Bruno Mars released his debut album in 2010, while Harry Styles and his One Direction bandmates dropped theirs in 2011. In the decade and a half since, these two have skyrocketed to superstardom in their own ways — and then in the past two weeks, they each blessed pop fans with a brand-new project.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are taking a closer look at Mars’ The Romantic (released Feb. 27) and Styles’ Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally (March 6) and where each pop star is in his respective career. For Mars, he’s cementing the loverboy credentials he’s built up through “Just the Way You Are” all the way through Silk Sonic’s 1970s come-ons. For Styles, he’s taking a sonic left turn and introducing his rabid fanbase to new soundscapes and subject matters as they evolve through life together.

Listen to our full breakdown in the new episode below:

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Mars is back at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for the first time in more than a decade, as The Romantic debuts atop the chart. Meanwhile, the set’s lead single “I Just Might” comes back to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. Plus, could Styles debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 next week with Kiss All the Time?

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

Twenty-nine seasons in, and The Voice is still finding new ways to shake up the competition.

On Monday (March 9), the singing competition series announced the introduction of new mentor roles as well as a whole new game within the game. The show, which premiered its 29th season last month, will see the return of familiar faces, new advisors stepping up to the plate and an all-new all-star competition.

Three iconic The Voice coaches are returning to the show to help mentor contestants as they try to sing their way to victory. Original The Voice coach CeeLo Green will serve as a Mega Mentor for Adam Levine and John Legend’s teams. Meanwhile Michael Bublé, who judged the previous three seasons of the show, will be a Mega Mentor for Kelly Clarkson’s contestants. Jennifer Hudson will also return as an Alumni Coach to help mentor Team Kelly during coaching rehearsals.

The three returning coaches aren’t the only ones stepping onto The Voice stage as mentors: The Voice Australia coach and Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden will join Levine as an advisor during the battle rounds. Meanwhile, Grammy-winning R&B singer Muni Long will assist Team Legend as a battle advisor.

On top of the new mentor roles, The Voice is also reintroducing some alumni contestants to the show. In the new in-season all-star competition, each of the three coaches will bring back two artists from their teams in previous seasons to compete in head-to-head sing-off battles. CeeLo will serve as the judge for the All-Star Showdown and determine the winner. Representing Team Adam in the in-season competition are season 1 winner Javier Colon and season 9 winner Jordan Smith. Team Kelly will be represented by season 21 winner Girl Named Tom and season 17 winner Jake Hoot. Season 16 winner Maelyn Jarmon and season 27 fan favorite RENZO will represent Team Legend. The coach with the most sing-off wins will be guaranteed a second finalist in the finale. With the new showdown format, these returning contestants may help determine the winner of the season.

The Voice airs weekly Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC and is available for streaming the next day on Peacock.

A group of independent artists, songwriters and producers has brought a new copyright infringement lawsuit accusing Google of training its Lyria 3 artificial intelligence model on unlicensed music pulled from YouTube.

The complaint, filed on Friday (March 6) and reviewed by Billboard, follows a series of copyright cases brought by music rightsholders against AI song generators Suno and Udio over the past two years. This is the first such lawsuit to go after Google, which launched Lyria 3 through the Gemini app last month, allowing users to generate up to 30-second AI songs based on text and image prompts.

Google’s entry into the AI music market differs from existing services because it already owns YouTube, home to millions of songs uploaded by artists and labels. Friday’s lawsuit alleges Google used this position “to pivot from distributor to competitor,” supposedly extracting audio elements from YouTube videos and feeding them into the Lyria training set without paying artists.

“Google had every opportunity to develop this product legally,” reads Friday’s lawsuit. “It owns YouTube and runs Content ID. It has long-standing relationships with major labels and distributors. It has the technical infrastructure, financial resources and industry connections to clear rights before training. Google chose not to do so, not because licensing was impossible, but because copying was faster and cheaper.”

Reps for Google did not immediately return a request for comment on the lawsuit on Monday (March 9). In a statement to Billboard last month, the company said Lyria 3 is mindful of copyright concerns and only trains on music that YouTube and Google have “a right to use under our terms of service, partner agreements and applicable law.”

The lawsuit was filed by an all-indie group of music creators: singer/songwriter Sam Kogon, composer/producer Magnus Fiennes, songwriter/producer Michael Mell, R&B group Attack the Sound, father-and-son folk rock duo Stan Burjek and James Burjek, and the Chicago-based band Directrix.

