What is a night in the life of Rihanna like? As you might imagine, super busy. But at least now we can see just how busy thanks to an 80-second video RihRih posted on Thursday night (Feb. 26) in which she takes Navy on a several hour tour of her bustling fashion and music empire.

Along the way, the singer also dropped the latest hint that her long-awaited ninth studio album — referred to as “R9” if you know — might maybe, possibly, be in the works.

The night opens just before 10 p.m. at a Savage X meeting, where the boss of the fashion brand talks colors and patterns with the team under the strains of Chic’s 1978 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 disco classic “Le Freak.” The nearly three-hour meeting ends with Rihanna signing vinyl copies of her Loud, Music of the Sun and Good Girl Gone Bad LPs. For the record, the meeting went until 1:45 a.m. and ended with the slap-happy crew cracking up and giggling “approved” to sketches just to get things done.

“I have to go to the studio after this,” Rihanna announces near 2 a.m. “And I have to make a Mardi Gras costume for my son after the studio … longest day ever,” she adds. As the clock rolls toward 2:20, the word “SLEEP” pops up on screen and is quickly scratched out. Miles to go before the mother of three can get some shut-eye, apparently.

Around 3 a.m. we see Rihanna in a recording studio, punching buttons on the console and seemingly writing lyrics while snuggled up under a blanket and a puffer coat as a room full of cohorts hang out around her. This part of the video, unfortunately, has no audio, so we just have to be content with watching Rih vibe out to unheard music, dancing around and smiling as she waves her phone to an unheard beat.

Still not done.

At 5:05 a.m. Rihanna is still at it and starting to get a bit loopy as she goofs around with the team in the studio. “STILL NO SLEEP,” reads the message as the clock ticks toward 7 a.m. That’s when she turns on mom mode and starts working on that Mardi Gras costume she was talking about, hot glue gun in hand, as Chaka Khan’ 1978 soul classic “I’m Every Woman” blasts out amid a flurry of cutting and pasting sparkly fabric.

By 8 a.m. we see Rihanna emerge with her son in tow, rocking his bedazzled jeans and black jacket, with black heart-shaped sunglasses, pink pacifier and an umbrella covered in black sequins and green feathers completing the look; Rihanna has three children with partner A$AP Rocky, three-year-old son RZA Athelston, two-year-old son Riot Rose and six-month-old daughter Rocki Irish Mayers.

By 9:30 a.m., Rih, wearing a bedazzled Mardi Gras mask and a pink SVG x Fenty sweatsuit, packs her son off to school and can finally get some “me” time.

Maybe.

Rihanna recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of her ANTI album, which was released in January 2016 and spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Since then she has headlines the 2023 Super Bowl LVIII halftime show, released the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever theme “Life Me Up” and voiced Smurfette in last year’s Smurfs movie.


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Iron Maiden will bring their brand of heavy metal thunder down under later this year.

The British heavy metal legends today (Feb. 27) announce the Australia dates of their Run For Your Lives World Tour, where they’ll play stadiums for the first time in both Melbourne and Sydney, and arenas in Adelaide and Brisbane.

Megadeth are special guests on the four-date run, which will get underway Nov. 11 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, before hitting Melbourne’s AAMI Park (Nov. 13), Sydney’s Allianz Stadium (Nov. 15), and wrapping up Nov. 18 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

The Australia visit will mark Iron Maiden’s eighth, dating back to November 1982. Australians can’t get enough of them. Iron Maiden was here fewer than two years ago, in September 2024.

“This will be Iron Maiden’s biggest tour of Australia ever,” explains TEG Dainty president Paul Dainty, producer of the tour. “Headlining stadiums in Melbourne and Sydney for the first time in their 50-year history is a massive moment. And with Megadeth joining the tour, this is going to be an absolute powerhouse night of metal — two giants of the genre, one colossal production, and a show Australian fans won’t know what hit them.”

Iron Maiden has had a solid week. On Wednesday, the band’s name was called out for nomination into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. And earlier, on Tuesday, Universal Pictures International (UPI) unveiled Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition, a feature film that’s said to trace the rockers’ “remarkable five‑decade journey” with “unprecedented access” to the rockers’ official archives.

Formed in East London in 1975, Iron Maiden are titans of the heavy genre, with 17 studio albums, over 100 million records sold, and more than 2,500 performances across 64 countries. In September 2021, Iron Maiden earned its highest charting album ever on the Billboard 200 as Senjutsu debuted at No. 3. 

General public tickets for the Australia shows go on sale Friday, March 6.

