Health has been releasing “sad music for horny people” — their description! — since its self-titled debut in 2007. But in the years since, the industrial band comprised of Jake Duzsik, John Famiglietti and B.J. Miller has not only cultivated its own standout, bleak-yet-lush sound that captures the emotional horrors of life set to infectious beats, but also a hilarious social media presence that proves the trio isn’t just all doom and gloom.

Nineteen years and six full-length albums later — the latest, Conflict DLC, arrived in December 2025 — the band has been touring what seems like endlessly, selling out shows around the world and still finding time to drop releases while on the road. Case in point? On Thursday (April 9), Health released R-Type IV — the fourth in a series of remix albums that have been arriving mere weeks apart (R-Type I was released at the end of February) — with the set dropping just a day before back-to-back sold-out shows in Minneapolis followed by Chicago, with more sellouts ahead in Toronto, Brooklyn, D.C., Nashville and Austin. Not only that, the band has squeezed in collabs over the years with some of industrial and rock’s heavyweights — think Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor (“Isn’t Everyone”), Deftones’ Chino Moreno (“Anti-Life”), Bad Omens (“The Drain”), Lamb of God (“Cold Blood”) and Chelsea Wolfe (“Mean”), for starters. (The NIN and Bad Omens collabs hit Nos. 11 and 7, respectively, on Billboard‘s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart.)

Though constantly hard at work, the band finds time to share the lighter side of their lives and personalities, whether they’re touring or not, with bassist Famiglietti (aka Johnny Health) showing off a particularly fun side — and his cat ears! — in social media videos promoting Health’s shows and music. Some of that playfulness comes through via their merch stand, which has offered some — shall we say “fun”? — items for consenting adults, including band-branded condoms and yep, butt plugs.

But the band isn’t the only musical act with adult toys. For example, one Harry Styles launched his Pleasing line of pleasure products in July 2025, after all. What does Health think about the competition? Lead singer Duzsik shares his thoughts on that, the inspiration for their latest album, the record to introduce to people to the industrial genre, dream collabs and more.

1. Where are you in the world right now, and whats the setting like?

Home. Sitting at my desk in Los Angeles.

2. What is the first album or piece of music you bought for yourself, and what was the medium?

Alice In Chains, Dirt. On CD.

3. What did your parents do for a living when you were a kid, and what do or did they think of what you do for a living now?

My mom managed the warehouse of a moving company and my dad worked in a print shop. My family has always been very supportive of music.

4. What’s the first non-gear thing you bought for yourself when you started making money as an artist?

Booze.

5. If you had to recommend one album for someone looking to get into industrial music, what would you give them and why?

People can find a reason to complain about anything, and even if it seems too obvious, I’m going to say Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral. It did more to introduce a worldwide audience to industrial music than any other album. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

6. What’s the last song you listened to?

Bjork, “Hyperballad.”

8. You released Conflict DLC in December. For those who have never listened to Health before, how would you describe the album — and your sound — to encourage them to give the album a listen?

I’d call the sound Neo Industrial. I would say the album is an attempt at creating a collection of sad and dystopic songs that is still somehow fun. It’s not up to me to say if it was a success of not.

9. What topics have been the biggest influences for your most recent music, and why?

The general unraveling of civilization and our abrupt decent into a technocratic nightmare of ignorance and cognitive decline.

10. The band has some pretty fun slogans — “Sad music for horny people” and “cum metal,” for example. How did you come up with those?

John is the slogan man.

11. You’ve got some competition from Harry Styles, who last year started selling his “Pleasing Yourself” line of intimate products such as lube and vibrators, while you started selling butt plugs in 2023. What do you think of this new competition from him, and do you have any new toys planned to challenge his line of products?

If someone in Harry Styles’ camp was inspired by our “non traditional” merch, we would view it as a compliment.

12. It feels like Health is constantly on the road, yet you are also consistently and regularly releasing new music, whether it be new albums or remixes and collabs: two albums, three versions of Disco4 and five versions of R-Type, all between 2020 and end of April 2025. Where do you find the time?!

We try to never get out of the habit of writing new music. It’s just like anything else, once you stop it can be hard to start again.

