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The Oasis Live ‘25 Tour kicked off its Australian leg last week (Oct. 31), and it continues to dominate music headlines as the shows roll along.
In a landmark move for Australia’s live music sector, Victoria’s government shut down bulk ticket scalping for Oasis’ recent Melbourne shows (Oct. 31, Nov. 1-4) at the Marvel Stadium by designating them under the Major Events Act 2009. The act allows the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events to formally declare events that then become subject to anti-scalping protections.Under this special declaration, it became illegal to advertise or resell tickets on platforms such as Viagogo and StubHub for more than 10% above the original face value; if they flouted these restrictions, scalpers could be fined between $908 and $545,000 (AUD). A subsequent report from the Herald Sun states that 180,000 tickets for the sold-out shows went to fans as a result of the government effectively shutting out scalpers.
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Oasis’ management applauded the news, saying it could set a new benchmark for fairness in the live music market. “It’s great to see Victoria’s Major Events Declaration doing exactly what it’s meant to — Viagogo can’t list our Melbourne shows — and that’s a huge win for real fans,” they told the Herald Sun.
“When the government and the live industry work together, we can stop large-scale scalping in its tracks,” they added. “We’d love to see other states follow Victoria’s lead so fans everywhere get a fair go.”
Before last week, Oasis had not performed in Australia in nearly two decades. After tonight’s (Nov. 4) final Melbourne gig, they’ll head to Sydney (Nov. 7 and 8), before performing across Argentina, Chile and Brazil, wrapping up proceedings in São Paulo on Nov. 23.
Earlier this month in the U.K., the country’s culture minister, Ian Murray, confirmed that the current Labour government will press ahead with plans for a price cap on resale tickets.
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An industry consultation that took place in January invited views from venues, promoters, fans and other parties on the proposed price, which ranged from no profit being permitted on any ticket to a mark-up of up to 30% of face value.
Writing in the Daily Record last month (Oct. 5), Murray said: “We asked a direct question — should the UK follow countries like Ireland, where resale profiteering is capped in law? The response from fans could not have been a clearer — ‘yes.’”
“So let me tell you what we’re doing,” Murray continued. “First, we will cap resale prices. No more outrageous mark-ups of 500% or 1,000%. We are examining a range of options, from face value to a reasonable uplift.”
UK Finance, which represents 300 financial services outfits including Lloyds, NatWest, HSBC and Barclay, has lobbied against the decision for fear of customers losing out in an unregulated market. Adam Webb of the Fan Fair Alliance, however, disputed these claims in an interview with The Times. “I would advise UK Finance actually speak to experts in those countries, rather than rely on the self-interested research of unregulated offshore websites who promote industrial-scale ticket touting and exploit British audiences,” he said.
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Cardi B punches her ticket into the double-digit No. 1 club on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as “Safe,” featuring Kehlani, becomes her 10th leader. The track climbs from the runner-up spot to rule the list dated Nov. 8. Thanks to its victory, “Safe” outdoes the peak of Cardi B and Kehlani’s previous collaboration, “Ring,” which achieved a No. 2 best in November 2018.
“Safe,” released on Atlantic Records, was the most-played song on panel-contributing rhythmic radio stations in the United States for the tracking week of Oct. 24-30, according to Luminate, and improved 17% in plays compared with the prior week. Due to its surge, the collaboration wins the Greatest Gainer honor, awarded weekly to the song with the largest increase in plays.
With the new champ, Cardi B adds her 10th No. 1 on Rhythmic Airplay and is the 13th artist to reach the milestone since the radio ranking’s launch in October 1992. Drake leads all acts, with 43 champs, while Rihanna, at 17, places second overall and claims the best total among women.
Here’s a recap of the Cardi’s B No. 1s on Rhythmic Airplay:
Song Title, Artist (if other than Cardi B), Weeks at No. 1, Date Reached No. 1“Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” four, Oct. 7, 2017“No Limit,” G-Eazy feat. A$AP Rocky & Cardi B, two, Dec. 16, 2017“Finesse,” with Bruno Mars, two, Feb. 17, 2018“Be Careful,” one, July 7, 2018“I Like It,” with Bad Bunny and J Balvin, four, July 14, 2018“Please Me,” with Bruno Mars, one, April 13, 2019“WAP,” feat. Megan Thee Stallion, one, Sept. 26, 2020“Up,” three, March 20, 2021“Outside,” one, Aug. 16, 2025“Safe,” feat. Kehlani, one (to date), Nov. 8, 2025
Featured artist Kehlani captures a second Rhythmic Airplay No. 1, just a month after “Folded” topped the chart for one week. “Folded” continues to break personal milestones, becoming the singer-songwriter’s first No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and top 10 entry on the Billboard Hot 100 this week.
