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Music notes: Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and more

Taylor Swift has been nominated for the 2026 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. She was acknowledged in the contemporary songwriter/artists category alongside country artists Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton. Her nomination comes a month after she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The official trailer for the Wizards Beyond Waverly Place four-part finale event has been released. Executive producer Selena Gomez will make her directorial debut with the premiere and reprise her role as Alex Russo in multiple episodes. The finale event will debut on Disney Channel Aug. 4, and all episodes will be available on Disney+ on Aug. 5. Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Sesame Street was inspired by RAYE for its new single. Abby Cadabby put her own spin on RAYE’s “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” for a tune called “Where Is My Lovie?” It will appear on Sesame Workshop’s Parody Party, an album of family-friendly songs inspired by major pop hits.

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Ariana Grande’s 'Sunday in the Park with George' delays ticket sales

Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey speak onstage at Universal Pictures presents a special screening of 'Wicked' at DGA Theater on Nov. 14, 2024, in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Universal Pictures)

If you’ve been eager to snatch tickets to Ariana Grande’s London stage debut, you’ll have to wait just a little bit longer.

Ticket sales for the Stephen Sondheim musical revival Sunday in the Park with George, starring Ariana and her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey, have been pushed back until the fall. They were supposed to go on sale in May.

The show is still set to debut at London’s Barbican Centre in summer 2027.

In the meantime, Ari’s been busy with her Eternal Sunshine tour, which wraps Sept. 1 with a 10-night stand at London’s O2 Arena.

Last week it was learned that Ariana will no longer appear in season 13 of American Horror Story, due to changes to the shooting schedule that conflicted with her tour.

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Post Malone headlining FIFA World Cup 2026 closing ceremony

Post Malone headlining FIFA World Cup 2026 closing ceremony (FIFA)

Post Malone will be headlining the FIFA World Cup 2026 closing ceremony.

He’ll be performing just before the final soccer match takes place at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, known for the World Cup as the New York/New Jersey Stadium, on Sunday.

“At a time when sport, culture and global attention converge, Post Malone will deliver a performance designed to celebrate the tournament’s journey and ignite the atmosphere before the world's attention turns to the two finalists,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.

The closing ceremony will also feature an appearance by Tom Cruise, as well as Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini, American singer and actress Nicole Scherzinger, English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams and YouTube creator IShowSpeed.

Jennifer Hudson will be singing the national anthem.

The closing ceremony will begin 90 minutes before kickoff at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Earlier in July, FIFA announced Justin Bieber as a co-headliner for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Halftime Show alongside Madonna, BTS and Shakira.

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Michelle Branch revisiting old songs with 'Everywhere and Back Again' EP

'The Game of Love' artwork (BMG)

Michelle Branch is reimagining her past.

The singer is releasing an EP, Everywhere and Back Again, that celebrates her 25-year career and revisits some of her old songs in a new way.

The first of those reimaginings is “The Game of Love,” out Wednesday, featuring New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander. The new version is produced by Alexander, who wrote and produced the original track in 2002.

The EP will also include “Everywhere,” “All You Wanted,” “Goodbye to You” and “Breathe” — each featuring collaborations with artists across different genres.

“Getting to hear these songs, many I wrote as a teenager, performed by friends and peers that I so greatly admire has been such a ‘pinch me’ moment as a songwriter,” Michelle says in a statement. “Suddenly these adolescent songs about love lost and found take on an entirely new meaning and weight when sung by artists of all different genres and in a different era.”

She adds, “Being able to celebrate a 25 year career while firmly believing my best work is still ahead of me is the dream of any artist. And having fans that have grown up beside me who are still listening and still care after all these years is the greatest gift. Thank you all for helping me celebrate.”

The Everywhere and Back Again EP comes out Nov. 6. Michelle will kick off tour dates Sept. 27 in Seattle, Washington.

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Goo Goo Dolls release music video for 'Ocean'

Goo Goo Dolls perform on ABC's 'New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026' (Disney/Chris Willard)

Goo Goo Dolls are drowning in emotion in the new video for their song “Ocean.”

