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Billie Joe Armstrong has never held back on his contempt for Donald Trump. The Green Day singer has been raging against the policies of the 45th and now 47th president for years, and during the band’s first-ever set at the Download Festival in Donington Park in the U.K. on Friday (June 13), the singer lashed out at the U.S. president in unequivocal terms.
“Donald Trump in his administration is a fascist government,” Armstrong told the crowd. “And it’s up to us to fight back.” The comments came just a day before Trump presided over his long-awaited military parade in Washington, D.C. The rare display of military hardware and marching soldiers was meant to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, whilst also coinciding with Trump’s 79th birthday.
Though the D.C. event did not appear to draw the massive crowds the administration had predicted, a record number of Americans did turn out in historic numbers to protest the Trump White House’s agenda at more than 2,100 “No Kings” rallies, which drew an estimated five million attendees. The rallies featured a profusion of colorful, often profane signs lambasting Trump for what critics argued are imperial tactics to seize as many levers of government power as possible while attempting to drastically cut crucial social services, gutting environmental regulations and using the power of the White House to attack, and punish, perceived enemies.
In addition, Armstrong got the Download crowd to join him in calling Trump a “fat bastard,” in the singer’s latest broadside against the current administration. Back in March, less than 24 hours after Trump and Vice President JD Vance attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an Oval Office meeting in which the veep accused the wartime leader of being insufficiently grateful for U.S. aid for its three-year battle against Russia.
“Am I retarded or am I just JD Vance,” Armstrong sang in a lyrical tweak to the lyrics to “Jesus of Suburbia,” amending the politically incorrect-on-purpose original, “Am I retarded or am I just overjoyed?”
Last weekend, Armstrong sent a message of solidarity to protesters in Los Angeles who took to the streets to rally against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the city, as well as the president’s decision to deploy the National Guard to L.A. over the mayor, and Gov. Gavin Newson’s, objections.
On June 8, Armstrong posted a video of protests from downtown L.A. on his Instagram Stories, captioned it with a middle-finger emoji and an ice cube, cued to a live version of “F— Off,” a song on the group’s Saviors (Édition de Luxe), the 2025 deluxe version of Green Day’s 2024 album.
Heart‘s Nancy Wilson and her bandmate and sister Ann Wilson are proud daughters of a Marine Corps major, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist said in a pointed Instagram post on Saturday (June 14) that their band’s music is not meant for political purposes. “Earlier today, during a parade held in support of our nation’s military and organized by President Donald Trump, the song ‘Barracuda’ by Heart was played without permission or authorization from us,” she said of the playing of the group’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 11 1977 hit during the military showcase.
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“‘Barracuda,’ written and performed by Ann and I, is a powerful piece of music that was never intended for political use,” continued Wilson, who drove home her point by wearing a “No Kings But Us” hat on a day when a historic number of Americans took to the streets from coast to coast to protest against what they called the creeping authoritarianism of the second Trump administration in a series of “No Kings” protests.
“As daughters of a U.S. Marine Corps major, we hold a deep and abiding respect for the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces,” wrote Wilson. “On a day meant to honor that service, it’s important that music used in such settings reflects not only the tone of the event but also the wishes of the artists who created it.🤘🏻”
According to reports. instrumental versions of Heart’s “Barracuda” and Journey’s “Separate Ways (World’s Apart)” were among the songs played at the event that appeared to draw modest crowds at a reported price of $25-$45 million, while the ACLU said that an estimated five million people took part in more than 2,100 “No Kings” rallies across the nation, making it the largest protest in the nation’s history.
Trump’s military parade, which was intended to celebrate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, also fell on the president’s 79th birthday. The parading of military hardware through the streets of the nation’s capital is an unusual site in the U.S., though Trump has long mused out loud about wanting to hold such an event. The D.C. event came amidst a day of dramatic news, including Iran and Israel battering each other with missiles in what is ramping up to be a major escalation of hostilities between the two nations. In addition, officials in Minnesota launched a massive manhunt for the suspected shooter who assassinated a Democratic state legislator in that state and attempted assassination of another; the now-captured 57-year-old man, Vance Boelter, allegedly had a list of 70 other potential targets in his car.