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Elsewhere, “Safe” wins a third term atop the Rap Airplay chart, where it improved 19% in week-over-week audience and pushes 8-6 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart through a 22% gain to 13.5 million in audience at the format for the tracking week. Gains from various sectors help the single rise 22-21 on the Radio Songs chart, reaching 24.2 million (up 20%) across all radio formats during the latest tracking week.
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Anuel AA returns to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart with “Pórtate Bonito,” his first team-up with Blessd. The track flies 9-1 on the Nov. 8-dated list, Anuel’s first champ in over three years.
Released August 21 on Real Hasta La Muerte, “Pórtate Bonito” was initially announced on Anuel’s Instagram account on August 6, alongside news that Blessd would join him on his RHLM 2 tour.
The collab, produced by Ovy on The Drums, surges 9-1 in its seventh week on the chart with the Greatest Gainer weekly honors, after a 32% boost in audience impressions, to 7.6 million, logged during the Oct. 24-30 tracking week, as reported by Luminate.
The new win marks Anuel’s first No. 1 in over three years, since “Ley Seca,” with Jhayco, ruled for one week in February 2022. In sum, he’s placed 11 rulers, here’s a recap of those since “Ella Quiere Beber,” with Romeo Santos, in 2019:
Title, Artist, Peak, Weeks at No. 1“Ella Quiere Beber,” with Santos, Feb. 2, 2019, one“Secreto,” with Karol G, May 4, 2019, one“Baila Baila Baila,” with Ozuna, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin & Farruko, May 11, 2019, one“Otro Trago,” with Sech, Darell, Nicky Jam, & Ozuna, Aug. 31, 2019, one“China,” with Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Ozuna & J Balvin, Sept. 21, 2019, two“Aventura,” with Lunay & Ozuna, Nov. 9, 2019, one“Keii,” May 2, 2020, one“Fútbol & Rumba,” with Enrique Iglesias, Aug. 8, 2020, one“Location,” with Karol G & J Balvin, April 10, 2021, one“Ley Seca,” with Jhay Cortez, Feb. 5, 2022, one“Pórtate Bonito”” with Blessd, Nov. 8, 2025, one
Colombian star Blessd adds his third No. 1 on the overall Latin radio ranking. “Medallo,” with Justin Quiles and Lenny Tavarez, and “Si Sabe Ferxxo,” with Feid, each led for one week in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “Pórtate Bonito” ascends 3-1 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart. Plus, it gains traction on the Hot Latin Rhythm Songs chart, where it narrowly misses the top 10 with an 18-11 leap.
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We’re just days away from the announcement of the nominations for the 68th annual Grammy Awards. The big reveal is set for Friday Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. ET/ 8 a.m. PT. In recent days, we’ve predicted the eight most likely nominees for best new artist and album of the year. Today, we turn our attention to record of the year, where we could see some history-making nominations.
HUNTR/X and ROSÉ could become the first K-pop artists to receive record of the year nods. HUNTR/X is competing with “Golden,” the globe-conquering hit from KPop Demon Hunters; ROSÉ with “APT.,” her smash collab with Bruno Mars.
Kendrick Lamar and SZA are vying to become the first occasional duet partners to receive two record of the year nominations. They were nominated seven years ago for “All the Stars” and are strong contenders this year for “Luther.”
Doechii’s “Anxiety” could become the first single that prominently samples a previous record of the year winner to be nominated in the category. Doechii’s hit samples “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye featuring Kimbra, which won the prize in 2013.
Leon Thomas’ “Mutt (Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk)” and Myles Smith’ “Stargazing (Live at Eventim Apollo)” could become the first alternative versions of hits to receive record of the year nominations. (The original versions of those hits were released in the previous eligibility year and weren’t eligible.)
