T.O.P knows exactly what he was doing when he opens his first-ever solo album with a baby voice cooing, “I may be 99 percent angel, but that one percent gets me in trouble.”

It’s unexpectedly disarming, slightly devastating, but also funny, and ultimately sets the tone for TOP SPOT – ANOTHER DIMENSION. Despite the innocent intro, the opening track “SELF CRUCIFIXION” brings a boom-bap beat and a sampled soul singer pleading to “set me free,” before a torrent of news clips, pulled from Korean and English broadcasts, discuss highs and lows throughout 20 years in the entertainment world.

While T.O.P’s voice is temporarily buried beneath the headlines and as others step forward to define him — marijuana charges, a hospitalization following a medication overdose, being named the first Korean civilian for a lunar mission — the audio drops out and he reclaims the mic by the song’s end: “What am I doing these days? I make my music. Our music.”

It is rare for any artist to deliver a full account of their lowest moments, especially one raised in the K-pop scene. Yet, T.O.P approaches it as an artistic act of empowerment instead of an apology.

Debuting with the stage name T.O.P as a member of BIGBANG in August 2006, Choi Seung-hyun became one of K-pop’s most recognizable global figures as he and his band mates broke new ground for the Korean-pop scene after accepting the inaugural best worldwide act trophy onstage at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards, beating out the likes of Britney Spears for the honor. With that, the act became the first K-pop group to send an album to the Billboard 200 (when 2012’s ALIVE reached No. 150) and showing their live prowess with two world tours (hitting multiple U.S. arenas in 2012 and 2015).

To date, BIGBANG have five No. 1s on Billboard‘s U.S.-based World Digital Song Sales chart, and even scored their first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Global 200 with the special 2022 reunion single “Still Life” that marked T.O.P’s final release with the group.

While he was a key songwriter and rapper for the group, T.O.P ended his contract with BIGBANG’s YG Entertainment in 2022 and formally left the band the year after as part of a retreat from the spotlight after a series of personal and legal issues and controversies.

But 15 years after T.O.P earned one of the very first K-pop albums to bow on World Albums with his collaborative GD & T.O.P record in 2011 with BIGBANG band mate G-Dragon, the star is back on the music scene — and the charts — after constructing what he has described as “a gift to my fans.” With a digital-only release in the States, TOP SPOT – ANOTHER DIMENSION debuted at No. 20 on the April 18, 2026-dated World Albums chart, marking his debut solo appearance via the first-ever release from his newly created independent label, TOP SPOT PICTURES.

“This album is especially meaningful to me because it’s my first full-length solo album,” T.O.P shares in an exclusive interview with Billboard. “So, being able to enter the Billboard World Albums chart with this record, as a solo artist, truly means a lot to me. The members of BIGBANG and I make very different kinds of music now, but I’ll always support and respect their music…it’s been such a long time since I returned with music, so I sincerely thank everyone for the overwhelming response and love you’ve shown me.”

Co-producing and writing every track, T.O.P shared that he spent a decade working on a collection that isn’t just his 11 best songs, but “a 37-minute film that freely crosses different genres according to my own taste” and “an album built from multiple perspectives.” The connection to cinema seems particularly important as T.O.P only fully returned to the promotional spotlight for his role in the second season of Netflix’s Squid Game, playing the failed, drug-addicted rapper nicknamed “Thanos,” who lost his wealth in a cryptocurrency investment. With his TOP SPOT PICTURES boasting a Hollywood studio-esque name, T.O.P is approaching his new work with a director’s eye that needs to consider all aspects of the production.

Inspired by Notorious B.I.G., Tupac and other ’90s hip-hop greats, T.O.P’s longtime influences are present within the record, as are references to his time with BIGBANG, but DIMENSION also uncovers new sides of T.O.P’s talents. “THE GIANT” lets T.O.P the vocalist take center stage with a controlled, pop-star-quality that recalls early Adam Levine. His lyrics also touch new personal parameters where T.O.P, a noted art collector, compares his work to South Korea’s Leeum Museum on “SEOUL CHAOS” while seemingly making comments on fame via the aptly titled “A SMALL, FILTHY SHOW WINDOW.”

