Music News

The Country Music Association revealed nominees for the 58th Annual CMA Awards. Morgan Wallen leads the way with seven total nods, followed by Cody Johnson and Chris Stapleton with five nominations each. Post Malone and Lainey Wilson both received four nominations, while Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Megan Moroney, and Kacey Musgraves each received three noms.

Noticeably absent from the list of nominees is Beyoncé, whose countrified, crossover hit album, Cowboy Carter, reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and made her the first Black woman to ever top the Hot Country Albums chart. The album’s first single, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” topped the Billboard Hot 100 and debuted atop the Hot Country Songs chart.

Nominees for CMA Entertainer of the Year are Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, and Jelly Roll. While the CMA Album of the Year nominees are Deeper Well by Kacey Musgraves, Fathers & Sons by Luke Combs, Higher by Chris Stapleton, Leather by Cody Johnson, and Whitsitt Chapel by Jelly Roll. The 58th Annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 20. (Variety)

Ed Sheeran has one year left on his Mathematics albums tour, but the 4-time Grammy-winning singer is taking a look back at his years on the road by releasing a collection of live recordings on September 27. Sheeran made the announcement with a post on Instagram on Monday (September 9), featuring a video montage from throughout his tour, writing: “We have one more year of this tour then Mathematics is over for good, and onto the next set of symbols…It’s been 15 years of releasing these Mathematics albums and it’s been a hell of a journey so far. I wanted to make a collection of the songs I play on the tour, but also just to have all the big songs in one place for fans, a journey of where its been and where it is now. The tour collection vinyl / CD will also have some voicenotes from me hidden in them, talking about all my memories behind the songs and from tour. Love being on this journey with you all and excited for what’s next too. Mathematics Tour Collection will be out 27th September. see ya next year for the last run of Maths shows.” (Billboard)

Eminem will be the opening performer at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony, which will take place live on Wednesday, September 11 at 8 p.m. ET from New York’s UBS Arena. The Detroit rap legend will give his first TV show performance featuring material from his 12th studio LP, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace), which recently became his 11th album to enter the Billboard 200 at No. 1. Eminem last opened the VMAs back in 2010 with a performance of his 10x-platinum No. 1 single, "Not Afraid," which was followed by a memorable duet with Rihanna on their 5-time Grammy nominated No. 1 single, "Love the Way You Lie."

Eminem has eight nominations at this year's VMAs: video of the year, best hip-hop, best direction, best editing, best visual effects, and song of summer for "Houdini," plus artist of the year, and VMAs most iconic performance for his mash-up of "The Real Slim Shady" and "The Way I Am" at the 2000 ceremony. (Billboard)

Former *NSYNC member JC Chasez is finally ready to release his first album in two decades. Surprisingly, it is a musical theater-style concept album that is inspired by Mary Shelly’s 1818 gothic-horror novel, Frankenstein. Golden Globe-winning musician Jimmy Harry shared with Chasez a theatrical adaptation of the book by his late mother, playwright Barbara Field. Chasez and Harry built off of that work on their new creative project, a 16-track concept album called Playing With Fire that will be released via Center Stage Records on October 25. Chasez sings on a number of the tracks, along with guest vocalists Cardamon Rozzi and Lily Elise. Playing With Fire marks Chasez’s first record since his 2004 solo album, Schizophrenic.

“Playing With Fire touches on almost everything that I like,” Chasez shared. “I love a good sci-fi film, so you get that aspect, and I love how music can make you so emotional in a different way. Obviously, I love pop music, so I love the fact that you can sing and dance together in musical theater. It was just a great opportunity to bring all of these things that I’ve really enjoyed together into one space.” (Billboard)

At the end of August, Mariah Carey disclosed that her mother and sister died on the same day. At the time, the 5-time Grammy Award-winning singer asked for privacy while she dealt with the tragic events and grieved the loss of her beloved family members. Now, Carey has revealed that she has started rehearsing once again for her upcoming live performances. In an Instagram post from Sunday (September 8), Carey is featured singing a snippet of a piano-led version of her Billboard Top 20 hit,

“It’s Like That,” from 2005’s The Emancipation of Mimi. Carey captioned her post, “Back at work. It’s been a couple of rough weeks, but I appreciate everyone’s love and support so much and I can’t wait to see my fans in China & Brazil. Love you! ❤️❤️❤️” Carey has shows scheduled in Rio de Janeiro on September 13 at Rock in Rio, and in São Paulo on September 20 at Allianz Parque. She is also scheduled to headline two shows at Beijing Workers Stadium in China on September 15 and 16. Carey is then set to continue her Celebration of Mimi residency in Las Vegas in January of 2025. (Rolling Stone) 

Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” sits at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a ninth nonconsecutive week, extending 2024’s longest stint at the top of the singles chart. Shaboozey’s crossover chart-topping hit became the singer-songwriter’s first career No. 1 back in July. “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” also extends its rule over the Hot Country Songs chart by spending its 13th week at No. 1.

