For the past 45 years, A Capitol Fourth has celebrated the nation’s birthday on July 4 live from the U.S. Capitol, bringing some of America’s most beloved performers together for an Independence Day concert and fireworks that is televised on PBS.

This year, as the country heralds its Semiquincentennial, A Capitol Fourth: 250^th Weekend Celebration is starting early, moving its annual festivities to July 3 to get the jump on a crowded slate. “Not only are there tons of things going on in Washington, there’s tons of things going on all over the country,” says Michael Colbert, executive producer of A Capitol Fourth. “We’ve heard already from so many public television stations how excited they are that we’re kicking off this year a day early. Next year, we’ll go back to the Fourth, as we’ve always been.”

Joining host Alfonso Ribeiro will be a packed roster of artists across the musical spectrum including Chicago, Trace Adkins, Patti Labelle, Kool & The Gang, Carly Pearce, Alan Jackson, Loren Allred, Angel Blue, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Broadway cast of Just in Time, as well as actors Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna.

“We really try to have something for everybody,” Colbert says. “You start out with a blank sheet of paper, and you end up with just an unbelievable group of artists from so many wonderful genres.”

Given the nature of the holiday, the focus is on American performers, but in past years “we have been blessed here and there to have friends from other parts of the world to come and celebrate with us,” he says.  

In these divisive political times, A Capitol Fourth (and its sister, the National Memorial Day concert) remains devoutly nonpartisan. “Since day one, these have been completely nonpartisan, and they’re always going to be,” Colbert says. “There’s no other way to do it. Left, right or center, everybody is for celebrating our birthday.”

Also special this year to commemorate the 250^th birthday, the concluding fireworks will shoot off from George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Virginia, home, instead of the usual location on the National Mall in D.C., as actress/singer Allred sings “God Bless America.” “What a perfect connection to 250 years ago,” Colbert says. “We wouldn’t be a country if it weren’t for George Washington.”

The concert airs commercial-free starting at 8 p.m. ET on PBS stations across the country, and then many markets immediately repeat it, so the special takes up PBS’s entire three-hour primetime block that night. The program, presented by Boeing, also streams on YouTube and airs on the American Forces Network.

Because of the special 250^th anniversary, more festivities than usual are planned. The unusually crowded field includes the Macy’s two-hour 4^th of July Fireworks on NBC. Also happening is Disney Celebrates America, a 24-hour cross-platform broadcast and primetime special anchored by David Muir that starts July 3 and carries over through July 4, and President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair/Freedom 250 celebration that began June 25 on the National Mall and concludes July 10.  

The Capitol Fourth is literally a family affair for Colbert, whose late father started the event 46 years ago when Colbert was 12. “I was there, holding his script and a Diet Coke for him,” Colbert recalls. He and his wife, Jill Jackson, now serve as the executive producers of the festivities.

And many of the performers feel like family, having played the events several times. Riberio returns as host for a fourth year. “We all know he does live television every week [as host of Dancing with the Stars], but he is a joy to work with,” Colbert says. “He’s such a talent, but he’s also one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and when you’re live and you got that clock dangling above your head to get off on time, he is just such a pro.”

Several of the artists have special performances planned. Adkins will perform the television debut of his new song, “American Made,” as well as “Still a Soldier” in a tribute to 250 years of military service and sacrifice, flanked by service members dressed in period uniforms through 1776 to current day.

LaBelle will sing Frank Sinatra’s “The House I Live In,” while operatic soprano Blue will perform “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Pearce will sing “The National Anthem” and a country-tinged version of “This Land Is Your Land.”

Additionally, the Artemis II crew and members of the Winter Olympics and Paralympics will take part.

While the bulk of the performances are live (the only exception over the decades has been during the Covid-19 shutdown), this year will have one taped appearance from Jackson performing “American the Beautiful,” which the country superstar taped at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium over Memorial Day. (Jackson, who suffers from degenerative neurological disorder Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, filmed a farewell concert at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium June 27.)

For Colbert, each year’s participation brings a greater appreciation for the event and the country. “I just feel very humble and happy and grateful to be able to do this,” he says. “Not just continuing my dad’s legacy, but to be able to do something that it ultimately about love of country and love of one another. Let’s celebrate and dance all the way through it.”

