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An unfortunate reality for artists is that while they fully intend to deliver new music on their own timetable, the internet often has other plans. Many artists have had songs and entire albums leak ahead of their planned release. Shockingly, Beyoncé fell victim to this as well with Renaissance leaking just two days before its official drop. Queen Bey seems unphased, though.

In a tweet, the “Halo” artist posted a regal photo of herself and thanked the fans who waited. “So, the album leaked, and you all actually waited until the proper release time so you all can enjoy it together. I’ve never seen anything like it. I can’t thank y’all enough for your love and protection. I appreciate you all for calling out anyone that was trying to sneak into the club early. It means the world to me. Thank you for your unwavering support. Thank you for being patient. We are going to take our time and enjoy the music. I will continue to give my all and do. my best to bring you joy. I love you deep.”

Beyoncé’s new album Renaissance is out now via Parkwood Entertainment LLC and Columbia Records. The 15-track LP was first announced in June, with Variety reporting it would feature heavy country and dance music. The latter was confirmed with the release of the upbeat lead single “Break My Soul.” The rollout continued with the reveal of Renaissance‘s cover art, with a semi-nude Beyoncé sitting atop a crystalline horse with bright yellow lights within it.

Excitement for the album grew even further when the internet discovered its list of composers, including Drake, Jay-Z, Skrillex, Big Freedia, The Neptunes, Mike Dean and several other talented creators. A reference track for “Heated” performed by Drake even surfaced on the internet, causing fans to wonder if they would get a follow-up to their 2015 collaboration “Can I” and the cult classic “Mine” from 2013’s Beyonce.

After sharing the album’s tracklist last week, the Lemonade artist finished off her rollout with a statement on her website saying “Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world. It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving. My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration.”

The wait is over. The Renaissance is here.

Renaissance is out now via Parkwood/Columbia. Listen here.

Jackson Wang has a way with his words and his lungs in the new “Cruel” video. It opens with the artist walking through a destroyed city while women rises out of its ashes. One by one, he takes them into his grasp and inhales the fire coming out of their mouths. He ultimately reaches what appears to be their final boss, and after some physical back and forth, she sends him into a black hole. Cruel indeed.

“Cruel” arrives as part of Jackson Wang’s latest album Magic Man, available today (July 28) via Team Wang Records, 88rising Records, Warner Records, and Ryce Music Group. The 10-track LP is a more raw and honest version of the 28-year-old that feels true to his current moment. The lead single “Blow” was released back in March and is Wang’s highest viewed music video to date with over 26 million views.

Magic Man is a quick follow-up for Jackson Wang, who released his mixtape Lost & Found back in March of 2022 after a nearly three-year hiatus since 2019’s Mirrors. The K-pop artist has been all over this year with an appearance during 88rising’s Coachella set, marking the first time a Chinese national performed at the esteemed festival.

Wang is set to headline 88rising’s Head In The Clouds festival on August 21 at Brookside At The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Magic Man is sure to have fans even more excited for his set.

Listen to “Cruel” above.

Magic Man is out now via Team Wang Records, 88rising Records, Warner Records and Ryce Music Group. Listen here.

Jackson WNG is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Fred Again.. is revisiting a Future classic. Or perhaps, a past classic? Either way, the British singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist has teamed up with Swedish House Mafia and Future for “Turn On The Lights Again,” a hypnotic dance-ready anthem that samples the latter’s namesake 2012 breakthrough hit from his debut album, Pluto.

Fred has been teasing the song for the past month by way of a sound on TikTok, which has since pulled in over 3.7 million views on the original clip, and over 10 million on clips utilizing the sound. According to a statement, Fred ripped the repeating “Turn On The Lights” vocal sample after streaming a video clip of the song online. He later presented the stems and bones of the song to Swedish House Mafia, who played with the track several times before landing on a final mix.

Last month, Fred released “Jungle,” which features vocals from Elley Duhe. Earlier this month, he teamed up with Rico Nasty, who helped completely transform the track into a chaotic, flashy new remix for her new album, Las Ruinas.

Check out “Turn On The Lights” again above.

Fred Again.. is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Hailee Steinfeld is making a return to music. Two years since releasing her second EP, Half-Written Story, the multihyphenate has dropped “Coast,” a euphoric, guitar-and-percussion-driven single, perfect for wrapping up the summer.