To be sure, all of these things are not likely to happen. Some voters may dock “Anxiety” for leaning so heavily on a very well-known hit from the recent past.
And voters tend to bypass alternative versions of songs in this category. If the studio version of “Mutt” had been eligible, it would almost certainly be nominated. Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open” won in this category (as well as song of the year) in 2022, showing the love many Grammy voters have for hits that evoke the glory of 1970s R&B. But many voters probably haven’t heard the live version of “Mutt,” and they may be reluctant to vote for something for record of the year that they haven’t even heard.
(Lola Young’s “Messy” and Gigi Perez’s “Sailor Song” were also released in the previous eligibility year, yet those original studio versions are entered for record of the year.)
Billie Eilish may very well return to the finals with “Wildflower.” It would be her sixth nod in this category in the past seven years. Like Eilish’s previous single, “Birds of a Feather,” “Wildflower” was a fixture on the Hot 100 for more than a year. But “Wildflower” had a hard time emerging from the shadow of “Birds of a Feather,” which was nominated for record and song of the year and which Eilish and her brother/collaborator FINNEAS performed on the Grammys in February.
sombr is entered with “Back to Friends.” The 20-year-old is the sole writer and producer on this song, one of two concurrent hits from his debut album, I Barely Know Her. Such pros as Taylor Swift and Ryan Tedder have proclaimed that they are sombr fans.
Tyla’s “Push 2 Start” is entered for both record of the year and best African music performance, a category she in which the South African singer won two years ago with “Water.”
All eight likely album of the year nominees will get a close look in this category. Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Gaga and Lamar (with SZA) are also expected to be nominated for record of the year. The other five likely album of the year nominees may fall short in record of the year – Elton John & Brandi Carlile for “Who Believes in Angels?,” Tyler the Creator for “Sticky” (featuring GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne); Clipse, Pusha T, Malice for “Birds Don’t Sing” (featuring John Legend and Voices of Fire); The Weeknd for “Timeless” (featuring Playboi Carti); and Bad Bunny for either “Baile Inolvidable” or “DtMF.” (The fact that two Bunny records are entered for record of the year may mean Bunny will split his votes here. C’mon, Team Bunny, that’s Grammy 101 – Don’t Compete With Yourself.)
Other singles, not already mentioned, that are strong record of the year contenders include Gracie Abrams‘ “That’s So True,” Chappell Roan‘s “The Subway,” Alex Warren‘s “Ordinary,” Tate McRae’s “Sports Car,” Justin Bieber’s “Daisies,” Ariana Grande’s “twilight zone,” Conan Gray’s “Vodka Cranberry,” Laufey’s “Lover Girl,” Jessie Murph’s “Blue Strips,” Shaboozey’s “Good News” and Teddy Swims’ “Bad Dreams.”
Here are the eight singles most likely to be nominated for record of the year. They are listed in alphabetical order by artist, as they will appear on the official Grammy nominations list. We show you how many record of the year nominations the artist has previously received and how high this record placed on the Billboard Hot 100.
Gracie Abrams, “That’s So True”
Image Credit: Heather Hazzan
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Throughout much of Tame Impala‘s career, the Australian psych-rock group has been a critical darling as its following and stages have both increased in size. Yet, even as the act has littered Billboard‘s rock- and alternative-focused charts, it never reached the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 — until last month.
With the pop-leaning single “Dracula,” Tame Impala has officially sunk its teeth into the chart: Following a debut at No. 55 on the Oct. 11-dated list, it has lurked well beyond the shadows and scaled to a No. 33 high. Plus, the breakthrough may have opened the floodgates, as two other songs from the group’s recent album Deadbeat — released through Columbia Records on Oct. 17 — have since reached the Hot 100 (album opener “My Old Ways” and second single “Loser”).
It’s hard to point to one thing in particular as the spark for the act’s now-exploding mainstream appeal — frontman Kevin Parker’s extensive work on Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism likely didn’t hurt in bringing in an extended fan base, but it’s just as plausible that his characteristic warble and high-level production finally reached the masses at multiple formats (including TikTok) in a capacity that was long overdue.