Teyana Taylor was honored with the Icon of the Year Award at the 2026 BET Awards on Sunday night (June 28) for her enduring impact across music, fashion and film.

Janet Jackson, who’s Taylor’s main artistic inspiration, made a surprise appearance to present the Harlem-bred polymath with the award, which caught Taylor off guard and saw her immediately break down in tears.

“It seems like only yesterday, our rose from Harlem grew out of the concrete and blossomed into our Icon of the Year. I’ve enjoyed watching you, as you know, over the years,” Jackson gushed. “Watching you defy expectations, rewrite the rules and lead with an unstoppable work ethic.”

Rocking a 2Pac T-shirt, the pop icon continued: “The world is made more luminous with the art that you have given it. This year, it belongs to you.”

Overcome with emotion, a sobbing Taylor wiped her tears and hit a Janet Jackson-esque strut across the stage in a blue dress to accept the Icon of the Year Award, but made sure to give Jackson her flowers before turning the spotlight to herself.

“I love you so much,” Taylor said to Jackson. “Thank you for always seeing me. Thank you for every text, every hug, every talk. You are my biggest inspiration. Everybody who I know knows how I feel about you. The fact you even took out the time to be here and celebrate with me, this is crazy. I love you so much. There would be no me without you.”

Taylor went on: “Tonight they handed me a title and that title is Icon of the Year. For a little minute, I wondered if I was supposed to be feel uncomfortable saying that title out loud. But nah, I worked my a– off 20 years for this. So I’m not what I’ve earned with arrogance, I’m accepting what I’ve earned with gratitude.”

Taylor urged the importance of pouring into others, as she believed that helping others doesn’t mean she has to dim her own light. “So tonight I will wear this title loud and proud because I promise to continue to earn it,” she added.

Teyana Taylor is coming off a banner 2025, which included her starring in the Oscar-winning One Battle After Another. For her performance as Perfidia, she picked up a Golden Globe Award and a nomination at the Academy Awards. The 34-year-old also released her Escape Room album, which debuted at No. 67 on the Billboard 200.

Spike Tee also picked up an additional three BET Awards, for video director of the year, the fashion vanguard award and best actress.

Watch Taylor’s full speech below.

“Watch It Burn,” Katy Perry‘s latest single, tops this week’s new music poll.

Listeners voted in a poll published Friday (June 26) on Billboard, choosing the pop star’s just-released song as their favorite new music.

“Watch It Burn” soared ahead new releases from artists including TEEKS, sombr, Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers. At the poll’s closing time on Sunday, fans took Perry to the top with 27% of the vote.

Perry lets loose her rage in “Watch It Burn,” which has her declaring in verse one, “For years, I tried to rise above/ Was only light and love/ But now I’m, ‘Shut the f— up.’” The track was accompanied by a fiery new music video directed by Christian Breslauer.

“You know I gave and I gave/ Now I’m giving up/ There’s nothing more you can take/ No, I don’t want to cause a scene/ But give me the gasoline/ Tonight’s the night, I light a match/ Throw it hard behind my back/ Gonna try to forgive and forget/ Light a cigarette, and watch it burn/ With the past, I’ma breathe in the ash/ Gonna try to forgive and forget/ Light a cigarette, and watch it burn,” Perry sings in the chorus.

“Watch It Burn” is Perry’s follow-up to “Bandaids,” which dropped in November. She last released a full-length studio album in 2024, 143, which was a top 10 hit on the Billboard 200.

Trailing just behind Perry’s single are TEEKS’ “My Boy,” coming in with 18% of the vote, and sombr’s “My Body Isn’t Ready,” with 16% of the vote.

See the final results of this week’s poll below.

A memorial service and celebration of life has been set for Oliver Tree, who died following a tragic helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that took the lives of six on June 14. The service is scheduled for July 25, with a public livestream planned “due to limited space for family and friends,” a representative for the artist tells Billboard.

The event will be held at UCSC Quarry Amphitheater, an outdoor venue located on the University of California, Santa Cruz campus. Details on how to watch the livestream are not yet available, but will be announced shortly.