Nancy Wilson has long objected to politicians using her band’s music at their rallies, and earlier this year she said she feels “embarrassed” to call herself an American at this time. “We were kind of embarrassed at that time to call ourselves American because of the dirty politics of the Vietnam War,” Wilson said of the period that inspired some of the band’s most beloved hits, including the anti-Vietnam war single “Crazy On You,” whose lyrics she added are relevant again. “To be as subtle as possible, it’s more embarrassing now.”
She noted that “Barracuda” was initially written about a sleazy industry figure at the time, though Wilson twisted it to fit the current commander in chief, saying the song is “even more relevant in the salacious billionaire culture with the grab-them-by-the-(expletive) mentality,” the latter phrase a reference to an infamous sexist comment from Trump.
The Wilsons were also peeved when Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin played “Barracuda” at the 2008 Republican National Convention, sending a cease and desist order to the former Alaska governor demanding she stop using the track as her unofficial theme song. In 2018, singer Ann Wilson told The Hill that any politician was free to use “Barracuda” on the campaign trail in 2020. “I think anybody but Trump,” she added.
Katy Perry has taken time out of her current Australian tour to appear at a Melbourne nightclub celebrating her music.
Perry’s onstage appearance occurred at Chasers Nightclub on Saturday (June 14) following the final Melbourne date of her Lifetimes Tour at Rod Laver Arena. As part of the club’s LGBTQIA+ Poof Doof night, that evening also featured its Katy Club event, where attendees celebrated the music of the pop icon.
However, following a similar event in Brisbane the previous evening, the Melbourne edition featured a special guest by way of Perry herself, who bought the club an evening of free drinks.
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“You guys raised me,” footage of the event shows Perry telling the crowd. “I thank you and I love you, you are my chosen family.”
“Because you are my chosen family, a mother must provide for her children,” she added. “So as a provider, I would like to open the bar for one hour. The drinks are on me, baby!”
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Notably, Perry’s crashing of her own themed event follows on from a similar instance in Sydney where Lorde appeared at local venue Mary’s Underground while it was hosting an evening dubbed What Was That – after the New Zealand musician’s recent single.
Perry’s Australian tour launched in early June and has so far featured four sold-out dates in Melbourne and three in Sydney. During a recent show at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on June 9, Perry’s performance gained attention after she was joined by a stage invader during her set.
Footage of the incident showed an individual appearing onstage, putting his arm around Perry, who instinctively turns away as the fan continues to dance. “There’s never going to be another show like this, so just enjoy it!” Perry told the audience in response.
The individual was later identified as Johnson Wen, a “serial prankster” known for posting videos of stage invasions to TikTok under the username @pyjamamann. Wen was later arrested and taken to Auburn police station where he was subsequently charged with “entering enclosed land and obstructing a person in performance of work or duties.”
Wen has since been granted conditional bail ahead of a court appearance on June 23, and has been issued a six month ban from the Sydney Olympic Park precinct which houses Qudos Bank Arena.
Perry’s tour continues on Tuesday (June 17) with the first of two sold-out dates in Brisbane, before shows in Perth and Adelaide.
The life and legacy of late Australian musician Conway Savage will be honored with the launch of a new music festival in Ireland.
The event, dubbed These Are the Waves: A Celebration of the Music of Conway Savage, is set to take place from Sept. 12-14 in Irish county town Dundalk.
Per a report from the Dundalk Democrat, Savage’s lasting relationship with the location began in 2000 when he performed at Dundalk’s Spirit Store venue alongside Falling Joys’ Suzie Higgie. Having also launched a creative relationship with local musician Mark Corcoran, Savage would perform in Dundalk many more times and recorded at the local Tumbleweed Studios on numerous occasions.
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Taking place at Spirit Store, the forthcoming festival is set to feature a number of musicians close to Savage, including former Bad Seeds bandmate Mick Harvey, and Higgie, who will contribute a full performance of the Soon Will Be Tomorrow album she and Savage released in 1998.
Additionally, the lineup will feature PJ Harvey collaborator Terry Edwards, alongside Jim Yamouridis and Robert Tickner, who had previously collaborated with Savage at some point either in the studio or in his band.
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Having performed since the early ’80s in bands such as Feral Dinosaurs, Dust on the Bible and Happy Orphans, Savage rose to prominence in 1990 when he joined Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds as their pianist, organist and occasional backing vocalist. He remained with the band for 27 before departing in 2017 to undergo treatment for a brain tumor.
In September 2018, it was reported that Savage had passed away as a result of his ongoing health battle at the age of 58.
