Janelle Monáe and The Wondaland Arts Society are transforming Los Angeles into a spooky Halloween destination.

Monáe unveiled the full lineup for Wondaween 2025 on Wednesday (Oct. 15), which blends together fashion, music, art and film events across Los Angeles for the next month. While highlights of the festival include a Wondaween Game Night and intimate discussions about horror, sound and costume design with Danny Elfman, Akela Cooper and more, the biggest draw is undeniably the inaugural Vampire Beach music festival. The festival will host a mere 1,000 “Wondaweenies” for a fun, costumed celebration of music, food and other surprises. The fest will take place on Oct. 30 at a secret location.

The jam-packed festival should come as no surprise, considering how much of a passionate Halloween lover Monáe has always been. Every year, her Halloween costume becomes the talk of the internet. Last year, she shocked the world when she dressed up as E.T., doing so with some unbelievable prosthetics and makeup.

“E.T. has lurked in my mind since I was a baby,” Monáe told Vogue last year. “From Spielberg’s writing to the cinematography, the story of E.T. and Elliot has touched my heart deeply. This movie always leaves me in tears. The bond Elliot and E.T. had was a display of the best parts of us: pure love and allyship. We need more of that. I’m always praying we can all impact each other’s lives like they did each other’s.”

Check out Janelle Monáe’s reveal of Wondaween 2025 below. Tickets and RSVPs are available now on the Wondaween website.

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And just like that, Sabrina Carpenter is making her Saturday Night Live hosting debut in just a few days.

And ahead of the episode helmed by the pop star, Carpenter stars in a hilarious promo video posted Wednesday (Oct. 15), in which she channels Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw. With her hair in bouncy curls that rival Sarah Jessica Parker’s in the iconic TV show, the singer struts through 30 Rock while smiling at her own inner monologue.

“New York is one big apple, and I’m taking my bite at Saturday Night Live,” she says in a voice-over before sitting down to “type” on a computer that isn’t even turned on: “The woman wondered what she had gotten herself into. Having won over the cast and crew …”

While walking through the halls of the studio, she spots Marcello Hernandez. “Thank God, it’s Mr. Big!” she cheers as the confused cast member says, “Hey, uh, it’s actually Marcello … but I’ll take it.”

Carpenter’s hosting debut will premiere this Saturday (Oct. 18). The Grammy winner will also serve as musical guest on the episode.

And while she’s never helmed an episode of SNL before, Carpenter is no stranger to the show. After making her debut as a musical guest on the program in May 2024, she took part in SNL‘s 50th anniversary celebrations, singing “Homeward Bound” with Paul Simon for SNL50: The Anniversary Special and appearing in a viral “Domingo” sketch with Pedro Pascal.

Watch Carpenter’s new SATC-inspired SNL promo video above.

Exactly one week after marrying North Carolina rapper Stunna 4 Vegas in an all-pink wedding and dominating social media in the process, Houston rapper Monaleo unleashed one of hip-hop’s most politically potent songs of the year. If her nuptials were visual proof of the importance of maintaining cultural traditions — she and Stunna literally jumped the broom together — then her new single, “Sexy Soulaan,” is a musical encapsulation of Black American culture, pride and unity.

Although the new song has been lauded for its authenticity and uplifting of Black Americans, “Sexy Soulaan” has also drawn criticism from various corners of the Internet. Some accused her of promoting “black supremacy,” others felt she was “misrepresenting [the] Black American Heritage flag,” and an entirely different group used the song to interrogate the controversial roots of the “Soulaan” term. 

Coined in a 2020 TikTok video by Maroc Horus, T-Roy Parks & Dwayne Coleman, the term “Soulaan” is an ethnonym for Black Americans. “We understand that we are from the soil,” Horus tells Billboard. “We understand that we are people who went through chattel slavery in America, but we also understand that we were here before that as well. We want to acknowledge the sovereignty that stands within the soil.”  

