The Pussycat Dolls are back, bringing their unshakable hits to a new generation and starting a new chapter with a massive tour and the new single, “Club Song.” The trio recently joined Mike Adam inside the Hard Rock Hotel New York for an Audacy Check In, talking about the differences between now and their 2005 success, and so much more.

When asked if there are any new fears or concerns about hitting the road today compared to 20 years ago, Nicole Scherzinger was quick to joke, “when you say fear I think of my knees, my neck, my lower back."

“I am just so excited to get back out there and the excitement is overrunning everything at the minute,” adds Kimberly Wyatt. “But the fear comes in place of just trying to get the balance right, trying to keep the mindfulness strong, trying to make sure I'm there for the kids, and they know that that mommy's still in their lives and taking them with me as much as possible, just getting that balance.”

“I think enjoying it a bit more,” Ashley Roberts chimes in. “20 years ago, you know, everything was happening so fast and our schedule was nuts and it will be so nice this time around to share the stage with these gorgeous, fabulous women and then also just soak up every moment, be present, and enjoy it a bit more.”

These fierce women might need “reminding a little bit” when it comes to the lyrics, but they noted that TikTok and the younger generation have kept PCD current. “The great thing about TikTok and this younger generation is they're still recreating fun things to our songs, but sometimes things will come up and I'm like, ‘wait, was that us? Did we say that? What was it?’” laughs Ashley. “I feel like I need reminding a little bit.”

So much has changed across the musical landscape in the past two decades, but also in the way the members of The Pussycat Dolls approach their mental health. “There's so much more awareness and I felt so I was a little lost soul back then,” admits Kimberly. “Looking for the dream and doing anything and sacrificing to just make that dream come true. But man, when your dreams come true and you realize there's a lot of inner work that still needs to be done, that is an endeavor worth taking.”

“I think we've all been on such a journey to finally arrive here, and what makes this so special is to have those experiences, be women, know our value, own our power and be able to show up. It's like, I know these girls, but we're showing up with so much work that has been done, and that is a much different showing up.”

To hear much more from The Pussycat Dolls about their return and the new track, “Club Song,” listen to the full interview above.

There’s music videos and then there is The Pretty Reckless’ visuals for “When I Wake Up.” The group revealed the clip earlier this month, feature a POV romp through sex, drugs, cigarettes, more sex, drinking, photo booths, more cigarettes, and even more sex. Even in 2026, it left us saying, “is this allowed?”

The Pretty Reckless singer Taylor Momsen recently joined us for an Audacy Check In to talk about the video, and the band’s upcoming album, 'Dear God,' set to arrive everywhere on June 26.

“I think my first thought when we put it out was, really all I thought for the first day was, ‘at what point is this going to get taken down?’” Momsen tells Abe Kanan. “It was an undertaking on my part. We shot for two days, I'm directing it with Chris Acosta. I filmed most of it, like physically. It's the visual representation of, to me, what ‘When I Wake Up’ is about.”

“It's like the song. It's a lot of fun to watch, but it takes a dark turn. It's what ‘When I Wake Up’ is saying. We all know the story, you know, we've all heard it before. Some of us have lived it. I'm one of those people. It's where you live a life of excess and debauchery and chasing things outside of yourself to escape your demons and whatever's tormenting you, and that only goes one way at the end of the day, that only goes down. So that's what the song is, and that's what I really wanted the video to feel like, to really take you on that journey with me of something that I lived and survived.”

The song is set to be a part of 'Dear God,' due out everywhere on June 26. “It's very exciting to have new music out. It's even more exciting to have a release date for the full album. It's even more exciting to know there's a headline tour on the way because it cannot wait to be headlining again. It's been amazing. I feel like we're in a really good place and everything that's about to come is just incredibly exciting.”

To hear for the full conversation with Taylor Momsen, check out the Audacy Check In above.

Shinedown is "everyone's band," as they say, and boy are we all busy this year. The multi-genre, chart-topping, non-stop group is set to release their eighth studio album on May 29, titled, 'EI8HT,' and embark on their 'Dance, Kid, Dance Act II Tour' as well.

Brent Smith recently joined Abe Kanan for an Audacy Check In to talk about the making of their latest project, and share tour plans for this year and beyond.