Whatever the reason may be, coming to a finished product for “Dracula” was a years-long process, according to co-writer Sarah Aarons. The 31-year-old Melbourne native recalls that the two were tinkering away endlessly to get everything just right, still making fixes to the lyrics two hours after the mixes were due. “There was just something about it that bothered him,” Aarons says. “That crunch-time moment made us be like, ‘Alright, what is it? What are the lyrics? What’s the structure? Go.’ ”
She also lent writing assistance to fellow Deadbeat tracks “Oblivion” and “Afterthought” and is notably the only person outside of Parker credited as a writer or producer anywhere on the album. Aarons notes that the two would spend hours on end in the studio and on phone calls throughout the creation process for the album, growing a close friendship along the way — so much so in fact, that Parker even helped DJ her wedding earlier this year.
Below, Aarons reflects on creating “Dracula,” what makes Parker such a talent to work with in the studio and more.
How did you first connect with Parker?
He was in Australia, and I was in L.A., and there was something he was working on that I don’t think even ended up happening. Someone put us in touch and we had a FaceTime call, and I don’t think we even talked about whatever the thing we were supposed to do was. We just talked s–t. Then the next time he came to L.A. three or four years ago, we hung out and we had this thing where I was like, “I just got a puppy, do you mind if I bring my puppy to your studio? My puppy’s name is Peach.” And he was like, “My daughter’s name is Peach!” And they were both like three months old. It was a weird bonding moment.
Were you already working on “Dracula” or anything else from Deadbeat that long ago?
No. He knew he had to start something. I remember him being like, “Yeah, I should probably figure that out.” It was always like a joke that we all made — me and my wife are quite close with him and his wife. So when they’re in L.A., we would always bring it up and he’d be like, “Yeah, I’m going to have it done in three months.” And we’d all have an argument whether he’d do that. But I think that’s what makes his stuff so good. He really does take his time, and he’s really intentional about what it all sounds like.
“Dracula” took a long time, in the way that there are so many iterations of what it was. There was this one song that was what the chorus is — I call it the chorus, he calls it the pre-chorus — [sings] “In the end, I hope it’s you and me.” We’d worked on that a couple years ago. Then there was this song that we’d written called “Dracula” that his wife loved. One day he just sent me a thing, he was like, “I put the line from ‘Dracula’ into this other idea.” It was the [sings] “Run from the sun like Dracula.” He mashed that into that one line from this other idea, and I was like, “Oh damn, that’s kind of sick.”
It was a really long process in that way. Piece by piece, he’d be like, “Actually, now I think the song’s about this.” Sometimes he’d call me, and I’d be in London and it would be 11 p.m. for me and 9 a.m. for him. We just had so many moments where he’d be like, “The verse is bothering me.” And I’d be like, “Okay cool, let’s get into it.” But it’s funny because we wrote “Afterthought” two hours after the mixes were due. He just called me and he was like, “I have this beat and I feel like the album needs one more song.” And it literally ended up being called “Afterthought,” which is really funny.
“Afterthought” started two hours after the mixes were due?
Yeah. He had called me to finish “Dracula” — I was in London, he was in Australia. “Dracula” was the only song that wasn’t finished. He was mixing everything else and he sent me a picture of a whiteboard that had ticks on it of what he’s done and what he hadn’t — everything else was all ticked and then “Dracula” had no ticks. The beat was always the same, but it was more the lyrics and the structure [that changed].
How much does it impact the writing process to work with someone so well-versed on the production side of things as well?
Oh, it’s so much easier. Everything is him; it sounds so much like him. For me, it’s not easy to get a lyric past him. You can’t just say a lyric, and he’s like, “Cool, I’ll put that in there.” He has to feel the thing or it will not go in the song, whether it’s production, lyrics, melodies — anything. I love that because I’m like, “Oh cool, you’re making me have to really think what is best for you.” It’s not a song for everyone. It’s a song for [Tame Impala]. He’s expressing himself in so many aspects of the songs. When you’re with an artist and it’s like, “Oh, let’s get the producer to do (mimics the sound of a beat),” it’s so many cooks. With him, he’s just doing his thing.
How did the two of you finally come to terms with the final lyrics for “Dracula” given all of the changes over what sounds like a yearslong process?