The black-and-white visual for the track, off their Summer Anthem EP, features shots of the band performing the song intercut with images of a woman underwater.

The band has also announced the release of the 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition of their 2006 album, Let Love In. The 21-track album will feature the original track list, as well as 10 "Live and Intimate" recordings from a session captured at Capitol Studios.

Let Love In (20th Anniversary Edition) will be released July 24. The same day, Goo Goo Dolls kick off their U.S. tour with Neon Trees.

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'KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS' trailer debuts as tickets go on sale

'KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS' poster. (HYBE X GEFFEN, Trafalgar Releasing)

We’ve got eyes on the new trailer for KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS, a new film about the global girl group hitting theaters next month.

Set to their hit “Pinky Up,” the trailer features footage of KATSEYE performing onstage to hundreds of screaming fans and rehearsing behind the scenes. We also see interviews with the group members, with Yoonchae proclaiming at the end, “New era, new aura.”

As previously reported, the film will explore “the powerful bond between KATSEYE and their global fandom,” known as EYEKONS.

Tickets for KATSEYE: WILD HEARTS are on sale now. The film hits theaters for a limited engagement on Aug. 12.

The group’s third EP, WILD, comes out Aug. 14. Their sold-out KATSEYE: THE WILDWORLD TOUR kicks off Sept. 1.

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Teddy Swims recalls the moment he 'lost control' at a music festival: 'This is what I want to be'

Teddy Swims (Claire Marie Vogel)

Ahead of his fall headlining tour, Teddy Swims has been spending the summer performing at festivals around the world. And that's fitting, because it turns out attending a festival as a teen is what inspired him to be a performer.

"One of the first concerts I ever went to was Warped Tour in 2007. And I was, like, 15 at the time," Teddy told ABC Audio. "That was the time that I discovered, like, 'This is what I want to be for a living.' That was when I really decided."

There was one moment in particular that made him decide: While he watched the prog-metal band Coheed and Cambria perform, their lead singer, Claudio Sanchez, did a stage dive into the crowd.

"I remember getting to touch his hair and being like, 'Oh my gosh, I gotta be this guy!'" Teddy recalled. In fact, he still remembers that Claudio's hair, for which he's famous, "smelled like strawberries." But he acknowledges that he can't do now what Claudio did back then.

"I'm a little too big to be out here stage diving and that's not the type of music I make," he laughed, noting that fans "would really be caught by surprise" if he did it.

"But that was when I was like, 'Guys, we have to do this. We have do this,'" Teddy remembers telling his friends. "And so that's been the dream since, is follow that." 

Teddy and his friends started their musical careers playing in metal rock bands, even though their only audience at times was "somebody's mom." Teddy eventually began posting cover songs on YouTube, which landed him a record deal. The Grammy-nominated star's headline tour, The Ugly Tour, launches Sept. 22 in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Music notes: Tate McRae, Teddy Swims and more

Tate McRae and sombr are among those being honored at Variety’s 2026 Power of Young Hollywood event, taking place Aug. 5 in Los Angeles. Tate will receive the Triple Threat Award, while sombr will get the Songwriter of the Year Award. Actors Tyriq Withers and Malachi Barton are also being honored. 

Teddy Swims is dropping a new summer collection with White Claw. The limited-edition merch collection includes a bear-shaped pool floatie, a hoodie and a T-shirt. It goes on sale Thursday at 9 a.m. ET. As part of his partnership with the brand, Teddy will be performing at Surf Lodge in the Hamptons over Labor Day weekend.

Dua Lipa’s Service95 Book Club has announced its July pick: “Free” by Lea Ypi. Dua’s interview with the author — a fellow Albanian — is also available to listen to today on the book club’s podcast.

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BTS releases newspaper ads teasing 'NORMAL' music video

BTS 'NORMAL' newspaper ad. (Photo courtesy of HYBE)

Extra, extra, read all about it! BTS is doing a little extra promotion in the form of fake newspaper articles for their new single, “NORMAL.”

The K-pop superstars published one in the San Francisco Chronicle on Monday and another in the New York Post on Tuesday. The ads featured the headline “BTS Seen in Bathroom Amid Mysterious Late-Night Gathering” and a photo of the band wearing black suits standing in front of a row of urinals with their backs facing the camera.