"I'm excited for everybody to hear the entire record," shares Smith. "One of the things about this album that is different than the last two is that this isn't a conceptual piece, so it's more of a traditional record where all of these songs belong on the same body of work, but every song is its own story."

"It is considered an album, but it's essentially a double record," Brent adds. "This album took about a year and a half years to make. When I'm looking at like when we started it and how we were putting everything together, and obviously last year, releasing 4 singles, then doing the 'Dance Kid Dance Tour,' that's now parlaying into this year with Act 2. That was all by design, but the thing about the record is that there's not one ounce of filler on this particular project. Not that we ever look at making a record and we put filler on the other albums in our catalog, but you can hear it in the way that we've structured this and that it is very much an emotional ride."

To hear more about the band's setlist plans for their upcoming tour, and the possibility of a "Deep Dive" tour where the band digs into their b-sides, listen to the full conversation with Brent Smith of Shinedown above.

Death Cab for Cutie have emerged from their anniversary celebration of 'Plans' with new music. The group has announced their 11th studio album, 'I Built You A Tower,' out everywhere on June 5, and shared the first sample with the song, "Riptides."

Ben Gibbard and Nick Harmer from the group recently stopped by our KROQ studios in Los Angeles to talk with Megan Holiday about the new project, reconnecting to their earlier work, and how personal grief management helped inform the album.

While on tour to celebrate the milestone for 'Plans,' and coming off anniversaries for the album 'Transatlanticism' and The Postal Service's 'Give Up,' singer Ben Gibbard was also going through a divorce, having to put the emotions surrounding his relationship aside to perform in arenas across the country. "It was a really difficult period in my life, but I was also tasked with going on stage in arenas and translating these records, performing these records for people," Ben admits.

"I had to compartmentalize everything I was going through personally in order to perform every night, which is something that people have to do in their daily lives. We all have to do that in order to do our jobs. If we're gonna do our jobs well, we have to leave certain stuff at the door and come in and try to execute our jobs," he adds. "So, In the process of doing that, I found myself really meditating on this idea of compartmentalization, emotional compartmentalization, and how oftentimes, we have to compartmentalize grief or pain in our lives so that we can just either get through the day or get through a task we have to do."

"So, I kind of stumbled into this metaphor or this idea of like building a tower and placing in your kind of emotional landscape and placing trauma or pain or suffering into it, so that you're aware that it's there. You can see the edifice in the distance, but it's also the details of it, the actual way it looks, the way it actually feels is somewhat compartmentalized in that edifice," reveals Gibbard. "There are inevitably times where those traumas, those pains, those experiences, they escape the kind of the thing you've enclosed them in at often very inopportune times and times you're not expecting, and that can be you're driving down a street where you know you had this experience with somebody that you once cared about and just comes flooding back, you know, we've all had these experiences in our lives. So to me the central idea of the record and the central theme of the record is that compartmentalization of grief and how sometimes it breaks out of the compartments that we try to hold it in."

That thread extends through Death Cab's lead single, "Riptides," as the band explores what it's like to experience your own personal story alongside a more global trauma with everyone else. "I think at its core of the song is about how when we're going through something personally, oftentimes, certainly in the modern world, there are things going on on the global scale or the national scale that are incredibly traumatic for a lot of people and affect people very deeply," explains Ben. "Certainly the last couple of years, you know, there's been innumerable tragedies and atrocities around the world. And you know when someone is going through their own, trying to manage their own life after dealing with something painful or a trauma or something like that, oftentimes we find ourselves saying things like, 'well, I really can't complain,' you know, we were saying this during the pandemic too. 'Well, I really can't complain, I mean, I have a roof in my head,' but it's like, yeah, that's true, but also you're going through something incredibly difficult, and it's OK for you to focus on that, you don't need to qualify that there are other people suffering even because we all know that."

"It's an even more debilitating effect on you emotionally because you feel what you feel, but also you feel the sufferin ...

Sienna Spiro is quickly reaching new heights, almost weekly, thanks to a staggering voice and her emotionally shattering pen. The young songwriter has captured the attention of everyone who has heard the 20-year-old British artist, forcing her to quickly get over what she calls "terrible stage fright," en route to a sold out tour.

The "Die On This Hill" singer recently joined us in Chicago, and talked with Audacy and B96's Karla about tapping into heartbreak and her journey to this new level of success during an Audacy Check In.