The artist, born Oliver Tree Nickell in Santa Cruz, passed away at just 32 while traveling South America on his World’s First World Tour. The other victims of the crash were identified as passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim and Lucas Brito Chaves, and pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.

Tree’s fourth studio album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, was released in April via Atlantic Records. His final live performance was in São Paulo on June 6.

In an obituary just released by his family, he’s remembered as “more than a musician; he was a true artist in every sense of the word, seeing the world as a stage for his performance art.”

In part, the tribute reads, “Oliver cared so deeply about spreading art, joy, laughter and love into the world. He blended his characters seamlessly with his authentic self, which left the audience often wondering what is real or a prank. He found beauty in the ordinary and would constantly preach his “Ugly Is Beautiful” mantra on and off stage. He wanted everyone to feel like they had a place to be themselves. Under all the absurdist humor and outlandish stunts, he wanted to create an inclusive environment where everyone belonged and could realize their true potential.” (Read the obituary provided by Tree’s family in full below.)

Among Tree’s musical accomplishments, his debut major-label album, Ugly Is Beautiful, topped Billboard‘s Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart at No. 1 in 2020. “Miss You,” a collaboration with Robin Schulz, reached o. 4 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in 2022, and Tree’s song “Life Goes On” reached No. 7 on Billboard‘s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart the same year.

Tree’s family requests donations be made in his honor to his foundation, Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Art Grant for Baby Geniuses, which Tree had outlined in his will before his death. Funds collected will support and encourage young artists to follow their dreams, as Tree wished. Its mission statement: “Oliver believed the most valuable way for artists to master their craft was not through studying, but by physically getting their hands dirty and creating things. The foundation provides grants to artists working in music, film, installation, and performance art.” Complete details can be found, and donations can be made, at olivertreefoundation.com.

Read the obituary provided by his family below:

Oliver Tree Nickell, beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend, passed away in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in a tragic accident at the age of 32. Known as Oliver Tree, he was an artist, storyteller, singer, songwriter, producer, director, editor, actor, filmmaker, entertainer, traveler and creative force; he had just performed in São Paulo as part of his 7-continent world tour.

Oliver was born in Santa Cruz, California. From the beginning, Oliver always had the most astonishing and relentless creative drive. He began producing skits, music, and drawings as early as 5 years old. He spent ten years racing BMX, cycle cross, cross country, mountain biking, downhill racing and free-style dirt jumping. Oliver was a DJ in his teenage years and started performing shows under the name “Kryph”, where he opened up for big artists in the dance scene. At 17, he signed with R&S Records, under the moniker “Tree”, where he put out his first official body of work “Splitting Branches”. During this period, he attended San Francisco State University and later graduated from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in 2017. At CalArts, Oliver created the “Oliver Tree” project, which included producing, directing, acting, touring, film-making, and song-writing.

In 2016, “Turbo” was born, a character he developed for the internet, who was loud, colorful, bright and hilarious. That same year, he released his first single on all platforms as Oliver Tree, in collaboration with Whethan titled “When I’m Down”. The song became a huge success and went gold. In 2017, Oliver signed with Atlantic Records and shortly after released his first viral hit song “Alien Boy” which was produced with his childhood friend Casey Mattson, as well as frequent collaborator Imad Royal. It was a song that truly encapsulated the Oliver Tree brand. Oliver then went on to release his debut album “Ugly Is Beautiful”, which hit the top 15 of Billboard 200 and reached number 1 on Billboard‘s Top Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts. Oliver also released a deluxe version of the album which included the song “Life Goes On”, a track that was produced with long-time friend and collaborator Getter. This song propelled Oliver into a global audience and was a commercial hit. Followed by the success of Oliver’s song “Miss You”, with Robin Schulz, which became a worldwide hit and was nominated for Best International Song (The BRIT Awards) in 2024. Oliver never stopped reinventing himself. Each album featured a distinct character in the Oliver Tree universe: Turbo for “Ugly is Beautiful” in 2020, Shawney Bravo for “Cowboy Tears” in 2022, Cornelius Cummings for “Alone in A Crowd” in 2023 up until “Love You Madly Hate You Badly” in 2026, where he removed the fake personas and decided to show the world his true self for his final album which was 100% written and produced by Oliver.