“For many years, my goal with this album was to create something with a truly original composition, like an art exhibition, and present it as a gift to my fans,” T.O.P explains. “I wanted it to reflect my personal taste — not just as an auditory experience, but as something visually memorable as well, almost like a collectible work of art. I wanted everyone who owned this album to feel that it had real value as an object to keep and treasure…the album turned out exactly in line with my taste, and now that the music is finally out in the world, I’m happy that so many people are able to hear it.”

For as personal and special as the process has been for him, T.O.P wasted no time sharing his favorite online reviews and unboxing videos from YouTube to his 20 million Instagram followers. He adds, “When I watch fans unboxing the album and sharing those videos online, it feels as though pieces of the dream I once imagined are finally coming true one by one. I’m incredibly grateful that my new music is allowing me to reconnect with my fans again after such a long time.”

Looking ahead, T.O.P shares that more DIMENSION tracks will soon have music videos released beyond the singles “DESPERADO” and “Studio54,” with visuals created using a “completely different approach from anything I’ve done before.” While he laughs when he says that his future acting plans “are still a secret,” he also notes that his ambitions expand beyond singing and acting.

“TOP SPOT PICTURES will continue to be the label through which I release my new music,” he confirms. “In the future, I naturally hope to nurture the next generation of artists as well and, eventually, I also dream of producing films.”

Although his mission to visit the moon aboard a SpaceX Starship as part of the DearMoon lunar tourism project was ultimately canceled in 2024, T.O.P remains keen on visiting the site of one of his greatest inspirations: “Themes related to the moon and outer space have now become deeply connected to my music and, personally, they’ve become incredibly important motifs in my artistic world as well. Because I sincerely hope that the music I continue to release in the future will keep drawing inspiration directly from the moon, I truly believe that one day, I’ll make it there,” he says with a laugh at the end that boasts an undeniable sense of determination.

One of the album’s last tracks, “FOR FANS,” sees T.O.P speaking to supporters not via a throwaway thank-you cut typical of K-pop records, but a vulnerable letter of admission he’s been worried they’ll leave him. It’s the overarching point T.O.P returns to several times while discussing ANOTHER DIMENSION: the decade of work is ultimately in service of refusing to let his relationship with fans go cold.

“There’s also something I’ve wanted to say to my fans for a long time that I wanted to share my new music with you even a little sooner,” T.O.P adds. “Starting with this album, I will continue to give back to you through music and I’ll keep striving to be an artist who always brings sincerity and something new to my work.”

Twenty years in, it truly sounds like T.O.P has shared the artist he has always known himself to be. Even if T.O.P is 99 percent angel — as he hints to at the very beginning of the LP — the rest is up to him to create whatever kind of art — or trouble — he wants to express himself.

When Glen Matlock published his memoir I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol in 1996. he “thought I’d never have to talk about (the story) again.”

But 30 years later, he’s doing it again.

The Sex Pistols‘ founding bassist — who co-wrote 10 of the 12 songs on 1977’s seminal Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols before parting ways with the band that year — is now the subject of a documentary also titled, wait for it… I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol. Based on the book, of course, the 94-minute film begins streaming May 26 on Apple TV and Prime Video. It’s directed by Andre Relis (Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon) and Nick Mead (Who Do I Think I Am? ).

Amidst its reams of vintage footage and images is commentary from Matlock and a wealth of friends and associates, including Billy Idol; Blondie members Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and the late Clem Burke (Matlock’s been touring with the band since 2022); the late Wayne Kramer of the MC5; Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp; Rat Scabies of the Damned; Slim Jim Phantom of Stray Cats; Kenney Jones (the Faces, the Who); Cheetah Chrome (the Dead Boys, Rocket from the Tombs; L.A. Guns’ Tracii Guns; and members of the Vandals, Bazooka Joe, Doctors of Madness and more.

Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten), the band’s late manager Malcolm McLaren, and the late Sid Vicious, who replaced Matlock during February of 1977, are represented via archival footage and audio clips.

“It’s no real kind of MGM, the big lion thing,” says Matlock, who co-produced the film. “It’s a little bit more of a DIY project. People have been interested over the years; it didn’t come together, and then I met Nick Mead, who introduced me to Andre Relis a couple of years ago, and we slowly went about piecing it all together. I think it’s come together really well.”