Run For Your Lives Australia Dates

Nov. 11 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre

Nov. 13 — AAMI Park, Melbourne

Nov. 15 — Allianz Stadium, Sydney

Nov. 18 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre

Grab your fave sneakers, get stretching. Stay hydrated. For her new number, VASSY leads us straight to the dancefloor.

With “On Me,” which dropped Friday, Feb. 27, VASSY joins forces with fellow Australian producer Mind Electric. The fresh release has all the groove and thump of a modern disco express, and is accompanied with high-energy club remixes from Australian DJs Douglas York and Bust-R.

“I’ve always wanted to bring disco back, but in a cool house-dance way,” VASSY tells Billboard.com. “It’s disco spirit meets late-night energy — made for the dance floor for when the lights drop and you feel completely in your power. It’s nostalgic yet current, and it reminds people that dance music can still have soul.”

The Darwin-raised, U.S.-based singer and songwriter is a trailblazer in the EDM world, a hitmaker with upwards of 3 billion career streams, six No. 1s on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart, an APRA Billions Award, and a slice of history by becoming the first female and first Australian to receive the EDMA Icon Award in 2023.

Last year, VASSY took a musical detour with her BossAcoustics EP, a collection that paid homage to her roots. “Exploring Bossa Nova allowed me to reconnect with the music that inspired me to start singing in the first place,” she explains. “Having built most of my career in the Dance/EDM space, I needed to go back to the roots—to the foundation of why I fell in love with music. It was a full-circle moment. It forced me to slow down, rediscover my voice, and reconnect with my artistry beyond the production. That experience reminded me who I am at my core. Bossa Nova brought me back to my foundation; it reminded me why I started singing before the charts and before the big stages.”

“On Me” drops ahead of VASSY’s performance Friday, Feb. 27 at the Peppermint Club in Los Angeles.

There’s more music to come.

“2026 is going to be my year of pure artistry,” VASSY enthuses. “I’ve finished a body of work that I’m incredibly proud of, and I’ll be releasing it predominantly independently, working closely with local teams. I feel freer than ever — not tied down, and really able to explore my creativity without limits. It’s also going to be a big year personally. There are some major life changes happening, and I think that energy is going to translate into music in a powerful way.”

Stream “On Me” below.

SYDNEY, Australia — Several members of Spotify’s top brass, including the streaming giant’s founder and CEO Daniel Ek, made the long haul down under in recent days to meet with the domestic music industry and to present a new, multi-year grassroots music initiative.

The cornerstone of Spotify’s good-news week in these parts was the unveiling of a first-of-its-kind partnership with The Push, the national youth music organization dedicated to creating safer, fairer and more inclusive music communities for young people. Through the three-year arrangement, Spotify has donated A$200,000 ($142,000) to help create pathways for young people into music, a sum that’s said to be the largest-ever single donation received by The Push, as it celebrates its 40th anniversary.

That package, presented before an industry gathering on Wednesday evening, Feb. 25 on Sydney’s Oxford Street, on the eve of the colorful Mardi Gras parade, marks one of the digital platform’s “most significant partnerships,” explains Mikaela Lancaster, managing director for Spotify Australia and New Zealand, “one focused squarely on supporting the next generation of Australian artists and industry leaders. It’s one that’s close to my heart.” 

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Also on hand was Spotify’s chief public affairs officer Dustee Jenkins, who announced the initiative to a room that included senator Sarah Hanson-Young, UNIFIED Music Group founder and CEO Jaddan Comerford, and Moshtix managing director Harley Evans.

“We’re super proud of our contributions to the industry. And this market is so so important to us,” Jenkins remarked. “Australia is the second most-engaged market for us in the entire world.” Roughly 50% of Australia’s 25 million population is on Spotify, she continued, and they’re “using Spotify on a regular basis. And so we want to be sure that they continue to enjoy their experience, that they think about that experience as time well spent.”

Jenkins also shared the results of Turn Up Aus, a booster project that generated 223 million more streams of domestic music in Australia for the year 2024-25.

The investment in the Turn Up Aus campaign can be measured in “millions of dollars,” she explains, and isn’t being made in most countries.

Separate data published by Spotify last May found that Australian artists generated over $300 million in royalties for the previous year, a 14% increase year-on-year gain. More than 80% of those royalties were from listeners outside of Australia; “exciting export numbers,” reckons Jenkins, and a result that places Australia in the top 10 exporters of music worldwide. That despite Australia being bumped from the IFPI’s top 10 recorded music markets for the first time last year.

From the outside looking in, Australia has it all. Cold beer, hot coffee, warm weather, hard-to-beat beaches, and a culture where sporting champions are lauded with statutes. The country’s music community has produced countless heroes, too, from AC/DC to Sia, Kylie Minogue and INXS, who were this week nominated for the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.

