What’s more swag than showing gratitude and enjoying nature? On Tuesday (July 29), Justin Bieber did both. In a post on X, the pop star shared photos of himself taking a walk on a tree-lined path and wrote, “Let’s have […]
HYDE has launched his biggest-ever world tour, HYDE [INSIDE] LIVE 2025 WORLD TOUR, playing 24 shows in 16 cities throughout Japan, Latin America, Europe, and other parts of Asia over the course of five months.
This tour is the continuation of his HYDE [INSIDE] LIVE 2024 WORLD TOUR, which he started last year in support of his album HYDE [INSIDE]. This was his first release in five years and his heaviest to date.
One of the most enthralling parts of HYDE’s live performances is that they are artistic shows in which HYDE’s own aesthetic sensibilities are evident throughout the chaos. The June 25 show at Zepp Haneda (TOKYO) began with a stage covered in curtains. A digital clock counted up to the start of the show, and when the clock struck 17:06 (=16:66=666, the number of the beast), the audience is drawn into the fantastic world INSIDE HYDE.
Trending on Billboard
When the curtains part, the first thing you see is the name “HYDE” in electric lights, evocative of a circus freak show. At the center stands a massive podium with a snake and cross motif, decorated with carved skulls. HYDE, his face enveloped in a deep hood and half-covered by a mask, appears at the podium to the wild cheers of the audience. The show began with “LET IT OUT.” Backed by the heavy sound of his band, HYDE looked down on the masses, stirring the audience into a frenzy with just his voice and the movements of his fingers. He then descended from the podium to put on two powerful, back-to-back performances of “AFTER LIGHT” and “I GOT 666.” The audience let out everything they had bottled inside, through their voices and through their whole bodies.
“Good to see so much energy out there. Tonight, we’re going to tear things up! You’re still looking cool and collected, but by the end of the night you’re going to be a mess!”
With “DEFEAT,” he started out singing sensuously, but when he ripped away the mask covering half his face, the wild aggression inside HYDE came bursting to the surface. During “SICK,” he sang through a megaphone, transforming into a ferocious agitator. He climbed the casks at the side of the stage, mounting the amps and sounding a siren through his megaphone, as if to exhort the crowd to go even wilder. It looked like he would dive into the audience any moment. With the crowd even more amped up by the siren, HYDE dropped “TAKING THEM DOWN.” While he created the burning hot atmosphere of a rock show, violently inciting the crowd, a close look at his megaphone revealed two tiny horns, a unique touch. This pop sensibility was something shared in common with HYDE’s music, which is aggressive but also has catchy, beautiful melodies. After completely enthralling the crowd with his cool, mature performance, he raised a flag over his shoulder and began swaying it to and fro as he sang “ON MY OWN.” The song began with his distinctive bewitching vocal style, growing more intense as it went on, as if HYDE was venting what he had deep inside. This was accompanied by white smoke gushing from the stage, creating a dramatic spectacle.
The venue was then brought under the sway of a romantic piano melody, and the inflamed passion of the audience slowly settled. However, the piano gradually grew noisier and noisier, the sound becoming unsettling. The stage grew dark, and the band launched into “TOKOSHIE,” the ending theme to the TV anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc. The Far Eastern sensibilities and dark melody interwove, creating a sense of expectation in the venue, like an awe-inspiring ceremony had just begun. The sound gradually rose in intensity, reaching a dramatic climax like achieving nirvana. HYDE, lit by spotlights from above his dais, exuded an unapproachable, godly aura as he sang, a figure of overwhelming grandeur.
HYDE
Hiroaki Ishikawa
In previous shows, HYDE has covered artists like Slipknot, Duran Duran, and Linkin Park. In this show, he performed My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade.” When the song’s tempo slowed, HYDE put his own punkish spin on the song, sending the crowd wild.
Then he had the audience sit down and transitioned to “6or9,” where, at HYDE’s signal, the entire audience leapt into the air. Throughout the song, he engaged the crowd in call & response, swinging around a towel and creating an even greater sense of unity with everyone at the show. The band then performed “MAD QUALIA” in front of the floor’s heaving circle pit, and HYDE banged his head as if possessed. The rest of the band also paced the stage, inciting the crowd and creating the kind of over-the-top rock show atmosphere that seemed scarcely possible for a small concert venue. Then, as if to light a match to the powder keg of the crowd, HYDE went down to the crowd. As he stood behind the barrier, reaching down and grasping the hands of fans, audience members throughout the venue began crowd surfing, aiming to get closer to HYDE. When HYDE began “DEVIL SIDE,” the audience, perfectly coordinated, swayed back and forth, hearts united as one.