Sabrina Carpenter once again places three of her songs in the Hot 100’s Top 5 for a second consecutive week, as “Espresso” moves up a spot to No. 3, former June No. 1 hit “Please Please Please” drops down a place to No. 4, and “Taste” drops three spots to No. 5 in its second week on the chart. All three tracks are from Carpenter’s current Billboard No. 1 album, Short n’ Sweet, which has spent its first two weeks on top of the charts since it was released. Rounding out this week’s Billboard Hot 100 Top 5 is Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, which jumps up three spots to No. 2, after previously spending six weeks at No. 1 following its debut back in May. (Billboard)

Will Jennings, a distinguished Grammy and Oscar-winning songwriter and lyricist, has died at the age of 80. No cause of death was publicly announced, although Jennings had apparently been ill for quite some time. Jennings will be remembered for co-writing two emotional Academy Award-winning anthems, “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic that was recorded by Céline Dion (which also won Grammys for Song of the Year and Record of the Year), and “Up Where We Belong” from An Officer and a Gentleman, which was sung by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. Jennings also co-wrote Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” from the movie Rush, which earned Will a Golden Globe for Best Original Song as well as Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Jennings also worked with Whitney Houston, Steve Winwood, Dionne Warwick, Barry Manilow, and Tim McGraw, among others, writing two No. 1 hits with Winwood, “Higher Love” and “Roll WIth It,” while also writing the lyrics for Warwick’s Grammy winning song, "I'll Never Love This Way Again.” Jennings was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006, and was also a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. (Variety)

On Friday (September 6), Jennifer Hudson revealed the details of her first-ever holiday album, The Gift of Love, which will be released on October 18. The 42-year-old EGOT winner made the announcement with a holiday-themed Instagram video that features Hudson singing a soulful rendition of the Christmas classic, “Jingle Bells,” while placing presents under the tree. Hudson captioned her post, “The Gift of Love ♥️ My first-ever holiday album will be out 10/18! I cannot wait for it to be yours!” The clip also reveals the album’s cover art featuring Hudson wearing a shimmering gown, while stating that this year, “Holiday Season starts October 18, 2024.”

The Gift of Love is Hudson’s first album in ten years, dating back to 2014’s JHUD, as well as her first release on Interscope Records. The singer covers seasonal favorites like “The Christmas Song,” “O Holy Night,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “My Favorite Things,” and “Auld Lang Syne,” alongside her own original numbers. Hudson teams up with her boyfriend Common for a duet on her new song, “Almost Christmas,” while she’s joined by the South African quintet The Joy on the holiday standard, “Carol of the Bells.” (People)

Travis Scott‘s team is publicly disputing the overall chart placement of the rapper’s mixtape Days Before Rodeo, which came in at No. 2 behind Sabrina Carpenter‘s No. 1 album Short ‘n Sweet on last week’s Billboard 200. Scott’s team says that Billboard and Luminate’s sales measurement is “unreliable and incomplete,” while alleging that nearly 1,300 units of Days Before Rodeo that sold ahead of the cutoff time were ultimately not counted toward the first week’s sales. The letter was sent by an unnamed rep at Cactus Jack Records to Luminate, with claims that Scott (who recorded slightly over 361,000 sales) would have sold just enough units to edge out Carpenter’s 362,000 sales to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

“This was never about Travis versus Sabrina — it’s about the integrity of the process and the questionable tactics used in U.S. charting,” said a representative for Scott. “This could happen to any artist.” A spokesperson for Billboard told Rolling Stone that they “stand behind our chart data and methodology.” (Rolling Stone)

Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet remains on top of the Billboard 200 chart for a second week, after debuting at No. 1 a week ago. Short n’ Sweet had a big second week, with the album earning 159,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. Only three other albums have topped Carpenter’s second week sales total In the past 12 months: Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department tallied 439,000 units, Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) earned 245,000, and Drake’s For All the Dogs moved 164,000. Two notable debuts reached the Billboard 200 Top 10 this week, as LE SSERAFIM’s CRAZY opens at No. 7, while Destroy Lonely’s Love Lasts Forever enters at No. 10.

