jordan and Chase B & Friends.

“As we kick off our fourteenth year in the desert, we’re beyond thrilled to once again team up with our incredible sponsors to create another unforgettable experience, featuring some of the biggest names in the industry,” Bolthouse said in a statement. “Last year, we amazed our guests with an incredible DJ lineup and a surprise performance by Busta Rhymes. This year, we’re turning it up even more — Charly Jordan and Chase B & Friends are joining the lineup to deliver one of the most electrifying sets yet, and it’s going to be a night everyone will remember.”

Last year’s show also featured sets from .Paak’s DJ Pee .Wee, along with a live horn player and drum kit, as well as TikTok DJ Hunny Bee and Vanderpump Rules star DJ James Kennedy.

The invite-only, 21+ celebration that traditionally draws A-list guests including celebrities, influencers and industry movers will again take over the three-football-sized, all-grass Horse Park, turning it into an “immersive neon-lit wonderland” of music, along with classic carnival games, amusement park rides and the event’s iconic light-up ferris wheel. This year’s topline sponsor is once again Patrón El Alto, whose handcrafted, prestige tequila cocktails will be served along with beverages from returning sponsors Ghost Energy, Nütrl Vodka Seltzers, LaCroix, and PathWater.

Attendees at this year’s event will get to sample the event’s first-ever official cocktail, the PATRÓN Headliner Margarita, which will be served in a glow-in-the-dark collector cup.

Plenty of country songs have rested through the years on the drinking habits of the lonely. Merle Haggard’s “Misery and Gin,” Moe Bandy’s “Barstool Mountain” and The Charlie Daniels Band’s “Drinkin’ My Baby Goodbye” all find broken-hearted men numbing their hurt with a little liquid medication at the tavern.

It’s a good bet that the vast majority of country listeners know at least something about that plot, which makes them likely to appreciate Vincent Mason’s first radio single, “Wish You Well,” in which the singer processes the passing of an old relationship by downing a few at the bar.

“This guy and this story, I’ve definitely lived it — and definitely lived it recently,” Mason says. “But I think it’s better than to try to get it back.”

The scenario is well-suited for a steel-soaked ballad, though “Wish You Well” defies that expectation. It trips along behind a buzzy guitar at a speedy pace, the melody flying by so quickly it’s easy to miss most of the words and catch only pieces of the story before it becomes familiar.

“Right from the beginning, it’s got that acoustic riff, and it’s moving really quick,” Mason notes. “I’m a big John Mayer fan — I came up on that when I was learning how to play guitar — so that slap flick kind of pattern on the guitar, it’s fun for me to play.”

The song owes its existence to the title of songwriter Blake Pendergrass (“Relapse,” “Days That End in Y”) and the tenacity of co-writer Geoff Warburton (“Best Thing Since Backroads,” “But I Got a Beer in My Hand”). Pendergrass stumbled across the hook during a brainstorming session, with the “wish you well” payoff line mashing up a common courtesy with a well drink. He envisioned a series of wishes in the song, with the singer attempting to escape his lack of fulfillment by downing the house whiskey instead of a particular brand. He introduced the idea during a songwriting session around the fall of 2022, receiving a mostly cool reception. Warburton was in the room that day, and he liked it enough that he continued to ask about it periodically over the next year.

Finally, during a four-person writing appointment on Oct. 3, 2023, at a studio owned by writer-producer Chris LaCorte (“23,” “Wind Up Missin’ You”), Warburton asked about “Wish You Well” again. This time, the collective response was enthusiastic, and they dug into it with abandon as Warburton kicked into a rapid groove on guitar. They tackled the chorus first, loading up the opening lines with a half-dozen wishes — “Wish you would call/ Wish you would miss me” — in a fairly repetitive cadence.

“That first half of the chorus came out pretty fast in the room,” Warburton remembers. “Everyone was ping-ponging ideas, and it just kept falling into place really fast.”

After following that wishful tack for four busy lines, they shifted into syncopated rhythms in the next four, simultaneously changing the lyrical focus as they barreled to the “wish you well” drink at the end.
“Once we had that first half,” Warburton says, “we’re like, ‘OK, maybe we chill on the wish stuff.’ ”

After a pause, they repeated the hook for good measure.