Oliver had a deep curiosity about the world and wanted to experience every country and culture. Over the past two years, Oliver was a global citizen, visiting over 100 countries: eating local cuisine; connecting with locals of all kinds; participating in ceremonies; giving concerts; and recording music on his laptop. He went to the Middle East, sailed in Antarctica and became an honorary Maasai tribal chief in Tanzania.

Oliver was more than a musician; he was a true artist in every sense of the word, seeing the world as a stage for his performance art. He pushed boundaries in every form of media and life. Oliver was on a mission to bring the world together through art and inspiring other artists to create. Being a forward thinker, Oliver created a non-profit entitled “Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Art Grant for Baby Geniuses”. He wanted all of his money to go into funding other aspiring artists in all facets: music, film, installation and performance art projects.

Oliver cared so deeply about spreading art, joy, laughter and love into the world. He blended his characters seamlessly with his authentic self, which left the audience often wondering what is real or a prank. He found beauty in the ordinary and would constantly preach his “Ugly Is Beautiful” mantra on and off stage. He wanted everyone to feel like they had a place to be themselves. Under all the absurdist humor and outlandish stunts, he wanted to create an inclusive environment where everyone belonged and could realize their true potential.

Oliver was a creative force of nature, a true “Alien Boy” among human beings. His imagination was boundless, his laugh was contagious and his creativity and ideas were prolific.

Oliver is survived by his parents, Jesse & Christine Nickell of Santa Cruz, brother Jessup (Zoe), Grandmothers Ann Begin & Lorraine Nickell, Aunts Cynthia Begin, Mia Begin (Bill Schroeder), Uncle Dan Begin (Melissa), Aunts Sheree Kouffeld (Dave Christopher) and Jan Lamascus (Marvin), many beloved cousins, Beth, Breanna, Kaitlin, Kimmy, Maggie, Meadow and Nicolas; and numerous friends worldwide. He considered his team and colleagues his family: Dan Awad, Paul Donatelli; his bandmates: Casey Mattson, Amir Oosman, Jake Jamieson, Jmsey; his creative collaborators: Ethan Snoreck aka Whethan; Ryan Farber; Steve Zilberman; Jacob Dennis; Sebastian Hackett; his love Fiona Chernavskaya, as well as many others who touched his project and helped him execute his vision, who are too innumerable to be named.

We’ll leave you with a quote which Oliver said at almost every show he performed at, his mantra to the world: “No matter how strange you think you look, no matter how ugly you feel, you are beautiful.”

This year, June is ending with a particularly stacked slate of new music releases, thanks to musicians such as Phoebe Bridgers, Sombr and more.

On Friday (June 26), the Boygenius band member finally released her first piece of new solo music in six years, dropping single “Lost Boys” ahead of her recently announced album Lost Weekend. The relaxed-tempo track finds Bridgers — who premiered the song live on her series of secret pop-up performances earlier in the year — examining the type of unmoored man she tends to attract, often finding herself as the person who gets left.

Continuing his run of strong singles, Sombr has followed up “Homewrecker” and “Potential” with new track “My Body Isn’t Ready,” one of his most personal confessionals to date as he laments feeling too insecure in his physique to be intimate with someone else.

Also new on streaming services on the tail end of June are tracks by Steve Lacy and SZA — who teamed up on duet “Is It Cool?” — and Gracie Abrams, whose single “Look at My Life” marks the second taste of upcoming third album Daughter From Hell fans have gotten. Plus, Katy Perry breaks free from her past on “Watch It Burn,” while Axwell teams up with Bonn on “Whatever Turns You On,” Cobrah joins forces with Grimes on “Sign From God,” and TEEKS shares “My Boy” as KWN drops the EP And All Pride Aside.

That’s a lot of new music to choose from, but Billboard still wants to know your favorite. Vote for the release you’re most excited by in the poll below.

Jay-Z spent Thursday (June 25) celebrating the 30th anniversary of his seminal debut album Reasonable Doubt. Giving fans a chance to continue the celebrations, Roc Nation teamed up with Google Maps to highlight locations across NYC that played an integral role in Jay-Z’s Hall of Fame career.