The rest of the Billboard 200 Top 5 is filled out by Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion moving up one spot to No. 2, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess rising up a slot to No. 3, Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time jumping up at spot to No. 4, and Swift’s former No. 1 The Tortured Poets Department climbing up one spot to return to the Top 5 at No. 5. (Billboard)

Following his guest appearance during Dr. Dre’s Super Bowl halftime performance in Los Angeles in 2022, Kendrick Lamar will now headline his own halftime show during Super Bowl LIX at the Superdome in New Orleans on February 9, 2025. The announcement was made by the NFL, Roc Nation, and Apple Music only hours before the first Sunday of the 2024 NFL season kicked off. “Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why,” Lamar said in a statement. “They got the right one.” Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation is co-producer of the halftime show, added, “Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer." (Rolling Stone)

During a recent episode of Nova 96.9's Fitzy and Wippa with Kate Ritchie in Sydney, Australia, Keith Urban was busy praising Miley Cyrus when he paid the Grammy-winning singer a strange compliment. Urban had just performed a cover of Cyrus’ hit song, “Flowers,” on the show, and the 56-year-old country superstar then gushed about how he has "always loved Miley,” before going on to say this about her. "I love that voice, man, that voice. She sounds like an ashtray. And I mean that as a compliment. She sounds like the carpet at the RSL!” Later in the interview, Urban discussed the authenticity of some new country artists currently flourishing in Nashville. "It's a funny thing because you still need the support of the system in Nashville,” Urban said. “And if you go about it the right way, like Post [Malone] did, you'll see the love.” (People)

The 2025 Stagecoach Festival is set to take place from April 25-27 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, with headliners Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, and Zach Bryan. This will be the first time that Bryan and Jelly Roll will headline the main stage, while Combs will headline for the first time since 2022. Lana Del Rey is also featured on the lineup, and she famously joined Paul Cauthen at this year’s festival for a duet of “Unchained Melody.” LDR might even perform songs from her forthcoming country album, Lasso, at the fest.

The rest of the lineup features an eclectic mix of acts like Shaboozey, Sturgill Simpson, Backstreet Boys, Nelly, Creed, T-Pain, Brothers Osborne, Midland, and Sammy Hagar. “Last year I got to play Stagecoach for the first time and it was incredible,” Jelly Roll said in a statement. “And I didn’t just get to play. I got to hang out as a fan of artists I love and take my daughter to see some of the best entertainers in our format. Coming back to headline Stagecoach this year is a dream-but I’ll be attending as a fan this year as well, so get ready. See you in April.” (Billboard)

One week before Usher was set to give one of the biggest performances of his life at the Super Bowl Halftime Show at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, the R&B superstar found out that the custom made Jordan 4s he requested wouldn’t be ready in time. So, Usher turned instead to the famous custom sneaker designer, Dominic “The Surgeon” Ciambrone, to come to his rescue and save the show. The pair initially met through their mutual friend Lil Jon, and Ciambrone was already working with Usher to design his sneaker roller skates that he would wear during a portion of the performance, so he handled Usher’s new request in stride.

“I’m like, ‘Yeah, easy,'” Ciambrone recalls. “I think we had a week to do everything — and that shoe was incredibly difficult. The chrome material needed to shine so bright, and we remade that pair of shoes 20 times. We finished Saturday night before the Super Bowl, and a friend of mine drove it from L.A. to Vegas straight to me. It was a beautiful moment for me and my team, because we work so hard on these projects. I don’t think people understand how difficult this is.” (Billboard)

Chappell Roan noticed that tickets for her upcoming concert at FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tennessee sold out suspiciously quickly, and the breakout pop superstar decided to do something about it. Roan posted a video to X on Wednesday (September 4), expressing her frustration about all of the scalpers who bought up so many of the tickets to her October 1st show, preventing a lot of her true fans from securing tickets to see her perform.

“Scalpers and bots just bought up all the tickets, so we went through and canceled all the scalper tickets we could,” Roan said in the video. “So, from that, we’re gonna release a limited number of tickets to you because I want to make sure that tickets go to people who actually want to come and, like, are fans. I genuinely am so pissed about the scalper situation and think that people actually deserve to get to my show. This is a larger issue. We’re dealing with it. But thank you for understanding, and I cannot wait to see people who deserve to be here. It means everything to me.” In addition to upcoming dates on The Midwest Princess Tour, Roan is also set to perform at the MTV VMAs on September 11. (Uproxx)

Spotify has won a prolonged lawsuit claiming that Eminem’s music was streamed illegally “billions” of times on the platform. Eminem's publisher, Eight Mile Style, had initially sued Spotify back in 2019, claiming that the music streaming service had failed to get proper licenses for hundreds of the rapper’s songs. The judge wrote that Eight Mile knew for years that its songs were being played on Spotify, but had chosen to do nothing in order to build a more lucrative legal case against them.