He adds that, “I think what’s quite good about it is Andre… is sort of a bit late to the punk rock thing. So he asked people questions that may be a bit naive, but he gets a more straightforward answer out of them than somebody who knows it already and asks some tricky question instead.”

The point of the I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol documentary is much the same as the book — essentially restoring Matlock’s somewhat obscured contributions and his place in the band’s groundbreaking legacy. “I thought this might make a slightly different take on the Sex Pistols story,” he explains. “I’ve always felt I’ve been passed over a little bit in the public eye. People like to paint me as the guy from the Sex Pistols that nobody knows; there were so many people involved that they’ve all got their own take on the story. This is mine.”

That notion is certainly supported throughout the film. As Joe Escalante from the Vandals says on camera, “We’re kind of fed a Sid Vicious story, that Sid Vicious was punk rock and Sid Vicious is the Sex Pistols. And we found out Sid Vicious could not play bass, did not play bass, and there’s some other guy named Glen Matlock. And we’re like, ‘Who’s he?’”

Matlock — who’s long contended that he chose to leave the band while others have maintained he was fired — says that he’s “really pleased with the quantity and the caliber of people who stood up to pick me up a little bit — friends, acquaintances, work colleagues. That can only boost your confidence a little bit, and it’s interesting to hear the slightly different takes on things.”

What …Teenage Sex Pistol does make clear is the key role the bassist played in the band’s formation and its music, including its first single, “Anarchy in the U.K.,” and the equally iconic “God Save the Queen.” In the documentary Matlock demonstrates show they came about, playing the chord progressions on his bass for the camera. “I always tried to get Steve (Jones) doing something on the root (progression), which he’d pick up on and lay around with a little bit,” Matlock explains. “Then I’d give it a bit more color, like what (John) Entwistle did on (the Who’s) ‘My Generation’ — nowhere near as good as that, but counterpoint rhythms and things like he does.”

The documentary also explores the roots of punk rock in the United Kingdom, with observations from the figures such as Alex McDowell, an acclaimed production designer who booked what was to be the first Sex Pistols concert, at the Central School of Art and Design, and Mike Thorpe, a record executive who signed the band to its ill-fated first contract with EMI. “I did subscribe to the socio-politico kind of thing myself,” Matlock says now, “but that could be misconstrued because everybody in the band had totally different ideas about it. Paul (Cook, drummer) might have been more along my lines. (Jones) couldn`t give a s— as long as he got paid and there were some girls involved. And John ended up more on the sort of (politically) right end of things, which I’m certainly not. I’m not an out-and-out socialist, but I’m leaning that way. So there was a big split in the camp.”

After leaving the Sex Pistols, Matlock formed Rich Kids with a then-unknown Midge Ure, then went on to the short-lived Vicious White Kids with Sid Vicious, Spectres and the all-star International Swingers. He also worked with Iggy Pop, the Damned and the reformed Faces before his tenure with Blondie.

Cook and Jones appear in …Teenage Sex Pistol, their relationships with Matlock largely repaired since he rejoined the band for its 20th anniversary Filthy Lucre tour in 1996 and continues working with them. “Me, Steve and Paul have always gotten on enough,” Matlock notes. “They always blame (McLaren) for what happened. We’re not the best of friends, but we’re not the worst of enemies. We sort of hang together and enjoy each other’s company when we do that.”

But Matlock remains unhappy with Pistol, the 2022 British TV miniseries which was based on Jones’ memoir Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol, and executive produced by the guitarist. “I did tell Steve, I said, ‘Mate you got a shocking memory,” he says. “I wasn’t that happy with it, but that’s not why I made this movie.”

Matlock says there were “a few people I did ask” to be interviewed for the film but refused. “They were maybe more in the John camp,” he notes, “so probably said ‘no’ because it could’ve been awkward. Lydon was not approached, under the assumption he “just wasn’t interested. He’s moved on from (the Sex Pistols) now. But good luck to John; he’s got the Public Image (Ltd.) thing going. People say we’re a tribute band without John, but there’s three of us, and he’s the only Public Imager. I think he’s painted himself into a corner of a very big hallway.”

Asked if he’d be open to having Lydon back in the Sex Pistols if he wished, Matlock is silent for a moment before saying that, “It’s just not gonna happen.”

