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Brian Wilson, leader of The Beach Boys, widely acknowledged as one of America’s all-time greatest composers, a pioneer of advanced studio techniques, and one of the most sensitive chroniclers of the Californian experience, has died at age 82.
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His death was confirmed Wednesday (June 11) by a post shared across his social media accounts. “We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” the post read. “We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world. Love & Mercy.”
Wilson is survived by his daughters Carnie and Wendy from his 1964 marriage to Marilyn Rovell, as well as his five adopted children with his wife Melinda Ledbetter. (Ledbetter herself passed in early 2024.)
Wilson was born in Inglewood, California on June 20, 1942 to Audree Neva and Murry Wilson, a factory worker who became a songwriter and The Beach Boys’ early manager. At Hawthorne High School, Wilson was an athlete, but demonstrated an ear for harmony. In Summer 1961, he formed the Pendletones with younger brothers Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Released on the local Calpix label, their rudimentary “Surfin’” became a regional hit under their new name, The Beach Boys, and their next recordings landed them a contract with Capitol Records.
The following year’s Surfin’ U.S.A. reached No. 2, and The Beach Boys became superstars. From ’63 to ‘65, the band released three studio albums each year while touring nearly nonstop. Earning full producer credit by September 1963’s Surfer Girl, Wilson made speedy progress as an arranger and sonic sculptor: Harmonies were overdubbed and perfected, and he often sang falsetto lead, particularly on ballads like “In My Room.” Although their instrumental chops also strengthened, Wilson soon augmented the Boys with session musicians. Even the British Invasion couldn’t squash their popularity: The Beach Boys were America’s biggest band.
Yet conflicts with Murry Wilson – who’d long bullied his sons – as well as pressure to maintain their constant schedule magnified Wilson’s anxieties. Following an inflight panic attack in late 1964, the songwriter stopped performing. During his first LSD trip, he composed July 1965’s “California Girls,” which marked the studio debut of his touring replacement, Bruce Johnston.
For May 1966’s expansive Pet Sounds, Wilson and lyricist Tony Asher created a song cycle documenting a passage from youthful innocence to mournful adulthood that the composer contrasted with delicately sophisticated yet openhearted orchestrations. Wilson recorded the band’s next single in several studios using even more unconventional instrumentation, but October 1966’s “Good Vibrations” became a worldwide smash.
Meanwhile, he and fellow experimentalist Van Dyke Parks toiled for many months on the even more ambitious Smile, but the project’s complexity overwhelmed its producer, who ultimately abandoned it in favor of September 1967’s simplified Smiley Smile, the first of several creative but commercially far less successful albums of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s in which Wilson typically diminished his input. After 1974’s Endless Summer – the first of three consecutive compilations – unexpectedly reached No. 1, the band suddenly became the era’s top touring draw.
Marilyn Wilson hired celebrity shrink Eugene Landy to cure her husband’s mounting instability and addictions during 1976’s 15 Big Ones and ‘77’s Love You, which he both produced. After Landy’s dismissal, his condition worsened again; an overdose brought Landy back in 1983. The therapist’s control over Wilson’s life extended even to 1988’s debut solo album Brian Wilson and 1991’s autobiography, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, until a 1992 restraining order.
Wilson’s condition gradually improved; he married Ledbetter in 1995, when his output resumed, sometimes with stellar results: 2004’s Brian Wilson Presents Smile, a re-recording of the abandoned album, justly earned universal accolades. He returned to touring solo and, in 2012, with The Beach Boys. That year, the band released the Wilson-helmed That’s Why God Made the Radio, which brought back early guitarist David Marks and celebrated the group’s 50th anniversary.
In December of 2021, Wilson sold his publishing rights to Universal for more than $50 million, according to documents filed in a lawsuit by his ex-wife Mary Wilson-Rutherford. In recent years, Wilson suffered a marked decline in mental and physical health, leading to him being placed under a conservatorship in late 2024.
Although an acclaimed 2014 biopic, Love & Mercy, chronicled the musician’s rise, fall and return to relative stability, the magnitude of Wilson’s work towers above his legend as a troubled genius. Equally adept at celebrating sun, surf, cars, and girls as well as his own vulnerability, Wilson broadened rock’s scope while deepening its spiritual impact. God only knows what we’ll do without him.
CMAT’s newest single, “Take A Sexy Picture Of Me,” has a lightning-in-a-bottle quality that nothing she had released previously could quite compare.
The track, which will feature on the country-pop songwriter’s third LP Euro-Country (due Aug. 29 via AWAL), is bright, hooky and possessed of a subtle emotional pull. Under a soulful, spacious melody, the tone shifts continually: from self-reflection to blame-laying, from denial to weariness, frustration and regret.
So as much as this irresistible earworm encapsulates the Song of the Summer ethos with its easy, forthright and effortlessly cool arrangement, it also in a way defies it. It offers a pained and pointed depiction of body image struggles in a world of constant online commentary — evoking a sunlit mood with lyrics rooted in a wider, meaningful conversation. CMAT (an acronym of Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson) recently explained to BBC 6 Music that the track is about the mental anguish she has experienced, having previously received a flood of “nasty comments” on her physical appearance.
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Since its release last month, “Take A Sexy Picture Of Me” has taken on a life of its own, picking up significant traction on TikTok while also translating into real-world success. What started as a playful dance challenge by app user Sam Morris, a 37-year-old content creator based in Brighton, has snowballed into a trend. The routine follows along with the words of the second verse — “I did the butcher/ I did the baker/ I did the home and the family maker/ I did schoolgirl fantasies” — with participants miming chopping and baking actions.