“Eight Mile Style was not a hapless victim,” Judge Aleta A. Trauger wrote. “While Spotify’s handling of composer copyrights appears to have been seriously flawed, any right to recover damages based on those flaws belongs to those innocent rights holders who were genuinely harmed, not ones who, like Eight Mile Style, had every opportunity to set things right and simply chose not to do so for no apparent reason, other than that being the victim of infringement pays better than being an ordinary licensor.” Eight Mile Style has not publicly commented on the decision, while Eminem himself was not involved in the case. (Rolling Stone)

Lady Gaga is finally set to share the first full track from her forthcoming solo project, which the 13-time Grammy winner and her Little Monsters have taken to calling LG7. The first single from Gaga’s new album will arrive sometime in October, while LG7 will be released in February of 2025. In a post on X revealing Gaga’s busy itinerary surrounding her upcoming co-starring role in Joker: Folie à Deux, a tantalizing line at the end of the document reads, “XX October: LG7 first single.”

And in a recent interview with Vogue, Gaga disclosed that her new album will be out early next year, saying her new work is a mix of sadness and joy. “There’s a lot of pain associated with this adventure. And when I start to explore that pain it can bring out another side to my artistry,” Gaga shared. “ When I’m here at this studio [Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La], I’m relaxed and I am able to face my demons and what’s remarkable is… that’s the music. I’m able to hear it back. I feel like this new album, in a lot of ways, is about that time but from a place of happiness instead of misery.” (Billboard) 

Paula Abdul has announced that her Straight Up! To Canada Tour has been canceled. The 21-city trek was set to start on September 25 in Victoria, British Columbia, with scheduled opening acts Taylor Dayne and Tiffany. Abdul also revealed her shows in Anchorage on September 21 and Fargo on October 12 are off. The two-time Grammy winner made the announcement on Instagram on Wednesday (September 4). “

It’s with an incredibly heavy heart that I need to share with you an update regarding some injuries I’ve recently sustained,” Abdul shared. “In an effort to keep going, I’ve received targeted injections that will allow me temporary relief, but the demands of an entire tour is a different story. I’ve been advised that one of my injuries requires a minor procedure followed by a 6-8 week recovery time, therefore it will prohibit me from proceeding with the Straight Up! To Canada Tour as well as the dates in Alaska and North Dakota. I want to extend my deepest apologies to all my amazing fans in Canada and the US, you mean the world to me and this truly breaks my heart.” Rescheduled dates have not been announced. (People)

Morgan Wade released her new album, Obsessed, on August 16. But the songs didn’t start out as something meant for a record. "As long as I can remember it was me writing songs for myself and that is what this was," Wade disclosed. “I didn't know what I was doing with these songs. I just know I was writing, and I was bringing songs from the past back to life.” One of those songs is a powerful collaboration with Kesha on “Walked on Water,” which Wade says is about “a killing of the ego.”

Wade had been a fan of Kesha’s since she was 15, and has tried to work with her for years. Finally, they were introduced in Los Angeles through a mutual friend, and Wade said the collaboration came naturally. "We just met and sat on the beach," she said. "Then we went to the studio that night. She sang the second verse of 'Walk on Water' and I was like, 'I cannot believe this is actually happening.' She is just such a powerhouse. The fact that she would come sing on something of mine in this new time for her, I was super honored." (People)

During a recent episode of Drink Champs, DJ Spinderella disclosed that Salt-N-Pepa were once warned that they would be arrested if they performed their Top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hit, “Push It.” The rap group’s former DJ said the threat of arrest was due to what venue executives and event organizers perceived were sexually explicit lyrics in the song.