Studios where Jay recorded greatness without a pen are included, such as Jungle City, Manhattan Center Studios, D&D Studios and The Hit Factory. Plenty of concert venues made the cut as well, like the iconic Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium, Webster Hall and Radio City Music Hall.

The Tunnel was an NYC hip-hop staple in the ’90s. Launched by Pete Gatien, the nightclub’s Mecca parties on Sunday nights became the place to be for rappers. Nearby Pier 61 is listed as one of the locations synonymous with Hov’s career and he spent plenty of time there during The Tunnel’s era of nightlife dominance.

Other spots highlight Hov’s origins inside Building 1 in the Marcy Houses, where he called home, to his evolution as a mogul when he launched the 40/40 Club.

Roc Nation launched a pair of Jay-Z pop-ups celebrating 30 years of Reasonable Doubt and the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint. Dumbo is hosting a cultural archive at Smack Mellon (92 Plymouth Street), which is filled with commemorative merchandise and artifacts surrounding the iconic LPs.

Another activation includes a collaboration with Spotify, which is taking over the J and Z subway lines at Bowery station in Manhattan’s Lower East Side this weekend. Most of the merchandise has now been made available online at Roc Nation’s website.

Jay-Z made appearances at both activations on Thursday alongside his daughter Blue Ivy and many of the Roc-A-Fella affiliates that were with him during the RD era. “Yeah, of course it’s the first one,” Jay told Complex about Reasonable Doubt being the most important album in his career. “It’s the one that set it all off.”

Hov finished off Thursday night puffing on a cigar from the rooftop of Roc Nation’s headquarters, watching fireworks light up the NYC skyline above the Hudson River.

Next stop, Jay returns to the stage in NYC for a trifecta of shows at Yankee Stadium July 10-12.

Alison Wonderland played a blinder, as she nailed her part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

As previously reported, the elite Australian DJ and producer got tapped to present the match ball for the FIFA World Cup game Thursday evening, June 25, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA — a vital contest that saw her countrymen match up with pool D opponents Paraguay.

“WHAT AN HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO WALK THE BALL ONTO THE FIELD FOR THE AUSTRALIA VS PARAGUAY FIFA WORLD CUP GAME,” she writes in a social post. “Being stadium captain has to be one of the top moments of my entire life . GO THE ROOS.”

In an earlier post, sharing the news of her special honor, Wonderland (real name: Alexandra Sholler) asked her followers to “wish me luck.” She didn’t need it. There were no howlers, errors, blunders.

Wonderland might have been the Socceroos’ lucky charm. The team needed a win, or a draw, to ensure progress to the round of 32. When the final whistle was blown, the Aussies got through with a 0-0 result.

With that particular bucket list item ticked off, Wonderland can focus on her touring. She wraps up the North America leg of her latest jaunt this Saturday, June 27 at Foam Wonderland in Las Vegas, NV. Then, she takes her show on the road for performances in the United Kingdom and Europe, getting underway July 10 with the Wonderland Warehouse Rave in London, all of it in support of her fourth studio album, Ghost World (via EMI). 

Collaborators on Ghost World, which dropped in December 2025, include Nina Wilson, better known as EDM producer and artist Ninajirachi, plus DJ Dave and Erick The Architect. Wonderland produced the collection with Dylan Ragland, MEMBA and QUIX. Ghost World was mixed by Tom Norris and Tristan Hoogland and mastered by Dale Becker.

Wonderland is at right home on the stage, and can boast more than 800,000 headline ticket sales across her U.S. tours alone. In 2018, she carved her name in the history books with a headline spot at Coachella, her fourth performance in the California desert, and has seven-times headlined the “Temple of Wonderland” at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

There’s more Justin Bieber Swag for your collection.

At the stroke of midnight, the Canadian pop star shared the full live recording from his much-talked-about headlining performance at the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival, on April 11.

Released through Def Jam Recordings, Swag Live From Coachella (Weekend I) features guest spots from The Kid LAROI, Tems, Wizkid, Dijon, and Mk.gee, and stretches across 22 tracks.