Matlock, Jones and Cook are happy enough with the current incarnation of the Sex Pistols, however. British singer Frank Carter began fronting the band during 2024, at the suggestion of one of Matlock’s sons; the group will be going on a 50th anniversary Jubilee tour this year, starting June 11 in Europe — with several festival appearances — with U.S. dates beginning Sept. 11 in Dallas to make up for shows canceled last fall after Jones broke his wrist.

“Frank has given us a new lease on life,” Matlock says. “It’s a bit like the beginning in the band, when we first started out, before John got his face in the papers. Jenny, (Cook’s) wife), came to see us and said, ‘Y’know what; that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you guys come off stage with a smile on your face.” And he predicts that bonhomie might even lead to some new music from the quartet.

“I’d like to,” Matlock says. “I’ve got some tracks; they’re not finished songs, just sort of earmarked if that (opportunity) comes up. I think Frank would like to. The only thing is Steve lives in L.A., I live (in London), Frank’s out of town. When we get together (to tour) we have enough time to do what we need to do. There’s not a lot of hanging around. But who knows. We’re beginning to run out of time a little bit, but never say never, right?”

BTS will unveil the details behind their visit to Mexico’s National Palace on Wednesday (May 27), when the South Korean K-pop supergroup premieres a video on their official accounts showcasing the historic meeting they had with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on May 6.

The group made the announcement on Tuesday (May 26) in an Instagram story.

“BTS Visits Mexico’s National Palace: Behind The Scenes,” reads the post, written in English and Korean, noting that the video will premiere on May 27 at 8 p.m. KST (7 a.m. ET). In Mexico, the release will take place at 5 a.m. No further details were provided.

The video will show the meeting attended by BTS members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook at the presidential residence. From the balcony where Mexican presidents traditionally deliver the “Grito de Independencia” (Cry of Independence) on the night of September 15, the septet greeted 50,000 fans (according to official figures) who gathered to catch a glimpse of them.

Before the crowd gathered at the country’s main public square, the South Korean group delivered messages in Spanish and English to their fandom, known as ARMY, eliciting applause, smiles and even tears. Under intense heat, local fans waited for hours ahead of the three concerts BTS held on May 7, 9 and 10 at the GNP Seguros Stadium as part of their ARIRANG tour.

Later, Sheinbaum posted a message on her social media accompanied by a photo with all seven members of the K-pop juggernaut. “I am delighted to welcome one of the most beloved groups among young people in Mexico: BTS,” she wrote. “Music and values unite Mexico and South Korea.”

Sheinbaum’s invitation to BTS to the presidential residence sparked a wave of criticism from some members of ARMY on social media, who asked the Mexican president not to politicize the group’s visit. On May 8, Sheinbaum teased in a video posted on her social media that BTS might return to Mexico in 2027. So far, the companies representing the group, BigHit Music and HYBE, have not confirmed when BTS will return to the country.

Sheinbaum has embraced the hopes of BTS’ Mexican ARMY members, especially after tickets for the three concerts sold out in less than an hour. Through a letter, the president asked her South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae Myung, for more concerts of the band in the country, as she revealed on January 26. Three weeks later, she announced that the South Korean government responded, saying it had forwarded the request to the company managing the supergroup.

Rise Against will return to Australia and New Zealand this November and December for their first headline run in the region since 2018, bringing Dropkick Murphys along for the ride on what will be the largest shows either band has played in the region.

The seven-date tour opens in New Zealand with shows at Christchurch’s Wolfbrook Arena on Nov. 21 and Auckland’s Spark Arena on Nov. 24, before the Australian leg takes in Melbourne’s John Cain Arena (Nov. 26), Brisbane’s Riverstage (Nov. 29), the Sydney Opera House Forecourt (Dec. 1) and Perth’s Red Hill Auditorium (Dec. 4).

Both bands will also appear at Meltdown Festival at Gosford’s Entertainment Grounds on Nov. 28 alongside The Living End and Jebediah. Mastercard presale opens Wednesday, May 27 at 12 p.m. local time, with general on sale Friday, May 29 at 1 p.m. local time.

