Music News

Morgan Wallen took to Instagram on Monday (October 21) to reveal the stacked lineup for his newly announced music festival, Sand In My Boots. The festival will take place on the beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama between May 16-18, 2025. In addition to a headlining set from the host himself, Wallen will be joined by fellow country headliners Brooks & Dunn, Post Malone, and Hardy. Other country stars on the lineup include Riley Green, Chase Rice, Ernest, Ian Munsick, Nate Smith, Ella Langley, Paul Cauthen, Kameron Marlowe, Josh Ross, Morgan Wade, Hailey Whitters, Lauren Watkins, John Morgan, and Laci Kaye Booth. The lineup also features hip-hop stars like T-Pain, Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz, Three 6 Mafia, Moneybagg Yo, and BigXthaPlug, as well as indie rock bands the War on Drugs, 3 Doors Down, Future Islands, Real Estate,  and Wild Nothing. Ticket options for Sand In My Boots include a three-day general admission pass, Party Pit, VIP, Super VIP, and “Livin’ the Dream” options. (Billboard) 

After teasing the release of a forthcoming new song through a series of mysterious playlists and websites, Lady Gaga officially announced that her long-awaited new single, “Disease,” will be released on Friday, October 25. Gaga shared the cover art for her song and details about the release date in an Instagram post on Monday (October 21), which she succinctly captioned, “DISEASE 10.25.” Apple Music even chimed in about Gaga’s big announcement, commenting on her post, “Everybody say, "Thank you, Gaga." 👑” The cover art for “Disease” features Gaga face-down on the hood of a car, with the song title appearing upside down in white stenciled street paint. Gaga’s Little Monsters figured out the acrostic clues about the new single that appeared on the 13-time Grammy Award winner’s 11-song Spotify playlist last week. The first four songs spelled out GAGA and the next seven spelled out “disease” in lower case letters. (Billboard)

The 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards were broadcast on Telemundo on Sunday night (October 20) from the Fillmore Miami Beach. Karol G was the biggest winner of the evening, taking home eight awards, followed by Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma, who both won six awards each. Unfortunately, none of the three big winners were in attendance at the event. Karol G was awarded the Global 200 Latin Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, and Tour of the Year, while her hit song "Qlona" with Peso Pluma claimed awards for Hot Latin Song of the Year, Vocal Event of the Year, and Streaming Song of the Year. Bad Bunny took home the night’s biggest award, Artist of the Year, as well as Top Latin Album of the Year and Latin Rhythm Album of the Year for Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, and Sales Song of the Year for "Mónaco.” In addition to his trophies with Karol G, Peso Pluma also won Regional Mexican Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. (Rolling Stone)

Toxicology testing on Liam Payne indicates that the former One Direction singer had multiple drugs in his system at the time of his death on October 16. According to ABC News sources, the toxicology results found that Payne had  “pink cocaine” in his system –  a mixture of methamphetamine, ketamine, and MDMA – as well as cocaine, benzodiazepine, and crack. A partial autopsy done on Payne last week determined that the late pop star died of “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage,” due to a fall from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires. Prior to Payne’s death, the staff of the Casa Sur Hotel reported his erratic behavior to the authorities, alleging that Payne was intoxicated on alcohol and drugs and trashing his room at the time of the incident. The hotel receptionist even notified police that Payne’s life was in danger, according to a recording of two emergency calls. (Deadline)

Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” claims the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the 15th week. Shaboozey’s crossover hit has now tied Harry Styles’ 2022 smash, “As It Was,” for the second-longest chart-topping reign this decade, trailing only Morgan Wallen’s 16-week run at No. 1 with his 2023 hit, “Last Night.” Elsewhere in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10, Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” remains at No. 2, and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” moves up a spot to No. 3. Carpenter once again places three songs in the Top 10 for an eighth consecutive week, as “Taste” drops one spot to No. 8, and “Please Please Please” slides down one spot to No. 10. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” moves up one spot to No. 4, Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Wallen, drops two spots to No. 5, Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” jumps up two spots to No. 6, Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” dips one slot to No. 7, and Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” moves up one spot to No. 9. (Billboard)