It’s the companion to a performance that spurred its share of conversation on social media after Bieber spent some of the set playing and singing along to old YouTube videos of his catalog alongside his more recent hits. Whatever, it generated an impressive spike for Bieber’s streams, new and older. Following that first weekend slot, Bieber landed seven albums on the Billboard 200 at the same time, a career best for the most titles on the tally concurrently. Prior to that, the most he had on the chart at once was four, last achieved in January 2012.

Swag Live From Coachella (Weekend I) follows the Grammy Award-nominated seventh studio album Swag, which dropped July 11, 2025, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 (dated July 26), and flooded the Billboard Hot 100 chart with 16 songs, led by “Daisies” at No. 2.  His first LP in four years, since Justice, Swag debuted at No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums while the album track “Daisies” started at No. 1 on Top Streaming Songs. 

Then, last September, the surprise release of Swag II, which opened and peaked at No. 4 on the all-genres Billboard 200 list.

Missed it? The official livestream of Bieber’s performance on Thursday, June 25 enjoyed a special encore repeat on YouTube, and will repeat again today, June 26 at 7pm ET.

Stream Swag Live From Coachella (Weekend I) in full below.

Central Melbourne just got a high voltage artwork — a new Bon Scott mural, unveiled ahead of what would have been the late AC/DC frontman’s 80^th birthday.

Presented Friday, June 26, in AC/DC Lane, just minutes after Australia wrapped up its final round D match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the piece was created by Melbourne artist Era based on exclusive commemorative artwork by Mambo artist and Mental As Anything co-founder Reg Mombassa.

Born and raised in Scotland, Scott relocated to Fremantle, Western Australia with his family in 1952 when he was aged six. His Celtic roots are remembered with a lifesize statue, wielding the bagpipes, in Kirriemuir.

With a bad boy attitude, naughty grin and powerful pipes, Scott fronted several bands, most notably Fraternity and the Valentines, before he nabbed vocal duties with AC/DC.

Scott performed on the band’s first seven studio albums, including the legendary 1979 collection Highway to Hell. The album turned out to be his swansong. Just six months after its release, in February 1980, Scott died in London, at the age of 33, from what the official coroner’s report described as “acute alcohol poisoning” and attributed to “death by misadventure.”

AC/DC was one of the very first names read out for induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame, saluted at a ceremony in 1988, alongside Dame Joan Sutherland, Johnny O’Keefe, Slim Dusty, Col Joye and Vanda & Young. Later, in 2003, the Aussie act was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. At every concert, AC/DC salutes their inspirational early frontman.

The rocker is gone, but won’t be forgotten.

“Fifty years ago, Bon Scott and AC/DC made Aussie rock history when they rolled down Swanston Street on the back of a flatbed truck – bagpipes in tow – for their iconic ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top‘ music video,” Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece told guests gathered Friday at Kinetic Cafe.

“This moment sparked a surge of cultural energy that still reverberates today. Melbourne is the undisputed home of live music in Australia, and AC/DC is part of our city’s DNA.”

The mural, he continued, is “a fitting tribute to two Antipodean cultural icons – and you couldn’t find a better home for it than here in AC/DC Lane.”

Collectors can bag their own copy on a poster, shirt, tote bag and more. Exclusive Reg Mombassa x Bon Scott 80 merch can be found at aus.bonscottofficial.com.

“The Scott family have been fans of Reg Mombassa’s artwork (and music) for many years. His visual style is an iconic piece of Australian culture. To have him create a special piece commemorating Bon’s 80th birthday is an honor and a thrill,” reads a statement from the rocker’s survivors.

Scott’s life and career was recounted in the 2022 documentary On The Brink, produced for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. A batch of the vocalist’s candid letters chronicling life on the road, and the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, recently went under the hammer as part of RR Auction’s Marvels of Modern Music sale. The lot sold for more than $48,000.

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

Last week, we featured FKA twigs with Lil Yachty, Myles Smith, Kashus Culpepper and more.