All of those artists publish music on YouTube and therefore allege their work was likely included in the Lyria 3 training dataset. They’re bringing copyright infringement claims against Google as to both publishing and recorded music rights, plus various other intellectual property, privacy and consumer protection claims.

The case is a proposed class action, meaning the plaintiffs want relief for all indie artists who have allegedly been harmed by Google’s conduct. They’re seeking financial damages and noting that music produced by Lyria 3 is taking real work, such as sync licensing opportunities, away from human beings.

“Google markets these outputs for the same uses, and to the same buyers, as the music plaintiffs create and license,” reads the lawsuit. “The result is not incidental competition from a tool with a different purpose. It is direct, designed-in market substitution at a scale that individual human creators cannot match.”

The same group of artists previously brought similar copyright lawsuits against Suno, Udio and AI music generator Mureka. Another indie artist, Tony Justice, also has pending class action lawsuits against both Suno and Udio.

The more closely watched front in the AI music copyright war, however, is litigation brought by the three major label groups. Back in 2024, Universal Music Group (UMG), Warner Music Group (WMG) and Sony Music teamed up to sue both Suno and Udio for allegedly training on stolen work “at an almost unimaginable scale.”

Udio settled with both UMG and WMG near the end of 2025, striking landmark licensing deals that promise to compensate rightsholders and keep songs generated on the service within a so-called “walled garden.” WMG then signed a settlement with Suno, which allowed licensed AI music to be downloaded and distributed on streaming.

UMG is continuing to hold out in its fight against Suno, and Sony has not settled either case. For the claims that remain, Suno and Udio are mounting a defense that their AI training was permissible under the principle of “fair use” — a tenet of copyright law that allows unlicensed work to be used in “transformative” fashion.

Hilary Duff bared her soul on new album Luck … or Something, and in a new interview, the singer-actress opened up about key moments in her life — from her divorce to her struggles with family and the Disney Channel machine — leading up to it.

On a new episode of On Purpose With Jay Shetty posted Monday (March 9), Duff reflected on some of the biggest personal fallouts she’s faced, starting with her 2014 split from ex-husband Mike Comrie. “I felt like in that time of my life, I was so ready to get married … I was ready to have a baby,” she told Shetty. “I was ready to have something of my own, you know, that I could just like, focus on and it be mine.

“I’ve been pretty open about, you know, being a divorced person and what that’s like, and being a single mom,” she continued. “Choosing to end a family is a huge, horrible choice to make. But I also co-parent … with that person. And we do a great job mostly.”

The Lizzie McGuire alum married the former NHL star in 2010, staying together for four years and welcoming son Luca before separating. Their divorce was finalized in 2016, and Duff is now married to songwriter Matthew Koma, with whom she’s welcomed three more kids over the years.

Another separation that’s affected Hilary has been that of her parents, Robert and Susan, who divorced in 2008. She’s been open about having “complicated” dynamics with her mom and dad as well as her older sister, Haylie, both of which she addressed on the podcast.

“To be in a family that, you know, your parents aren’t together, and you don’t have relationships with both of your parents, it’s devastating,” she told Shetty. “You want your parents to feel like they care about you. And a big portion of my existence hasn’t felt like that. I don’t know if that’s the truth, but that’s how it feels.”

“My sister and I don’t speak,” Hilary added of her rift with Haylie, which inspired “We Don’t Talk,” one of the former’s new songs on Luck … or Something. “It’s very hard to be a person who’s had their life exposed in the industry for 25 years, and we were talking about, you know, that earlier tiptoeing around what the outcome has been for some of it … It’s a very vulnerable song, and it’s a very raw part of my existence. I hope it’s not forever, but it’s for right now.”

Beyond prying eyes into her family and personal life, the How I Met Your Father star also went in to more ways that finding fame through her work with Disney as a preteen had negative impacts on her. “Probably around 15 was when I feel like the world started getting very interested in what I was wearing, who I was dating, what I was eating … I feel like I lost some serious innocence,” she told Shetty.

For a brief time, Hilary says the scrutiny led her to poor body image and disordered eating. “I was dealing with people commenting on my body at a young age and starting to get photographed and people, like, asking you how many times you weigh yourself or comparing you to people that were thinner than you or other girls in your line of work,” she said. “I definitely struggled for a little while there, just trying to fit a certain mold and have control over something in my life. Thankfully that was pretty short-lived. Um, but definitely toyed with it.”