13. You’ve had some amazing collabs over the years — Trent Reznor, Chino Moreno, Bad Omens and more. Who’s at the top of your dream collab list for next? Who’s been your favorite so far, and why? Any you can tease for the upcoming R-Types?

There are so many dream collabs, it’s hard to narrow it down. Depeche Mode and 2hollis would be high on the list for me. My personal favorite are the ones we did with Xiu Xiu as well as NIN.

14. Your music is, as you’ve put it, “sad,” but your online personas are hilarious, especially on social media. Was it a conscious decision to have such a dichotomy?

It feels like this is a more honest representation of how feel at the current moment. Simply being melancholy and mysterious seems a bit forced in the age of social media. At least for us it would.

15. You’re big into anime. For fans who’ve yet to explore this art form, which anime would you recommend for them to get started? And what are your personal favorites?

Start with the classics: Akira, Ghost in the Shell and Ninja Scroll. If you aren’t into it by then, you can stop trying to understand.

16. Speaking of anime, Megan Thee Stallion is also a huge fan, and is launching her own anime series with Amazon Prime. If you could have your own anime series, what would it be about, and which network/streamer would be the best fit?

John says, “A dark fantasy epic on Crunchyroll.”

17. Are there causes or charities involved with that you’d like people to know about?

I have a child, as such I’m very aware of how fortunate he is. In that context, I think charities like Unicef are hugely important and can really help. As a band we work closely with END OVERDOSE, and give out free fentanyl testing kits at our merch tables.

18. What’s your favorite place to listen to and experience industrial music?

In a dark warehouse made of crumbling brick and rusted steel … obviously.

19. What’s the best business decision you’ve ever made?

To stop killing myself with alcohol and drugs, I guess.

20. One piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?

Invest in bitcoin and buy property in New Zealand.

Hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa (born Lance Taylor) has died at age 68. According to TMZ, which first reported the news, the “Planet Rock” artist died Thursday (April 9) from complications due to cancer.

Born in The Bronx, Bambaataa began DJing block parties in the South Bronx in the early ’70s, which led to him being credited as an originator of breakbeat DJing and one of the influential architects of hip-hop culture alongside founding father DJ Kool Herc.

As a teenager, Bambaataa traded his Black Spades gang ties to form the Universal Zulu Nation following a trip to Africa. He went on to found rap groups like Jazzy 5 and the Soulsonic Force, and brought rap to the masses with his first tour in 1982.

Afrika Bambaataa teamed up with Soulsonic Force for 1982’s “Planet Rock.” The electronic-fused track gave Bambaataa his lone Billboard Hot 100 entry, with the song peaking at No. 48 in September 1982, and later appeared in NBA 2K7 in 2006. The “Planet Rock” remixes also reached No. 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in July 1982.

Bam joined forces with George Clinton and James Brown throughout his career. His James Brown collab “Unity” hit No. 87 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 1984.

He was part of the Artists United Against Apartheid and contributed to the 1985 album Sun City, which peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard 200.

Afrika Bambaataa also infiltrated the Dance Club Songs chart, notching a top five hit on the chart in 1991 with “Just Get Up and Dance” (peak No. 4).

The innovative DJ’s death was confirmed by The Hip Hop Alliance on Thursday with a statement.

“As the founder of the Universal Zulu Nation, Afrika Bambaataa helped shape the early identity of Hip Hop as a global movement rooted in peace, unity, love, and having fun. His vision transformed the
Bronx into the birthplace of a culture that now reaches every corner of the world,” said executive director Rev. Dr. Kurtis Blow Walker.

“Through his music, leadership, and influence, he contributed to the foundation of Hip Hop’s core principles, inspiring generations of MCs, DJs, breakers, and cultural leaders. His imprint on Hip Hop
history is undeniable and will forever remain part of the culture’s origin story.”

Walker continued: “At the same time, we recognize that his legacy is complex and has been the subject of serious conversations within our community. As an organization committed to truth, accountability, and the preservation of Hip Hop culture, we believe it is important to hold space for all voices while continuing to uplift what empowers and protects the people. Today, we extend our condolences to all who were impacted by his life, his work, and his presence.”

