During a new interview with Variety, Dolly Parton was asked about the controversy surrounding Beyoncé not receiving any CMA Award nominations for her country-inspired album, Cowboy Carter. Parton is featured on two tracks on the album, "Dolly P" and "Tyrant," while Beyoncé also covered the country legend’s hit song, "Jolene," on the record. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Parton had a measured, even-keeled take on the situation. "There’s so many wonderful country artists that, I guess probably the country music field, they probably thought, well, we can’t really leave out some of the ones that spend their whole life doing that," Parton explained. Dolly went on to say that Cowboy Carter “was a wonderful album," and added that Beyoncé "can be very, very proud of [the album], and I think everybody in country music welcomed her and thought that was good. So I don’t think it was a matter of shutting out, like doing that on purpose.” (People)

Brett Eldredge is celebrating Christmas a little early this year, sharing a brand new original holiday song, "Sweet December," which features Kelly Clarkson. The two music stars trade verses throughout the catchy number before duetting in the sweet chorus, with the pair playing the roles of a couple who are looking forward to spending the festive holiday season together. "Sweet December" is the first song lifted from Eldredge's holiday album, Merry Christmas (Welcome to the Family), which he just announced will be out on September 27. It is the country star’s first Christmas album that features all original songs. “It’s a reflection of the most important themes of the holidays—love, togetherness, family, and community,” Eldredge writes. “If you need a place to rest your soul and a group of magical humans to share it with, then just put this album on play, lay back, and take a breath.” (Taste of Country)

The Darkness have just announced the upcoming release of their eighth studio album, Dreams on Toast, which is out on March 28, 2025 via Cooking Vinyl. “These bangers we present to you here,” writes the band’s frontman Justin Hawkins in a press release. “Wallowing in an aromatic aural ragu, served atop the charred remains of our envious contemporaries… ladies and gentlemen, I give you Dreams on Toast!” To promote their forthcoming release, the British rock band shared the album’s lead single, “The Longest Kiss,” which is out now. The Darkness also announced an expansive tour in support of Dreams on Toast, which Hawkins calls, “our biggest tour in years.” The Darkness are still riding high from the recent viral clip of Taylor Swift singing along to their hit single, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” at the US Open, which propelled the song to No. 1 on the iTunes rock chart. (Consequence of Sound)

Megan Thee Stallion leads the field with 12 nominations for the 2024 BET Hip Hop Awards. Meg is followed close behind by the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner, Kendrick Lamar, who received 11 nods, while his fierce rival Drake is next in line with eight nominations. Cardi B, GloRilla, Metro Boomin, and Nicki Minaj each received seven nominations, Future and Travis Scott got six nod each, while 21 Savage, 41, A$AP Rocky, Common, Lil Wayne, Pete Rock and Sexyy Red all received multiple nominations.

For the first time since the award was created in 2020, women achieved parity with men in the Hip-Hop Artist of the Year category, which features four women nominees (Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, GloRilla, and Nicki Minaj), along with four men (21 Savage, Drake, Future, and Kendrick Lamar). Fat Joe is once again set to host the awards show, which will take place in Las Vegas on Tuesday, October 8 before eventually airing on BET on Tuesday, October 15, at 8 p.m. ET. (Billboard)

JoJo signed a record deal at the age of 12, which ensured that her teenage years would be radically different from everyone else her age. The chart-topping pop star and successful actress chronicles the highs and frequent lows of her entertainment career in the just released memoir, Over the Influence. Jojo, whose real name is Joanna Levesque, candidly shares the struggles she faced adjusting to fame at an early age, as well as her battles with depression and substance abuse. “It was definitely cathartic and just an exercise in getting over my fear of being seen, of putting myself out there,” says Levesque, now 33. “Is my story interesting enough? Am I capable of telling it?” JoJo wrote the book in 18 months, drawing from journals she’s kept throughout her 20-year career. “Making it to my 30s is a gift,” Levesque says. “I definitely feel so much more comfortable and confident about who I am, where I am, what I’ve been and owning it all. (Variety)

Edgar Barrera, Bad Bunny, and Karol G lead all nominees for the 2024 Latin Grammy Awards, with Barrera heading this year’s class with nine nominations, while the other two international music superstars each received eight nominations. Other high profile nominees at this year’s Latin Grammys include Kali Uchis, Peso Pluma, Shakira, and Anitta. The Record of the Year category is particularly stacked with smash hits from Anitta, Bad Bunny, Karol G, and Kali Uchis & Peso Pluma’s collaboration all vying for the trophy. Karol G is also up for Album of the Year for Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season), which is a companion record to her Billboard No. 1 album, Mañana Será Bonito, which won last year’s Album of the Year Latin Grammy. The 25th Annual Latin Grammy Awards ceremony is set to take place on November 14 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, with Univision broadcasting the ceremony live. (Billboard)