“Conway was the anarchic thread that ran through the band’s live performances,” the band wrote in a statement following his passing. “He was much loved by everyone, band members and fans alike.
“Irascible, funny, terrifying, sentimental, warm-hearted, gentle, acerbic, honest, genuine – he was all of these things and quite literally ‘had the gift of a golden voice,’ high and sweet and drenched in soul.”
Vance Boelter, the suspect wanted in the shootings in Minnesota that left one state representative dead, has been apprehended by authorities. Gov. Tim Walz shared the news via his social media feeds, as other major and local outlets shared details they had obtained.
Local outlet Fox 9 reports that Vance Boelter, 57, was apprehended in Green Isle after authorities launched an area and statewide manhunt in attempts to bring Boelter to justice. The outlet writes that the suspect, who shot and injured Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife in their Champlin home, later went to the home of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and assassinated her and her husband Mark Hortman.
CNN writes that Gov. Walz addressed Minnesotans about the arrest of Boetler, who has been revealed to be a former security guard who recently appeared to be struggling to make ends meet. Boelter posed as a police officer when he visited Sen. Hoffman’s home, and used the guise again at Rep. Hortman’s home. Driving an SUV that was fashioned to look like a law enforcement vehicle, investigators on the scene uncovered a manifesto that seems to illustrate Boelter was out for blood and had a hit list to settle.
Online, the chatter of Boelter is focused on his alleged right-wing political ties. A rumor that has since been debunked attempted to connect Walz to Boelter, and some tried to frame Boelter as a hard-left Democratic Party voter.
As the news is still developing, there are sparse reactions on the X social media platform regarding the arrest of Vance Boelter. We’ll share those comments below and will make updates as needed.
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Zak Starkey has added another chapter to his ongoing saga with The Who, claiming that his firing occurred after turning down the opportunity to tour with a reformed Oasis.
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For those having trouble keeping up with the current state of Starkey’s drumming gigs, trouble first began in April when a spokesman for The Who claimed that “the band made a collective decision to part ways with Zak after this round of shows at the Royal Albert Hall,” referring to a pair of gigs the month prior.
Starkey later issued a statement noting he was “surprised and saddened” by the news, though guitarist Pete Townshend later claimed Starkey was back in the band following the resolution of “communication issues.”
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In May, however, Townshend seemingly walked back this announcement, taking to social media to announce, “After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change,” and welcomed Scott Devours to the lineup for their final shows.
In an attempt to clarify the situation, Starkey claimed just a week later that he hadn’t been “fired” from the band, but rather “‘retired’ to work [on] my own projects.”
Now in a new interview with The Telegraph, Starkey has provided some further insight into the circumstances that led to his leaving The Who. “What happened was I got it right and Roger got it wrong,” Starkey explained.
According to a report from The Who’s Royal Albert Hall shows, newly knighted vocalist Roger Daltrey had stopped several songs mid-performance, citing difficulty hearing the band over the drums. Per Starkey’s recollection, the group played the rarely-performed “The Song is Over,” and a lack of rehearsal meant that Daltrey “came in a bar early.”
The result was a call from band manager Bill Curbishley who shared the bad news with Starkey. “He says, ‘It’s my unfortunate duty to inform you’,” Starkey remembers. “‘That you won’t be needed from now on. Roger says you dropped some beats.’”
Forced to admit he had indeed dropped some beats, Starkey says he was welcomed back to the group, only for the announcement of his retirement to be made soon after. “I don’t blame anyone. I blame The Who because they’re unpredictable, aggressive and f–ing insane,” Starkey explains.
However, the drummer also revealed that a major issue surrounding his axing relates to a role behind the kit with Oasis. Despite having been a member of The Who since 1996, he also served as a touring drummer for Oasis between 2004 and 2008.
Per his latest interview, Starkey claims that he had in fact turned down the position of drumming for the reunited Manchester group due to his commitments with The Who. Instead, Starkey’s position in Oasis will be filled by the prolific Joey Waronker.
“He’s the best and we’re lucky to have him,” Liam Gallagher recently said of Waronker’s addition. “I’ve enjoyed all our drummers but this guy is special.”
Despite Starkey’s other focus being Mantra of the Cosmos (a supergroup of sorts featuring members of Happy Mondays and Oasis’ Andy Bell), its members’ touring commitments means he’s likely being left with a clear schedule in 2025.