Luck … or Something dropped Feb. 20, debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. In June, she’ll kick off a world arena tour in support of the LP, which marks her first in more than a decade.

If you or someone you know need support for an eating disorder, visit the National Eating Disorders Association for more information.

Watch Hilary’s full interview on On Purpose With Jay Shetty below.

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Hot Topic has new KPop Demon Hunters merch that we’re kind of obsessed with.

Even though the film came out in June 2025, the animated film’s popularity hasn’t waned. From two 2026 Oscar nominations to a soundtrack that continues to dominate the Billboard charts, the flick has maintained a steady dominance in pop culture. This fame and relevance has translated into a ton of cute merch that’s great for gifting both kids and adults alike, from top brands such as Funko, Target, Old Navy, Loungefly and PacSun, just to name a few.

Hot Topic’s KPop Demon Hunters merch collection just recently dropped, and it’s a must-have for superfans. The collection features everything from fuzzy Derpy-inspired hoodies, HUNTR/X-themed enamel pins and comfy cargo pants, and so much more — all for less than $70. You can shop the full collection both in store and online at Hot Topic. Below, we’ve highlighted a few of our favorite pieces from Hot Topic’s merch line that you can browse and buy bellow.

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Derpy Tiger Fuzzy Hoodie

$54.90

Buy Now at hot topic

This hoodie is inspired by the fan-favorite character Derpy. The tiger’s likeness is translated into a fuzzy oversized hoodie.

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Derpy is a cerulean blue supernatural tiger from the film, heavily inspired by Korean babo horangi — or “idiot/foolish tiger” folk art. This beloved big, blue fuzzy tiger was translated into an oversized zip-up hoodie, complete with his distinctive stripes and the tiger’s cute little ears. The hoodie comes in sizes XS to 3XL and is made of a fuzzy material designed to mimic Derpy’s coat. The stripes mentioned are embroidered on the sleeves, hood and down the back. The front is equipped with hefty pockets for extra warmth and comfort. With spring in full swing, this hoodie could come in handy when combating the chill still lingering in the air.  

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ HUNTR/X Cargo Pants

$49.90

Buy Now at hot topic

Stylish and cozy, these cargo pants feature motifs of the HUNTR/X girls. The bottoms have a drawstring closure and an elasticized waist for comfort.

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HUNTR/X has captured the fascination of many, much like real K-pop girl groups. This piece captures the essence of members Rumi, Zoey and Mira with colorful motifs printed throughout gray baggy cargo pants. These bottoms come in sizes XS to 3XL. Cargo pants like these focus on both comfort and style with the ample pockets, drawstring closure and elasticized waist for those days when you want to look put together but not constricted or uncomfortable.

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Derpy Tiger & Sussie Bird Plush Scrunchie Set

$16.90

Buy Now at hot topic

This pair of scrunchies is made to look like Derpy and his sidekick, Sussie. These scrunchies are made of a plush, non-snagging fabric.

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Scrunchies like these from Hot Topic are an easy and fun way to zhuzh up your regular updo. The set includes scrunchies made to look like Derpy and Sussie, a six-eyed, black-and-white magpie wearing a small black Korean Gat stolen from her companion, Derpy. These scrunchies are made from a plush fabric that is said to prevent hair breakage or snagging. 

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ HUNTR/X Blind Bag Enamel Pin

$12.90

Buy Now at hot topic

This is a set of six enamel pins depicting scenes from the Netflix animated film. You’ve got Rumi, Mira and Zoey, along with Derpy and a HUNTR/X logo.

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If you’re looking to accessorize your tote bags, jackets or hats, enamel pins are the way to go. These six pins inspired by KPop Demon Hunters depict motifs of HUNTR/X members Zoey, Mira and Rumi slurping up ramen along with the famed Derpy and a good old HUNTR/X logo. These pins can be used to add color and charm to any piece. You also won’t have to worry about these pins fading or breaking. Enamel is extremely durable and the colored material remains pretty vibrant after years of use.

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Rumi Replica Earring Set

$11.92 $14.90 20% off

Buy Now at hot topic

This jewelry is meant to mimic the pieces worn by Rumi in the animated film. You’ve got a total of three pieces for 20% off.

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Channeling your inner Rumi has never been so easy with this set of three pieces of jewelry. These are inspired by the character’s own jewelry in the animated film. The shapes also take inspo from all the HUNTR/X members’ weapons. The three-piece includes ear cuffs and chains for 20% off.