Afrika Bambaataa’s legacy was muddied in recent years by a series of sexual abuse allegations against minors. He resigned from his position as head of the Universal Zulu Nation in 2016 following abuse allegations from activist Ronald Savage, who accused Bambaataa of molesting him when he was 15, and later recanted on his claims.

The Assassin Collective’s Solo accused Bambaataa of sexual abuse when the French rapper was 15. Bambaataa was also accused of sexually abusing and trafficking a minor, who remained anonymous as John Doe, in a civil lawsuit, which Bambaataa lost in 2025 due to a default judgment.

Billboard has reached out to Afrika Bambaataa’s reps for comment.

Giving credence to the saying “it’s not me, it’s you,” Taylor Momsen is beginning to think that touring with AC/DC might be a hazard to her health. The Pretty Reckless singer posted a video on Wednesday (April 8) in which she received medical treatment from a doctor in Mexico after she was bitten by a venomous spider.

“When do my superpowers kick in? That’s what I want to know,” a nonplussed Momsen says with a smile as a doctor cleans a nasty-looking bite mark on her lower right leg while another member of the medical team gives her a shot in her left arm in what looks like a green room backstage.

The brief video ends with a snippet of the old “Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can” cartoon theme song.

You see, this is becoming a habit for Momsen, who revealed in the caption that this isn’t her first bite on a tour with the Australian hard rock legends. “🕷️🕷️🕷️ So it wouldn’t be an AC/DC tour if I didn’t get bit,” wrote Momsen. “This time a massive spider decided to take a chunk out of me and its venom did a number on my system so had to have the wonderful doctors in Mexico come and deliver quite the shot before the show last night…add it to the list!”

The last time Momsen toured with AC/DC in 2024, she was bitten by a bat while on the road in Spain during a performance of, no joke, “Witches Burn” from her band’s 2021 Death By Rock and Roll album. In a clip from the time, a bat landed on the singer’s thigh and she didn’t notice it at first. But after spotting some fans pointing at her she looked down and said, “There’s a f–king flying bat on my leg right now … I must really be a witch!”

A crewmember helped her remove the flying menace, but not before it sank into her leg, which sent her to a Spanish hospital, where she had to get treatment and two weeks of follow-up rabies shots. “Thanks to all the staff at the hospital who dubbed me #batgirl after seeing it on the local news that morning…more footage to come…that’s one for the books!!!!,” she wrote at the time.

She was equally chill about her latest unexpected venom incident, doubling-down on her joke from 2024, writing, “Spider woman? Batgirl? 🕷️🕷️🕷️🦇🦇🦇 WTF 😬”

Momsen has a couple days to rest before hitting the stage to warm-up for AC/DC at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City on Saturday (April 11) and then again April 15. The band will then take some well-deserved time off before moving on to a European swing beginning with a June 5 show at the Rock Im Park festival in Nuremberg, Germany and then teaming back up with AC/DC in Charlotte, N.C. on July 11 for a North American summer stadium run in-between their own club shows.

Check out Momsen’s spider scene below.

View this post on Instagram

Marc Jacobs is asking Sabrina Carpenter the right kinds of questions.

While conducting an interview with the singer for the April 7 issue of Perfect, the fashion mogul asked Carpenter how she would describe the importance of having a queer audience as a pop star in today’s day and age.

“I don’t think pop music would exist if it wasn’t for the queer community,” Carpenter begins her thoughtful response. “I don’t think some of our greatest pop stars would exist if it wasn’t for the queer community.”

Carpenter goes on to shout out the LGBTQ+ people in her life: “I feel so deeply connected. I mean, some of my greatest friends and collaborators and artists that I know are a part of the queer community or are just so celebratory of it.”

The Coachella headliner then speaks on how having the community with her has affected her work, saying that she doesn’t think going on tour would be as fun without them.

“I feel so connected and grateful to be able to have them be a part of my journey, to be a part of the world,” Carpenter concludes. Jacobs, an out gay man, agrees with Carpenter’s stance, saying, “Life is much more [colorful] and fun with [the queer community],” and, “It’s important sometimes to say it. Especially now.”

Carpenter has long been incredibly vocal in her support of the LGBTQ+ community. In partnership with non-profit PLUS1, the singer raised over $1 million for mental health initiatives, LGBTQ+ rights and animal welfare last year. In doing so, The Sabrina Carpenter Fund became the nonprofit’s fastest-growing artist fund to date.