Jelly Roll scores his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, as Beautifully Broken debuts on top of the chart this week. Beautifully Broken is Jelly Roll’s second album to break into the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart, joining Whitsitt Chapel which reached No. 3 in 2023. This marks the fifth different country album to top the Billboard 200 chart in 2024, the most in a year since 2014. Elsewhere in the Billboard 200 Top 10, Rod Wave’s Last Lap debuts at No. 2, Charli XCX’s Brat jumps from No. 14 to No. 3 following a deluxe reissue, GloRilla’s Glorious premieres at No. 5, and BigXthaPlug’s Take Care debuts at No. 8. Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet drops two spots to No. 4, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess drops 3 slots to No. 6, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft slides down two spots to No. 7, Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time drops 5 slots to No. 9, and Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department slides down four spots to No. 10. (Billboard)

Shakira has postponed her upcoming North American dates on her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran tour in order to move the shows to larger venues to accommodate the overwhelming demand of her fans. Shakira made the announcement on her Instagram stories on Friday, revealing that her North American tour will now start in May of 2025 and take place in stadiums throughout the U.S. and Canada instead of her originally scheduled arena shows. “Your incredible support since my tour announcement has truly been extraordinary, and it’s already making this the biggest tour of my career,” Shakira said. The three-time Grammy winner says her current show is “larger and unlike anything I’ve done before,” and thanks her fans for their “understanding and love” over the postponement. “I promise to make it worth the wait and deliver the best show of my life,” Shakira says. This will be her first U.S tour. since her 2018 El Dorado world tour. (Rolling Stone)

P!nk took to Instagram on Saturday (October 19) to announce the abrupt postponement of the next four shows on her current Summer Carnival Tour. The pop superstar wrote that “due to reasons beyond my control,” she had to postpone her four upcoming midwest shows that were scheduled to take place on October 20 in Lincoln, Nebraska,, October 21 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, October 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and October 24 in Lincoln, Nebraska. No specific reasons were given for the show postponements. “I’m so disappointed to share this news, but we are working on rescheduling each of these shows as soon as we can,” P!nk wrote. “Thank you for understanding. I’m looking forward to seeing you all very, very soon.” P!nk’s next scheduled show is set to take place on November 3 in Austin, Texas, and her Summer Carnival Tour is scheduled to wind down on November 20 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Billboard)

Hundreds of One Direction fans gathered in London’s Kensington Gardens on Sunday (October 20) to mourn Liam Payne, who died on October 16 after falling from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. Large tributes by “Directioners” also took place in Glasgow, Paris, Sydney, and New York, as grieving fans sang Payne’s songs and left personalized messages, flowers, and photographs in honor of the late 31-year-old pop star. The makeshift memorial in London was located next to a statue of Peter Pan, the fictional boy who famously never grew up.

Payne’s former 1D bandmate Zayn Malik announced that he was postponing his upcoming U.S. tour. Malik’s first solo tour of America was set to start in San Francisco on Wednesday (Oct. 23), but the dates have now been pushed back until January of 2025. “Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week, I’ve made the decision to postpone the US leg of the Stairway to the Sky Tour,” Malik wrote on X on Saturday (Oct. 19). The European leg of Malik’s tour is still scheduled to start on November 20 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Billboard)

The Class of 2024 was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on Saturday night. Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Matthews Band, Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, and Kool & the Gang officially joined the Rock Hall in the Performers Category during the 5+ hour ceremony. Cher opened the show, dueting with Dua Lipa on “Believe” and proclaiming, “I changed the sound of music forever” in her speech. Ozzy received his award in a black throne befitting the Prince of Darkness, while an all-star band featuring Billy Idol, Jelly Roll, Tool’s Maynard James Keenan, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, Zakk Wylde, and Wolfgang Van Halen played a medley of metal hits from his solo career.