Gwen Stefani has just announced that she is releasing a new solo album, Bouquet, on November 5. Stefani’s 10-track record will be the pop superstar’s first new album in seven years, dating back to her 2017 album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas. Stefani’s last non-holiday themed record was 2016’s Billboard 200 No. 1 album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like. Bouquet’s lead single is a tune called, “Somebody Else’s,” which will be released on Friday, September 20th. The closing track on the album is “Purple Irises,” a collaboration between Stefani and her country superstar husband, Blake Shelton. Stefani announced her new album with a post on Instagram on Wednesday (September 18), which also features the country-styled cover art and the complete tracklist for the record. She captioned the post, “my fifth studio album, ‘Bouquet’, will be in full bloom on November 15th. 💐” (Billboard)

Zayn has just revealed details of his first solo tour of his career. The 11-date Stairway to the Sky Tour will feature the chart-topping former One Direction member performing a series of five shows in the U.S. and six dates in the U.K. The American leg of Zayn’s tour begins on October 23 in San Francisco, then hits Las Vegas, Los Angeles and D.C. over the following week, before finishing up on November 2 in New York City. The U.K. leg of the tour kicks off on November 20 in Edinburgh, Scotland, then travels to England for shows in Leeds, Manchester, London, and Wolverhampton, before ending the brief jaunt on December 3 in Newcastle. Zayn announced the news of his debut solo tour with a post on Instagram on Wednesday (September 18), with the pop superstar captioning his post, “Appreciate your patience, love, and support. Can’t wait to enjoy great music together. This time I really mean soon 😂 see you in 35 days….” (Variety)

During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Monday night (September 16), Justin Timberlake didn’t discuss his recent guilty plea for driving while ability impaired. Instead, Timberlake – who was making his first public appearance since his DWI court case ended last Friday – chose to focus on promoting the ten new live dates added to his Forget Tomorrow world tour, along with disclosing his new Christmas song that he recorded with his old friend and collaborator Fallon. “We went to Electric Lady [to record it],” Timberlake revealed during the interview. “We had no business recording this song at such a fantastic, world famous studio.” Fallon echoed his praise of the legendary New York studio, calling it “unbelievable” and the “best place to record a record.” The song is called, “You’ll Be There,” and will be featured on Fallon’s upcoming Christmas album, Holiday Seasoning, which will be released on Nov. 1. (People)

Following his arrest on Monday evening (September 16), Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was indicted on Tuesday on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. The 14-page federal indictment against Combs includes three counts of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Prosecutors allege that in order to commit these acts, Combs and his employees engaged in acts of kidnapping, forced labor, arson, and bribery. Combs was denied bail in a hearing late Tuesday, with the judge reasoning, “My concern is that this is a crime that happens behind closed doors.” His racketeering charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, while a sex trafficking conviction would carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years. “He’s going to plead not guilty, obviously,” said Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo. “He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might. And I expect a long battle with a good result for Mr. Combs.” (Rolling Stone)

Christina Aguilera is planning on celebrating the 25th anniversary of her 9x-platinum self-titled debut album by releasing live in-studio re-imaginings of its hits for an episode of Spotify Anniversaries. Aguilera will perform these reworked versions of her classic songs in a special episode that will be released on September 23, with the pop superstar sharing stories about the origins of her Billboard No. 1 album that spawned three chart-topping hits. Aguilera will also be joined during the live session by special guest collaborators Sabrina Carpenter and MGK, who will add a fresh, modern twist to Christina’s pop gems. “I wanted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of my debut album in a way that brings together the past and present,” Aguilera said. “I’ve always enjoyed reimagining my songs with different styles and audiences, as well as playing with sounds and arrangements that showcase how all music can be timeless.” (Rolling Stone) 

Miley Cyrus and her songwriting team behind her Grammy-winning hit, “Flowers,” have been sued over accusations that the song copies portions of Bruno Mars’ track, “When I Was Your Man.” The lawsuit was filed on Monday (September 16) in Los Angeles federal court by Tempo Music Investments, who claim Cyrus’ Billboard No.1 hit uses unauthorized parts of Mars’ 2013 chart-topping hit. The suit includes Sony Music Publishing, Apple, and multiple retail outlets as defendants who are all accused of distributing “Flowers.”