However, Starkey did close by noting he’d recently spoken to Daltrey, who reportedly told him, “‘Don’t take your drums out of [The Who’s] warehouse yet in case we need you.’”
Nezza, a Latin pop singer of Colombian-Dominican origin who grew up in the Bay Area of California, was invited to perform the U.S. national anthem at this weekend’s Dodgers vs. Giants game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Instead of singing in English, as she was apparently instructed to do, Nezza performed a Spanish-language rendition of the national anthem — “para mi gente [for my people],” she said on Sunday (June 15).
The vocalist, dancer and content creator, whose full name is Vanessa Hernández, posted a videoonsocialmedia, showing her perspective of what happened at the L.A. event.
“We are gonna do the song in English today. I’m not sure if that wasn’t relayed,” an off-camera voice can be heard telling Nezza, whose crestfallen expression and body language show the singer’s dismay. The clip goes on to show footage of Nezza on the baseball field, overcome with emotion as she belts the last line of “The Star-Spangled Banner” — “El Pendón Estrellado” — en español.
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“Para mi gente,” Nezza wrote in the caption, “I stand with you. Yesterday was easily one of the scariest days of my life. I sang ‘El Pendon Estrellado’ the OFFICIAL Spanish star spangled banner (commissioned by President Roosevelt) at the Dodgers game after being told I couldn’t. And I’m so proud that I did.”
“Stay safe. Stay strong. I love you,” said Nezza, who is expected to release her debut full-length album this year.
In a follow-up video uploaded to TikTok, she spoke to the camera and reflected on the experience, her teary eyes still red: “Bear with me, ’cause I’m still very shooken up and emotional.” Of the Spanish translation of the national anthem, “El Pendón Estrellado,” she explained, “It was officially commissioned in 1945 by the U.S. State Department as a part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s good neighbor policy to foster a better relationship with Latin America.”
“I didn’t think I would be met with any sort of ‘no,’ especially because we’re in L.A., and with everything happening … I just could not believe when she walked in and told me ‘no.’ I just felt like I needed to do it,” Nezza said.
She went on to call out the widely protested raids by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) that have been occurring in the U.S. under the Trump administration, stating, “Everything I do is out of love, good energy. I’m proud of myself for doing that today because my parents are immigrants. They’ve been citizens like my whole life, at this point. They got documented really early.”
“I just can’t imagine them being ripped away from me. Even at this age, let alone like a little kid. What are they doing?” Nezza said.
Billy Ray Cyrus is celebrating Father’s Day with a trip down memory lane. The “Achy Breaky Heart” star posted several family photos in honor of the day on Instagram and X, and wished a “Happy Father’s Day” to all those around him.
The mini picture collection includes snapshots of Billy Ray and family members throughout the years. One cute highlight is a very young Miley Cyrus giving the camera quite a serious gaze while riding a pink, toddler-sized trike with handlebar tassels.
“‘My Grandfather told my Father’… and luckily he taught me ….when your lost …. ‘Stand Still’. Happy Father’s Day to everyone ! Mothers… sisters ….brothers ….friends included !” Cyrus captioned the picture slideshow on Sunday (June 15).
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Apparently not shown in the country singer’s Father’s Day post is son Trace, who’s seemingly had a fraught relationship as of late with Billy Ray, whom he recently said is “the lamest man ever to walk planet earth.” The Metro Station musician referred to him as a “delusional, evil person” last week — claiming he skipped the funeral of his “Mammie,” the late mother of Tish Cyrus, back when Billy Ray was still married to Tish. His comments came upon seeing that Billy Ray “flew to Italy for a fashion show” (with girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley). “This man is so hungry for fame it’s pathetic,” wrote Trace on June 10.
Miley’s had more positive thoughts to share. In an interview with The New York Times, the Something Beautiful singer shared candid remarks on her father’s current relationship with the English actress. “As I’ve gotten older, I’m respecting my parents as individuals instead of as parents,” she said.
“My mom’s really loved my dad for her whole life, and I think being married to someone in the music industry and not being a part of it is obviously really hard,” Miley explained. “And so I think I took on some of my mom’s hurt as my own, because it hurt her more than it hurt me as an adult, and so I owned a lot of her pain. But now that my mom is so in love with my stepdad, who I completely adore, and now that my dad, I see him finding happiness, too — I can love them both as individuals instead of as a parental pairing.”