Homegrown artists, however, are struggling to be seen and heard above the galaxy of music that’s available on-demand. And the avalanche of new music isn’t slowing.

In Australia, “there’s no question that there has been a lot of talk about the important of ensuring that Australians are still listening to Australian music,” Jenkins tells Billboard, “that Australian artists have a chance at success in their home country.”

Turn Up Aus addressed the creeping dread through a combination of efforts, from a dedicated editorial hub to industry-focused events, youth music education efforts, fan experiences and more. Those additional 223 million homegrown streams, “this is significant,” Jenkins remarked. “But we know that’s not enough.”

That’s where The Push comes to shove. The donation will directly support the organization’s new ten-year strategy, A National Plan for Young Australians and Music, a blueprint, a call-to-action for government, industry and communities to ensure all young people, regardless of postcode, income or identity, can participate and thrive in Australian music.

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Spotify and The Push got talking about 12 months ago, explains The Push’s CEO Kate Duncan, as both sides explored the effects of the federal social media ban for under-16s, an enforceable rule that came into effect last December. Youngsters love their music, and they to find it on their socials. A national YouGov poll, published last year by The Push, found that 70% of young Australians were discovering new music via social media platforms.

“A lot of those conversations we’ve been having with Spotify over the last six months have been about how we could be supporting on another,” Duncan tells Billboard.

With the cash injection, The Push will be rolling out a suite of initiatives that “give young people a sense of purpose and connection,” she continues. “So, positively impacts their mental well-being.”

The partnership launch at Appizza wrapped with a performance by Robert Baxter, previously spotlighted through The Push program, and a set by Spotify’s latest RADAR artist MAY-A, whose sang cuts from her debut album Goodbye (If You Call It That), and her hit collaboration with Flume, “Say Nothing.”

“The youth, the pool of talent coming out the market,” says Spotify’s Jenkins, “we need that to remain really healthy and strong.”

Hilary Duff timed her comeback to perfection, as Luck… Or Something debuts at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

Luck… Or Something arrives at the summit of the Australian albums tally, published Friday, Feb. 27, for her fourth top 10 appearance and first leader. Previously, the singer, songwriter and actor landed at No. 6 with 2004’s Hilary Duff, at No. 3 with 2005’s Most Wanted, and at No. 4 with 2015’s Breathe In Breathe Out, her most recent album.

Duff’s sixth studio album is the best-seller on vinyl this past week, ARIA reports.

With Duff making the best possible start, Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving dips 1-2, while award-winning Queensland singer and songwriter Tom Busby completes the podium with Rockhampton Hangover, his debut solo album. It’s new at No. 3. Busby is part of the blues and roots duo Busby Marou, which went all the way to No. 1 in 2017 with Postcards From The Shell House, and to No. 5 with Farewell Fitzroy (from 2013) and The Great Divide (2019).

Also new to the national tally is Mumford & Sons’ sixth studio album, Prizefighter, which punches its way to No. 5. It’s Mumford’s sixth straight top 10 studio album, a tally that includes a No. 1 with 2009’s Sigh No More.

Meg Mac, the talented Australian singer and songwriter extends her streak of top 10 appearances to four, as It’s My Party opens its account at No. 6. Mac hit No. 2 in 2017 with Love Blows, No. 9 in 2019 with Hope and topped the chart for one week with 2022’s Matter Of Time.

Baby Keem (No. 13 with Ca$ino), Megan Moroney (No. 20 with Cloud 9), and Sydney artists Above, Below (No. 35 with I Guess It Was Nowhere) and Maya-A (No. 46 with Goodbye (If You Call That Gone)) all crack the ARIA Top 50.

Olivia Dean may have lost her albums chart crown, but she completes a rare singles chart troika with “Man I Need” (unchanged at No. 1), “Rein Me In” (her collaboration with Sam Fender, up 6-2 for a new peak) and “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” (down 2-3), respectively. With that effort, she joins an exclusive club of recording artists who’ve locked up the top 3, including The Beatles, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and former The Voice Australia winner Karise Eden.

“Man I Need” has lorded over the ARIA Chart for 15th straight weeks and draws level with Ed Sheeran’s 2017 hit “Shape Of You” as the third longest-running No. 1 single in these parts. Alex Warren’s” Ordinary” (from 2025) and The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” (2021-22) are tied in second place with 17-week reigns. The all-time champ is Tones and I’s “Dance Monkey,” which led for 24 non-consecutive weeks in 2019-20).

Following the announcement of a national arena tour this October, Tame Impala enjoys a new high with “Dracula,” up from 23-21. It’s the only homegrown recording in the top 50.