Of the assertion that Black people lived in North America before the transatlantic slave trade, he notes, “I don’t prove anymore because once you [do], people will try to invert [and debate] your truth as if it is an opinion.” The term also stands for Soul Autochthonous American. Notably, indie D.C. rapper G. Pryor frequently used the term across his 2024 Summer ‘95 LP — but Monaelo’s track essentially serves as its introduction to the mainstream hip-hop lexicon.

“Sexy Soulaan” finds Monaleo fashioning slick wordplay out of Black American proverbs, and the Pitt tha Kidd- and Romano-crafted beat feels specifically engineered to highlight her Southern rap cadence. “I need my reparations, b—h, you gotta bring me my s—t/ These b—es my kids, I been dreaming ′bout fish,” she spits, before hilariously declaring, “You never supposed to put your purse on the ground/ But I’m slamming this coin purse on the concrete!” 

Directed by Evil Twins (George and Frederick Buford), the accompanying music video employs a comedic tone to reject the played-out social media concept of inviting “allies” to the proverbial cookout. With a special emphasis on Black American fashion (ornate nails, meticulously arranged braids and sparkly grills), the music video also features notably Pan-Africanist energy — with Leo, draped in a giant Black American Heritage flag, posing in front of a quilt of flags of predominantly Black countries. 

“[I wanted] to promote Black unity, Black community and Black love,” Monaleo tells Billboard while en route to the studio. “And that’s always been my personal goal, especially under the umbrella of white supremacy.” 

Interestingly, Horus — who has penned op-eds decrying recent manifestations of Pan-Africanism — interpreted that scene as Monaleo simply “showing we also have love and support for our allies.” “At the end of the day, she’s an artist,” he says. “And I keep saying this, because people are looking to her for [answers] about Soulaan. I understood the language, and, in totality, that was Soulaan.” 

On Friday (Oct. 17), Monaleo will release her new Who Did the Body mixtape ahead of launching her headlining tour of the same name on Nov. 30 at Chicago’s Avondale Music Hall. Coming on the heels of buzzy singles like “Putting Ya Dine” and “We on Dat,” “Sexy Soulaan” is just one piece of the beautiful puzzle that is Monaleo’s 2025.  

Below, the newlywed MC talks about recording “Sexy Soulaan,” decentering the American flag in her visuals, and preparing for the rest of the year.

How has life been as a newlywed so far?

Life as a newlywed has been really good. I’m enjoying the wife’s life!

When and how did you first come across the term “Soulaan,” and why did you connect to it?

I heard about it almost two years ago. I understood it as referring to the distinct culture and history of black Americans, specifically descendants of slaves. Obviously, that spoke to me, because my ancestors were slaves. It felt like a really beautiful way to display Black American pride and continue honoring the people [who] came before me.

When did you know or kind of realize that you wanted to incorporate that term explicitly into your music?

Since I started making music, I’ve wanted to make sure that people overstood what my message was, what I stood for, and what I stood against. I always knew that I wanted to find a way to incorporate that message into my music, because it relates to my fan base and my generation. I grew up with my grandmother and my mother, Southern Black American women, so the culture and the roots run really deep. It doesn’t sound like I’m preaching, but I’m just getting my generation to understand the importance of knowing your history.

What was the “Sexy Soulaan” recording session like?

[The song] came about in Atlanta just a few months ago. I was in the studio going through some beats, pulled up [“Sexy Soulaan”], and the words just started coming to me.

I remember sitting in this feeling of gratitude and being appreciative of these ideas and thanking God for them. I was writing out the verses and really trying to articulate this message in the clearest, most concise way possible. I remember getting chills all over, like, “Thank you, God, for these ideas — because I know these ideas are not mine.” It just felt like [this song] was going to be pivotal for me.

I went in, recorded it, and as soon as I came out, I loved it immediately. Sometimes, some of my songs have to grow on me, but this one, I was like, “Oh, I love this. I’m ready to drop this.”

Visually, why was it important for you to incorporate this Pan-Africanist energy with all the different flags that are represented?