“Questions have been raised following a late-night photo appearing to show all seven BTS members together in what appears to be an unexpected setting,” the copy reads. “While the gathering itself remains unconfirmed, some have questioned whether the situation was entirely normal.”

BTS will be debuting the music video and Korean version of "NORMAL," off their album ARIRANG, exclusively on Spotify on July 17 and on all streaming platforms on July 19.

The group is currently on their ARIRANG world tour. They’ll also co-headline the FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 19.

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Shania Twain missed Taylor Swift’s wedding because of Harry Styles

Shania Twain performs during an intimate show for fans at The Shacklewell Arms on June 6, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for ABA)

Shania Twain missed Taylor Swift’s wedding and it’s all Harry Styles’ fault.

Shania tells Canada’s eTalk that opening for Harry — who coincidentally happens to be Taylor’s ex-boyfriend — prevented her from attending Taylor and Travis Kelce’s nuptials at Madison Square Garden on July 3.

“Taylor Swift invited me to her wedding,” Shania said. “I couldn’t go because I was already committed to Harry’s shows. So that’s why I say that, it’s just kind of funny that that happened that way.”

She was opening for Harry during his record-breaking Together, Together shows at London’s Wembley Stadium that weekend.

Shania said she would have “done anything to be at Taylor’s wedding ... that would have been really lovely for me to be there.”

“But I was with Harry, so that’s why I’m saying if Harry ever gets married and he wants me at his wedding ... he’s going to have to ask me more in advance,” she joked.

Harry is reportedly engaged to Zoe Kravitz.

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'The Kelly Clarkson Show' scores Daytime Emmy nominations

Kelly Clarkson on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show.' (Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal)

Kelly Clarkson is among the nominees for the 53rd Daytime Emmy Awards.

Kelly’s talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, scored 11 nods this year for its seventh and final season, including outstanding daytime talk series and outstanding daytime talk series host.

The Kelly Clarkson Show has earned 24 Daytime Emmys since 2020.

Days of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless and General Hospital scored nods in the outstanding daytime drama series category, while The View, Live with Kelly and Mark and The Drew Barrymore Show are nominated alongside Kelly in the outstanding daytime talk series category. Kelly's fellow American Idol alum Jennifer Hudson was also nominated in the outstanding daytime talk series host category.

The Daytime Emmy Awards will take place Oct. 30.

Kelly announced earlier this year that she'll be ending The Kelly Clarkson Show after this season. She shared the news on Instagram and explained, "Stepping away from the daily schedule will allow me to prioritize my kids, which feels necessary and right for this next chapter of our lives."

In 2025, Kelly's children, River Blackstock and Remington Blackstock, lost their father, Kelly's ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, to cancer at age 48.

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Ariana Grande changes 'thank u, next' lyrics about ex Ricky Alvarez

Ariana Grande speaks onstage during the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena on September 7, 2025 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for MTV)

She’s so grateful for her ex, but could they be back together? Ariana Grande continues to tweak the lyrics of “thank u, next” during her live shows, fueling speculation she might be rekindling things with ex Ricky Alvarez.

During her Brooklyn stop on the Eternal Sunshine tour Monday night, she changed the lyrics from “Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh” to “Wrote some songs about Ricky/ We always find our way back.”

She previously changed them during her June 24 show in Austin, singing, “Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now they kinda slap,” and again during her June 26 show where Ricky was in the audience, singing, “Wrote some songs about Ricky/ I know he still got my back.”

The two, who split back in 2016 after dating for about a year, have been spotted hanging out recently. They were reportedly in Ariana’s hometown of Boca Raton, Florida, for July Fourth weekend.

Ariana broke up with her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater earlier this year after three years of dating.

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Myles Smith learned to 'truly enjoy' time onstage thanks to Ed Sheeran

Myles Smith on ABC's 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' (Disney/Randy Holmes)

It's a busy summer for Myles Smith: Not only did his debut album just drop, he's doing a solo headlining tour of North America while also opening for his pal Ed Sheeran on Ed's LOOP stadium tour. For example, on Tuesday night he's performing at Ottawa Bluesfest, and Sunday night he'll warm up for Ed at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium.