Carpenter has also platformed LGBTQ+ artists in her work. Last August she enlisted openly queer Academy Award-winning actor Colman Domingo for her “Tears” music video. The video was inspired by the queer cult classic film The Rocky Horror Picture Show and featured Domingo playing Carpenter’s drag mother. When she debuted the track onstage at the VMAs the following month, Carpenter performed alongside drag artists and trans dancers who held up signs that read, “Protect Trans Rights,” “Support Local Drag” and “Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!”

Carpenter is set to headline Coachella on Friday (April 8). While we don’t know what surprises she might have planned for “her most ambitious show ever,” perhaps she’ll invite some drag artists from her past performances to the stage with her again.

Record Store Day 2026 will honor a longtime record store enthusiast this year with its coveted Record Store Legend award. The 77-year-old recipient, born in West Bromwich, England, has been frequenting record stores his whole life, most recently visiting brick-and-mortar locales in West Virginia; Kansas City, Missouri; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Austin, Texas. The vinyl-loving Englishman has even made a few albums himself over the years, releases you might find at a record store near you if you flip to the sections marked “Led Zeppelin,” “Robert Plant” or even his old covers band, “The Honeydrippers.”

Yes, Robert Plant—an eight-time Grammy winner, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and a Kennedy Center Award recipient—was announced as the 2026 Record Store Legend on Wednesday (April 8).

“Record stores have always been a part of my life. For me, once you get to the physical record it’s because you really want to know and be a part of what the artist was considering,” Plant said in a statement. “And I know, as a guy who’s been making records since 1966, people want to take home something very special, to enjoy all the elements of what an artist has put together. We want a connection between the music and the art of the whole thing.”

In advance of the 2026 Record Store Day festivities on April 18, Plant visited the delightful Spillers Records—which Billboard profiled in 2023 as the world’s oldest record store—in Cardiff, Wales, where he now boasts a permanent Record Store Legend plaque.

“The universe already recognizes Robert Plant as a legend, as proven by the legacy of his decades of recording and performing,” Spillers Records’ Ashli Todd said in a statement. “But record shops of the world will know firsthand that above all, Robert Plant is a connoisseur of his craft whose appetite for musical discoveries has not waned with the passage of time. We could wax lyrical all day about what a passionate record shop supporter Robert Plant is, so suffice to say, it is our honor to be the chosen custodians of his Record Store Legend plaque.”

Record Store Day reliably has a celebrity ambassador each year—2026’s is Bruno Mars—but doles out the Record Store Legend award sparingly. Only Elton John and Johnny Marr have received it before.

You can watch a video of Plant’s visit to the legendary record store below and see what exclusives RSD 2026 has to offer on the organization’s website.

Madonna is unfortunately no stranger to ageist comments, having received them for years. However, today she has a new superstar defending her.

In a video posted to TikTok on Wednesday (April 8), Doja Cat spoke up for Madonna against people who say that the pop legend is “too old” to be onstage. In the nearly two-minute-long, selfie-style clip, Doja expresses being “tickled and bothered” by commenters who tell Madonna “to stop” in response to TikToks of the singer performing.

“It’s interesting to me because, it’s like, you’re telling a musician who makes music, who performs it as a job, to stop doing it?” the rapper says. “I’m trying to wrap my head around that.”

Doja then begins to question if these hate comments against Madonna are because the “Vogue” singer is “an older woman who feels sexy.”

“Is that why you want her to get off stage? Because you feel threatened by an older woman who can do her job forever?” Doja asks before saying that Madonna has something she loves doing that other people are paying to see and also enjoy with the singer. Doja then mocks the haters saying that maybe they don’t like Madonna performing because they have “something personal happening in there” and that “nobody else knows it and only you do.”

“Is that why you’re upset? Aww,” she jests before breaking out into laughter. “I’m sorry, it’s not funny.”

Doja then begins wiping away fake tears while commenting that “it is sad” and saying she’ll cry alongside them.

“I’m so sorry,” she faux cries out, ending the video.