As if to smash the joyous atmosphere of the crowd, brought together by the melodic killer tune, the band launched into their heaviest number, “SOCIAL VIRUS.” Repeating the mantra, “I want to see more chaos,” HYDE contorted his body to the heavy bass sounds of his masked band mates, his voice distorted by his frenzied shouting. After turning both the stage and the floor into a chaotic spectacle, he continued with “MIDNIGHT CELEBRATION II.” HYDE thrashed around the stage, like a man possessed.
As the show came to its close, HYDE collapsed on stage, looking up into the rafters. A bittersweet melody began to play, and HYDE, with a delicate, beautiful voice on the verge of tears, sang “LAST SONG.” His soft singing voice rose from a whisper, gradually becoming more fevered and filling the hearts of the audience with emotion. A deluge of crimson paper confetti fell from the rafters and HYDE sunk to his knees on stage, like a scene from a movie. Taking his voice to its limits, he repeated the frenzied final lines, his voice midway between crying and screaming, and then fell to the floor, a sight so sublime and beautiful that the audience watched with bated breath, feeling like their hearts had been ripped from their chests. HYDE put his all into the performance, with the climax of the show sweeping the audience from its feet as it showed the ephemeral beauty inside HYDE’s aggressive ferocity. It was the highlight of the show. The paper confetti rained on HYDE’s crumpled form as the audience gazed on as if in a trance. And with this, the show came to an end.
HYDE
Hiroaki Ishikawa
When the curtains opened on the stage again for an encore, each band member performed a gorgeous solo. These led into “PANDORA,” and HYDE suddenly appeared on the second-story corridor, making the crowd go wild. Next, he suddenly appeared in front of the first-story PA, surprising the first floor audience. After delighting the fans by suddenly appearing in their midst, HYDE returned to the stage.
“I’m pouring everything I have into this music. I’m getting older, so I just want to do what I love. And since I’m doing what I want, that means I’m weeding people out. I’m going my own way, and I’m sure there are people out there who don’t like that. But that’s fine. I’ll always have my core fans who stick with me. I pray that there are people out there whose hearts are reached by this show. So we’re going to play three more songs, and we’re going to play with all our hearts, so we have no regrets. Total concentration–my singing, your energy. Don’t hold anything back!”
After pouring out his heart about how he felt about the tour, he performed “MUGEN,” the opening theme to the TV anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc, followed immediately by “GLAMOROUS SKY.” Then he brought the audience’s voltage to its peak with the show’s finale, party anthem “SEX BLOOD ROCK N’ ROLL.” The curtains fell and the words “THE END” appeared on them, bringing the show to a close.
HYDE will continue jetting across Japan to perform at numerous summer festivals, and then his momentum will take him overseas to meet fans around the world. If you’re planning to see HYDE, you’d best be prepared.
—This article by Sachie Tojo first appeared on Billboard Japan
At the final night of the Cowboy Carter Tour at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, Beyoncé had quite a few tricks up her fringed sleeve. But her ace card on Saturday night was definitely when she was joined onstage by her […]
The SOCAN Polaris Song Prize has its inaugural short list.
The list comprises songs recorded by Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Saya Gray, Yves Jarvis, Mustafa and Ribbon Skirt. The winner will receive $10,000 split between the song’s Canadian performers and the song’s credited Canadian songwriter(s), courtesy of Canadian performing rights society SOCAN.
Here is this year’s short list:
* Lou-Adriane Cassidy— “Dis-moi dis-moi dis-moi,” written by Lou-Adriane Cassidy and Alexandre Martel
* Saya Gray — “SHELL (OF A MAN),” written by Saya Gray and John Mavro
Trending on Billboard
* Yves Jarvis — “Gold Filigree,” written by Yves Jarvis
* Mustafa — “Gaza is Calling,” written by Mustafa Ahmed, Emmanuel Hailemariam, Simon Hessman and Nicolas Jaar
* Ribbon Skirt — “Wrong Planet,” written by Tashiina Buswa and Billy Riley
These songs were selected from the previously announced 20-song long list.
Of these five artists, only Toronto artist/poet Mustafa has previous experience of a Polaris-related short list, via a 2021 nomination for the Polaris Music Prize for his debut release, When Smoke Rises.
An interesting facet of this short list is that all five of the artists listed are also on the 10 album short list for the 2025 Polaris Music Prize. As a result, they will all be performing at the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony, at Toronto’s Massey Hall on Tuesday, September 16. Both Prizes will be awarded at that event.
As with the Polaris Music Prize, the Song Prize is voted on by the members of the Polaris jury without regard to musical genre, label affiliation or commercial popularity.
The SOCAN Polaris Song Prize is the organization’s first new award since the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize was introduced in 2015 to award albums from the pre-Polaris Prize era. The launch of the Song Prize is part of an extensive initiative of programming changes announced for the organization’s 20th anniversary.