"I feel like everything is happening quick, that it's like hard to be present and enjoy it, but I'm so happy to be here and just, yeah, love everything," shares Spiro.

It was only last year that Sienna started properly playing shows, and now she has a sold out run in cities across North America. "I was a terrible performer, I was so shy, I would like sit there and like cover my face," she reveals. "I had terrible stage fright, but I think it's like, you know, you just keep doing it and I, I love it, even though I was so scared, I love doing it, and you just keep doing it and you learn how to trust yourself a little bit more and, I guess get used to it, but you know, I still get really nervous before shows."

Spiro has quickly made a mark thanks to raw and vulnerable songwriting, and shares that although the pain sounds romantic in nature, it's so much more. "Even though a lot of my songs sound like they're love songs and like romantic songs, I think the biggest heartbreaks I've had are friendships," Sienna admits. "You can experience heartbreak from family or friends or work or situations, or of course romantic love, but I think I'm just a very passionate person and I care a lot, and when I'm invested in something I'm really there and I'm just in it."

"I think that's why it causes me a lot of, I guess I get quite sad, you know, I lay it all out for people," she adds. "That's just the kind of person I am, and I think that that obviously means I get let down a lot. I just give a lot, if I love someone or if I'm there for someone, I'm there, and I'm just all in it, so I just have found myself getting let down a lot in my life because of how much I pour into it."

These days though Spiro finds herself "in a really great place," finding inspiration and really just finding ways to figure it out. "There's a lot going on in life," she tells Karla. "I'm 20, I'm learning how to be a human, and I think, you know what's really funny is like, sometimes I'll do these things and people will be like, 'oh, what advice would you give to this person,' and I'm like, 'I'm figuring it out myself.'"

For more from Sienna Spiro, check out the full Audacy Check In above.

Still riding high from the release of their sixth studio album, 'Everest,' Halestorm once again has a booked and busy year in front of them, sharing their latest single, "Like A Woman Can," playing festivals around the world, and still having the best time doing it all.

"We try to have as good of a time as we can as often as we can, because we get to play rock and roll that we love, so we haven't worked in like 20-some years," smiles Joe Hottinger. "I highly recommend joining a band. It's the best time you'll ever have."

"It is the coolest thing ever," adds Lzzy Hale. "And, you know, you appreciate things as you go along too, because when we first started touring it was like, first it was like a conversion van, and then it was a two RVs that we were touring with and trying to keep up with the buses and whoever we were touring with."

"If we've learned anything it's not where you are, it's who you're with," says Joe. "You can be at an Applebee's on the side of the road in Nebraska and have one of the best nights ever, you know, it's a good time."

"I forget when this was, but there was at one point in time where we had to figure out how to make it across the highway to get to a Cracker Barrel because that was literally the only thing around on a day off, and we finally made it there," laughs Lzzy. "It was like a triumph, and then we just stayed at the Cracker Barrel, like playing checkers."

Also on the road, the Halestorm crew likes to crash karaoke spots and surprise the locals. "It's always surprising because we'll be, like I said, in the middle of nowhere and one of our favorite things to do on days off with us, and there's some of our crew that really gets into it as well, is go to karaoke bars. I'm always surprised that like there's a handful of people that are maybe, they don't notice at first and then like as the night goes on like, 'wait, are you?' you know."

Lzzy is sure to always play to crowd with karaoke selections, the true mark of a pro. " I try to play to the audience, if we're in kind of a mellower, more kind of country bar, I'll do some Bonnie Raitt to start out, and then I'll kick it up with some Pat Benatar and maybe some AC/DC after that. You gotta ease them into it."

Sometimes Halestorm even get requests to play their own songs, like the latest, "Like A Woman Can," which Lzzy says is structured just like the love of a woman. "It embodies that, the feeling that you get from being loved by a woman and, there's nothing like that."

To hear more about the deep cuts of Halestorm, working with Bad Company, and more on the album 'Everest,' check out the full conversation above.

The Hilary Duff renaissance has arrived, as the singer has shared her new album, 'luck... or something,' plans for 'the lucky me tour' around the world, and a stop at Audacy's 'Leading Ladies' on March 10 to celebrate Women's History Month.

The "Roommates" artist recently connected with Bru to talk about her return to the stage, the women she looks up to, and her impact over the years during an Audacy Check In.

