A RAYE OF HOPE 💫 After years languishing in label limbo, @raye is riding her independence toward global superstardom.
She opens up about taking control as an independent artist, her latest album ‘THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE,’ making art she’s proud of and more in her cover story for Billboard’s Indie issue. Read it at the link in bio.
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Photographer: @jingyulin_
Styling: @enied
Hair: @alexpriceglam
Makeup: @_ern.3st
Location: @auditoriumtheatre
Writer: @hannah_dailey
When @raye signed her first record deal in 2014, she thought she'd made it. But her dream of making her own album would be long-delayed, and her own voice deprioritized.
"[It was] seven years of a very tumultuous and complicated relationship with life and my purpose and what I was creating,” she says of the time before going independent and creating her critically acclaimed debut, 'My 21st Century Blues.' “The person I am now is so different. I really like who I am now.”
She reflects more on her journey, her latest album 'THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE' and more for the cover of Billboard's Indie issue. Read it at the link in bio.
📸: @jingyulin_
@raye reacts to the Amy Winehouse comparisons and shares how she deals with critics and negativity surrounding her art.
Watch her interview for the cover of Billboard’s Indie issue at the link in bio.
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Producer: Jerah Milligan
Editor: @jsuhadol
Country music’s biggest names are making history 🏆 From Miranda Lambert’s record-breaking 33 wins to Brooks & Dunn’s dominance as a duo, the ACM Awards record books are packed with legendary moments.
Ahead of the show on May 17, swipe to see the top #ACMawards record-holders + tap the link in bio for the full breakdown.
Jorja Smith’s sultry, silky vocals are an expected, welcomed component of all her songs — and while they do their thing on “What’s Done Is Done,” the production comes as a surprise. Loaded with heart-pounding synth and bass, there’s a creeping, electric backbone to the track that perfectly soundtracks the basement club energy Smith channels in its music video.
is “What’s Done Is Done” among your favorite new music releases of the week? Vote in Billboard's new music poll at the link in bio.
📸 Bolade Banjo
It’s been four years since Tove Lo released an album (her last was 2022’s 'Dirt Femme') and new single “I’m Your Girl Right?” reminds listeners of what we’ve been missing. The track finds a sweet spot between mid-tempo pop and full-blown dance banger — exactly what Tove Lo has always done best. The track serves as the lead single for her upcoming sixth album, 'ESTRUS,' out Sept. 18. As the artist shared in a statement: “I know you’ve been waiting a long time and I hope it’s worth the wait. It was for me!”
is “I’m Your Girl Right?” among your favorite new music releases of the week? Vote in Billboard's new music poll at the link in bio.
📸 Charlie Denis
Drake is back to his record-setting ways.
Spotify has announced that Drake has set the single-day records for most-streamed artist, album and song on the platform in 2026, thanks to his first new solo project since 2023.
The single-day 2026 album honor goes to 'Iceman' — one of three albums the rapper dropped first thing Friday, in addition to surprise releases 'Maid of Honour' and 'Habibti' — and the single-day 2026 song honor is for "Make Them Cry," the opening track on Iceman.
More details at the link in bio.
The 61st annual #ACMAwards, which is set to stream live on Sunday, will feature 19 performers. 🎶
Most of the year’s top nominees will perform on the show. Three of the four artists with the most total nominations — Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson – are set to perform.
Swipe ➡️ to see the full lineup and find out more at the link in bio.
Gracie Abrams’ now longtime collaborator Aaron Dessner wasn’t playing when he spoke about the singer’s upcoming album in an Instagram caption earlier this week: “You’ll hear us expanding our musical vocabulary and pushing into uncharted waters sonically…it feels elevated in every way.”
Lead single “Hit the Wall” is an airy and lyrically loaded track, with lines like, “A room full of doctors and an inkblot/ I’m drawn into headlights, have a blind spot” or, “I live in a pattern of breakdowns/ You’ll bend to my silence, it’s so loud.” The track arrives as the perfect connector for where Abrams has been and where she is heading — and proves that if this is her starting point, 'Daughter From Hell' is surely going to hurt like hell.
is “Hit the Wall” among your favorite new music releases of the week? Vote in Billboard's new music poll at the link in bio.
📸 Julie Greve
Jermaine Jackson has been ordered to pay $6.5 million for allegedly raping a session musician coordinator in her Los Angeles-area home in 1988.
Jackson, a member of The Jackson 5 whose solo career also included Billboard Hot 100 hits like “Daddy’s Home”, “Let’s Get Serious” and “Do What You Do,” faces default judgment in a ruling from Judge Elaine W. Mandel. The order, obtained by Billboard, says Jackson must pay up after ignoring Rita Butler Barrett’s civil claims for more than two years.
More details at the link in bio.
#HondaPartner @mariahthescientist proves that stars shine even on rainy days. 🌧️
Watch the Rising Star Award winner perform “Rainy Days” and “Is It a Crime” at #BBWomenInMusic, presented by @Honda Stage.
![When @raye signed her first record deal in 2014, she thought she'd made it. But her dream of making her own album would be long-delayed, and her own voice deprioritized."[It was] seven years of a very tumultuous and complicated relationship with life and my purpose and what I was creating,” she says of the time before going independent and creating her critically acclaimed debut, 'My 21st Century Blues.' “The person I am now is so different. I really like who I am now.”She reflects more on her journey, her latest album 'THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE' and more for the cover of Billboard's Indie issue. Read it at the link in bio. : @jingyulin_](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6727684645442515332758_0_c173620d730a7664b6263f2b18b7212e.jpg?o=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&h=369d29c464aeeb6bf3f2075b9cd1253b)