This isn't Myles' first time on the road with Ed, though. He also opened for him on the European leg of his 2025 tour, and the two have shared stages multiple times at events and festivals. Since Ed's such a seasoned veteran of the road, Myles said he learned quite a few lessons from those experiences.

Asked what he took away from his tour with Ed last year that he can apply this year, Myles told ABC Audio, "I think having as much fun as you can onstage. I mean, seeing him perform at a level literally to like almost 100,000 people a night was something that I never expected to do so early in my career."

"But having that opportunity and just seeing how much fun he has, I just learned to just truly enjoy it," he laughed. 

Myles' final headlining date is Sept. 10 in LA. His last stadium date with Ed will be Aug. 29 at Detroit's Ford Field.

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Music notes: Pink, Madonna and more

Pink’s “What About Us” has joined the Spotify Billions Club. “Billions of beautiful hearts... and a billion @Spotify streams to prove it,” the singer posted on social media to commemorate the milestone. “For everyone who’s ever felt invisible, forgotten, or unheard: this song belongs to you. It stopped being mine a long time ago. Thank you x a billion.”

Madonna says she’s feeling “grateful” and “surprised” after Confessions II became her 10th #1 album. “Thank You -to everyone who has been a part of this and who has helped make this dream come true. Especially my fans," she wrote on social media Monday. "The Goodwill and positivity has been incredible. I’m still pinching myself. I can’t believe it’s # 1 all around the world.”

Benson Boone helped his sister Kaylee Boone shave her head over the weekend, as seen in photos posted to Kaylee's Instagram. She called her new buzz cut "super intentional, super powerful, & super healing." "So lucky to have so many incredible people who supported me & participated in cutting it off!" she wrote.

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Noah Kahan's 'The Great Divide' certified Platinum

'The Great Divide' album artwork. (Mercury Records)

Noah Kahn's The Great Divide is sure off to a great start.

After debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 following its release in April, The Great Divide has already been certified Platinum by the RIAA less than three months later.

According to a press release, The Great Divide is one of only two albums released in 2026 that have been certified Platinum, and is the fastest Americana/folk album ever to reach Platinum status.

The Platinum milestone caps an eventful week for Kahan, who played four sold-out shows at Fenway Park in Boston between July 7 and 11. The performances, which featured surprise appearances by Boston sports legends Rob Gronkowski and David Ortiz, earned Kahan an induction into the Fenway Music Hall of Fame.

Kahan's tour will continue Tuesday at Chicago's Wrigley Field.

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Olivia Rodrigo returning to 'Austin City Limits'

Olivia Rodrigo performs on stage during an exclusive Billions Club Live show to celebrate the partnership between Spotify and FC Barcelona before El Clásico on May 8, 2026 in Barcelona, ​​Spain. (Xavi Torrent/Getty Images for Spotify)

Olivia Rodrigo is returning to the Austin City Limits stage.

Five years after her ACL debut, the singer is coming back to deliver the first full-set performance of her new album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.

The performance will tape on July 29 and will stream this fall on PBS as part of Austin City Limits season 52.

Information on how to get free passes to be in the audience will be posted in the week prior to the taping on ACLTV’s socials.

Sienna Spiro will also be featured on the new season of Austin City Limits, with a live taping taking place on Wednesday. The full season 52 line-up will be announced shortly.

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Michael Jackson biopic 'Michael' surpasses $1 billion

'Michael' (Courtesy of Lionsgate)

Can’t beat it! The Michael Jackson movie has hit another milestone.

Michael has surpassed the $1 billion mark at the box office, becoming the first biopic to cross that threshold.

In June it claimed the title of highest-grossing biopic of all time, taking over from the Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer. It’s also the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time, surpassing Bohemian Rhapsody, and the biggest film ever for Lionsgate.

“Audiences have embraced the film from the beginning, turning it into a unique cultural phenomenon in theaters around the world,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said in a statement. “Their passion speaks to the enduring appeal of one of the greatest recording artists of all time, and it underscores the continued strength and vitality of the theatrical moviegoing experience.”