Tickets for the Polaris Concert & Award Ceremony are on sale now via the Massey Hall website.
This article was originally published by Billboard Canada.
The Kid LAROI and Tate McRae appear to have broken up — but it’s OK, they’re OK.
In a recent post on X, the Australian singer seemingly confirmed that he and the Canadian pop star have called it quits after more than a year of dating. However, he noted that they are “on good terms.”
Billboard has reached out to his reps for comments.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
The context of LAROI’s post involves him clearing up rumors that his team had been planting negative posts about McRae online as a way of promoting his new song, “Hot Girl Problems.” In response to one person who accused him of leading the alleged smear campaign, he wrote, “so yall know I have NOTHING to do with this and I DO NOT co sign this behavior whatsoever.”
Trending on Billboard
He also shared a screenshot of what appeared to be texts between him and members of his team. Sending them a link to one of the hateful messages someone had written about McRae, LAROI had written, “Guys is this coming internally? If so can we please have these taken down.”
“Tate and I are on good terms and this just looks messy / whack,” he added to his recipients, who replied that they’d “make moves on this” and confirmed, “definitely didn’t come from us that’s f–ked up.”
The news comes more than a year after LAROI and McRae first sparked dating rumors in early 2024. That April, the former made fans go “Aw” by revealing that his “girlfriend” was watching from the wings during one of his shows.
The two would later collaborate on “I Know Love,” a track on McRae’s Billboard 200-topping album So Close to What. “It was a really funny process, because me and LAROI have never really, like, taken each other seriously,” she reflected of working with her then-boyfriend at a listening party in February. “You know when you’re in a relationship and you sing around each other, but you don’t really, like, sing? So it was a little stressful being in the studio singing and writing in front of him, but it was a cool experience to watch him in his process.”
Roc Nation has released a statement following the tragic NYC shooting on Monday evening (July 28) that left five dead, including the gunman, and one victim in stable condition. Explore See latest videos, charts and news A gunman, who has […]
Across Billboard‘s 200-plus charts this week (dated Aug. 2, 2025), there’s a fresh wave of artists who make their first-ever chart appearances. It’s a list that includes the daughter of a former Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping artist who arrives with a Tyler, the Creator collab, a singer who teamed up with Zach Bryan on a new release, three veteran rock musicians who debut with a live cover of an Ozzy Osbourne classic and more.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
Take a look at the group below.
Trending on Billboard
Madison McFerrin
The 33-year-old singer-songwriter scores her first-ever Billboard chart appearance this week thanks to her featured spot on Tyler, The Creator’s “Don’t You Worry Baby.” The song debuts at No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100, powered by 8.3 million official U.S. streams in the July 18-24 tracking week, according to Luminate. The song appears on Tyler’s new LP, DON’T TAP THE GLASS, which he released Sunday, June 20. As such, those streams are the result of only four days of activity. The song also debuts at No. 6 on Hot R&B Songs, No. 18 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 129 on the Billboard Global 200.
Despite the shortened availability, DON’T TAP THE GLASS debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 197,000 equivalent album units, earning Tyler his fourth No. 1.
McFerrin had never appeared on a Billboard chart before this week. Her feature also helps her debut at No. 48 on the Emerging Artists chart.
If McFerrin’s surname rings a bell, it’s for good reason — she’s the daughter of Bobby McFerrin, the vocalist behind the 1988 Hot 100 No. 1 hit, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” The song was featured in the film Cocktail, as well as his album Simple Pleasures, and became the first a cappella song to reach No. 1. It later won the Grammy Awards for song of the year, record of the year and best male pop vocal performance.
The McFerrins join a long lineage of father-daughter duos who have each charted songs on the Hot 100. It’s a group that includes Miley, Noah and Billy Ray Cyrus, Natalie and Nat King Cole, Willow and Will Smith, Nancy and Frank Sinatra, Nona and Marvin Gaye, and Kelly and Ozzy Osbourne.
Gabriella Rose
The rising singer-songwriter makes her Billboard chart debut via her guest appearance on Zach Bryan’s “Madeline.” Released July 18 on Belting Bronco/Warner Records, the track debuts at No. 62 on the Hot 100 with 7.8 million U.S. streams in its opening week.
Rose has released two solo EPs: 2019’s Lost in Translation and 2024’s Wait Til I Get My Money Up.
Alyssa Raghu
The Orlando, Fla.-based singer makes her Billboard chart debut with “The Party,” which enters the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart at No. 40, thanks to a 40% gain in plays among 24/7 dance reporters and pop stations’ mix show hours.
Raghu is a familiar face to American Idol fans, having competed in three separate seasons, in 2018,2019 and 2024. Her best finish was in 2019, when she reached the top eight.
Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello, Adam Wakeman
All three artists are longtime fixtures in the rock world, but they each make their solo debut on Billboard’s charts this week thanks to “Changes (Live From Villa Park) Back to the Beginning,” a live cover, also with YUNGBLUD, of Black Sabbath’s classic song.
The performance was recorded live on July 5 at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, England, during the Back to the Beginning farewell tribute concert for Black Sabbath. Proceeds for the concert were donated to Acorn Children’s Hospice, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Cure Parkinson’s. It was the final performance by Ozzy Osbourne before his death on July 22. YUNGBLUD, Bettencourt, Bello and Wakeman released the live recording on DSPs on July 18, but the song surged in streams after Osbourne’s death.
The cover debuts at No. 11 on the Hot Hard Rock Songs chart and No. 42 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs with 1.3 million official U.S. streams and 6,000 downloads sold. It also debuts at No. 4 on Digital Song Sales — trailing only three Osbourne solo tracks (“Mama, I’m Coming Home,” “Crazy Train” and “No More Tears”).
Bettencourt is the lead guitarist for the band Extreme, which topped the Hot 100 in 1991 with ballad “More Than Words.” The band charted three more songs on the Hot 100, including the No. 4-peaking “Hole Hearted” in 1991. Bello is the bassist for the thrash metal band Anthrax, which has charted 13 albums on the Billboard 200 since 1985, including two top 10s. Wakeman was the keyboardist and rhythm guitarist for Osbourne’s band. Along with that, he toured with Black Sabbath and has worked with many other rock acts, including Deep Purple, Annie Lennox and Uriah Heep.
Brooke Hogan is speaking out following the death of her father, Hulk Hogan, with whom she shared a complicated but loving relationship leading up to his death.
In a lengthy, emotional letter posted to Instagram on Tuesday (July 29), the singer opened up about some of her favorite memories of her famous dad and paid tribute to his legacy before clearing up rumors that they were on bad terms before he died. Hulk — who passed away at the age of 71 after suffering cardiac arrest, per USA Today — shared Brooke as well as a son, Nick, with first wife Linda Claridge.
“My dad’s blood runs through my veins,” she began. “I am so grateful I knew the real version of him … We shared a quiet, sacred bond, one that could be seen and felt by anyone who witnessed us together. When he left this earth, it felt like part of my spirit left with him.”
Trending on Billboard
The designer went on to say that her dad often spoke of death with “such wonder and hope” — “like meeting God was the greatest championship he’d ever have,” she noted — before addressing speculation about where they stood in his final years. According to Brooke, her father had needed more than 25 surgeries to treat health issues, but as time went on, he’d started shutting her out of his medical processes.
“We never had a ‘big fight,’” Brooke wrote. “My father and I never ‘fought.’ It was a series of private phone calls no one will ever hear, know or understand.”
“All of a sudden he didn’t want me at surgeries … It was like there was a force field around him that I couldn’t get through,” she continued. “I felt a disconnect. What followed were respectful disagreements that took an emotional toll on me.”
The public began to sense that Brooke had distanced herself from her family in 2023, when she didn’t attend her dad’s wedding to third wife Sky Daily, according to People. This past March, Brooke’s mom also reportedly posted that the musician “didn’t tell” her parents when she got married to husband Steven Olesky, or when she welcomed twins in January.
But by Brooke’s account, “during the last two years, I had to step away to protect my heart.”
“My husband stayed open, quietly reaching out to my dad without me knowing, trying to find a safe way back in for me,” she explained. “I know in my heart I did everything I could. He knew I would run through a burning building for him.”
Though Brooke acknowledges that she wasn’t as close to her dad leading up to his death, she emphasized that she will always remember him fondly. “I’m deeply grateful for the love, tributes and memorials from his fans and friends,” she ended her letter, which she followed up by posting a slideshow of father-daughter photos. “His life was one worth celebrating — and always will be.”
Brooke’s message comes five days after a rep for Hulk confirmed his death in a statement to Billboard on July 24. “We are heartbroken,” it read. “He was such a great human being and friend.”
One of the most widely recognized athletes to have emerged from pro wrestling, Hulk found fame outside of the sport as well. In addition to taking on a number of acting roles, he starred in a reality show called Hulk Knows Best that focused on his family life with Linda, Brooke and Nick.
See Brooke’s post below.
A U.S. appeals court says French digital music company Believe cannot be sued in Florida for posting the songs of a cult 1980s Russian boy band on YouTube. A Monday (July 28) opinion from the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals […]
Drake interacts with plenty of fans while he’s serenaded on his entrance, walking through the crowd to the stage on tour. However, one recent fan interaction caught him off guard when a woman stepped into the aisle, appearing to look […]
Stay up to date on exciting projects and upcoming events from the Black Promoters Collective.
©2025 Black Promoters Collective (BPC) All Rights Reserved.