It’s been a long wait for Bruno Mars’ new album The Romantic: five years since his An Evening With Silk Sonic team-up with Anderson .Paak and 10 years (!!) since his most recent solo album 24k Magic. But this Friday (Feb. 27), Bruno is finally back, with a nine-track effort designed to wrap Valentine’s Month with a lush collection of love songs to make his ’70s and ’80s (mostly ’70s this time around) forebearers proud. (And just in case anyone was skeptical Mars could still do it in 2026 — yeah, right — the set arrives already with one minted Billboard Hot 100 smash in the No. 1-debuting “I Just Might.”)

While past Bruno Mars albums have worked his influences into more obviously modern sonic trappings, or looked back on the lyrical tropes of bygone soul and pop artists back with a bit of a wink, The Romantic might be his most straightforward throwback yet — loving, full-throated tributes to Philly soul and quiet storm, with a bit of Latin rock thrown in as well. Some songs lift specific vibes from classics by beloved hitmakers like The O’Jays, Curtis Mayfield and Santana, while others just internalize lessons learned from those artists for Mars’ own submissions to their canon.

Just nine new songs after five (or 10) years might not feel like a lot — eight, if you don’t count “I Just Might” — but Mars is intent on making them count. See how Billboard ranks the tracks from the flop-proof pop superstar’s sure-to-be hit new album below.

Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

This week, Bruno Mars drops his first solo album in 10 years, BLACKPINK returns as a group with its third mini album and RAYE released the latest single from her forthcoming second album out in March… plus much more. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Bruno Mars, The Romantic

Bruno Mars made a strategic splash at the Grammys in January, not only opening the show with his and Rosé’s global smash “APT.” but also performing his new solo hit, “I Just Might,” later in the ceremony. The single not only debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 but also offered the only preview into his anticipated fourth album, The Romantic, out today. The nine-track project comes on the heels of a hot streak for hitmaker Mars, following his Lady Gaga collaboration “Die With a Smile” and, of course, “APT.” With his first solo project in a decade, Mars is affirming what we already know: the man’s a hit machine — and with tracks like the sweet opening serenade “Risk It All” and suave slow jam “God Was Showing Off” he reminds us that yes, he’s always been the romantic.

BLACKPINK, DEADLINE

Following impressive solo debuts for Lisa (Alter Ego), JENNIE (Ruby), Rosé (Rosie) and an EP for Jisoo (Amortage), the foursome better known as global sensation BLACKPINK is back with its third mini EP, DEADLINE. The five-track project includes the celebratory and energetic return single “JUMP” alongside “GO, “Me and my,” Champion and “Fxxxboy.” According to a statement from YG Entertainment, all five tracks were created over extended periods of time while DEADLINE as a whole showcases “BLACKPINK at its most radiant.”

RAYE, “Nightingale Lane.”

“This is a song about the greatest heartbreak I’ve ever known,” says RAYE, introducing her new single with an inviting intimacy that makes listeners feel like they’re eavesdropping on an open mic night. With “Nightingale Lane.” (which recalls the cadence and delivery of the tear-inducing “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”) RAYE does what she does best and delivers a tale of heart ache with enough wisdom, hope and, of course, vocal power to help transform a painful memory into a performance that somehow leaves listeners uplifted. Fitting, for a single off an album titled This Music May Contain Hope.

Towa Bird, “Gentleman”

Pop-rocker and guitarist Towa Bird returns with one-off “Gentleman,” produced by Patrick Wimberly (MGMT, Blood Orange) and built around a rousing riff. The song balances the playfulness of its lyrics (Sharp shooter/ A breadwinner/ I’m toast) with the grungy brashness of its composition, resulting in a track that at just two minutes and 17 seconds begs to be replayed.

Elmiene, “Honour”

Ahead of Elmiene’s anticipated debut album, out in March, the British singer released a two-pack today including singles “Honour” and “I Want In.” Of his forthcoming album, Songs For Someone, the artist — and Billboard‘s R&B Rookie for February — said in a statement: “Making this album was painful, I felt lonely sometimes, I felt loved sometimes. I felt guilty sometimes and I felt forgiven sometimes but most of all it was an important duty to myself that I needed to fulfill.” On “Honour,” Elmiene tosses a coin with loneliness on one side and love on the other by attempting to stay true to a basic need, but not knowing which side will face up in doing so.