The video was really important to me.  Ultimately, we’re all Black. When cops pull us over, they’re not trying to figure out if you’re from Haiti or Jamaica. That’s not what’s happening. They just see you as a Black person here in America. I wanted to show some solidarity across the diaspora, and that’s why you see the flags stitched behind me.

How do you balance making music with very specific messages through channels that are inherently universal?

What’s most important to me as an artist and as an individual is detailing my own personal experiences. I’m not here to be a spokesperson. I may not have it all right, it may not be the most correct, and it may not always be delivered in the clearest way, but I’m just here to detail my own experiences.

 That’s part of the reason why I got into music: to liberate myself in this process of talking about growing up as a Southern Black American woman. I’m just here to represent me, and in unapologetically representing myself, I end up speaking for a lot of young black girls who share the same experiences as me. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be able to do that.

Why did you choose to decenter the American flag in your visuals for “Sexy Soulaan?”

You see me cloaked in the Black American Heritage flag in the video, which was intentional, because a lot of black Americans don’t really resonate with the American flag, because we know how much blood has been shed over it. And we know that we’re not really included, and they don’t really have us in mind when they’re flying these flags. That’s why it was important for me to wear the Black American Heritage flag, which was created by Gleason Jackson and Melvin Charles in 1967.

The whole purpose of that flag even being created was to have something that Black Americans could be proud of and recognize us as people, as human beings, and as contributors to this country.

What’s the best compliment you’ve gotten from a peer or a fan about this song and video?

I think the best compliment was seeing people embrace the song in a positive way and understanding its true intention. It wasn’t to promote or incite any violence towards one community or another. It was just to promote Black unity and the Black community.

I grew up really misunderstood, so when people understand where it is that I’m coming from, I can always appreciate that. That always makes me feel good and validated on this journey.

Who are some dream artists you would want on a “Sexy Soulaan” remix?

Maybe Kendrick Lamar or Megan Thee Stallion. Somebody who’s really gritty and aggressive in their rap style, and unapologetically Black. Maybe Doechii too. I think I got the point across the first time around, though. [Laughs.]

What does it mean to you to be one of the first major hip-hop artists to use the term “Soulaan” in a song?

I feel really special to have been able to shed light on Black American pride. When I initially wrote the song, I didn’t really realize that not very many people have been using the term. That’s the beauty of staying the course and doing what feels aligned to you because in that process, you spark conversations you don’t even realize will be huge talking points.

I thought, if anything, white people would be mad. I expected that. But I didn’t expect all the other conversations. I’m just glad that we are opening the floor to have these conversations, and creating spaces for our community to feel loved and celebrated and uplifted.

What else do you have coming up?

My project is dropping Friday, Oct. 17, and it’s called Who Did the Body. Then we’re going to do a “Putting Ya Dine” remix. That one happened very organically, and I’m excited because the timing feels right. I’m in a good space musically, so I’m excited for people to hear this new body of work and these new singles that are coming.

Summer Walker revealed on Wednesday (Oct. 15) that her third album, Finally Over It, will be released on Nov. 14 via LVRN and Interscope Records.

In a six-minute video posted to her YouTube channel, the R&B singer sits down for a lie detector test while being asked a series of rapid-fire “yes or no” questions, from “Is London on the track?” — a reference to London on Da Track, her frequent collaborator and the father of her daughter Bubbles Renee Walker, to which she responds “Absolutely not” — to “Are you single?” (The results were not easily determined.)

She also revealed during the polygraph that Finally Over It will include more than 12 tracks and that Latto is a featured guest, but kept her lips sealed when it came to which “other rap girls” will be on the album.

“Did you collaborate with anyone from Over It again on this album?” the woman conducting the polygraph asked.

“Yeah,” Walker answered truthfully. The “Heart of a Woman” artist also confirmed she’ll tour again following her recent opening stint for Chris Brown‘s Breezy Bowl XX. When asked if she and Brown are going to collaborate, she answered, “Maybe.”