“There’s a lot of information in the chorus,” says co-writer Jessie Jo Dillon (“10,000 Hours,” “Am I Okay?”). “I always think when a song does that, you need to either let the song breathe or repeat the hook as a tag because someone just had to digest a lot of information.”

The chorus took up enough real estate that they had little space left for the verses. Still, they compressed more wishful thinking into those stanzas. The opening line has the guy drinking three shots, parallel to a “Jim Beam genie” granting him three wishes. Pendergrass wasn’t certain that would go over when he suggested it. “I got a little bit of pushback on stuff like that,” he says. “I love doing weird, kind of quirky lines like that. Thankfully, they let me run down that road a little bit.”

Jim Beam is a small contradiction: The song hinges on a generic well drink, but the genie employs a specific brand. “He’s like, ‘Maybe I’ll start with the good stuff,’ ” Dillon says with a laugh. “Then, he’s wasting all his quarters on the jukebox, so he has to scale it back. I’ve so been there.”

That jukebox makes its appearance in the ultra-short second verse, and they specifically named an old-fashioned model instead of a modern, digital version — to rhyme “quarter” with “order,” and to carry out the wishing motif: The guy is throwing coins in a music machine instead of a fountain. “Who wants to sing about typing in your Apple Pay on the TouchTunes on your iPhone?” LaCorte asks rhetorically. “It’s a little less poetic.”

For a quickie bridge, they extended the wish motif – at closing time: He’s still alone and decides to wish upon a “2 a.m. star.” While the words pass fast throughout the song, they flow smoothly, allowing the listener to get absorbed in its musicality. “That’s one of my main priorities when I’m writing, is that I want to make sure that there’s nothing that sounds unnatural in the phrases,” Pendergrass says.

LaCorte whipped up a sparse, mostly acoustic demo with Pendergass singing lead. And Warburton developed a simple, melodic guitar riff. “I’d just been noodling,” Warburton recalls. “Chris was like, ‘Oh, what’s that? Put that in there.’ ”

“Wish You Well” became a favorite for Hang Your Hat Music GM/executive vp Jake Gear, who was hired as Universal Music Group Nashville vp of A&R in March 2024. Around then, he gave the demo to Mason, who was signed to MCA Nashville, without any kind of suggestion that he might want to cut it.

But Mason fixated on it and, after a month of listening, committed to it. The demo was strong enough that they used it as the foundation for the master recording, and the guitar was so rhythmic that they flirted with skipping drums. Ultimately, Aaron Sterling added parts, first playing cajon, though he gradually moved to a more standard kit.

“We were kind of like, ‘Play the drums, but don’t draw attention to the drums,’ ” Mason recalls.
Mason had trouble making the words feel distinct when he cut the lead vocal, so he came back twice, and they cut the tempo both times, finally settling at 169 beats per minute, about six beats slower than the original pace.

“It’s a very wordy song, a very fast song, and there’s a lot of syncopation to that melody,” LaCorte explains. “It takes a lot [of] reps so [that] it comes out naturally. But it definitely helped once we backed it down a few clicks.”

Justin Schipper overdubbed steel and Dobro, and Josh Reedy from Thomas Rhett’s road band delivered harmonies, which get a stark highlight in the final chorus in engineer Dave Clauss’ mix. The track was so commercial that MCA took it to country radio on Feb. 13, making it Mason’s first cut that was serviced to broadcasters. It’s at No. 56 after three charted weeks on the Country Airplay list dated March 29.

“Growing up listening to country radio, I think you kind of just know,” Mason reasons. “It’s just got that X factor and that little bit of a hit thing, and I think it has the best chance on a first listen to grab people’s ear.”

Every month, Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors spotlight a group of rising artists whose music we love. Think “diamantes en bruto,” or “diamonds in the rough.” These are newcomers who have yet to impact the mainstream — but whose music excites us, and who we believe our readers should make a point to discover.

Our latest edition of On the Radar Latin includes a wave of emerging artists, who we discovered by scrolling on social media, networking, or coming across their music at a showcase, for example. See our March 2025 — in honor of Women’s History Month — recommendations below.