A Tribe Called Quest were honored with a performance featuring hip-hop legends De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, the Roots, Queen Latifah, and Common, while Dr. Dre and Method Man inducted Mary J. Blige after a live performance from the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. Demi Lovato, Sammy Hagar, and Kelly Clarkson honored the music of Foreigner, and Chuck D inducted Kool & the Gang, who played a medley of their hits with the Roots. Keith Urban jammed with Peter Frampton after the Who’s Roger Daltrey inducted the guitar legend, and superfan Julia Roberts inducted Dave Matthews Band, who played some hits before ending the night with a cover of Talking Heads “Burning Down the House,” honoring the 40th anniversary of their iconic concert film, Stop Making Sense. (New York Times)

Zach Bryan is taking his music beyond country, as Snoop Dogg disclosed on Thursday’s episode of the Today Show that he and Bryan are collaborating. The reveal came during a segment focused on Bryan’s recent interview with Bruce Springsteen, in which he said doesn’t want to be categorized by only one music style. "I don’t want to be a country musician,” Bryan revealed. “Everyone calls me it. I want to be a songwriter." Snoop then revealed he is working with the country superstar. “Zach sent me a song. I got to put a verse on it,” Snoop Dogg announced. “I’m inspired seeing him with The Boss.” (People)

Ahead of its 30th anniversary in 2025, organizers behind Vans Warped Tour announced on Thursday (October 17) that the legendary music festival will make a triumphant return next year. Warped Tour 2025 will launch at the RFK Campus in Washington, D.C. on June 14 and June 15, then head to the Shoreline Waterfront in Long Beach, California, on July 26 and July 27, before closing things down at Camping World Stadium Campus in Orlando, Florida, on November 15 and 16. The festival’s Instagram video announcing its return featured the simple caption, “we missed u, see u next summer. 💛” The lineup for Warped Tour 2025 has yet to be announced, but two-day tickets went on sale on Thursday. Founder Kevin Lyman had this to say about starting up his festival after taking the last five years off, “People start remembering once something’s gone that it was important, it was fun — and I’m hoping to recapture a lot of that again.” (Rolling Stone)

Tyler, the Creator took to Instagram on Thursday (October 17) to announce details of his forthcoming new album, Chromakopia. Tyler’s eighth album is set to be released on Monday, October 28, and fans can pre-order the CD on the official Chromakopia site, which includes deluxe packages featuring hoodies, hats, t-shirts, and totes, along with commemorative shipping containers. In addition to the atypical Monday release date instead of the music industry standard Friday drop, Tyler also shared the album’s cover art, which features the musician dressed in the same masked soldier attire featured in the Instagram teaser video he shared on Tuesday. Underneath the Chromakopia album title on the cover is a credits line that reads, “All songs written, produced and arranged by Tyler Okonma,” with all text written in dark green. Chromakopia will serve as Tyler’s official follow-up to his Grammy-winning 2021 album, Call Me If You Get Lost. (Billboard)

According to a new Bloomberg report, Jay-Z and the NFL have extended their creative partnership, with the rap superstar and his Roc Nation entertainment company continuing to curate the musical performances at the Super Bowl Halftime Show into the future. While the length and financial details of the new deal have yet to be released, the original agreement they signed in 2019 was worth $25 million over five years. At the NFL owners meeting in Atlanta on Tuesday (October 15), NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said, “It’s been a mutually positive relationship. I’m not sure either one of us really spend much time talking about contracts. Jay is happy. [Roc Nation CEO] Desiree Perez is happy. I’m happy, so we’re all good.” Jay-Z chose Kendrick Lamar to headline the upcoming 2025 halftime show, saying at the time, “Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer. He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally.” (Uproxx)