"I think there's definitely times that I feel like I'm tapping into, you know, this old version of me that's very lived in," Duff reveals about her feelings being back on stage, balancing her new life with the person so many fell in love with the first time around. "I feel more me and comfortable and confident than I ever have, so if old parts of me start to filter in there, I think I embrace it and I feel good with it now, and I don't really shy away."

"It's an honor, honestly, to be able to cross generations is like a really powerful thing," Hilary adds. "I know how much family means to me, and, to think that people can bring their kids and they can bop along and be having a good time, but this is really for the parents and the people that have grown up with me that are now having families of their own or living in their adult life, like, we've made it here, and I want to meet people on that level for sure. But, you know, my friends' kids know all the words to my songs. Hopefully they don't know what it's all about, but I think it's fun to see it be multi-generational. It means a whole lot to me."

Hilary Duff will take the stage at Hard Rock Hotel New York on March 10 for our annual 'Leading Ladies' event, celebrating women with a special conversation and performance. When asked about the women that helped "mold" who Hilary is today, she was quick to shout out those in the mix with motherhood and truly testing the limits of a "work-life balance."

"I think that my answer when I was younger probably would have been a lot different, but now I'm so inspired by my friends, who are in the thick of motherhood and figuring out the work-life balance and trying to do it all," she shares. "I think it's honestly the women that I'm surrounded by inspire me the most right now because we're in the thick of it, man. I feel like we're in the trenches and we're all learning from each other and we all lean on each other when we need to, and I think those are the ones that I take notes from constantly."

Some of those themes of balance and relationships are woven through the fabric of 'luck... or something,' with Hilary tackling heavy subjects with Pop perfection throughout. "There's a lot of anxiety through the record. I think themes of being fearful of being in a long-term relationship and wondering if you're gonna feel that excitement of like firsts ever again," says Duff. "A lot of family stuff, abandonment issues, you know, grappling with like, the old you versus the you where you're at now and wondering if that person still exists in you and how to find her."

"There's a lot of heavy themes on the record, but it's all disguised in like a glittery going out outfit," she smiles. "I feel like that speaks to a big part of my personality where I'm like, 'there's a lot going on over here, but we're having a good time.'"

For more on the making of 'luck... or something' with her husband, her lasting legacy of authenticity, and more, check out the full interview above.

In the world of Black Label Society, Zakk Wylde is working "smarter, not harder," as the band is ready to release their new album, 'Engines of Demolition,' on March 27.

During an Audacy Check In with Abe Kanan, the always hilarious Wylde joked about the new project, saying, "It's really no big deal. People are like, 'well, Zakk, what makes it so special compared to all the other records?' I go, 'well, first off, of all the Black Label albums, this is the new one.' Second off, they're like, 'well, the songs all sound the same.' I go, 'I know, because that's all we do is just put different song titles and lyrics to these things and just put them out there.' I mean, you gotta think smarter, not harder."

In all seriousness though, what little there is with Wylde, there is a song on the upcoming album called, "Ozzy Song," that looks back on his friendship playing with Ozzy Osbourne, and the feelings surrounding his funeral. "It's about the greatest that ever was and the greatest that it'll ever be," shares Zakk. Thinking the two would record again and play together again after the success of Back To The Beginning, Wylde was ready for what's next with Ozzy. Sadly though, he never got the chance.

"After we went over there and laid him to rest, you know, being a pallbearer and our oldest son, who's Ozzy's godson, we were pallbearers carrying Oz to his final resting place. After that, when we got home, we did finish up the Pantera celebration run. I got home, sat in the library, looked at one of his books, and I just wrote the lyrics. I put the music on and I said it."

"I just wrote the lyrics right there for Ozzy, and my wife just kept referring to it as 'Ozzy's Song.' They put on 'Ozzy Song' when we were in the truck listening to it when we'd be going somewhere. So, I just said, 'I'm just gonna name it 'Ozzy Song,' cause that's what it is.' If somebody asked me, 'Zakk, did you write that song for Ozzy?' It's like, 'yeah,' so I'll just call it 'Ozzy Song.' So there you go."

To hear more about celebrating Ozzy Osbourne, his time touring in Pantera, and the new album, 'Engines of Demolition,' check out the full Audacy Check In above.