“Just relax and let the riptide pull you close / Baby all I wanna do is coast / With you / Energy, your body flows,” she sings.

Anderson .Paak joins in, delivering his signature raspy rap-singing on a flirtatious verse, saying, “Listen, I been chillin’ with you for a couple days / If you ain’t afraid, me and you should rage / In the sun rays, come on out the cage / Don’t wanna tame, live it your way.”

Steinfeld has been teasing the track over the past few days via Twitter, saying “are you ever just three days away from releasing your favorite song you’ve ever worked on.”

She also gave fans a hint of what to expect from her new music in a recent interview with People, saying, “These sounds are
absolutely going to represent a new era. I’ve been living with what I’ve been working on for years now, a couple years, which I really do feel I needed in order to get to where I’m at with the music. And though it is rather frustrating. I have the most patient fans, I don’t know how but I got so lucky.”

Check out “Coast” above.

A week out from his upcoming album, Funk Wav Bounces, Vol. 2, Calvin Harris has dropped the R&B-focused “New To You.” On the song, which features Tinashe, Normani, and Offset, Harris delivers an live instrument-driven-beat, with seductive strings and slow-thumping kick drums, creating a romantic, cinematic feel.

Normani opens with the song’s chorus, singing, “This might be news to you / this thing might feel new to you / but if you like everything / I think you might love me, baby.”

Tinashe delivers the song’s first verse, toughening up her signature soft-tinged vocals, willing to “bet a billion that you gon’ like this / ‘Cause you never had a wild one like this / Don’t really do one night sh*t / ‘Cause one night make ’em wanna whole life it.” Midway through the verse, she switches back to her signature sound, on which she instructs her summer flame to “Stay focused on T / I’m all that he needs / And don’t ever play no games.”

Offset swoops in with an affectionate verse, detailing an immediate infatuation. “I don’t know you, but I know I f*ck with you / I think I want to fly you to Peru from Malibu.”

Harris has collaborated with all of these artists in the past — Tinashe on “Dollar Signs” from his 2014 album, Motion, Normani on “Checklist” and “Slow Down,” from a collaborative EP in 2018, and Offset on 2017’s “Slide,” which featured Frank Ocean and Migos. This is Harris’ first time collaborating with Offset without the other members of Migos, and it’s quite possible this may be the way going forward, given the recent hints at Offset leaving the group.

Check out “New To You” above.

Funk Wav Bounces, Vol. 2 is out 8/5 via Columbia Records. Pre-save it here.

Confidence can take people far in life, and it only gets boosted more when it is clear no one can compare. Quavo and Takeoff go the duo route once again, this time tapping fellow Atlanta native Gucci Mane for the confident anthem “Us Vs Them.” Takeoff handles the hook before getting into his verse, followed by Quavo who raps with a fury, and Gucci Mane closes things off with a shoutout to the currently incarcerated Young Thug and Gunna.

The video shows the trio rapping while flanked by beautiful women. With some sports references in the track, it only makes sense for the ladies to be holding basketballs in addition to football players going at it and a boxer landing jabs into a punching bag.

This isn’t Quavo and Takeoff’s first foray into their own music as a duo. Back in May, they released “Hotel Lobby” under the duo name Unc And Phew. The song came after speculation of Migos’s demise when it was revealed Offset and his wife, superstar rapper Cardi B, had unfollowed Quavo and Takeoff on social media. Though Quavo told GQ that the group’s solo endeavors only strengthen them as individuals and a unit, the recent announcement that he and Takeoff will be performing as Migos at the 2022 Pepsi National Battle Of The Bands only adds to the belief that the group is done.

As for Gucci Mane, he released So Icy Gang: The Reup back in June 2022. He also joined Migos onstage at the recent Rolling Loud Miami festival.

Check out “Us Vs Them” above.

Gucci Mane is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

At long last, Hayley Kiyoko has released her much-anticipated sophomore album, Panorama. Continuing the queer coming-of-age story she told on her 2018 debut album, Expectations, Panorama features Kiyoko digging herself out of a dark place and rebuilding her spirits.

“I went through a period of time after my last album where I’d lost my confidence and my self-worth,” said Kiyoko in a statement. “Thankfully I was surrounded by friends and family who kept me grounded, always supporting me in my lowest moments and reminding me who I was along the way. ‘Panorama’ was the last song I wrote for this album, in a moment of clarity to enjoy the present and not let my trauma define me. One of my favorite lyrics from this song is ‘I’m done confusing all these ashes with my worth,’ which is a metaphor for when we measure our own value only by our struggles and hardships, but in reality, our worth is unwavering. We just need to give ourselves the space to appreciate the highs and the lows of this beautiful journey.”