“I’m being an adult about it,” she added. “At first it’s hard, because the little kid in you reacts before the adult in you can go, ‘Yes, that’s your dad, but that’s just another person that deserves to be in his bliss and to be happy.’ My child self has caught up.”
See Billy Ray’s Father’s Day post on Instagram here.
J-hope and GloRilla‘s “Killin It Girl” tops this week’s new music poll.
In a poll published Friday (June 13) on Billboard, music fans chose the collaboration between the BTS member and the Memphis MC as their favorite new release of the past week.
“Killin It Girl” brought in 87% of the vote, beating out new releases from artists like Lil Tecca (Dopamine), Mark Ronson and RAYE (“Suzanne”), Zara Larsson (“Midnight Sun”), Brandon Lake (King of Hearts) and Gunna (“Won’t Stop”).
“Killin It Girl” features an entrancing hip-hop flow that conveys the enchanting pull of love at first sight, with GloRilla taking on the persona of the irresistible baddie. “He said I be killin’ it, I said I do this everyday,” Big Glo brags on the lust-filled track.
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This new single follows a busy year for the K-pop star, who also released hits like “Sweet Dreams” with Miguel and “Mona Lisa.”
“’Sweet Dreams’ featuring Miguel — an artist I’ve long respected — has a smooth, soulful vibe that feels deeply personal. On the other hand, ‘Mona Lisa’ brings a hip-hop-driven performance energy,” j-hope told Billboard in May.
He added, “Both tracks are easy to connect with, yet they offer a glimpse into the broader, more evolved musical world I’m building. This is just the start — I have plenty more musical experiments in store.”
The BTS member toured across North America as part of his HOPE ON THE STAGE tour, including a pair of sold-out concerts at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in March. He concluded the global trek on Friday (June 13), with a performance at South Korea’s Goyang Stadium.
The “other” category placed second in the poll with 10% of the vote, while Lil Tecca’s fifth album, Dopamine, came in third, earning nearly 1%.”
Check out the full results of this week’s poll below and visit Billboard’s Friday Music Guide for more must-hear releases.
Shakira is opening up about her experience as an immigrant living in the United States under President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
In a new interview with the BBC, the 48-year-old Colombian-born superstar reflected on how the country has changed since she first moved to Miami as a teenager in the mid-1990s to pursue a music career.
“I was only 19 when I moved to the U.S., like many other Colombian immigrants who come to this country looking for a better future,” Shakira said, noting that she read works by Leonard Cohen, Walt Whitman and Bob Dylan to learn English and understand the craft of songwriting.
A longtime advocate for social justice, the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer also addressed the challenges facing the Latin community following Trump’s return to the White House. Since stepping back into office earlier this year, the president has intensified efforts to combat alleged immigration violations, prompting protests in Los Angeles and across the country in response to raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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“It means living in constant fear,” Shakira told the BBC when asked what it’s like to be an immigrant in the U.S. today. “And it’s painful to see.”
She added, “Now, more than ever, we have to remain united. Now, more than ever, we have to raise our voices and make it very clear that a country can change its immigration policies, but the treatment of all people must always be humane.”
In early February, while accepting the Grammy Award for best Latin pop album for 2024’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, Shakira dedicated the honor to “all my immigrant brothers and sisters in this country,” adding, “You’re loved, worth it and I will always fight with you.”
Shakira is among a growing number of musicians speaking out against federal immigration raids in Southern California. Following President Trump’s early June deployment of National Guard troops to L.A., artists including Olivia Rodrigo, Tyler, The Creator, Finneas, The Game, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Kehlani, Tom Morello, Reneé Rapp and Rebecca Black have publicly condemned the administration’s actions.
“I’ve lived in LA my whole life and I’m deeply upset about these violent deportations of my neighbors under the current administration,” Rodrigo wrote on her Instagram Story on Saturday (June 14). “LA simply wouldn’t exist without immigrants. Treating hardworking community members with such little respect, empathy, and due process is awful. I stand with the beautiful, diverse community of Los Angeles and with immigrants all across America. I stand for our right to freedom of speech and freedom to protest.”
The 22-year-old pop star and actress also shared a photo from what appeared to be a protest featuring a poster with a crossed-out crown and the words “in our USA,” a likely a reference to the “No Kings Day” demonstrations held on June 14 in response to Trump’s 79th birthday military parade in Washington, D.C.