It’s really interesting, because I’m a person that can keep writing. Like, “Cool, you want a different thing, let’s go!” I’ll do a different one. It’s really up to the artist, because for one person it might be one thing, and for one person, it might be another. There are certain things I might fight for — there were certain lyrics where the melody changed, and I was like, “Bro, you better keep that or I’m going to have something to say about it.” But other than that, he’s gotta hear it and go, “This is mine.”
I think it was the crunch time. It was like, “Cool, this mix is due in 45 minutes.” When you know you have a deadline, your brain just goes, “This is the right thing.” He called me and he went, “What about this melody?” And I was like, “Yeah! How did we not do that melody already? It totally fits the song.” We’d written lyrics so many times, we already had so many lyrics floating around our brains. We had so much of what we knew the song was that it kind of clicked.
You also co-wrote “Oblivion” and “Afterthought” on this album. As a writer, is it easier to work on several songs from the same project versus a one-off in terms of sculpting a cohesive voice or theme that an artist is looking for?
I totally feel that way. Every once in a while, you get one day with someone, and it’s just so hard. You’re just not built to be like that collaboratively, to me. I think the multiple songs is more just a result of the fact that we had fun making s–t. If he ever got stuck, he’d just be like, “F–k it, I’m calling Sarah.” I also heard everything else [on Deadbeat], because we would just chill in the studio and play stuff. That for me was super helpful. Also, knowing the person really well: I found that all my biggest songs the last few years have been people I’m super close with. That’s such a common thread for me at the moment. Music’s supposed to be fun. There’s a reason I’m not an accountant. I’d be bad at it.
As far as I can tell, you’re the only credited songwriter on this album, which is also produced in its entirety by Parker. Does that hold any special meaning to you?
I’m grateful that he called me for help. I’m super flattered. It all happened so naturally in such a friendly way — that’s my favorite thing. It’s funny how you can try as a songwriter so hard [and say], “Oh I want to work with this person and this person.” You can write a list of who you want to work with, but that’s not what gets you there. The universe has to put you where you need to go to make music with the people you should make it with.
A version of this story appears in the Oct. 25, 2025, issue of Billboard.
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THE BIG NEWS: Universal Music Group and artificial intelligence music service Udio reached a landmark agreement last week to end their lawsuit – the first major settlement in the battle over the future of AI music. Here’s everything you need to know.
The deal, announced Wednesday, will end UMG’s allegations that Udio broke the law by training its AI models on vast troves of copyrighted songs — an accusation made in dozens of other lawsuits filed against booming AI firms by book authors, news outlets, movie studios and visual artists. The agreement involves both a “compensatory” settlement for past sins and an ongoing partnership for a new, more limited subscription AI service that pays fees to UMG and its artists.
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-The agreement is much more than a legal settlement, Udio CEO Andrew Sanchez told Billboard’s Kristin Robinson in a detailed question-and-answer session just hours after the news broke: “We’re making a new market here, which we think is an enormous one.”
-The deal between UMG and Udio will resolve their legal battle, but broader litigation involving rival AI firm Suno and both Sony Music and Warner Music is still very much pending. Are more settlements coming? Does the deal impact the case? Go read my look-ahead analysis of the ongoing court battle.
-Will AI do more harm than good for the music business? That’s the question Billboard’s Glenn Peoples is asking – and financial analysts don’t have a clear answer. Some believe AI’s negatives outweigh its positives, while others see mostly upside. Maybe it’s just too early to know, Glenn says: “In the near term, expect more deals like UMG’s partnership with Udio. Over the long term, expect to be surprised.”
-Artist advocates are already demanding answers about how exactly this whole thing will work. According to the Music Artists Coalition, talk of “partnership” and “consent” are all well and good, but details are what matter: “We have to make sure it doesn’t come at the expense of the people who actually create the music,” MAC founder Irving Azoff said.
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-To put it lightly, Udio subscribers were not big fans of the settlement, which saw the company immediately disable downloads – even for songs that users created long before the deal was reached. After two days of outrage and threats of legal action, Udio said it would open a 48-hour window for users to download their songs. But with wholesale changes to the platform coming soon, will that be enough to satisfy them?
You’re reading The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between. To get the newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday, go subscribe here.