This week: sombr returns with a new single and rising-star-studded video for it; Phoebe Bridgers shares the lead single for her upcoming third album, Lost Weekend; and Steve Lacy continues teasing his third album, Oh yeah?, with a SZA collab…plus much more. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

sombr, “My Body Isn’t Ready”

Sombr has done it again; with his latest single, he continues to give voice to the complicated feelings that come with moving on, or in this case, not being ready to (the New Yorker continues to be the sole writer of his music as well). By now, he’s proven that he can deliver a pop-rock banger just as easily a contemplative slow-burn, the latter of which best describes “My Body Isn’t Ready.” For fans who are subscribing to “sad summer,” as Noah Kahan is calling it, this song fits right in.

Phoebe Bridgers, “Lost Boys”

Opening with glitchy, distorted lyrics, “Lost Boys” quickly snaps into focus as a folky, fairly polished pop song — one that sounds right at home for Bridgers while also hinting at an expanded sonic universe for her upcoming third album, Lost Weekend, out in August. Fittingly, Jack Antonoff co-produced alongside Tony Berg (a frequent sombr collaborator) and Ethan Gruska — with vocal support from Bridgers’ Boygenius bandmates Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker. For its first three-and-a-half minutes, “Lost Boys” functions as a warmly welcomed lead single — perhaps hinting at a theme of feeling lost in it all — but then, Phoebe hits us with a classic Bridgers scream, showing there’s still some angst under this smoother sonic surface.

Steve Lacy feat. SZA, “is it cool?”

After launching his next album era with the airy indie-rap lead single “the feeling,” Steve Lacy’s second release “is it cool?” is a quicker hit (it’s nearly half the runtime as its predecessor). As a result, it tells a tighter story in conversation with SZA who drops in for just two verses (plus some harmonies) about the role trust plays in a partnership. “You ain’t gotta trust me to love me, baby/ ‘Cause I don’t even trust myself,” sings Lacy. Though somewhere along the way, it’s as if he realizes in realtime how uncool that really is, concluding: “Maybe I should trust myself.”

Gracie Abrams, “Look at My Life”

The second single from Gracie’s upcoming album, Daughter From Hell, continues the narrative arch of its first: that everything’s not really as great as it may seem. And while lead single “Hit the Wall” lays it out quite simply, “Look at My Life” pulls at that thread with a bit of maniacal denial, disguising harsh truths under driving pop production “Do I look high-functioning or/ Is my façade crumbling?” Abrams asks, before singing on the chorus, “Bet you can’t tell, but it’s kind of a bad time/ A new spiral every night/ Bawling my eyes out/ No, but I’m so fine.” Perhaps her third single will be the judge of that.

Katy Perry, “Watch It Burn”

With “Watch It Burn,” Katy comes full force with a new perspective (essentially, f–k it) and new crew of collaborators including Justin Tranter (the two teamed on previous single “bandaids”), Jason Gill, Kiddo and more. While the song clocks in under three minutes, there’s an defiant clarity to it — essentially proving the point that there’s nothing more for her to work out in her head or the studio. As she says herself: “I’m gonna get what I deserve…Finally I put myself first.” And what a great place to be, judging by the sound of it.

kwn, And All Pride Aside

What better way to follow up a breakthrough EP than with B-sides that present an entirely different side of its primary artist? East London R&B singer-songwriter kwn continues her ascent with And All Pride Aside, a terrific EP that blends her sensual, tongue-in-cheek side with the progress she’s made in terms of processing grief amid her rising fame. From tender tributes to her late grandfather (“Heaven’s In Your Hands”) to slick flips of ’00s hip-hop staples like Nelly’s “Hot In Here” (“Risk It All”), kwn, once again, delivers a project for all moods, while also pushing herself into new lyrical territory that plays as an authentic reflection of her personal and artistic evolution. — KYLE DENIS

TEEKS, “My Boy”

Perfectly timed for Pride Month, soulful New Zealand singer-songwriter TEEKS has unleashed “My Boy,” a tender, unabashed tribute to the innate beauty of queerness and sexuality, particularly within the framework of men of color. “My boy, pretty like a sunrise/ So strong, gentle like a butterfly/ Big shot, all the girls go crazy,” he croons at the onset over somber guitars and warbling bass. With his voice occasionally creeping into a slightly hoarse upper register, TEEKS perfectly captures the tension and apprehension that comes with exploring and pursuing a new, burgeoning — and sometimes forbidden — love. — K.D.