“It was not a sexual song,” Spinderella shared. “We were literally talking about dancing on the dance floor. And people took that and took it the other way, and it actually worked for us. Being on stage and being told that, ‘If you play that song here, you can get arrested.’ So, there were times where that was almost the case. And somehow, we got to a point where we just had to convince everybody that this is not about what you think it’s about. And that is the truth.” Sandra “Pepa” Denton echoed Spinderella’s sentiments about the controversy surrounding “Push It” to Page Six back in 2021. “We were saying ‘push it,’ they thought we were saying, ‘Pu**y, real good.’ So the police were waiting for us,” Pepa told the tabloid. (Billboard)

The Weeknd has just revealed that his forthcoming studio album will be titled, Hurry Up Tomorrow. The musician, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, disclosed details of his new record in a lengthy, cinematic statement on Instagram on Wednesday (September 4). Hurry Up Tomorrow will serve as the final installment of the Weeknd’s current musical trilogy, following 2020’s After Hours and 2022’s Dawn FM.

“Yesterday was fourteen years ago… We held our breath, falling into a shimmering sea in the after hours of the night… Attempted to cleanse the wounds with melodies and lights, a bulletproof bandage to shield what lies beneath,” the Weeknd’s scrolling text on Instagram disclosed.  “More songs could help, but what do I have left to say? Woe is me in my gilded cage, right? The very thing that once made me invincible failed me on the world stage. A new trauma surfaced, opening floodgates. A new path awaits. When today ends, I’ll discover who I am.”

No specific release date for Hurry Up Tomorrow has been disclosed as of yet, but Tesfaye had previously stated that his upcoming record will mark his final release under the Weeknd moniker. (Rolling Stone)

After Halsey launched a global, five-city scavenger hunt to reveal the album artwork for her forthcoming album, The Great Impersonator, the three-time Grammy nominee shared the release date for her record as a reward for her dedicated fans. On Tuesday (September 3), Halsey posted on X, sharing details of the scavenger hunt where fans in London, New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, and Sydney would discover the cover art for her record along with four variants featuring different photos of Halsey in era-specific wardrobes, hairstyle, and makeup from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, and 10s.

“My next trick is not mine at all. It’s yours,” she wrote. “Tomorrow, you will reveal the album cover for ‘The Great Impersonator’ along with four variants." And today, Halsey disclosed that her highly anticipated album will arrive at the end of next month. “My 5th studio album “The Great Impersonator” coming October 25th. I made this record in the space between life and death. And it feels like I’ve waited an eternity for you to have it. I’ll wait a bit longer. I’ve waited a decade, already.” (Billboard)

Sade‘s first new song in more than six years is set to be released this November, as her track, “Young Lion,” is set to appear on the TRAИƧA benefit album coming from the Red Hot organization. Sade will be featured alongside an impressive list of artists on the sprawling 46-track concept album, which will also include music from Sam Smith, André 3000, Julien Baker, Fleet Foxes, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Laura Jane Grace, Devendra Banhart, Bartees Strange, Faye Webster, Moses Sumney, Hunter Schafer, Arthur Baker, Teddy Geiger, and more.

The reclusive Sade has not released a full-length album since 2010’s Soldier of Love, while her most recent singles are both from 2018 soundtracks, “Flower of the Universe” from A Wrinkle in Time and “The Big Unknown” from Widows. The TRAИƧA compilation features new songs, covers, and exclusive tracks, with sales of the album going to support trans awareness and causes. According to the press release, the project started to come together in 2021, and is one of the most ambitious projects from the Red Hot non-profit, which has raised more than $15 million since 1989 to benefit HIV/AIDS relief and awareness. (Billboard) 

Justin Bieber just celebrated the birth of his first child, and now it has been revealed that the pop superstar is back in the studio. In a new interview in the New York Times, celebrated indie musician Mk.gee disclosed that he has recently been in the recording studio with Bieber, and he’s impressed with the results of their collaborations. “He’s searching,” he said. “Anything that comes out of his mouth: That’s pop music. You can really do pretty wild stuff behind that, just because it represents something.”

But Mk.gee shared that the sound he is after isn’t specifically pop music, but rather, “the promise of pop music… Experimentalism has no meaning unless it’s done on the grandest scale," he said. "I just don’t want to join somebody else’s citadel. I want to build my own thing, my own castle with my friends, because that’s what’s needed. And if people want to come, they can come.” Bieber hasn’t released a new studio album since 2021’s Justice, while he and his wife Hailey just welcomed the arrival of their first child, a baby boy named Jack Blues, last month. (Stereogum)