Other top stories this week…
AINT OVER YET – Drake is now formally appealing last month’s court ruling that dismissed his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” prolonging a messy legal drama that has captivated the music industry and, at times, drawn ridicule in the hip-hop world.
DIDDY APPEAL – Sean “Diddy” Combs is appealing too – and he’ll get a fast-track process to do it. With such cases sometimes lasting years, his lawyers argued that he could be nearly finished with his three-ish year prison sentence by the time an appellate court rules on his prostitution convictions.
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POT SHOTS – Offset is facing a new civil assault lawsuit claiming he punched a security guard in the face at a cannabis dispensary in Los Angeles after being asked to show his I.D., sending the staffer to the emergency room.
MASSIVE FINE – Fugees rapper Pras Michel must forfeit a whopping $64 million to the government following his conviction on illegal foreign lobbying and conspiracy charges, a federal judge says, overruling his protests that it’s “grossly disproportionate.”
DRAKE SUED – Drake and internet personality Adin Ross are facing a class action accusing them of using “deceptive, fraudulent and unfair” practices to promote online sweepstake casino Stake and “encourage impressionable users to gamble,” including using house money to do it.
DRAKE NOT SUED – Another class action, this one against Spotify, claims that the platform has turned a “blind eye” to streaming fraud and allowed billions of fake plays. It alleges that Drake is one of the most-boosted artists, but the rapper is not named as a defendant nor accused of wrongdoing.
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FAIR TRADE? Cam’ron is suing J. Cole over allegations he reneged on a deal to swap featured credits – claiming he provided a verse for Cole’s “Ready ’24” but that Cole repeatedly declined to do the same, or even appear on Killa Cam’s podcast.
CUSTODY TRUCE – Halle Bailey and DDG temporarily agreed to share custody of their son and drop domestic violence claims against each other, putting a halt to the musicians’ messy legal battle after months of back and forth.
NEWJEANS, SAME LABEL – A Korean court issued a ruling rejecting NewJeans’ attempt to break away from its label ADOR, dealing a major victory to the HYBE subsidiary in its closely-watched legal battle with the chart-topping K-pop group.
DEPOSITION DRAMA – A judge says Tory Lanez must sit for a deposition in litigation stemming from his alleged shooting of Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. The case was filed by Megan against gossip blogger Milagro Gramz, who she claims spread falsehoods about the shooting.
NOT VERY CASH MONEY – Former Hot Boys member Turk is being sued by a concert promoter over online threats that supposedly threatened to derail a Cash Money Records reunion tour featuring Birdman and Juvenile
UGLY DIVORCE – Sia and her estranged husband are fighting over custody of their child amid divorce proceedings — and the crossfire is getting ugly. Among other claims, he says the pop star is a drug addict who can’t care for a baby, and she says he was investigated over child pornography.
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Most rock biopics end with a triumphant performance — a symbolic onstage conquering of demons, whether at Folsom Prison (by Johnny Cash in Walk the Line), Live Aid (Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody) or the 1965 Newport Folk Festival (Dylan, A Complete Unknown). It’s the obvious emotional payoff: Performers are at their best while performing, and the energy of an onscreen audience can raise that of the one in the theatre.
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The new Bruce Springsteen film, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, doesn’t end like that, though. It ends with Springsteen breaking down in a psychiatrist’s office. And the closest it gets to a concert finale is a “10 months later” epilogue, set backstage after a show, when an adult Springsteen sits on his father’s knee as they begin to come to terms with the fractures in their relationship.
In other words, Deliver Me From Nowhere, which opened Oct. 24, is a very small story about a very big rock star. It takes place in less than a year, at a turning point in Springsteen’s career when he was already playing arenas but before Born in the U.S.A. made him a global superstar. Most of the story unfolds in and around a house Springsteen rented in Colts Neck, New Jersey, and on the surface it’s the story of how he made the downcast, acoustic album Nebraska. But it’s really about a man struggling to come to terms with his past — especially his relationship with his troubled father — in a way that will help him navigate his future. Rolling Stone columnist Rob Sheffield describes the film as “a whole movie of men talking about Bruce Springsteen’s problems, one of whom is Bruce.”