The news comes following Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath teasing the return in a 2025 interview with The Music. “We are currently conspiring to get down and bring the show to Australia,” he said. “This is a place that has supported us for so long, so we are definitely coming back.” The band last visited Australia in early 2024 as support for blink-182’s arena tour.

The tour supports Rise Against’s tenth studio album Ricochet, released Aug. 15, 2025 via Loma Vista Recordings and produced by Grammy winner Catherine Marks — her first collaboration with the band. The Chicago quartet have placed five consecutive albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, with their most recent pre-Ricochet effort, Nowhere Generation (2021), debuting at No. 9.

Dropkick Murphys join behind their thirteenth studio album For the People, released July 4, 2025 on their own Dummy Luck label. The Boston Celtic punk stalwarts have scored three Billboard 200 top 10 entries, with 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory (2017) debuting at No. 8 and topping both the Top Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts simultaneously — the first time the band had reached No. 1 on either chart. Their signature track “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” remains one of the most recognisable songs in American sports, having become synonymous with the Boston Red Sox following the team’s 2007 World Series run.

Rise Against with Dropkick Murphys — Australia & New Zealand Tour 2026

Nov. 21 — Christchurch, NZ — Wolfbrook Arena
Nov. 24 — Auckland, NZ — Spark Arena
Nov. 26 — Melbourne, AUS — John Cain Arena
Nov. 28 — Gosford, AUS — Meltdown Festival, Entertainment Grounds*
Nov. 29 — Brisbane, AUS — Riverstage
Dec. 1 — Sydney, AUS — Sydney Opera House Forecourt
Dec. 4 — Perth, AUS — Red Hill Auditorium

*Festival appearance

Dom Dolla has announced his first-ever stadium show in Melbourne, set for Marvel Stadium on Sept. 24 — a homecoming performance the Melbourne-raised DJ and producer is billing as the world premiere of an entirely new stadium production.

The show, presented by Untitled Group and Frontier Touring, falls on the eve of Melbourne’s AFL Grand Final long weekend and is an Australian-exclusive event. It follows Dom Dolla’s record-breaking stadium debut at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium in December 2025, which set a new benchmark for electronic music events in Australia. The Marvel Stadium show will feature the debut of new tracks “Addicted to Bass” and “Don’t Worry Baby” featuring Tiga, both of which he previewed in Sydney.

Pre-sale tickets for fans registered at Dom Dolla’s website open Friday, May 29 at 12 p.m. AEST. Frontier Members and Untitled pre-sales follow at 2 p.m. AEST the same day. General sale opens Monday, June 1 at 12 p.m. AEST via Ticketmaster.

“Melbourne clubs are where I cut my teeth as a DJ,” Dom Dolla said in a statement. “I don’t get to play at home as often as I’d like these days, so after touring all over the world and learning what makes a great show, I wanted this one to be incredibly special. Turning this stadium into a superclub has been a dream of mine for years now, and I can’t believe we’re finally making it a reality.”

Born Dominic Matheson, Dom Dolla has grown from a fixture in Melbourne’s club scene into one of electronic music’s most globally in-demand acts, with a catalogue surpassing 1.5 billion streams.

On Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, “Rhyme Dust” with MK debuted at No. 9 in March 2023, “Eat Your Man” with Nelly Furtado peaked at No. 15, “Dreamin’” featuring Daya climbed to No. 5 — his highest chart peak — and “Forever” with Kid Cudi debuted at No. 9. He has won the ARIA Award for Best Dance/Electronic Release three times and received a Grammy nomination for his remix of Gorillaz’s “New Gold” featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown. Billboard Dance named him One to Watch, and he has headlined two sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden and topped the bill at Ultra Music Festival in Miami.

Sonny Rollins, the tenor saxophonist whose combination of technical mastery, melodic invention and raw improvisational power made him one of the most consequential figures in jazz history, died Monday (May 25) at his home in Woodstock, New York. He was 95. His death was announced on his official website. Rollins had been living with pulmonary fibrosis.

His passing marks the end of a direct line to jazz’s post-war golden age. Rollins came of age alongside Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker — and outlived them all, spending the decades after their deaths as a living link to that era’s creative revolution.

In a career that stretched from his first professional recordings in 1949 through his final public performance in 2012, he released more than 60 albums as a leader and remained an active presence in jazz culture well into his later years.