Most recently, Madonna hit the stage for an intimate performance at a Dolce & Gabbana fashion show in Milan last month. Previously, the legend concluded her record-breaking Celebration Tour where she performed at sold-out venues and arenas across Europe and the Americas before concluding with a free show on Rio De Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach for over 1.6 million attendees.

Doja’s most recent performance was at the Global Citizen Move Afrika festival in South Africa in March, after months of touring in support of her Billboard 200 No. 4 album Vie. Tour Ma Vie resumes on May 19 in Dublin, then making its way across Europe before coming to the U.S. and concluding on December 1 at Madison Square Garden.

Watch Doja Cat’s full Madonna defense below.

@dojacat

bewhewwwww 🤣

♬ original sound – Doja Cat

Looks like Journey almost went their separate ways two years ago.

In a new statement posted to Facebook on Monday, Journey co-founder and lead guitarist Neal Schon seemingly replied to frontman Arnel Pineda‘s claims that he was prohibited from quitting the band twice.

“There’s been some recent press and speculation that doesn’t reflect the full picture,” Schon writes.

Though he does not specify what recent press he’s referring to, his statement comes days after a March 31 Rolling Stone feature on his band that quotes Pineda sharing that he almost didn’t join Journey on their current farewell tour. Pineda claims that in 2024, he asked his bandmates to confer with him if they decide to do farewell shows and discuss the schedule with him. He cites age and “personal problems” as major factors in his decision to tour or not. He then alleges that the band went ahead and scheduled the 60-date tour without consulting him.

“It is what it is now…. But then, I was really not happy with how they scheduled this tour,” Pineda says in the article. He then claims that he sent an unhappy email to his bandmates to which they didn’t reply. In response to the silence, Pineda says he told the other Journey members not once but twice that he wanted to leave the group and retire. Again, they did not respond, Pineda alleges.

The article then shares that both Schon and Pineda recognized that quitting the band is not as simple as it seems. They both say that their contract with live entertainment giant AEG prohibits the band from touring without Pineda. It’s a sentiment that is also echoed in Schon’s Facebook statement.

“Touring at this level involves many moving parts, and decisions are made collectively with our team, including management, agents, and promoters,” Schon writes before acknowledging that with any band that’s been around for a long time, different members may feel different pressures in different ways. He then says that he personally did not prohibit anyone from leaving the band. “For clarity, no one was ever prevented by me from making their own personal decisions.”

Schon continues by citing the same AEG contract that was brought up in the Rolling Stone feature: “At the same time, we were all advised by our representatives that there are contractual obligations tied to touring that need to be honored.”

The guitarist concludes by saying his focus is on providing fans with “the best possible experience and keeping the music alive.”

Journey’s Final Frontier Tour is set to continue into August with dates across the U.S. and a stop in Vancouver.

Cardi B doesn’t play when it comes to her money, and she noticed a couple of suspicious charges on her American Express card, which led her to reveal she was the victim of credit card fraud.

Even though she’s in the midst of the madness of life on tour, Cardi is still keeping tabs on her expenses. The Bronx native hopped on Instagram Live on Monday (April 6) to detail how she found out that four people had her credit card and went on a little shopping spree for $60,000 at Saks and Apple within an hour.

“I got clear pictures. As soon as I saw that notification, I was like, ‘Saks $40,000, what the f—?’ Then, when I saw that Apple sh–, because like who the f— is spending $20,000 at Apple? If I get your address before the people doing this investigation, because they got pictures of y’all, I’mma get y’all beat the f— up,” she said. “Word to my mother, I’m gonna get my n—as to spank the sh– outta y’all.”

Cardi continued: “Y’all went to Chase, y’all went to Saks, y’all went to Apple. B—h, y’all going to jail… I got clear pictures of motherf—–s trying to get money out of a Chase… Y’all tried it. I got clear pictures of y’all in Saks and I got clear pictures of y’all in Apple. One thing about me, I don’t play about my f—–g money.”

It’s still unclear how they obtained her AMEX card numbers. The Grammy-winning rapper then described the looks of the alleged thieves that she claims to have photo evidence of. “One of you is bald-headed, with a very thick beard,” she asserted, before again promising that the culprits will be going to jail.

Cardi is in the home stretch of her Little Miss Drama Tour, which will be making stops this week in Philly, Washington, D.C., Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina.