The 2024 iteration of Tennessee's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival was an absolute scorcher — even without the 95-degree highs.

The weekend brought some of the hottest names in music for a stacked lineup of buzzy newcomers and hitmaking veterans. From the Red Hot Chili Peppers' spectacular return to touring with John Frusciante, to Dashboard Confessional's star-studded Emo Superjam, to Billy Strings joining Post Malone for "rockstar," to Chappel Roan singing to a wig, there was no shortage of unforgettable moments at The Farm. 

While this year was the literally hottest that Bonnaroovians had seen in a few years, sweating through shirts (or lack thereof) proved completely worth it as some of the biggest iconoclasts came together and brought their all. It was electrifying, whimsical and at times emotional — and the bright, sunny skies served as the perfect backdrop for it all. 

If anything, the blistering — and briefly thundery — weather was a testament to the enduring nature of music fans; folks from all over the globe will never miss a chance to watch their favorite artists. Relive the magic with nine of the most exciting sets from Bonnaroo 2024.

The Foxies Took Technical Mishaps In Stride

The Foxies | Yvonne Gougelet for Bonnaroo 2024

Nashville's premier glitterpunk exports the Foxies delivered a fun, crowd-pleasing set Thursday night on the Who stage, even despite a flurry of audio issues and technical hiccups. The Roo crowd was forgiving, though, and the band rewarded us with some of the best songs from their catalog — plus a cover of Sheryl Crow's "If It Makes You Happy."

"Summer Never Dies," "Timothee Chalamet," and "Little Monsters" all landed perfectly, but the group's personality shone brightest during their newest release, "Natural Disaster." It couldn't have been a more apt song for Bonnaroo's carefree setting — an ode to feeling free and accepting the wildest parts of yourself. 

"A huge theme while we were writing ['Natural Disaster'], for me, was when I was 20 living in Brooklyn, how I was, all the cringey stuff that I did as a young adult," The Foxies frontwoman Julia Bullock told GRAMMY.com backstage. "I wish I wouldn't have shied away from it, or been embarrassed by it — I wish I'd leaned into the cringiness. This is an anthem for that: if I could do it all over again I would just embrace the fact that we are all just weird." Indeed we are, Julia.

The Japanese House Brought Love And Light

The Japanese House | Yvonne Gougelet for Bonnaroo 2024

Since its 2015 inception, The Japanese House has always been in the zeitgeist. Where Amber Bain's heavily layered, mournful music was inescapable during the pale-grunge Tumblr era, it now occupies a much lighter space. Coming off of a banner year and a critically acclaimed album, In the End it Always Does, Bain has been embracing her pop side like never before.

Her set was a cornucopia of new and old sounds, the most exciting part of which was her new song, "Smiley Face." Written a year ago when Bain met her current fiancée on a dating app, "Smiley Face" is bright, soft, and sploshy, fraught with the energy of someone falling deliriously in love. "[When we first met] she lived in Detroit and I lived in London, and I would stay awake until she fell asleep," Bain tells GRAMMY.com of the song. "We were in different time zones. I was running on nothing — I felt a bit high." 

Like the rest of her discography, the song held the audience in the palm of its hand, this time enveloping us in a warm, flickering glow. "I could be losing my mind but something's happening," Bain sang, naturally, with a smile on her face. 

TV Girl Delivered A Masterclass In Melodrama

"I have a bit of stage fright," revealed TV Girl singer Brad Petering before the group's second to last song. Even if he felt it, stage fright wasn't apparent during the indie pop band's hour-long performance. Their set felt like a dream; onlookers got lost in the moment, spinning, swaying and dancing in the refreshingly cool breeze. 

It fell serendipitously near the 10th anniversary of their debut, French Exit, an album that launched them into the limelight as stalwarts of indie pop. Songs like "Louise" and "Lovers Rock" felt almost nostalgic 10 years on, and newer cuts like "99.5" and "The Nighttime" blended right in. Backed by a full band — including backup singers Kiera and Mnya, whose powerhouse vocals could've made for their own show — TV Girl turned already dynamic songs like "Birds Don't Sing" and "Not Allowed" into even fuller, radiant versions of themselves. 

Ethel Cain Took Us To Church

Ethel Cain | Ashley Osborn for Bonnaroo 2024

Despite its small size, there was no more perfect space for an Ethel Cain set than the reserved, remote That Tent in the quiet corner of Bonnaroo. Her performance saw the quaint venue packed to the brim, 1000-odd people staring back at Cain in dumbstruck awe, as her band played through songs inspired by Christian music and Gregorian chant.

Beginning with unreleased song "Dust Bowl" and the haunting "A House in Nebraska," Cain's performance was an intense, resounding 40 minutes that traversed between peace and emotional turmoil, much like all of the songs from her breakthrough album, Preacher's Daughter. The euphoric response from her overflowing audience left little doubt that her songwriting can break down walls; she's a timeless act, and her Bonnaroo set proved it.

​​Neil Frances Set Themselves Apart

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There are a number of artists with variations of the name Neil Frances — or at least that's what it looked like from this year's Bonnaroo bill. One difference in letters, and you may have found yourself at the Other Stage at 6:15pm on Saturday, seeing Neil Frances instead of Neal Francis. But, whether you've been a fan of Neil Frances for years, or you wound up there by mistake, the indie-dance duo would not have let you leave disappointed. 

Backed by a live full band, their set felt like a psychedelic ode to the club, to dancing, and to feeling free. And their live production is every bit an artistic endeavor as is being in the studio. 

"We've always preferred to play with a live band; there are so many things that we do live that are completely different from the record," the duo's Marc Gilfry told GRAMMY.com. "It's fun, it's dramatic, and we have really great musicians."

Read More: NEIL FRANCES Just Want To Have Fun & Get 'Fuzzy'

Melanie Martinez Gave Us A Peek Inside Her Mind

Melanie Martinez | Dusana Risovic for Bonnaroo 2024

Adorned with bows, horns, over-the-top dresses, and a multi-eyed, alien-like prosthetic mask, Melanie Martinez was dressed exactly how you'd think she would. With a stage setup of greenery, giant mushrooms, nymphs, and various mythical elements that seemed to revel in its own kitchiness, the details of Martinez's intricately-woven performance art unfolded around the audience, song by song, immersing everyone in a world of weird, elaborate fun.

Her dancers wove through a delicately choreographed, three-act narrative, taking the crowd through her three albums in chronological order, telling the story of the Cry Baby character, who first appears in her debut album, Cry Baby. The character transforms from baby to child to young adult, and finally, to a fully grown, pink-skinned being in the third act. Martinez's set was artistry in every sense of the word, taking fans through the ups and downs of youth and coming-of-age through rich metaphor and lyrical imagery — and prompting delighted sing-alongs as a result.

Interpol Were A Quiet Gem

Interpol | Ismael Quintanilla III for Bonnaroo 2024

More than 25 years into their career, there's still something very disarming about Interpol. Maybe it's their effortless, NYC cool, or that they still know how to build the type of tension that gives you chills. Or maybe it's that they're men of very few onstage words — and when they do speak, you feel as though you've been given a gift.

Three things can be true, and they were for Interpol's Bonnaroo set Friday Night. Not ones to waste time talking, the three-piece rock band played an unbelievably tight 75-minute set, mostly sticking to a reliable selection of early hits, largely from their 2004 album, Antics. The crowd didn't seem put-off by the lack of chatter, as everybody had some singing along to do — because it was impossible not to.

Milky Chance Never Stopped Dancing

Milky Chance | Douglas Mason for Bonnaroo 2024

Milky Chance wants you to dance. The German duo-turned-quad may have steadily transformed since their early folk days, but they've never abandoned their ability to make every beat danceable and each chorus undeniable. And on stage, they were having a ball.

With a set that included both 2012 hit "Stolen Dance" and their latest, "Naked and Alive,'' their evolution from folk renegades to breezier, disco-pop pundits is on full display — and we're glad they brought us all along for the ride. 

Speaking to GRAMMY.com backstage, bassist Philipp Dausch discussed their journey: "It was quite a process to become the band we wanted to be. Our music has always been in-between electronic and folky, so we put a lot of work into becoming that band on stage as well. We love rhythms and beats. We like when music moves you."

Megan Thee Stallion Declared This A "Self-Love Summer"

Megan Thee Stallion | Pooneh Ghana for Bonnaroo 2024

No one is doing it like Meg. A highlight of day four — and perhaps the entire weekend — was Megan Thee Stallion's riotous, yet charming Sunday night set. Clad in a yellow-ombre bodysuit and welcomed by a crowd chanting her name, the Houston hottie commanded the What stage in a manner that suggested it won't be too long until she's in the headlining slot.

"Real hot girl s—," she screamed at the crowd, who didn't hesitate to scream back. It was clear she was on a high; not only was it her first Bonnaroo set, but it also followed back-to-back sold-out shows in her hometown of Houston, making it an absolutely monumental weekend for the rapper. 

Her and her dancers shook, twerked, and rolled through each hit without ever losing breath control — even during what she deemed the "personal section" of her set. And that portion was aptly-named; beneath the ass-shaking and thumping beats, "Cobra" brought about an air of sadness during an otherwise infectiously playful and positive performance. 

The lyrics chronicle her mental health struggles over the years amidst personal traumas and virulent online abuse. "Man, I miss my parents," she sang of her late parents, on what happened to be Father's Day. But shortly after the poignant moment, Megan quickly returned to her signature body-moving, sex-positve calling cards, "WAP," "Savage," and "Body," during which she declared this summer a "Self-Love Summer." That's some Real Hot Girl S— we can get behind.

15 LGBTQIA+ Artists Performing At 2024 Summer Festivals

In the early 2000s, Taking Back Sunday were just some dudes living in Long Island, New York. Vocalist Adam Lazzara, guitarist and vocalist John Nolan, guitarist Eddie Reyes, bassist Shaun Cooper, and drummer Mark O'Connell all were working day jobs, but they were trying to make the music thing work, organizing DIY tours up and down the East Coast when they could. Unsure what to call their first demo CD, the quintet labeled it with a title that would eventually become fortuitous: "Tell All Your Friends."

It was a marching order for those with a copy, in hopes that the demo would land in the right hands. As fate would have it, the five-song CD was eventually heard by an A&R representative for Victory Records in 2001 — and the rest, as they say, is history.

Tell All Your Friends was officially released as Taking Back Sunday's debut album in March 2002, featuring 10 songs in total and introducing the band as one of the early forebearers of the decade's post-hardcore and emo movement. Though Taking Back Sunday reached their commercial peak with their third album, 2006's Louder Now, Tell All Your Friends is the fan favorite, and is seminal to both the band's career and the emo era as a whole. Millions of people around the world connected to the heart-on-the-sleeve songwriting and raw emotions conveyed in tracks like "Cute Without the 'E'," "Timberwolves of New Jersey," and "You're So Last Summer," all of which became huge hits on both radio and MTV; soon kids everywhere were growing out their bangs like Lazzara, wearing studded belts, and using lyrics as their AIM Away Messages.

Two decades later, Taking Back Sunday is still going strong. In 2023, they released their eighth album, 152, and on October 19 and 20, they will return to the When You Were Young Festival in Las Vegas, where they will play Tell All Your Friends in full. Ahead of the fest, GRAMMY.com caught up with Nolan to reminisce about those early days of Taking Back Sunday, and the memories behind every song on their debut album.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What do you remember of that time in your life before Tell All Your Friends was released?

We had signed our deal with Victory Records months before we went into the studio. When we were recording the record, we did it in Jersey City, but we all lived on Long Island. Adam, Eddie and I all lived in the same apartment at that point.

We were all working day jobs, so we were driving back and forth — which, you know, Long Island to Jersey City, depending on time of day, can either be a half hour or 3 hours. [Laughs.] So that definitely added a bit of complication to things.

But we were just so excited by the whole prospect. Anything that was challenging about getting there and back and juggling jobs didn't really matter. We were just so psyched about everything.

How did these songs come about for you guys? Had you been playing them for a while?

The first year or so of the band, we had a different singer and a few different bass players. Everything was kind of rotating. We finally got the lineup that we had on the album probably about a year before we recorded the album. During that time, we were writing and playing shows. As soon as we were done writing a song, we would play it live, because at that point, everything was new to everybody so it didn't matter. That was a cool thing to be able to do, because we were able to develop them live months before we ever recorded.

We also did a demo that had 5 songs from Tell All Your Friends on it that we started selling at shows. Those songs were the ones that were really established before we recorded.

When we were going into the studio, we didn't really have to put together an album because at that point, we had about 10 or 11 songs. We had written an album's worth of songs just kind of by chance. Some of them had been written more recently while others had been around for a while.

Listening to Tell All Your Friends 20 years later, is there anything in particular that stands out to you about the record?

The thing that jumps out to me the most is, we've been playing live for a very long time to a click track, so everything is very tight and on point. It's always interesting to me to hear the live versions of these songs where it speeds up and down. It's very inconsistent and very raw sounding because of that. I think it's part of what accidentally gave the album a certain level of excitement and made it stand out a bit.

You can definitely hear that raw energy on a song like "You Know How I Do," the first song on Tell All Your Friends. What makes it a good album opener?

That was one of the ones we had finished writing not too long before we went into the studio. So it was a new song in our mind. That was part of it. It felt like starting off with something that was new and exciting to us made sense. It just had feeling that felt like a good way to kick off the record. It has that intro with the one guitar and then everything kicks in.

After that comes "Bike Scene." Tell me about that song.

That one was one of the ones we recorded on the demo that we put out before the album. It had been established for a while. I don't think there were too many changes from the demo version to the record version. My sister Michelle sings on the bridge of that one. It was one of the songs that we started seeing a good reaction to at our shows pretty quickly.

So you guys honed that one on stage?

Yeah, that one didn't really go through many changes. We had that one locked in.

The next song on the record is "Cute Without The 'E'" which was a big single for you and a fan favorite. How did this song change things for the band?

Just getting signed to a record label was a huge accomplishment, and it was about as far ahead as we could think in terms of what our band could do. So, to be hearing our song on the radio and seeing it on TV not much longer after signing was mind blowing. I felt very surreal. It was very hard to believe that it was all true and actually happening.

I don't honestly remember how "Cute Without the 'E'" was chosen as a single. I don't remember any of us having a sense when we wrote and recorded that song that "this is the one," you know? It was a song on the album that we liked just as much as any other. For that one to take off the way it did was a bit of a surprise.

Is it true you don't rehearse this song anymore?

That is true, yes. We've played it at every show, I think, ever, from the time I was in the band in the early 2000s and then when I came back in 2010… that's a lot when you add that up. [Laughs.] That's one we don't really have any reason to rehearse, so we don't.

Next is "There's No 'I' In Team." There's a bit of a story behind this one, involving a falling out between you and a former bandmate, Jesse Lacey of Brand New. At this point, do you even still think about the drama that inspired song anymore? Is it hard for you to play?

No. I mean, it's so long ago. The actual emotions from the time, it's so far away. I find when we're playing these songs live, I will tap into something more current emotionally that I can channel into the song, but it's not the same events or emotions that originally inspired it.

There was a time, around the first six months or year that we played it, where the emotions of it and the circumstances around it were very real and very raw and new, and it was very intense and an emotional experience. I think that's part of what people responded to. I would say after that initial time, a lot of that stuff died down.

Tell me about "Great Romances of the 21st Century."

That was one of the first ones we wrote with the new lineup of the band. Our drummer, Mark, had actually come up with the guitar parts for that. I remember him showing it to me on an acoustic guitar one time in North Carolina while we were staying at someone's house before playing a show there. I remember just being really taken back by it, because I didn't even know he could play guitar. It was this intricate picking thing, and he was doing all these kind of weird chords and stuff. We then took his guitar parts, and got together and made it into the song.

I very clearly remember we were in our basement rehearsal space, which was at Mark's family's house. When we were finished writing and playing it, I remember feeling like something had really clicked and that we were onto something. There was something about that song that set the direction and tone for what the band was going to do.

We ended up making a music video for that one before we were even signed. We had a friend who made music videos and he wanted to do it. He ended up doing the "Cute Without the 'E'" video as well.

Because of the way it came together and how excited we were about it, we were like, this is the single, which is also sort of funny now because there's no normal structure to it. It would not make much sense as a single or something that could be played on the radio. But the song definitely caught on quickly when we started playing it live. We got a big reaction to it. It's funny now to think about how we were looking at that like, This song could be a big hit.

Read More: Remembering When We Were Young: Avril Lavigne, Jimmy Eat World & More Bands Reflect On The Peak Of Emo & Hardcore Ahead Of Vegas Fest

"Ghost Man On Third" feels like an important song on the record. What can you tell me about it?

That one was a newer song when we were going into the studio. A lot of the lyrics and melodies on that one came from Adam's experience at the time. I remember when we first started playing it live being really taken back and amazed by the emotion that he was putting into it. It felt really powerful when we first started playing it live. It was before people knew the song.

That was really something to me,  to have a song that you're playing in front of people and they don't even know it yet but it's still really powerful and you can see it grabbing everyone's attention. It has a different feel than a lot of the other songs. So in the context of the album, that one is very important for changing the mood up and keeping it from getting too much of the same thing. I think it's a key point in the album.

Why do you think fans connected with that raw emotion and honest songwriting? Do you think it was something that wasn't really there in rock music at the time?

It was interesting because nu-metal was still very popular and had been from the late '90s into the early 2000s. Then pop-punk was starting to become a lot more mainstream. I think when we were making that album, yeah, a lot of it was not in line with what was popular at that moment, but for whatever reason, things were kind of shifting in that direction. Thursday was a big part of that. They were getting nationwide attention. There was this shift away from that more pop-punk thing and whatever the nu-metal thing was into something a lot less polished and a lot more openly emotional.

And that kind of leads us into "Timberwolves of New Jersey" which touches upon the post-hardcore, emo scene in the New Jersey right?

Yeah, a little bit. It was something that I had started on my own on an acoustic guitar, and I brought it to the band. Then they made it into what you hear on the album.

When I was working on it, it didn't really sound like something that would make sense for the band, but then everybody got into it. It was somewhat based on our experiences with our first singer and old band members. It's kind of a mean-spirited and cocky song. That's where I was at at the time, I guess.

How old were you when you wrote it?

Like 22, 23. I was little older than some of the other guys, so I don't have as much of an excuse. Adam was only 18 or 19, I think.

I mean, that's how we all are at that age right?

[Laughs.] Yeah.

Read More: The State Of Pop-Punk: A Roundtable Unpacks The Genre's Past, Present And Future

Moving on to "The Blue Channel," I read somewhere that you guys weren't thrilled with the final mixes, is that right? How do you feel about the song now?

I play a piano part to introduce the song – this Wurlitzer sound – just very slow and that's how I played it in the studio. I did it on my keyboard to a MIDI track, which means all the notes are there digitally, and the producer is able to change the sound after the fact, and the notes can be manipulated into anything they want.

I recorded it, and we didn't hear it until they gave us a mix of the album. They made it twice the speed that I had played it. They cut it in half and made it double-time, basically. They changed the sound to a real piano sound, which kinda sounded fake. It was just completely shocking. We had no idea they were going to do that.

When I hear it now, it sounds fine. It's not really bad or anything like that. But when we called the studio and talked to the producer about the changes that we wanted to make, they were like, "Oh no, that's the album. That's the mix. We're out of time and we are over budget. The album's done."

There were a lot of things like that on the album that weren't necessarily what we wanted or asked for or were involved in choosing. They were just like, "That's it, that's the way the album is."

I guess you were so new at the time that you couldn't be like "no we want it this way," right?

Yeah, maybe we could have, technically, but that would've involved really stepping up, talking to the record label, and making a big scene over it. I think we did kind of feel like being a young new band that that was not our place. We were also on our way out of town to start one of our first real tours. So, we were not really in a place to spend a whole bunch of time fighting to get that done anyway. We kind of just accepted it.

It obviously didn't hurt the record.

No, apparently not!

Next, we got "You're So Last Summer," which, I mean, come on, That song rules. It's no wonder it's become one of your most memorable songs.

That one we had more of a sense of the potential for it to be a popular song. It's also kind of funny looking back on it, because I forget now but I think we put it like 8th or 9th on the record…

Yeah, it's the penultimate.

Definitely an odd choice to put that song towards the end, but I think it does hold up now to have something more straightforward and poppier come towards the end of the album. It's nice for the pacing of it, and it's unexpected.

That one got a very big reaction very quickly. One thing I always think about with "You're So Last Summer" is I had written the line, "The truth is you could slit my throat/ And with my one last gasping breath/ I'd apologize for bleeding on your shirt," and when I wrote it, I was making an exaggerated point that was honest but I also thought it was funny.

It's a great line.

Yeah, but after it got popular, I always second guessed it. A certain amount of people just thought it was straightforward, complete dramatic teenager type of thing. I always had this love/hate relationship with that part of the song.

I've realized now it doesn't matter, because if something resonates with people, then that's good. You don't have to worry about why it's happening or what it means.

Finally, we got "Head Club." I love the way it closes out the record.

I always have mixed feelings about this song. We included this on our original demo and the ending of it – the big outro part – was different. I think I was the one who suggested changing it, and I wasn't always sure if that was the right choice or not. The other people in the band all kind of second guessed whether that was the right move or not. But I mean, nobody except for the people on Long Island or early fans who had the demo would even be able to make that comparison. For most people, it's just always the way the song was.

I always think about the drum intro. It's an interesting way to start the song to begin with, but then the producer put a flanger on the drums, which is really interesting and weird. I don't know if I've ever heard that before or since. It was an odd choice.

It works though!

It does! It's one of those things I don't even think about anymore, and probably anybody who listens to the record doesn't either. But the first time hearing it we were like, "What is that? That's weird."

So how are you feeling about playing all these songs in full at When We Were Young?

I think about half of the record are songs that we play on a regular basis, and the other half there's a bunch that we hardly ever play. There's definitely a few in there where it's been years since we've played them. We did one tour in 2019 where we were playing our first three albums, but a lot of the songs we haven't played since then.

It's always interesting going back and playing a whole album like this, because we get to see the live reaction to songs like "Cute Without the 'E'" and "So Last Summer" all the time, but it's always interesting to see the crowd respond and sing along to album tracks that are less-known. It's always interesting to see which of those it'll be. I'm still never sure.

August has given way to September, and while the leaves may not be ready to start changing quite yet, the fall release schedule promises to be filled with music as colorful and diverse as the soon-to-be autumn leaves.

New albums released this week include Paris Hilton's long-awaited sophomore effort Infinite Icon, Danielle Bradbery's self-titled Danielle and Jackson Dean's On The Back Of My Dreams, while blink-182 and Camila Cabello drop deluxe editions of their latest LPs, ONE MORE TIME…PART-2 and C,XOXO - Magic City Edition, respectively. 

Meanwhile, on the new song front, Post Malone teams up with Dwight Yoakam for their first official recording together, "I Don't Know How To Say Goodbye (Bang Bang Boom Boom)"; Tanner Adell unveils "Silverado"; Toosii gets an all-star assist from Gunna on "Champs Eleysee"; and Above & Beyond reunite with Richard Bedford for "Heart of Stone."

Below, GRAMMY.com details 11 other new releases worth parsing through this weekend, including the surprise reforming of Linkin Park, a full-length 10 years in the making for LL Cool J and a pulsating collaboration between Alesso and David Guetta that will give you one last reason to hit the dance floor before summer is officially through.

Seven years after the devastating passing of Chester Bennington, his bandmates announced on Thursday (Sept. 6) that Linkin Park would be making music again — complete with new co-vocalist Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara and drummer Colin Brittain.

"The Emptiness Machine" serves as not only the two-time GRAMMY winners' first original release since 2017, but it's also the lead single of the band's forthcoming eighth album, FROM ZERO, which is slated to drop Nov. 15 via Warner Records. Armstrong's voice adds a dynamic new counterpoint to Mike Shinoda's vocals as she snarls, "Going around like a revolver/ It's been decided how we lose/ 'Cause there's a fire under the altar/ I keep lying to" before launching into the hard-charging chorus.

It's been more than a decade since LL Cool J last graced the world with a full-length studio set, and he's assembled quite the impressive entourage to help usher in his latest body of work, The FORCE.

In addition to previously released singles with Rick Ross and Fat Joe ("Saturday Night Special") and Saweetie ("Proclivities"), the five-time GRAMMY Awards host's 14th album features a star-studded track list that includes everyone from Snoop Dogg (opener "Spirit of Cyrus") and Eminem ("Murdergram Deux") to Nas ("Praise Him"), Busta Rhymes ("Huey in Da Chair") and trio of hip-hop upstarts Mad Squablz, J-S.A.N.D. and Don Pablito ("The Vow").

"I really thought this album might be the last one I ever made," Halsey confessed just last week in the trailer for her studio set The Great Impersonator. And the mood on "Ego" — which the singer released 24 hours after officially announcing the album's Oct. 25 release date — is just as dire.

On the track, the nonbinary pop savant leans into both '90s alt-rock and 2000s emo as she wails, "I think that I should try to kill my ego/ 'Cause if I don't, my ego might kill me/ I'm all grown up and somehow lately/ I'm actin' like a f—in' baby/ I'm really not as happy as I seem." "Ego" is the latest taste of the decade-jumping concept album, following Britney Spears homage "Lucky" and the hard-rocking "Lonely Is the Muse."

George Strait's 31st studio album — and first since 2019's Honky Tonk Time Machine — is a testament to life and loss.

Dedicated to the memory of his longtime manager Erv Woolsey, fiddle player Gene Elders and road manager Tom Foote, all of whom passed away within a few weeks of each other in the spring of 2024. The LP features the last studio recordings by Elders, who played fiddle on four of its tracks. 

The heartfelt studio set was preceded by singles "MIA Down in MIA," "The Little Things" and "Three Drinks Behind," and includes three songs Strait co-wrote with his son, Bubba. Perhaps the album's most poignant track is its closer, "The Journey of Your Life," which is full of life lessons and a fitting message in the chorus: "You'll need a angel flyin' by your side/ On thе journey of your life."

Queen Naija drapes her silken voice in a dreamy soundscape reminiscent of classic R&B on latest single "Good Girls Finish Last."

Over gorgeous strings and vintage production, the Capitol Records signee laments, "No matter what I change/ It's clear I can never change your mind and/ I thought it'd get better with the time, but/ It's finally time to say goodbye" as she walks away from a relationship that's not working despite her best efforts. 

The single marks the one-time "American Idol" competitor's first release since her 2023 YoungBoy Never Broke Again collaboration, "No Fake Love," and should certainly whet fans' appetites as they wait for a full-length follow-up to her 2020 debut album, Misunderstood.

Just days after first teasing another collab with RM, Megan Thee Stallion has reunited with the BTS star for "Neva Play," a chant-ready back-and forth that finds both rappers racking up points in a digital video game and anime-inspired soundscape in the accompanying music video.

"One, two, three, fo'/ Five, six, seven, eight/ Let 'em know we on the way/ Countin' zeros every day/ You know dat we neva play," Meg brags before the K-pop idol steps in to deliver icy, final boss-level flow with his verse: "You know that we neva play/ Yeah, we gon' forever slay/ Me and Megan on the way/ For Asia, man, we paved the way." Consider it a T.K.O. — and for a 2x combo this Friday, check out "BBA," the Queen of the Hotties' brand new song with Paris Hilton on Infinite Icon, too.

Read More: How Paris Hilton Reclaimed Her Narrative With 'Infinite Icon'

Earlier this summer, Alesso and David Guetta each remixed Shaboozey's breakout hit "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" before it began its ongoing reign atop the Billboard Hot 100, and now the two DJs have joined forces on new single "Never Going Home Tonight."

The emotive track features vocals from Madison Love, who recently helped Kesha pen her comeback single "Joyride" and declares early in the first verse, "DJ, play that sad song one more time." From there, the two EDM titans build tension over an undulating piano line before the beat drops and whips the chorus into a whirlwind of hypnotic ecstasy — complete with Love's repetitive refrain of the song's escapist title.

The Alexander Technique , Rex Orange County's fifth studio album, finds the artist born Alexander O'Connor stripped down to his most vulnerable parts. From the very first line of lead single (and album opener) "Alexander," the English troubadour lays bare his innermost thoughts on jealousy, chronic pain, wanderlust, the unrelenting passage of time and much more over understated, introspective soundscapes filled with gentle guitar, plaintive keys and — on the track list's lone collaboration — chill-inducing harmonies with James Blake.

Rex Orange County will bring The Alexander Technique to life in major U.S. cities and London, FINALLY: A Theatre Tour by Rex OrangeCounty. The trek will kick off with two shows in Chicago on Oct. 4 and 5.

With the release of her new album Willson, Ashe completes the personal triptych she began with 2021's Ashlyn and continued on 2022's Rae — with the trio of titles making up the full name behind her stage persona. (Ashlyn Rae Willson…get it?)

However, Willson also marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the indie pop darling's career as her first full-length as an entirely independent artist. It's also the first for Ashe to appear entirely on her own across its 12 gauzy, confessional tracks, with past collaborators like FINNEAS, Niall Horan and Diane Keaton nowhere to be found.

G Herbo's latest mixtape, Big Swerv, may take its title from one of his many alter egos, but the rapper born Herbert Randall Wright III is exploring all kinds of fresh new ground on the 14-track project.

Rather than revisit some of the darker, more tumultuous themes on past albums like 2020's PTSD, 2021's 25 and 2022's Survivor's Remorse, the Chicago MC shifts into party mode with help from collaborators like 21 Savage ("In the A"), Sexyy Red ("Ten") and Chief Keef ("No Pics").

Joss Stone — "Loving You" featuring Shaggy

Fresh off celebrating the 20th anniversary of her 2003 debut album The Soul Sessions, Joss Stone reinvents her latest single "Loving You" with a little help from Shaggy.

On the remix, the two GRAMMY winners ride a sultry groove as the slow jam unfolds into a heartfelt letter full of unrequited love. "Won't you come back to me?/ I'm the girl of your dreams/ I sure try to be/ 'Cause I be loving you," Stone yearns in between Shaggy's spoken word adlibs before tossing the mic to the reggae artist for his own laidback verse.

When organizers of the inaugural Fool In Love festival first announced the event's lineup this spring, soul and R&B heads across the internet went nuts.

The reaction was to be expected: There hadn't been such an ambitious mix of GRAMMY-winning legends and young, popular soul acts on a shared bill in recent memory. And certainly not in a single-day event.

The Aug. 31 event will highlight six decades of soul, R&B and funk — proof that those sounds are anything but oldies. The sounds of the 1960s through the '80s and beyond will be well represented by headliners Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, as well as Smokey Robinson and a recently reunited Nile Rodgers and Chic. Sets by Dionne Warwick, 2024 Special Merit Award honoree Gladys Knight, and sweet soul legend Brenton Wood promise to turn up the heat, sweet and memories. 

A cadre of up-and-coming soul acts — many of whom call Southern California home — also appear high up on the lineup, highlighting a younger generation's decade-long revival of interest in soul sounds. 

"I never want people to hear my records and wonder if it's new or not," GRAMMY nominee Mayer Hawthorne told GRAMMY.com in 2023. "I’ll never do classic '70s Philly soul better than the Delfonics. Plenty of artists do regurgitation of something old, but I’m all about putting my new spin on it."

In addition to Hawthorne, Fool In Love's lineup includes L.A.-based singer Trish Toledo, San Diego sweet soul phenoms Thee Sacred Souls, singer/drummer Aaron Frazer and singer Durand Jones, who will appear solo and together as Durand Jones and the Indications. 

While some of the older acts may be missing original members (Kool and the Gang's George Brown, for example, passed in 2023; Henry Fambrough, the last original Spinner died in early 2024; Ruth Pointer is the only living Pointer Sister) or have feuding families, the legendary acts playing across Fool In Love's four stages are not to be missed.

Ahead of the Labor Day weekend show, cruise over to your favorite streaming service and enjoy this playlist of Fool In Love performers.

Since its inception in 2019, Afro Nation has brought together the world's best and brightest entertainers in Afrobeats, amapiano, R&B, and hip-hop to perform on stages across the world. For the second year in a row, the festival takes over Bedrock's Douglass Site in Detroit — promising to continue its tradition of highlighting the best in Black music.

With its unique Detroit location, the festival bridges the gap between African music, global Black music, and the rich musical traditions that came out of Motown. In fact, the festival's site was once home to the first federally funded housing project for Black citizens in the city; Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson were among its residents. 

Afro Nation Detroit offers as much history as it does global appeal, as its lineup is filled with buzzy rising stars and beloved veteran acts. Among those on the star-studded roster are Nigerian sensations Omah Lay, Rema and Asake, amapiano stars Kelvin Momo and TxC, and hitmakers Lil Wayne and PartyNextDoor. 

Of course, it wouldn't be a Detroit event without native rapper Kash Doll, who performs on Saturday. And she won't be the only Detroiter performing over the weekend: genre-bending soul singer Charity and DJ Donavan Glover will also be repping their city amid sounds from around the globe.

That's just a taste of the exciting performances scheduled to showcase the diversity of Black music in one of its influential cities. Below, get to know eight acts who you won't want to miss at the second edition of Afro Nation Detroit.

Ayra Starr

Sat., Aug. 17 (Lit Stage)

At the age of 22, Ayra Starr is already making history. In February, The Beninese-Nigerian singer was the youngest nominee in the inaugural Best African Music Performance Category at the 2024 GRAMMYs; and in June, her debut album, The Year I Turned 21 helped her become the first female Nigerian artist to debut on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Just before her Afro Nation appearance, Starr added another first to her resume: she became the first Afrobeats singer to be part of Amazon Music's Breakthrough Artist program. The honor aligned with the release of her Amazon Music documentary, Dare to Dream, which chronicles her rise to global fame. There's no doubt that Ayra Starr will offer a showstopping performance that proves why she's such an acclaimed artist to watch.