Born in New York City on Sept. 7, 1930, to parents who had emigrated from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Rollins grew up in Harlem and came to the saxophone in his early teens — first the alto, then the tenor, which he adopted in his mid-teens and never abandoned. By the time he finished high school at Benjamin Franklin, he was already recording. His earliest sessions in 1949 included work alongside singer Babs Gonzalez and pianist Bud Powell, and he was performing with Monk before the age of 20.

The decade that followed established him as one of the instrument’s pre-eminent voices. His 1956 album Saxophone Colossus — recorded for Prestige in a single session — is considered one of the essential documents in all of jazz, and the track “St. Thomas,” a calypso-inflected original, became one of the music’s most enduring standards.

That same year he recorded Tenor Madness, a historic session that placed him alongside Coltrane in direct musical conversation. Way Out West (1957), A Night at the Village Vanguard (1957) and The Freedom Suite (1958) followed in quick succession, each adding new dimensions to his reputation.

In 1959, feeling he had reached a plateau, Rollins stepped away from performing — seeking a place to practice alone, he found one on New York’s Williamsburg Bridge, where he played through the night without fear of disturbing anyone. His 1962 return was marked by the album The Bridge, which announced not just a comeback but an artist who had been quietly, privately working to push further. It was characteristic of the way he approached music throughout his life — restless, unwilling to settle, always in pursuit of something just ahead.

He won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for This Is What I Do in 2001, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004, and the Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo for “Why Was I Born” — from Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert — in 2006, the same year he swept DownBeat’s readers poll. In 1995, New York City Hall named a day in his honour. In 2017, he donated his personal archives to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.

His wife Lucille, his partner of nearly 40 years, died in 2004.

Demi Lovato and Jordan “Jutes” Lutes are celebrating one year of marriage.

On Monday (May 25), the 33-year-old pop star marked the first anniversary of her marriage to the 35-year-old Canadian musician with a heartfelt tribute on social media.

“1 year married to the one i love the most, my best friend and my favorite human @jutesmusic 365 days ago i stood across from u reciting my vows, thinking it wasn’t possible to love u anymore than i already do, but here we r a year later, and somehow i love u even more than that. this has been the best year of my life,” Lovato captioned a series of romantic throwback photos on Instagram.

“It’s the snuggles in the mornings, random slow dances, leaving parties early to go get taco bell together, nights staying up way too late laughing our asses off til we cry, doing goofy shit trying to out-weird each other that made this year so special for me. these r memories i cherish and cannot wait to make more of. i love u so much.. happy anniversary baby!!”

Lutes shared his own affectionate response in the comments section, writing, “I will never ever know how I ended up with someone as special as u. My favorite human and my whole universe. I love u so much baby.”

Lovato and Lutes tied the knot in California in May 2025. An Ottawa native and independent musician, Lutes co-wrote several songs on Lovato’s 2022 album Holy Fvck, including “Substance,” “Happy Ending” and “City of Angels.” The set debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart following its release.

The couple first made their relationship Instagram official in August 2022, and got engaged the following hear.

Lutes also commemorated the milestone with a post of his own on Instagram.

“Happy one year anniversary to my wifey!” he captioned a series of snapshots. “It’s crazy to think a year has gone by already, and somehow I love you even more than I did a year ago. You’re SO clearly my soulmate and the best friend I’ve ever had. Can’t wait to see you and devour your face. I love you beyond words baby.”

Both artists are currently on tour. The Grammy-nominated singer is in the midst of her It’s Not That Deep tour, supporting her latest album of the same name, while Lutes is wrapping up his Far From Dilworth European trek.

Neil Young made his first live appearance of 2026 on Friday (May 22), delivering a surprise acoustic set at a benefit concert in Vancouver honouring the 90th birthday of his friend, Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki.

Young performed two solo acoustic songs at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre — strumming “Heart of Gold” before moving to the piano for a rendition of “After the Gold Rush” with added harmonica. It marked his first performance since the Painted Turtle benefit show on Oct. 25, 2025, and comes months after the 80-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer cancelled all of his 2026 tour dates.

Also appearing at the Suzuki birthday event were Jane Fonda, Al Gore, Sarah McLachlan, Bruce Cockburn and Chantal Kreviazuk. The concert raised funds for the David Suzuki Foundation.