Back in 2023, Imagine Dragons recorded a song called “Children of the Sky” for the video game Starfield. The Las Vegas pop rock band has yet to play the song live on their current Loom World Tour because they are apparently saving it for a special occasion. “Children Of The Sky” is set to make its live debut at Imagine Dragons’ upcoming Hollywood Bowl show on October 27, with the special one-night-only performance featuring accompaniment from the Los Angeles Film Orchestra led by composer Inon Zur. Then things get truly interesting. The song will then be “transmitted back to Earth from the surface of the Moon as part of Lonestar’s Freedom Mission flying with Intuitive Machines to the South Lunar Pole in early 2025,” according to a press release. “Our goal is to inspire the next generation of kids to be excited about the future of space and technology, which is why we chose ‘Children of the Sky’ as the first song in history to be broadcast from the Moon,” said Ryan Micheletti, an investor in Lonestar. (Uproxx)

Internet hype was building around the possibility that actress Emma Roberts would portray Britney Spears in the biopic adaptation of the singer’s best-selling memoir, The Woman In Me. But on Friday (August 30), the pop star shared a message on Instagram that disclosed that she is apparently involved in an upcoming film project, but it is not her biopic. “The project I might be doing isn’t a biopic story … it’s a fictional musical where I play an extremely intelligent character 😉 !!!,” Spears wrote in the contradictory post. “It’s flattering to be in such good company like Jon Chu !!!”

Universal Pictures reportedly won a bidding war to adapt Spears’ memoir into a film, with Wicked director Jon M. Chu and Marc Platt apparently leading the development of the film. Last month, Spears revealed on X that she’s been working on a “secret project” with Platt, writing, “Excited to share with my fans that I've been working on a secret project with #MarcPlatt. He’s always made my favorite movies … stay tuned 🌹🎥” No official casting or development timeline has been announced for the biopic or Spears’ “fictional musical” at this time. (Billboard)

Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is spending its eighth nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, adding to its leading total of most weeks topping the singles charts in 2024. “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” also continues to sit atop the Hot Country Songs chart for its 12th week at No. 1. The rest of the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart is dominated by Sabrina Carpenter, who also holds the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with Short n' Sweet. Carpenter’s brand new single, “Taste,” debuts at No. 2 this week, while her previous No. 1 single, “Please Please Please,” jumps up six spots to No. 3, and “Espresso”  climbs three spots to No. 4, approaching its previous chart high of No. 3. Carpenter becomes only the second act ever to have her first three Top 5 hits reach the charts simultaneously, joining only the Beatles who accomplished the feat in 1964. Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, rounds out the Billboard 200 Top 5, dropping three spots to No. 5. (Billboard)

Sir Elton John took to Instagram on Tuesday (September 3) to reveal his prolonged vision issues after suffering a “severe eye infection” earlier this summer. John is slowly recovering from the ailment, which has left him with “only limited vision” in one of his eyes. The music superstar wrote the following about his current vision condition: “Over the summer, l’ve been dealing with a severe eye infection that has unfortunately left me with only limited vision in one eye. I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye. I am so grateful for the excellent team of doctors and nurses and my family, who have taken such good care of me over the last several weeks. I have been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home, and am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing and recovery thus far.”

Elton retired from performing after wrapping up his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour in July 2023, which is the third highest grossing tour of all time behind Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour and Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres Tour. (NME)

Sabrina Carpenter has scored her first ever No. 1 album of her career, as her new studio album, Short n’ Sweet, debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart this week. Short n’ Sweet recorded the third largest debut of the year, with two other big debuts featured in this week’s Top 10: the first official release of Travis Scott’s 2014 mixtape Days Before Rodeo premieres at No. 2, while country superstar Lainey Wilson notches the first top 10-charting album of her career as Whirlwind debuts at No. 8 in its first week of release. Elsewhere in the Billboard 200 Top 5, Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion falls from No. 1 to No. 3, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess drops two spots to No. 4, and Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time moves down a spot to No. 5. Taylor Swift’s former No. 1 album, The Tortured Poets Department, drops out of the Top 5 for the first time since its April release, moving down three slots to No. 6. (Billboard)

The organizers of Desert Daze have announced that the four-day independent music festival has officially been canceled. Desert Daze was originally scheduled for Oct. 10-13 in Lake Perris, California, and as was set to feature high profile artists like Jack White, Fleet Foxes, Cigarettes After Sex, De La Soul, Danny Brown, Thundercat, Liz Phair and more. The 2023 iteration of the festival was postponed, and event organizers were hoping to make a successful return this year, but the cost of running a festival proved to be too expensive. “As an independent festival, an increasing rarity in today’s festival market, Desert Daze is run by a small team of people who love live music and this community,” a Desert Daze spokesperson wrote in a statement. “Unfortunately, due to rising production costs and the current volatile festival market, it is no longer possible to execute the weekend as planned.” All Desert Daze festival pass holders will be refunded via their original point of purchase. (Variety)

