Billboard News

HarbourView Equity Partners signed a strategic partnership with singer-songwriter Chaka Khan that will focus “on catalog development, global licensing, and the development of new creative ventures,” according to a press release. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Khan’s catalog includes 22 albums. Her hits include “I’m Every Woman,” “Ain’t Nobody,” “Sweet Thing,” “Through the Fire,” “Tell Me Something Goo

On Thursday (June 18), renowned producer Tay Keith was found dead in his Nashville apartment, according to Metro Nashville Police. He was 29. Police went to Keith’s house to perform a welfare check and found him unresponsive. No foul play is suspected. Known for his trap-laden production, the Memphis hitmaker enjoyed tremendous success on the Billboard Hot 100, earning 11 top 10 hits and four No. 1 records, including Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” and Drake’s “First Person Shooter.”

Jimmie Allen must pay $1.8 million to a woman who sued him over accusations that he sexually assaulted and secretly filmed her in a Las Vegas hotel room, a judge ruled Thursday (June 18). The once-rising star was held liable by default for assault and invasion of privacy in August after he ignored multiple court deadlines. That set the stage for a ruling deciding how much Allen owes the woman (identified only as Jane Doe) in legal damages. Related

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Graduation season is upon us, but T-Mobile is already looking ahead to back to school season with the arrival of some early, can’t-miss deals on one of the most popular phones of the year for students (and well, everyone). Right now, new

The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and Fan Alliance are calling on Congress to pass legislation to help prevent the kind of price gouging fans are facing with FIFA World Cup tickets and more. The two entities sent a joint letter to House and Senate leadership on Thursday (June 18), calling on Congress to act in the wake of reports of fans paying thousands of dollars for World Cup tickets and still not making it into the matches. The letter went to House Speaker Mike Johnso

Taylor Swift had a lot of fun toying around with her Toy Story 5 anthem, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” with the singer-songwriter revealing in a new behind-the-scenes clip on Instagram that she wrote, recorded and produced the track with collaborator Jack Antonoff in just eight hours. Related Five Burning Questions About Taylor Swift&#8

Julieta Venegas returned to Mexico City’s Auditorio Nacional on Wednesday (June 18) after nearly a decade to pay tribute to her borderland roots with the tour named after her new album, Norteña. She did so accompanied by guest musicians and a performance focused on her new songs played to the rhythm of the accordion, along with some classics and even a small homage to the iconic Juan Gabriel. Dressed in a pink attire, cowboy hat and boots, Venegas presented a conceptual show to the 10

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. During the annual BTS ARMY festival, BTS Festa, in June, Hachette Book Group’s Running Press announced a new cookbook in partnership with the K-pop superstars — including RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook. On sale for $21 (regularly $

Michael Jackson’s biopic, Michael, has dethroned Bohemian Rhapsody to become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, crossing $911.9 million worldwide as the Jaafar Jackson-starring film continues its global rollout. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, the Lionsgate and Universal co-production has surpassed Bohemian Rhapsody‘s total gross with $358.6 million at the domestic box office and $553.3 million internationally — with Universal generating $540.5 m

Australian indie-pop four-piece The Tullamarines have delivered one of Like A Version’s most anticipated covers of the year, taking on Fleetwood Mac‘s “The Chain” in their debut appearance at the triple j studio. The band — Angus Purvis, Lucinda Machin, Josh and Benny — leaned into the song’s dynamics, trading harmonies across its quieter passages before spotlighting the iconic bass-driven breakdown and building into a full-blown closing jam. The arrangement st

Wearing a Spurs jersey, Texas native Mickey Guyton sang the U.S. national anthem at game five of the 2026 NBA Finals Saturday night (June 13). The game had the San Antonio Spurs in their hometown, playing the New York Knicks at Frost Bank Center. The country singer — a four-time Grammy nominee who’s no stranger to “The Star-Spangled Banner,” having notably performed it at the Super Bowl a few years ago — put her natural twang into a powerful vocal delivery that

On the final day (June 13) of an eventful Tribeca Festival, Bono, Patti Smith and Tribeca co-founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal gathered in lower Manhattan to honor Bruce Springsteen with the Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award. Related Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal On Tribeca Festival Turning 25 & Honoring Bruce Sp

Summer Smash 2026 kicked off on Friday (June 12) at the grounds surrounding Seatgeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois. The festival, created by SPKRBX and Lyrical Lemonade, has build a reputation as one of the premier rap-heavy fests in the U.S. 50,000 fans filled the festival grounds for day one, which was a picture perfect, sunny, 80-degree day about 15 miles outside of Chicago. It was an eclectic group on day one, which included vets like Riff Raff along with newcomers like Moll

The curtain may have come down for President Donald Trump at the Kennedy Center, but the tarp stays up for now. Related Ariana Grande Blasts White House for Using ‘Bye’ in TikTok Video Promoting ICE Arrests: ‘F— ICE’

Connie Orlando, executive vp of specials, music programming and music strategy at BET, has a lot on her plate right now, just two weeks before the annual BET Awards, which she is executive producing. But she still found time to spearhead the second annual Black Women in Music event, which was held on Friday (June 12) at the Audrey Irmas Pavilion in Los Angeles. The event, executive produced by the Connie Orlando Foundation, is billed as “an evening celebrating the Black women preserving and

Olivia Rodrigo’s newly released You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love is off to a record-breaking start. The 23-year-old pop star’s third studio album, released Friday (June 12) through Geffen Records, is already shattering streaming records across major platforms. Related Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘You Seem Pretty Sad for a

Back in 2016, former Hot 97 host Ebro Darden challenged Lil Uzi Vert about having longevity in the rap game and believed they could be struggling years down the line. A decade later, Uzi’s outlasted plenty of his peers and continues to solidify their rockstar status with performances like they had headlining Friday night (June 12) at Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash 2026 in Bridgeview, Illinois. Related

North West reached a new milestone in her budding music career, delivering her first solo set at a music festival. On Friday (June 12), the 12-year-old daughter of Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Kim Kardashian took the stage at Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash 2026 in Chicago. Related North West Releases Debut EP ‘N0rth4evr&#8217

Cam’ron wasn’t as impressed with Jay-Z‘s Roots Picnic Freestyle as most people. During a recent episode of Talk With Flee, he talked about how he would’ve had a different strategy in the way he approached the subject matter and how it opens the door for Drake to possibly fire back. Related Jay-Z’s 2026 Roots Picnic

Ariana Grande has a major problem with Donald Trump’s White House. The pop star slammed the administration for using 2024’s “Bye” in a TikTok video promoting ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents making arrests. “Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense. F— ICE,” Grande commented. Billboard has confirmed with reps for the pop star that the comment on the video was indeed legit, however,