The surprise appearance came after Young abruptly cancelled a planned European tour in February, citing no specific reason. “I have decided to take a break and will not be touring Europe this time,” he wrote at the time. “Thanks to everyone who bought tickets. I’m sorry to let you down, but this is not the time.” He later reassured fans that “all is good” and that he was “listening to my body.”

Despite the absence from the stage, Young has remained active creatively. He recently completed a new studio album titled Second Song, recorded with the Chrome Hearts at producer Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studios in Malibu, California, which he has said includes two unheard songs from 1964 that have never been released. A new live album with the Chrome Hearts, As Time Explodes, is due May 29.

Young’s only solo Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 remains “Heart of Gold,” which topped the chart on March 18, 1972, from his landmark album Harvest — the best-selling album of 1972 and one of the most celebrated records in rock history. “After the Gold Rush” is the title track from his acclaimed 1970 album of the same name, which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200.

The Pretty Reckless have released “Dear God,” the title track from their forthcoming fifth studio album, due June 26 via Fearless Records.

The track arrives as the band’s fourth single from the album, following lead single “For I Am Death” — which became their eighth No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, the most by any woman-fronted act in the chart’s history — “When I Wake Up,” currently sitting at No. 4 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, and last month’s “Love Me.”

Where the earlier singles leaned into intensity and grit, “Dear God” pulls toward something more haunting — a slow-building track led by Taylor Momsen’s vocals that climbs toward an electrifying guitar solo, with lyrics framing a desperate plea for escape.

“Dear God is desperation set to music,” Momsen said in a statement. “When life gets that physical, that brutal, you leave your body and start begging something bigger than yourself to pull you out. That space between heaven and hell isn’t a metaphor. It’s somewhere you actually live.”

DEAR GOD — the album — is described as the band’s most emotionally raw and uncompromising record to date, written with what the band calls diaristic honesty. The 14-track set includes “Life Evermore” across three parts bookending the album, alongside “Dragonfire,” “Eye of the Storm” and closer “Devil in Disguise (Michelle’s Song).” A headlining world tour in support of the album has already been announced, kicking off in North America with dates in New Orleans, Dallas and Los Angeles before heading to Europe.

The release arrives at a milestone-heavy stretch for the band. In 2025 they completed a two-year run supporting AC/DC on the PWR UP Tour, performed with Soundgarden at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and appeared at the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala honouring Mariah Carey. Their holiday EP Taylor Momsen’s Pretty Reckless Christmas produced a reimagined version of “Where Are You Christmas?” that hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs chart.

Neutro Shorty’s El Disco de Salsa has topped this week’s new music poll.

In a poll published Friday (May 22) by Billboard, music fans selected the Venezuelan rapper’s latest album as their favorite new release of the week.

El Disco de Salsa (the salsa album) earned 75% of the vote, outperforming new releases from Olivia Rodrigo (“The Cure”), Greeicy (Candela), Charli xcx (“SS26”), Lola Young (“From Down Here”), Brandi Carlile (“Life on the Run”), and others.

Since rising to prominence in 2012 with his 5 Historias mixtape, Neutro Shorty (born Liomar Ricardo Acosta Orta) has been recognized as one of the pioneers of Venezuela’s trap scene.

On the new project, he shifts away from his signature rap style, embracing a more melodic approach for a full-length salsa album. The 12-track set draws inspiration from salsa brava, a genre popularized in 1970s New York by acts such as the Fania All-Stars.

The Caracas-born artist also earns co-signs from several salsa legends on the album, including Gilberto Santa Rosa on “Un Consejo,” Porfi Baloa — founder of Los Adolescentes — on “Infidelidad,” and Oscar D’León on a rendition of Willie Colón’s classic “Idilio.”

Rodrigo’s “The Cure” came in second on the poll with nearly 17% of the vote. The track is the second single from the three-time Grammy winner’s upcoming third studio album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, which arrives on June 12.

Greeicy followed in third place with Candela, which earned 3% of the vote. The project brings together the Colombian singer’s latest hits alongside new tracks that move away from the pop-urban sound that first made her a breakout star.

Check out the full results of this week’s poll below, and visit Billboard’s Friday Music Guide for more must-hear new releases.