I’m a big Springsteen fan, and I loved the movie. If you’re a fan, it tells the story of an interesting time: Springsteen finished the tour for The River in fall 1981, released an acoustic album that sounded different from anything else he had done a year later, and reemerged in spring 1984 as a buff megastar with what would become one of the best-selling albums of the 1980s. The best source of information about this time is Warren Zanes’ compelling 2023 book Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, on which the movie is based. By rock biopic standards, Deliver Me From Nowhere is extremely accurate — and the only composite character seems to be a single mom that Springsteen dates.
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Deliver Me From Nowhere is the movie Nebraska deserves, maybe even the one it demands, which is to say nuanced and a bit uncommercial. Recorded at home on a four-track machine and barely produced, Nebraska sounded like nothing else out there in 1982 — the closest sonic comparisons would have been old folk recordings or the lo-fi indie rock that was to come. Deliver Me From Nowhere is the only movie this year that nods to Flannery O’Connor’s stories and Terrence Malick’s Badlands — and perhaps the only movie ever to include Suicide’s “Frankie Teardrop,” a song so abrasive that in the movie it takes recording engineer Mike Batlan aback.
This makes Deliver Me From Nowhere a very different kind of film from a business perspective. Part of the point of most rock movies is to boost streaming, which worked incredibly well for the Queen and Dylan catalogs. (Deliver Me From Nowhere is accompanied by a deluxe reissue of Nebraska, and it will boost streaming as well.) But those movies made an implicit argument for the importance of those acts by showing them at their biggest and best.
Deliver Me From Nowhere includes songs that people who aren’t Springsteen fans wouldn’t know, in a style that the artist isn’t widely known for. Springsteen is at his best onstage, and he has an appealing, self-deprecating sense of humor. But the movie doesn’t really show him performing, and the emotional crisis he’s suffering saps his sense of humor. That may have made the film a harder sell. After two weeks in theaters, it has grossed $16 million in the United States and $30 million worldwide, which is very respectable but less than predicted.
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Deliver Me From Nowhere works for the same reason Nebraska does — it’s raw and real. There were easy ways to make this simpler and more accessible, from ending with the release of Born in the U.S.A. to making the record executives the bad guys. (They were generally skeptical but supportive.) To its credit, though, the movie doesn’t go there, which was the right decision.
By the early ’90s, Nebraska had emerged as the Springsteen album for alt-rock fans who thought they were too cool for Born in the U.S.A., and Zanes points out in his book how influential it was on indie rock. Deliver Me From Nowhere will last for the same reasons — moreso if actors Jeremy Allen White (Springsteen) or Jeremy Strong (manager Jon Landau) are nominated for acting awards — and it shows that rock movies can work on a character-driven scale. If you care about Springsteen, though, see it now.
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Cardi B and Stefon Diggs are expecting their first child together any day now, and according to the football player, it’s a bouncing baby boy.
Diggs revealed the sex of their soon-to-be bundle of joy while speaking to People at the 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards on Monday (Nov. 3). “It’s a boy,” he said. “That’s enough for me.”
He went on to say that he’s excited to impart his athleticism on his son. “I can’t wait to make him do push-ups and sit-ups and run around,” Diggs said.
At another point in the night, the New England Patriots player revealed that Baby Diggs will be making his grand entrance shortly. “It’s supposed to happen real soon,” he told Extra at the same event. “So, wish us both luck.”
The rapper and Diggs first went public with their romance earlier this year, stepping out together on Valentine’s Day. The following April, they were spotted at Coachella together.
They revealed in September that they are expecting a baby, with Cardi telling CBS Mornings, “I’m excited … I’m doing all this work while I’m creating a baby, and me and my man, we’re very supportive of each other.”
That same month, Cardi dropped new album Am I the Drama?, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Staying true to the LP’s title, the Grammy winner’s pregnancy hasn’t been without its fair share of drama, with Cardi continuing to publicly spar with estranged husband Offset and accusing him of holding up their divorce proceedings in recent months.
The Migos star — who shares three children with Cardi — later appeared to lash out at her on a new song released at the end of October. “How the f—k you leave Jordan for Rodman/ You a fool if you think that I’m hurt/ You ain’t happy, I know how it work,” he raps on “No Sweat.” “How you married and still giving birth?/ Get some help, b—h, you going berserk.”