Finall Over It will arrive four years after her last full-length LP, Still Over It, and six years after her debut album, Over It. Both of her previous projects hit No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, while Still Over It debuted atop the Billboard 200, and at the time marked both the first R&B album by a woman to top the all-genre albums tally in more than five years since Solange’s A Seat at the Table, and the largest streaming week ever for an R&B album by a woman, surpassing Walker’s own Over It. While her 2023 Clear 2: Soft Life EP earned a best R&B album Grammy nod, Walker said during the polygraph that she thought Over It deserved to take home the gold.

Watch Walker’s announcement below:

Audra McDonald is thrilled with the luxe, vinyl release of Gypsy Starring Audra McDonald (2024 Broadway Cast Recording): “The presentation is gorgeous. It’s good old-fashioned vinyl, the old days of big booklets, glossy pictures and all the lyrics.” That being said, there’s no way she’ll listen to it for at least 10 years. “No, no, no,” she tells Billboard. “I’m too close to it right now. I don’t have the same experience of it anyone else would, so I wouldn’t enjoy listening to it.”

Mama Rose needn’t take offense – the six-time Tony winner has the same decade-or-more aversion to all the cast recordings she’s made over the course of her groundbreaking career. But for those who do drop the needle (or hit play) on this latest imagining of the Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents musical, they’ll find more than just new recordings of old standbys. The pained nuance that McDonald brought to George C. Wolfe’s 2024 production of Gypsy radiates throughout this radio play-style album. It’s not simply that her soprano sounds magnificent on standards such as “Some People” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” (though it does), but that she brings a tortured, empathetic humanity to a piece that’s frequently been called the Mt. Everest of musical theater.

When McDonald reaches the peak of “Rose’s Turn,” her typically flawless, operatic voice begins to choke and sputter; in those moments, the listener is as much of a witness to the showbiz matriarch’s “full-on emotional breakdown” as the theatergoer was during her Tony-nominated run.

“The sessions were great. Easy? No,” McDonald says, adding that she was “grateful” for director Wolfe’s presence and feedback in the studio. “It was a joyous experience, but it was hard. How ‘bout all those contradictions,” she laughs.

“Stepping into such an iconic, classic role [means] that everybody is an expert on how the role is to be played,” she muses of a complex character who is selfless yet selfish, driven and delusional in equal measure. “Everybody is an expert, so you’re going to fail in somebody’s world. Honestly, I would say the only people who can truly call themselves well-versed in the role are the people who have played it. Until you’ve stepped into that role, you don’t know. You just don’t,” she chuckles. “For people to say, ‘She shouldn’t say it like this because this is what’s going on,’ I think that’s all hogwash. Only the people who have played this role can comment on it with the true knowledge of it.”

True to that spirit, McDonald demurs when I ask if she has any advice to offer Nichelle Lewis, who is currently playing Sarah — the role that gave McDonald her third Tony for best featured actress in a musical — in a new Broadway production of Ragtime.

“I hear she’s killing it, I can’t wait to see it,” she says, pausing. “The only advice I have is to leave the character at the theater and not take it home – it’s such a heavy, painful, traumatic role. Leave it there. It’s okay to let it go and not bring it home and not stay in the world of Sarah when you’re away from the theater. Let her encompass you in the theater, but it’s a long time to be in that much pain.”

At this point in her career, McDonald has learned how to keep emotionally heavy roles out of her home–although she does admit to accidentally slipping into Mama Rose while doing a Gilded Age TV shoot amidst Gypsy’s run: “I said my first line and had to stop and say, ‘Oh, we need to do that again. I sound too much like Mama Rose, the attack and the energy.’”

Theater critics and online pundits notwithstanding, McDonald does seem pleased by the feedback she received from one person about her portrayal. “My older daughter is 24 and saw the show a few times. She was very loving and very complimentary of the work. She said it made her appreciate that (Rose) is not the kind of mother I am — which is absolutely what you want to hear. But she said she was able to see the love this woman has for these girls.”

McDonald’s other daughter was less enraptured—at least, at first. “My eight-year-old saw the show on opening night and was asleep by ‘Rose’s Turn,’” she says wryly. “But from time to time, I can hear her singing, ‘This time for me, for me’ in her room.”