During the final night of her 10-show residency in Munich, Germany on Saturday night (August 31), Adele shared from the stage that the concert would be one of her final live performances for quite some time. The 16-time Grammy Winner still has 10 shows scheduled as part of her Weekends With Adele residency in Las Vegas, which will run from October 25-November 23, but following those performances, Adele will be taking a prolonged break from music. “I have 10 shows left after this, back in my residency [in Las Vegas] — but after that, I will not see you for an incredibly long time,” Adele said while fighting back tears during her final Munich show. “I will hold you dear in my heart for that whole length of my break, and I will fantasize about these shows and any shows that I’ve done over the last three years. It has been amazing, I just need a rest. I have spent the last seven years building a new life for myself, and I want to live it now. I want to live my new life that I’ve been building.” (Consequence of Sound)

Fatman Scoop died after collapsing during a concert on Friday night (August 30). The beloved New York rapper, hype man, and radio host was 53. Scoop, whose real name is Isaac Freeman III, was in the middle of his performance at Town Center Park in Hamden, Connecticut, when he suffered a medical emergency. Medical personnel performed chest compressions on Freeman, before the artist was transferred to a local hospital where he later died. Scoop’s death was announced on Saturday by an Instagram post shared by his family.

“It is with profound sadness and very heavy hearts that we share news of the passing of the legendary and iconic Fatman Scoop. Last night, the world lost a radiant soul, a beacon of light on the stage and in life.” Scoop rose to prominence with his 1999 club anthem, “Be Faithful,” and was featured on Missy Elliott’s 2005 hit, “Lose Control.” Missy wrote a tribute to Scoop on X: “Prayers for Fatman Scoop family for STRENGTH during this difficult time🙏🏾 Fatman Scoop VOICE & energy have contributed to MANY songs that made the people feel HAPPY & want to dance for over 2 decades. Your IMPACT is HUGE & will be NEVER be forgotten..🕊️🙏🏾” (Billboard)

As if Sabrina Carpenter didn’t give us enough pop treats with her new album, Short n’ Sweet, the pop superstar is now apparently partnering with Crumbl Cookies to release a new themed cookie treat. Crumbl Cookies shared a post on X on Saturday (August 31) which teased a potential collaboration with Carpenter, with a strategically placed lipstick emoji on an image of one of their delicious cookies. Crumbl captioned the post, “me when my friend says they want a mini n' sweet treat,” which is likely a reference to Sabrina’s record, Short n’ Sweet, with the post leading fans to believe the singer will be working with the cookie company on an upcoming partnership.

Earlier this year, following the chart-topping success of Sabrina’s No. 1 hit, "Espresso," she teamed up with Van Leeuwen to release an espresso-flavored product. The potential collaboration with Carpenter follows Crumbl Cookies’ recent partnership with Olivia Rodrigo for an official Guts Cookie that was available throughout the pop superstar’s Guts World Tour. (Yahoo Entertainment)

Jewel has offered her support and words of encouragement to Chappell Roan as the rising pop star deals with obsessive fans who invade her privacy and personal space. Jewel posted a TikTok video on Sunday (September 1) with Roan’s hit “Good Luck, Babe!” playing in the background, where the Grammy-nominated singer shared these words of encouragement for Roan: “I am weighing in on Chappell Roan, the drama of it all. I saw that she had to turn off her comments because of her recent post just saying being stalked and having people grab you in public isn’t OK as a celebrity. It’s a really interesting thing and I get to speak as an elder stateswoman. [My hair] went grey overnight when I was 21 years old with my first daughter. It was so scary. This person was leaving fire bombs outside my house. I was getting death threats saying I would be shot from the stage. I’ve had hundreds of stalkers in my career and it’s not OK. It made me step back from my own career. So, Chappell, full support. I’m glad people are talking about it. I’m proud of what you’re doing.” (Stereogum)

Charli XCX is ready to conquer the big screen after dominating social media this Brat summer with her viral song and dance sensations. The pop superstar has just been cast in Gregg Araki’s new film, I Want Your Sex. Charli joins the previously announced leads Olivia Wilde and Licorice Pizza's Cooper Hoffman, though what specific role she will play in the movie has not been revealed as of yet. I Want Your Sex is the second movie role that Charli has been cast in, along with last spring’s announcement that the singer will be featured in Daniel Goldhaber’s upcoming remake of the cult classic, Faces of Death, from Legendary Entertainment. Charli XCX is also getting set to launch her North American tour in support of Brat later this month, as Charli and Troye Sivan’s collaborative Sweat tour starts up on September 14 in Detroit. (Variety) 