Angèle and Justice, “What You Want”

Belgian pop singer Angèle first broke out stateside with her Dua Lipa team-up “Fever” and now, she’s paired with iconic French duo Justice for the haunting and heavy “What You Want.” Angèle’s airy vocals perfectly contrast the harder-edged production, resulting in a track that sucks you into its mysterious world. After meeting backstage at Justice’s show, Angèle invited the pair to her studio to hear some demos she had been working on, including “What You Want.” As she shared in a statement: “I thought Justice could bring the electro-club expertise — and the tension — that were missing from that first version…They brought a power to the track that the intention and balance had been missing.”

Charli xcx’s soundtrack to the film Wuthering Heights debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Soundtracks chart (dated Feb. 28). The set is the companion project to the theatrical release, which stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, and bowed in United States movie theaters on Feb. 13. The film was directed by Emerald Fennell.

The soundtrack takes a bow in the top 10 on six album charts: Soundtracks (No. 1), Vinyl Albums (No. 2), Indie Store Album Sales (No. 2), Top Album Sales (No. 3), Top Current Album Sales (No. 3) and the Billboard 200 (No. 8). On the latter list, the set marks Charli’s third top 10, following BRAT (No. 3 in 2024) and CRASH (No. 7 in 2022).

Charli got involved with the project after she got a call from Fennell at Christmastime in 2024. “I read the script and immediately felt inspired so Finn Keane and I began working on not just one but many songs that we felt connected to the world she was creating,” she earlier stated in a press release announcing the album. “After being so in the depths of my previous album (BRAT) I was excited to escape into something entirely new, entirely opposite.”

Concurrent with the album’s debut, a number of its songs dent the Billboard charts. “House,” featuring John Cale, debuts at No. 30 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and No. 19 on Hot Alternative Songs. “Dying for You” debuts at No. 9 on Hot Dance/Pop Songs and No. 13 on Dance Streaming Songs. “Chains of Love” enters at No. 87 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 109 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 158 on the Global Excluding U.S. chart. And, “Always Everywhere” debuts on the Billboard Global 200 (No. 191).

Jill Scott’s first studio album in more than a decade, To Whom This May Concern, debuts in the top 10 across seven Billboard charts (dated Feb. 28), including a No. 7 arrival on Top Album Sales. It also takes a bow in the top 10 on Top R&B Albums (No. 4), Independent Albums (No. 6), Vinyl Albums (No. 6), Indie Store Album Sales (No. 6), Top Current Album Sales (No. 7) and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (No. 10).

Scott’s last studio album, Woman, was released in 2015.

The new set marks Scott’s fifth top 10 on the Top Album Sales chart and her ninth on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Scott’s latest is one of three debuts in the top 10 of the Top Album Sales chart, joining Charli xcx’s Wuthering Heights soundtrack (No. 3) and Brent Faiyaz’s Icon (No. 5).

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album (TEA) units and streaming equivalent album (SEA) units.

Elsewhere in the top 10 of Top Album Sales, Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS rises 3-1 for its second week in the lead,ATEEZ’s GOLDEN HOUR : Part.4 falls to No. 2 in its second week, Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving rises 7-4, ENHYPEN’s former No. 1 THE SIN : VANISH climbs 8-6, Stray Kids’ chart-topping DO IT rises 12-8, Taylor Swift’s former leader The Life of a Showgirl vaults 17-9 and the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack closes out the top 10 with a 14-10 rise.

It was one year ago, in February 2025, that BLACKPINK first teased a new tour, which eventually culminated in the milestone all-arena DEADLINE World Tour, which reached 16 cities and 33 concerts.

The trek wasn’t just an opportunity to dance along to BLACKPINK’s luminous discography, but also to celebrate the individual successes of members JISOO, JENNIE, ROSÉ and LISA, who all released major solo projects while group activities were on hold.

Now, one year later, the girls are back with the new EP also titled DEADLINE marking their first major music release since they hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with Born Pink in 2022. Similar to the rollout of their previous chart-topping LP, DEADLINE was previewed by an early summer single — the Diplo-assisted “JUMP,” which peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 this past July — before fans received the larger project and a new single.

While “JUMP” combined Korean and English lyrics in true K-pop form, the four new tracks in DEADLINE are all in English, marking a new, globally-focused pop chapter for the group to shake the world stage more than ever. Further bolstering the impact are the creatives in the credits like their longtime producer TEDDY, go-to composers like IDO, Danny Chung, and Vince, as well as new collaborators like Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, KPop Demon Hunters‘ breakout songwriter and vocalist EJAE, and Top 40 hitmaker Cirkut.

It was just earlier this month that TEDDY, EJAE, and IDO all won the Grammy Award for best song written for visual media with “Golden” with that same sparkling synergy coming through across the EP’s different songs.

BLINKs, it’s time. Below is Billboard’s ranking of every song on BLACKPINK’s DEADLINE.