Tempo Music claims it owns a portion of the U.S. copyright to “When I Was Your Man,” acquiring the rights from Philip Lawrence, who co-wrote the song with Mars, Ari Levine, and Andrew Wyatt. “It is undeniable based on the number of similarities between the two recordings that ‘Flowers’ would not exist without ‘When I Was Your Man,’” reads the complaint. Tempo Music seeks undisclosed financial damages and a court order prohibiting the defendants from distributing and publicly performing “Flowers.” Representatives for Cyrus have not commented. (Variety)

On Tuesday (September 17), Cher was announced as the music headliner for the upcoming Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on October 15. This will be VS’s first major runway showcase in six years. To mark the grand occasion, they also revealed that for the first time ever the event will feature a lineup of all-women artists who will perform during the high-profile fashion show. The intimate apparel brand made the big announcement with a video post on Instagram that features the 78-year-old Cher singing her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit, “Believe.” Victoria’s Secret captioned their post, “It’s a woman’s world, so it’s understood that you can’t have a fashion show without the mother of fashion herself—@Cher! We’re beyond excited to announce she will officially be performing at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024 on October 15. But she won’t be alone...stay tuned, more announcements are coming to round out our first-ever, all-women lineup.” (Billboard)

Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” spends its 10th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, extending its run of the most weeks spent at the top of the singles chart in 2024. “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” also becomes one of only 45 No. 1 hits in the 66-year history of the Hot 100 to spend double-digit weeks on top of the charts. Elsewhere in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10, Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, holds at No. 2, while Sabrina Carpenter places three songs in the Top 10 for a third consecutive week: “Espresso” stays at No. 3; “Taste” drops one spot to No. 6; and “Please Please Please,” falls four spots to No. 8. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” moves up two spots to No. 4, Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” jumps up two slots to No. 5, Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” moves up one spot to No. 7, Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” remains at No. 9, and Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” stays put at No. 10. (Billboard)

During an interview with Anderson Cooper on Sunday’s (September 15) episode of 60 Minutes, Dua Lipa distanced herself from contemporary pop stars who are “ruthless” about sharing their private lives in their music. The British pop superstar disclosed that her lyrics intentionally don’t reveal much about her past relationships and personal life. “It’s something that I just naturally hold back,” Lipa shared. “Some people are just so ruthless with their own private life that they decide to put it all out in a song because they know that it’s gonna attract people’s attention. For me, it was always important to make music that people really loved, not because I was putting someone out on blast. Not because I’m doing it for the clickbait at maybe someone else’s expense.” Dua Lipa just announced a world tour in support of her recent album, Radical Optimism, which hits North America in September of 2025. (Rolling Stone)

In the current cover story of The Face, Chappell Roan shares specific incidents of invasive fan behavior that have caused her to question if wants to be in the public spotlight in the future. "I told myself, if this ever gets dangerous, I might quit," Roan said. "It’s dangerous now, and I’m still going. But that part is not what I signed up for.” Roan says her newfound fame has brought with it stalkers, online abuse, and obsessive fans who “won’t leave you alone, yelling at you in public. I didn’t know it would feel this bad." Roan reached out to Lorde following a disturbing interaction with a fan, and the 27-year-old New Zealand pop star shared useful advice. "She sent me a list of things I should do [that] she wished someone would have told her when she was going through it,” Roan revealed. “And she went through f---ing hell. She was a baby!” (People)

Tito Jackson, a founding member of the Jackson 5, died of a heart attack on Sunday at the age of 70. Tito was joined by his brothers Michael, Jermaine, Jackie, and Marlon in the chart-topping soul and R&B group, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Tito played guitar and sang in the Jackson 5, who signed with the iconic record label Motown in 1969 and proceeded to make history by becoming the first group to debut with four consecutive No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save," and "I'll Be There." Tito’s three sons paid tribute to their father on Instagram, writing: “It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father Tito Jackson is no longer with us. We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being.” (Variety)

During Shakira’s appearance at the Miami nightclub LIV on Sunday (September 15) to celebrate her forthcoming single, “Soltera,” the singer left the stage early after a fan appeared to be filming up her skirt. Shakira was in the club making a music video with a star-studded lineup featuring Winnie Harlow, Anitta, Lele Pons, and Danna Paola. She was on stage dancing to her new single – an as-yet-unreleased collaboration with the Brazilian music superstar Anitta – when she noticed the invasive person in the audience.

In fan-captured footage of the incident, Shakira stops dancing in order to smooth down her skirt while gesturing at the offending person in the crowd. The singer then abruptly leaves the stage, clearly upset. Shakira is in better spirits in her new Instagram post from Monday afternoon (September 16), where the Latin pop superstar is shown dancing to a snippet of “Soltera” with her close group of friends who are all enjoying her new single. (People)  

During the first show of the Killers two-night stand at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York, on Saturday night (September 14), the Vegas group honored another famous band that played the same venue almost exactly 60 years earlier. “Some of you might know the history of the place,” frontman Brandon Flowers told the crowd. “In 1964, 60 years ago, the Beatles did two nights here at Forest Hills. We thought that we would pay our respects. I don’t think there’s a person here that wasn’t influenced by them in some way or another. Here you go.”