Director Antoine Fuqua called the milestone “a deeply humbling moment.”

"This achievement belongs to everyone who came together with a shared vision to honor one of the greatest artists the world has ever known,” he continued in a statement. “I am profoundly grateful to the audiences around the globe who embraced this film, showed up in theaters, and connected with this story across generations and cultures. This historic milestone is a testament to the enduring power of cinema to bring us together, and it is a chapter in movie history I will never forget.”

The movie, starring the King of Pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role, debuted in April with an impressive $217 million globally.

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Pitbull sets record for largest gathering of people wearing bald caps

Pitbull sets Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people wearing bald caps at London’s BST Hyde Park on Sunday. (@elliekoepke photography)

Give Me Everything, including a Guinness World Record.

Pitbull officially set the record for the largest gathering of people wearing bald caps, tallying 22,141 people at London’s BST Hyde Park on Sunday. He also set the record for the highest recorded attendance at a BST Hyde Park show, with 69,999 people.

Official Guinness World Records Adjudicator Will Munford confirmed the achievement and presented Pitbull with the plaque onstage.

The idea for the stunt began after Pitbull's fans, known as The Bald Es, started showing up to his shows dressed like him, in suits, ties, dark glasses and bald caps. After a U.K. radio station proposed that he try to go for the record, Pitbull and his team agreed to the attempt.

Pitbull’s performance at BST Hyde Park was livestreamed on his official YouTube channel. He brought out Lil Jon to perform “Gasolina,” “Jumpin’” and “Damn I Love Miami,” and Kesha to perform “Timber.” He closed the show with his hit “Give Me Everything.”

The London date is part of Mr. Worldwide's current I'm BACK tour, which returns to North America on Aug. 19 with a show in Bristow, Virginia.

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Madonna nabs 10th #1 album with 'Confessions II'

Madonna, 'Confessions II,' (Warner Records)

Madonna has achieved her 10th #1 album on the Billboard 200 Albums chart.

Confessions II debuts atop the tally, giving the Queen of Pop her biggest streaming week ever for an album and her largest pure album sales week in more than a decade, according to Billboard.

The album, featuring the Sabrina Carpenter collab “Bring Your Love,” is Madonna’s first #1 in the 2020s. It also makes her the first act with a #1 in the 2020s to have also claimed the #1 spot in three other decades. She’s had three #1 albums in the 1980s, four in the 2000s and two in the 2010s.

Confessions II is the long-awaited sequel to Madonna’s 2005 album, Confessions on a Dance Floor, which also reached #1 on the chart.

Last week, Confessions II topped the U.K. Official Albums Chart, making it her 13th U.K. chart-topper.

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Lizzo opens up about the realities of fame

Lizzo attends the 2026 BET Awards at Peacock Theater on June 28, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Lizzo has faced her share of challenges, but she told The Guardian she's learned to accept the realities that come with fame.

"You get to a level of fame and celebrity when your fame overshadows your art. And I’m there,” she said. "I never signed up to be just a famous person. I was always, like, I’m going to make art forever."

"Unfortunately, when my fame precedes me as an artist it can be uncomfortable, because people care more about what I said than what I made," she said.

Explaining what she means, Lizzo added, “I will put out music and the critique of it is never really about the music: it’s more about me. And I think that comes with being this level of famous. I don’t think it’s unique to me. There’s ‘I don’t like this person’. And it’s, like, why?"

"It’s not because they made a bad song; you just don’t like them. And now you don’t like their song," she told The Guardian. "It’s an interesting phenomena, but now I’m settling into it.”

While Lizzo said she's adjusted to fame, she admits that some experiences, including being accused of creating a hostile work environment, were never part of the plan.

"Everything was unexpected. The Grammies, unexpected. The number ones, unexpected. The fame, unexpected. The public scrutiny, unexpected," she said. "The one thing I did expect was being a fat, black, happy girl, they were going to try to take that away from me. They were always going to try to tear me down."

And for those who think her latest album, Bitch, was inspired by those allegations, Lizzo said, “What people don’t know is that most of the sad songs on this album are about a friendship breakup that was not public at all.”

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