On Thursday (October 17), BTS singer J-Hope was officially discharged from his mandatory South Korean military service, after completing the required 18 months on duty. J-Hope becomes the second member of BTS to finish their military requirements, joining his bandmate Jin who finished his own service back in June. Jin, and over 100 cheering K-pop fans, were waiting for J-Hope outside the Wonju military base when he walked out in uniform holding bouquets of flowers. The two music superstars were seen embracing and smiling with each other, as the bandmates were reunited after a year and a half spent apart. “Thanks to the fans, I was able to finish it [military service] safely, with good health,” said J-Hope. “What I’ve felt for the past year-and-a-half is that a lot of soldiers are working hard, dedicating themselves, and doing so much to protect the country.” (Billboard)

During A Tribe Called Quest’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday (October 19), the hip-hop legends will be joined by an illustrious crew of their contemporaries and cohorts. Tribe’s surviving members – Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi White – will be accompanied by their longtime friends and frequent collaborators De La Soul, Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes, the Roots, and Common, who will all pay tribute to the rap crew’s legacy as well as the memory of founding member Phife Dawg, who passed away in 2016 from complications due to diabetes. The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction will be broadcast live on Disney+ on Saturday, October 19 at 7 p.m. ET. (Consequence of Sound)

Liam Payne’s family released a public statement regarding the One Direction star’s tragic death on Wednesday (October 16), after the singer fell from his third story hotel room in Buenos Aires. A family spokeswoman shared a statement with The Telegraph: “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.” Members of One Direction have taken to social media to share touching tributes to their late bandmate.

Harry Styles wrote of Liam on Instagram, “His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it. The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life.” While Zayn Malik shared this remembrance on Instagram, “I lost a brother when you left us…what l'd give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly. I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever.” (NME)

Tyler, the Creator appears ready to launch his next music project, as the rapper released a brief video on Instagram on Wednesday (October 16) that teases that he has new music on the way. The 90-second clip, which Tyler captioned “1. st chroma,” features new music soundtracking a video depicting a masked Tyler leading a line of men marching into a massive shipping container that has the word “CHROMAKOPIA” emblazoned on it with spray paint. The ominous clip switches from black-and-white to full-color in the final seconds, as the shipping container is detonated and explodes. Tyler, the Creator’s last album, Call Me If You Get Lost, was released in 2021, with an expanded Estate Sale edition following two years later. Tyler recently headlined both weekends of the Austin City Limits Festival, but didn’t perform any new songs in his sets. (Consequence of Sound) 

Exactly one month after her brother Tito Jackson's death on September 15, Janet Jackson has finally broken her social media silence by sharing a touching tribute to him on her Instagram stories on Tuesday (October 15). The now-expired post featured a black and white photo of a young Janet looking affectionately at her older brother Tito, who is wearing a stylish fedora and floral shirt. Janet wrote these tender words over the photograph, "May you rest in eternal peace 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 I miss you so much! ❤️" Prior to his death, Tito apparently suffered a medical emergency at a New Mexico shopping center, and he was transported to a local hospital where he was eventually pronounced dead. An investigation into Jackson's death is still ongoing. Tito left behind his sons Taj, 51, Taryll, 49, and TJ, 46, that he shared with his ex-wife Delores "Dee Dee" Martes. (People)

During the Jonas Brothers’ show in Prague on Tuesday night (October 15), the performance was halted for several minutes due to someone flashing a laser pointer at Nick Jonas while he was onstage. A fan-shot video of the incident captures Nick looking up into the crowd while seated at the piano, before he quickly ran off the stage while signaling for a time out. His brothers Joe and Kevin followed after him, and the show was delayed while the issue was handled. A representative for Prague’s O2 Arena issued a statement about the incident: “We can confirm that the Jonas Brothers’ performance had to be interrupted for several minutes due to the use of a prohibited laser pointer by the person. The organizing service responded to this fact. After a few minutes, the band continued their performance.” The final night of the European leg of the Jonas Brothers “Five Albums, One Night” Tour took place on  Wednesday (October 16) in Krakow, Poland. (Rolling Stone)