Ahead of the album, Kiyoko has released an ode to her chosen family called “Found My Friends,” a sapphic summer love bop called “For The Girls,” and a vulnerable ballad called “Deep In The Woods.”

Stream Panorama here.

Hayley Kiyoko is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Kevin Hart has low key become one of the best celebrity interviews in the business (Hart to Heart), and he recently sat down with Pete Davidson to unpack how the still-young, weirdly-veteran comic got his slot on Saturday Night Live.

“I got really lucky,” Davidson said. “I was doing stand-up for 3, 4 years in the city, and I met Amy Schumer. She let me open for her on the road for a little bit. She was like, ‘I’m doing this movie Trainwreck. I’ll see if I can get you a part in it.” And so she did. Davidson had a cameo appearance alongside Bill Hader, and after a day of hanging on set, Davidson’s agent called him the next day to say that Hader had submitted Davidson for an SNL audition. “Why the fuck would he do that? I was terrified!” Davidson said.

He also went on to describe the nerve-wracking, no laughs vibe of the audition process which sounds more like a colonoscopy with wealthy patrons allowed to watch from the shadows. But what’s most interesting about the conversation is Davidson’s belief that he’d only make it the one year before being fired, figuring he’d at least have the credit to dine out on for the near future. Eight seasons later, Davidson is one of the biggest names in comedy, having struggled to find his true place in the cast until he and Lorne hit on a rhythm that worked in his last few years. His next movie, horror comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies is out August 5th.

So, for those who still dream of working on SNL, all you have to do is impress a world-famous comedian enough that she puts you in a movie where you impress another world-famous comedian enough that he gets you an audition. Then, you’re pretty much home free.

Kyler Murray’s new contract with the Arizona Cardinals raised eyebrows this week, and not for the massive price tag of five years, $230.5 million.

For the past few days a clause about “independent study” that put in writing that Murray was to do four hours of film work on his own each week became the lead topic for NFL fans and media. It was a bizarre contract clause to include in a star quarterback’s contract considering how much film work they do to be ready for opposing defenses (and self-scouting of their own team), and raised some red flags for many about whether the Cardinals believe in Murray’s work ethic to be one of the league’s elite — and, of course, there were tons of jokes about Murray being forced to do homework from fans on social media.

On Thursday, Murray addressed all of the commentary on his contract with a forceful impromptu press conference, calling it “disrespectful” to assume he could get to this point without putting in the right amount of work off the field. Following that, word broke that the clause that caused all of this kerfuffle had been removed by the team on Wednesday.

It’s odd to have a team remove a contract clause like this, but if it quiets questions of Murray’s work ethic (or the Cardinals commitment to him and belief in him) it’s probably smart. Still, the inclusion of it in the first place was the issue and while that may not be a stipulation of his massive deal anymore, few people are going to forget about it soon.

Say it ain’t so. After months of speculation over whether Migos will remain a trio, the answer may have just been given by an unexpected source. The Atlanta trio is slated to perform at the upcoming 2022 Pepsi National Battle Of The Bands which celebrates HBCU marching bands; only, there are just two of the three men on the poster: Quavo and Takeoff. The promotional video throws another curveball as it specifically says “a live performance by the Migos: Quavo and Takeoff.”

The questions about the group’s status began back in May when it was revealed that Offset and his wife, superstar rapper Cardi B, unfollowed Quavo and Takeoff on social media. That same month, the “Gang Gang” artists formed the duo “Unc & Phew” and released “Hotel Lobby.” Offset took to Instagram shortly after to promote some music of his own, but none of the rappers spoke directly on Migos’s future until earlier this month. Quavo was interviewed by GQ and said that their solo activities simply make them better individuals and a better group, which they have attempted before with 2018’s Quavo Huncho and The Last Rocket, plus 2019’s Father Of 4.

“It was all about Migos, Migos, Migos. The three of us,” the “Workin Me” artist said. “I feel like every group member has to establish themselves. Their own body of work. If not, you start losing members.”

This Pepsi Battle Of The Bands performance is an understandable cause of concern, but perhaps not all hope is lost and Quavo’s word is bond.

Check out the poster and promotional video above.