Before her headlining performance on Saturday night (August 24) at Reading Festival in the UK, Lana Del Rey was spotted holding hands with Jeremy Dufrene, a Louisiana-based alligator tour guide. This public display of affection immediately sparked dating rumors for the 39-year-old pop superstar, who has apparently known the 49-year-old airboat captain since taking a trip to Louisiana back in 2019. LDR documented that trip at the time with a Facebook post, as the singer and some friends stopped into Airboat Tours by Arthur, and Dufrene led them on a trek through the Louisiana swamplands.

In one of the photos, Lana is sitting beside Dufrene on the boat and flashing a peace sign while playfully sticking out her tongue. Dufrene even photobombed the group photo Lana took with her friends. He must have made quite an impression on Lana that day, because she even mentioned him in the caption, writing, “Jeremy lemme be captain at Arthur’s Air Boat Tours x.” The pair were also seen having lunch together in London recently, adding to the rumors that they are dating. (People) 

Chappell Roan has made the “extremely hard decision” to cancel two of her upcoming shows on her European tour while also rescheduling another date. The 26-year-old pop superstar is currently on her Midwest Princess Tour, and announced that her shows in Paris and Amsterdam – originally scheduled for September 3 and 4, respectively – are now both canceled “due to scheduling conflicts.” Roan’s show in Berlin, originally scheduled to be the kickoff date on her European leg of the Midwest Princess Tour on August 31, has now been rescheduled for September 23.

Chappell Roan shared the news of her show cancellations with a post on X, writing, “Due to scheduling conflicts, I have had to make the extremely hard decision to cancel my Paris and Amsterdam shows. I have rescheduled my Berlin show to 23 September. I am so sorry & very disappointed 🙁 I promise I will be back. I’m heartbroken 💔 thank you for understanding.” Roan’s brief 7-date European tour will now start with a show in Manchester, England on September 13 and feature a three-night stand in London at 02 Academy Brixton on September 19-21. (People)

J Balvin has been chosen to be the official music curator for ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcasts for the 2024-25 NFL Season. Balvin will work with ESPN to chose the music used for select Monday Night Football games on the network. Balvin’s music selections will be featured in Monday Night Football promotional spots, live telecasts, and the Monday Night Countdown pre-game show for seven weeks during this upcoming season, including two weeks during the NFL Playoffs.

Balvin is kicking off his curation gig with his new song, “DOBLEXXO,” soundtracking ESPN’s Week 1 Monday Night advertisement, with the action packed clip featuring players from the Jets and the 49ers over Balvin’s new single. The first official game that Balvin is curating will be the New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers on Monday, September 9. Balvin becomes the latest star to join the Monday Night Football music curation team, joining past music curators Timbaland and Justin Timberlake (2023), Marshmello (2022), Drake (2021), DJ Khaled (2020), and Diplo (2019). (Billboard)

During the annual Intelligence Summit outside of Washington, D.C on Wednesday (August 28), CIA Deputy Director David S. Cohen revealed new details of the thwarted terror plot that led to the cancellation of all three of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shows in Vienna, Austria earlier this month. According to Cohen, the planned terror attack intended to kill and injure a considerable amount of Swift’s fans who were heading to her shows. “They were plotting to kill a huge number, tens of thousands of people at this concert, I am sure many Americans,” Cohen said. “The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do.” Three unnamed suspects have been arrested in the case, including a 19-year-old Austrian who is considered to be the main suspect. The other arrested suspects are a 17-year-old Austrian and an 18-year-old Iraqi. (People)

Harry Styles showed up to support his old One Direction bandmate Niall Horan at his concert in  Manchester, England on Tuesday night (August 27). And the pop superstar was even seen dancing to Horan’s cover of the 2014 1D classic, “Stockholm Syndrome,” with Styles caught singing along to the song's catchy chorus as he waved his hands in the air. Horan has frequently been performing “Stockholm Syndrome” solo on his The Show: Live on Tour trek. The track was originally featured on Four, One Direction’s penultimate album from 2014, with the song reaching No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the LP topped the Billboard 200 chart. In other clips of Styles at the show, the star is seen dancing and talking with other fans in the crowd, while also grooving along to “Heartbreak Weather” from Horan’s 2020 solo album of the same name, before he eventually left the venue during “Slow Hands.” (Billboard)