The Killers then played a spirited rendition of the Beatles first American Billboard No.1 hit, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” which topped the charts in 1964, the same year the Fab Four played Forrest Hills on August 28 and 29,. This wasn’t the first time that the Killers had covered the Beatles, playing live renditions of “Helter Skelter,” “Get Back,” “In My Life,” “Michelle,” and “When I’m Sixty-Four” in their past sets. (Rolling Stone)

Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet notches its third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Short n’ Sweet is only the second album to spend its first three weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart in 2024, joining Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, which also spent its first three weeks at No. 1 back in April and May on its way to a total of 15 nonconsecutive weeks on top of the charts. The rest of the Billboard 200 Top 5 remains the same as last week, with Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion at No. 2, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess at No. 3, Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time at No. 4, and Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department at No. 5. The only debut appearance in this week’s Top 10 is former Pink Floyd member David Gilmour’s first studio album in nine years, Luck and Strange, coming in at No. 10. (Billboard)

Pharrell Williams announced that the Something in the Water festival set to take place in his hometown of Virginia Beach is postponed until April 2025. The festival had originally been pushed from April of 2024 to this October. Pre-sale tickets started selling on Friday (September 13) ahead of a planned lineup reveal that ultimately never took place. Pharrell announced the postponement with a post on X, writing: “Dearest Virginia, I love you with all my heart. So SOMETHING IN THE WATER has to match that. It just isn’t ready yet. That’s why we as a team have decided that we must postpone this year’s SOMETHING IN THE WATER festival that was due to take place in October. I am so grateful to our amazing sponsors and the city for their continued support and trust in us to get this right, and that time is April 2025. This has to be EPIC, and trust me, after this long wait, it will be.” (Billboard)

LL Cool J released, The Force, his first new studio album in 11 years, on September 6, and was part of a star-studded 40th anniversary tribute to Def Jam Records that closed down the VMAs on Wednesday night (Sept. 11). While rap fans enjoy his Q-Tip produced new album, the music in LL’s vault is equally intriguing. Dr. Dre was originally working with him on the new record, but LL scrapped it because it wasn’t up to his standards. “He deserves a better LL than that,” he shared. “For me to go in there and not give Dr. Dre the best possible LL, it’s not fair to him and it’s definitely not fair to me. The sonics were there, but I gotta deliver on the writing. I’m not putting nothing out if I don’t feel it’s right.” That goes for old studio sessions with LL and Michael Jackson as well, which the rapper confirmed do exist but have never been released. (Variety)

On Friday (September 13), Justin Timberlake pled guilty to a reduced charge in his DWI case in Sag Harbor, New York. The pop superstar pleaded guilty to the charge of “driving while ability impaired,” after initially being charged with a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated. “I did not live up to the standards that I try to hold for myself,” Timberlake told the judge. “I should’ve had better judgment… I understand the seriousness of this.” Timberlake's license had already been suspended in New York, and he was also ordered by the judge to pay a $500 fine along with performing 25-40 hours community service.

He was also required to make a “public safety announcement,” which he subsequently delivered outside the courthouse. Timberlake gave this statement to reporters: “Even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car. There’s so many alternatives. This is a mistake that I made, but I’m hoping that whoever’s watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have.” (Variety)

After Kendrick Lamar was revealed as the headliner for the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, rap fans voiced their anger about why New Orleans native Lil Wayne wasn’t chosen to perform in his home city. And it turns out that Weezy himself was personally crushed by being passed over in favor of Kendrick. Lil Wayne took to Instagram Live on Friday (September 13) to express his frustration about not being asked to perform at the upcoming big game in his hometown.. “It hurt a whole lot,” Wayne said. “I thought there was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city. So it hurt. It made me feel like sh*t, not getting this opportunity. And when I felt like sh*t, you guys reminded me that I ain’t sh*t without y’all, and that’s an amazing reality. It broke me, and I’m just trying to put me back together.” (Consequence of Sound)

During an interview with E! News before the 2024 MTV VMAs on Wednesday (September 11), Shaboozey weighed in on the controversy surrounding Beyoncé receiving zero nominations at the 2024 CMA Awards. Shaboozey currently has the Billboard No. 1 song for nine weeks running with "A Bar Song (Tipsy),” while he was also featured on “Spaghettii” and "Sweet Honey Buckiin'" off Beyoncé’s Billboard No. 1 album, Cowboy Carter.

"It's definitely unfortunate. I mean, if that's something she was looking to receive and that's something that she worked for, it really sucks," Shaboozey says. "I know as an artist, you put a lot of time and a lot of work and a lot of energy into music. Awards aren't really — they're not everything. As long as you're connecting with people and genuinely making music that's impacting people, that's all that matters, you know? She changed my life, and changed the lives of other artists as well. To me, if I could do that for another artist, or another person in general...I'd be at peace.” (Taste of Country)