Uncle Waffles

Sat., Aug. 17 (Piano People Stage)

Often regarded as the "princess of amapiano," Uncle Waffles is one of the genre's most forward-facing talents. In less than five years, the internationally recognized DJ/producer has been listed on TikTok's inaugural Visionary Voices Africa List, been nominated at the BET Awards and MOBO Awards; this year, she became the first amapiano artist to perform at Coachella.

Her talents have also earned Uncle Waffles co-sign from Beyoncé — whose Renaissance World Tour homage to Uncle Waffles' "Tanzania" nearly brought the star to tears — Drake, Ciara, and Missy Elliott. Needless to say, Uncle Waffles is an act that you won't want to miss at AfroNation Detroit.

Read More: 11 Women Pushing Amapiano To Global Heights: Uncle Waffles, Nkosazana Daughter, & More

2woBunnies

Sat., Aug. 17 (Piano People Stage)

Think Daft Punk, but amapiano. Masked South African DJ duo 2woBunnies decided on the concept of anonymity as a way to create intrigue about their unique take on the genre, and let their music do the rest.

Though it has only been two years since their debut, they have done just that, from garnering more than 1 million likes on TikTok to performing sets everywhere from Dubai to Australia. Following first-time performances in major cities like Paris and Toronto, they'll make their Detroit debut next — and you don't want to miss the excitement they'll bring to Afro Nation. 

Kizz Daniel

Sat., Aug. 17 (Lit Stage)

Since releasing his breakout single, "Woju," in 2015, Kizz Daniel has been a trailblazer in bringing Afrobeats to the world. And nearly 10 years in, he's continuing to deliver songs that resonate — including a hit remix of "Twe Twe" with fellow Nigerian star Davido.

Kizz Daniel's Afro Nation performance comes on the heels of another fiery remix, as he recently hopped on Nigerian artist Kaestyle's "My Dealer." He'll have plenty of new songs from his own catalog to bring to his set, too, including his latest single, "Double,” and EP TZA. Whether new or old, Kizz Daniel will be ready to give his crowd a lesson in Afrobeats.

Shenseea

Sun., Aug. 18 (Lit Stage)

In May, Shenseea released her sophomore studio album, Never Gets Late Here, which solidified the GRAMMY nominee as one of Jamaica's most promising rising stars. "Hit & Run", the album's single, was warmly received throughout the Caribbean, reaching No. 1 on several charts across Antigua and Barbuda, Turks and Caicos, Bermuda, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and many other countries in the region.

Fittingly, Shenseea first brought Never Gets Late Here to life on stages across the Caribbean, where her onstage energy matched the hyped crowds. She stops by Afro Nation Detroit just after kicking off her Never Gets Late Here North American Tour in Chicago on Aug. 16, so she'll surely be ready to show festgoers why she's so beloved in her home country and beyond.

Amaarae 

Sun., Aug. 18 (Lit Stage)

To say Amaarae is in demand would be an understatement. Sabrina Carpenter personally requested the Ghanaian American artist as an opening act for her forthcoming tour; Childish Gambino featured her on his new album, Bando Stone & the New World, and its accompanying tour; and she recently made history as the first Ghanaian artist to perform on NPR's Tiny Desk.

Her latest release, roses are red, tears are blue — A Fountain Baby Extended Play, are equal parts Afropop and alté, a fusion genre that originated in West Africa and combines hip-hop, R&B and Afrobeats. Her sweet, alluring nature signifies her place as one of the most exciting new talents to take over pop. Don't miss the opportunity to see a new global pop girl take center stage. 

Scorpion Kings

Sun., Aug. 18 (Piano People Stage)

DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small — often referred to as the "godfathers" of amapiano — are the men behind Scorpion Kings. Already established in their own right and respected in South Africa's dance scene, the two have been inextricably linked to the global rise of the genre, and the celebration of South African and African music across the globe.

Last month, the pair performed alongside the who's who in amapiano — Kelvin Momo, Oskido, DJ Tunez, DJ Moma, Aquite, and the Descendants — in Central Park, making history as the first amapiano performance in the famed New York landmark. The duo is sure to keep the party going with their signature flair in Detroit.

DJ Moma

Sun., Aug. 18 (Piano People Stage)

There is a good chance that you know of DJ Moma. In addition to being one of the founding members of Everyday People, the Sudanese American DJ has been playing African music in venues throughout the country and world for over a decade.

His blend of African and Diasporic music, and incorporation of soca, amapiano, and dancehall are a celebration of everything that is global Black music. It is more than music to him, but a way to bring Diasporic musical traditions to the forefront, in an effort to connect and unify People of the African Diaspora across the globe. His mission will make for an Afro Nation Detroit moment that is as meaningful as it is joyful — a combination that's exactly what the fest is all about.