Artist: Chicarica

Country: Chile

Why They Should Be on Your Radar:  What happens when shimmering synths, poetic longing and electro-dance beats collide? You get Chicarica, a band that’s resurrecting the golden age of Chilean indie-pop, championed by acts like Javiera Mena, Alex Anwandter and Dënver. Composed of frontwoman Lorena Pulgar, Martín Pérez Roa and Felipe Zenteno, all masters of synths, this Chilean trio has spent years crafting a sound that’s equal parts introspective and euphoric — a delicate balance of dreamy textures and irresistible pop melodies.

Following its debut album Arde Lento (2021), released via the renowned Santiago-based label Quemasucabeza (Gepe, Ases Falsos, Fernando Milagros), Chicarica is readying for its big moment. The band’s latest single “Antes del día,” which dropped earlier this month, is a lush and captivating prelude to sophomore album, Invierno en la Playa (out May 30). According to a press release, the new album “raises the group’s BPM, where elements of 2-step and ‘80s synthpop breathe extra life into the band’s atmospheric sound.” And the single perfectly sets the tone for a bold new chapter in Chile’s synth-pop evolution. — ISABELA RAYGOZA

Song For Your Playlist: “Antes del Día”

Artist: Jacqie Rivera

Country: U.S.

Why They Should Be on Your Radar: Five years ago, Jacqie Rivera stepped into the music realm, following the footsteps of her famous late mother, Jenni Rivera, and award-winning sister Chiquis. With her soft yet captivating voice, Rivera has released music in English and Spanish, primarily in pop, R&B, and Regional Mexican. Her latest single, “En Otra Vida,” honors her family’s legacy — blending banda, mariachi and norteño with a contemporary pop sound. The heartfelt tune is part of Rivera’s debut studio album of the same name that explores themes of love, heartbreak, healing and self-discovery. — JESSICA ROIZ

Song for your Playlist: “En Otra Vida”

Artist: Soley

Country: Colombia

Why They Should Be on Your Radar: Soley (full name: Soley González Jaramillo) kicked off her career in 2019, first delivering Latin EDM and Guaracha tunes (an electronic music genre from Medellín, not connected with the traditional Cuban genre) before embracing reggaetón in 2021. The following year, the Colombian artist — known for her sensual vocals and coquettish aura — released “La Reina de la Noche,” her debut single under Sony Music Colombia. In 2023, Soley — who is signed to La Industria, Inc. for management — released her debut album La Bellakita, powered by hard-hitting perreos and trap songs while last year’s Sol EP is home to chill and breezy Afrobeats. After opening shows for artists such as Ryan Castro and Blessd, Soley will drop her next single “Lección” on Thursday (March 26). — J.R.

Song for your Playlist: “Coco Loco” (feat. Zaider & The Prodigez)

Artist: Sophie Castillo

Country: U.K.

Why They Should Be on Your Radar: Just after one of my South by Southwest (SXSW) panels earlier this month, Sophie Castillo and her team approached me to introduce themselves. With a thick British accent, Castillo — whose mom is Colombian and father is Cuban — spoke to me about her efforts to help grow the Latin music scene in London with her indie-pop sound laced with beats of reggaetón and bachata. Although I didn’t get a chance to check out her showcase at SXSW, I found her on Spotify and her the first song on her profile, “Call me By Your Name,” really hooked me. Released in 2022, the bachata song is bilingual (Spanish and English), like a lot of her songs, a testament to her commitment to popularize Latin music in the U.K. Castillo has an upcoming EP due in April. — GRISELDA FLORES

Song for Your Playlist: “Call Me By Your Name”

Artist: Suanny

Country: Honduras

Why They Should Be on Your Radar: As an indie artist born in Tegucigalpa and based in Los Angeles, Suanny seeks to bring together the best of both worlds by fusing hip-hop and Latin urban music with R&B, pop and other rhythms. In recent months, she’s released singles including “Catracha,” “Pegaíto,” “Mala” and “Musa,” all featuring bilingual (Spanish/English) lyrics of female-empowerment. After a couple of decades paving her way in the entertainment world as a model and actress (she participated in Univision’s reality show Nuestra Belleza Latina in 2006 and appeared in an episode of the TV show Gentefied in 2020), Suanny is now fully committed to music, getting ready to release her debut EP. — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS

Song For Your Playlist: “Pegaíto”