Cardi, however, said afterward that she has no time for any “dark energy” being sent her way during pregnancy. “One thing I notice, I swear to God, and it’s so real … anybody that messes with me while I’m at my most vulnerable — and my most vulnerable is always when I’m pregnant — God always punishes them,” she said on X Spaces. “Two, three years might pass … and God goes and punish them the worst way.”
Source: Sean Zanni / Getty
While Rihanna and A$AP Rocky continue to churn out children and create a full house of their own that may or may not lead to a reality series at some point in the future, the couple continues to live their lives as a power couple. Pretty Flacko and Rih Rih took the audience at the CFDA Awards by surprise when they hit the red carpet along with some other celebrities that are rarely seen these days.
According to USA Today, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna showed up as the new “Black Love” couple that we hope stands the test of time (damnit, Remy!) and showed out on the red carpet. Later, Rocky was blessed with the Fashion Icon honor of the night. Standing by her man just a few months after giving birth to their third child, Rocki, Rihanna stunned in an all-black outfit that showcased just how much the singer can make anything look amazing.
Needless to say, Rocky was more than happy to share this moment with his wifey.
Per USA Today:
“On a serious note, I just want to say it’s a real honor to be the recipient of this award. Yes, I agree: I am an icon. But I’m nothing without my peers and a lot of y’all in the room,” Rocky said in his acceptance speech.
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“Baby girl, I love you,” he said to Rihanna, who took home the same honor in 2014. “You won this so long ago. Remember, I told you, ‘You inspired me. Imma win that … one day, every award.’ Remember that …? We did it, baby.”
Lord, we hope they stay together forever!
Meanwhile, the Olsen twins made a rare public appearance at the event as well. They were in attendance to accept the Accessory Designer of the Year Award, in which Ashley Olsen thanked their supporters by simply saying, “To our amazing customers who have given us the opportunity to do what we love, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”
Who knew they were actually on their grind all these years later.
What do y’all think about A$AP Rocky taking home the Fashion Icon Award? Do y’all think he’s that dude? Let us know in the comments section below.
Trending on Billboard
Katy Perry is bruised and battered in a new promo shot for what appears to be her upcoming single, “Bandaids.” The singer who is just a month from winding down her global Lifetimes tour, posted a cryptic image on Tuesday morning (Nov. 4) featuring a somber photo of her face, seemingly worse for wear as evidenced by scratches and bruises on her forehead, cheek, lip and nose.
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With no further explanation, the image also finds her stone-cold visage bracketed by her name and the single’s title, with the caption teasing a Thursday (Nov. 6) release. At press time no additional information was available on the song, whether it’s a one-off or attached to a new album and a spokesperson for Perry had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment.
Perry released her uptempo, dance-focused seventh studio album, 143, last September, which debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The album, highlighted by the singer’s reconnect with producer Dr. Luke, as well as songs produced and co-written by pop savants Max Martin and Stargate, featured the singles “Woman’s World — which peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart — as well as “Lifetimes” and “I’m His, He’s Mine” featuring Doechii.
Perry launched her Lifetimes tour in support of 143 in Mexico City on April 23 and she’s slated to play the first of two shows at Accor Arena in Paris on Tuesday night, followed by shows in Spain, China and Japan, before winding down on Dec. 7 with a gig at Etihad Park in Abu Dhabi. The singer will then take a break and be back on the road next June for a series of festival shows Chile, Brazil, Germany, Madrid, France and Italy.
Following her split from longtime love actor Orlando Bloom in early July after dating on and off for nearly nine years — the couple share four-year-old daughter Daisy Dove — Perry, 41, made her first public appearance with new beau, former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, on Oct. 25. The couple were seen celebrating the singer’s 41st birthday with a date night at the Crazy Horse Paris, leaving hand-in-hand.
The confirmation of their relationship came two weeks after Perry joked about dating rumors during her Oct. 13 London concert, reacting to a fan sign that read, “Katy Perry, will you marry me?”
“You heard I was single? That’s interesting,” Perry responded. “You know you really should have asked me about 48 hours ago.” Prior to that, photos had surfaced of Perry and Trudeau kissing on a yacht after they were previously spotted dining together in Canada shortly after Trudeau was spotted at Katy’s show in Montreal in July.