Dubbed the “Woke Macarena” in reference to its simple choreography, the song has soundtracked over 28,000 TikTok videos in recent weeks, with stars such as Lola Young and Julia Fox getting involved. CMAT, meanwhile, is currently in the midst of an extensive festival run: at the end of May, she thrilled a Main Stage crowd at London’s Wide Awake festival, while a Pyramid Stage slot at Glastonbury is on the horizon. Last week (June 6), she supported Sam Fender at London Stadium in front of an audience of 82,500 — the venue’s biggest sold-out show to date.
Prior to this, CMAT and her band delivered an electrifying rendition of “Take A Sexy Picture Of Me” on Later… With Jools Holland, kicking off the Euro-Country campaign in earnest. The performance proved that she wants viewers to understand what she’s singing about on the deepest level possible, and if that requires theatrical emotions and dancing, she is more than willing to oblige. It wouldn’t be remiss, then, to suggest that prestige slots on U.S. late night shows may soon come along.
“CMAT is firmly and deservedly positioning herself as one of this summer’s breakout stars,” says Adam Read, music programs manager at TikTok UK. “This is a track that speaks directly to identity, self-image and transformation, all while being incredibly catchy. The fact that the choreography took shape organically and is now being performed at live shows by entire crowds is exactly the kind of cultural crossover we love to see.”
Unlike this time last year, when Sabrina Carpenter’s smash hit “Espresso” was dominating the British (and global) airwaves, there arguably hasn’t been a Song of the Summer frontrunner just yet. Alex Warren’s ballad “Ordinary” has remained firmly at the summit of the Official U.K. Singles Chart for the past 12 weeks — the longest-running U.K. No. 1 of the 2020s — yet its sighing, plaintive melody doesn’t quite speak to the easy-breezy feel of the season.
Read and the team at TikTok UK, however, have predicted “Take A Sexy Picture Of Me” as a contender, alongside Afrobeats star Darkoo’s “Like Dat” and Charli xcx’s “Party 4 U.” The latter is a 2020 fan favorite that peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard 200 last month (May 31), with Atlantic Records having pushed it towards U.S. contemporary hit radio over the spring.
With over 575,000 video creations under the #SongOfTheSummer hashtag, TikTok is a key launchpad for new music at this time of the year. CMAT, meanwhile, has gained over 26.6 million content views in the past month alone, leading to a 71% growth in her follower count and, in turn, pushing her monthly Spotify listeners over the 1 million mark. The song is continuing to climb Spotify’s Viral 50 — Global chart and is approaching 4 million streams on the service.
That begs the question: is this CMAT’s crown to take? The Dublin-raised musician has perhaps never been better primed to make a mainstream crossover. Her second LP, 2023’s Crazymad For Me saw her break the Top 40 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart for the first time (No. 23), while also scooping Mercury Prize, BRIT and Ivor Novello nominations; the former is a notable feat, given that 2022 debut If My Wife New I’d Be Dead failed to crack the Top 75.
Shrewd marketing from the Sony-owned AWAL, meanwhile, has also played a role in the success of “Take A Sexy Picture Of Me”; the track recently landed a glowing feature in The New York Times. “We realized very quickly that this would be an opportunity to broaden her out to new audiences,” says Victoria Needs, senior vp at AWAL. Having announced a worldwide deal with CMAT four years ago, Needs adds that the label’s vision for 2025 revolves around “solidifying her positioning in the U.K., Ireland and the rest of Europe,” as well as making “further inroads” in the U.S. with a North American headline tour booked for September.
CMAT finds herself in fine company on the world stage, with fellow Irish exports Fontaines D.C. and Kneecap having also pushed the needle forward in 2025. All three acts are making music with rich, defiant messaging, an attribute that chimes well with TikTok audiences, where songs can take off if they are attached to a particular story or movement; in this case, “Take A Sexy Picture Of Me” rings true with the collective female experience.
“CMAT is a great example of a real artist who has put in the work and has earned this moment,” AWAL CEO Lonny Olinick tells Billboard U.K. “Across three album campaigns, we have been fortunate to partner with her and do the hard artist development work that AWAL is known for, building her fan base from the ground up. We are all excited to see this powerful record connect with audiences globally.”
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The 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup is in its second week, as the in-season competition pits conference rivals, the Los Angeles Sparks and the Las Vegas Aces, against one another to win the Commissioner’s Cup Trophy.
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In the Western Conference, L.A. Sparks vs. Las Vegas Aces takes place at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Wednesday (June 11).
When Does L.A. Sparks vs. Las Vegas Aces Start?
L.A. Sparks vs. Las Vegas Aces broadcasts live, with a start time of 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
Where to Watch L.A. Sparks vs. Las Vegas Aces Online
The Sparks vs. Aces game airs on CBS Sports Network. It will be available to livestream on Hulu + Live TV. Keep reading for more details on how cord-cutters can watch the WNBA game online.
How to Watch L.A. Sparks vs. Las Vegas Aces with Hulu + Live TV
Los Angeles vs. Las Vegas on CBS Sports Network is available to watch with Hulu + Live TV. Prices for the cable alternative start at $82.99 per month, while each plan comes with Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ at no additional cost. Sign up for a 3-day free trial to try out the streaming service for yourself.
Hulu + Live TV might be best for those who want all of these streaming services together in one bundle. It also features many other networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, MLB Network, FS1, FS2, Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC, Hallmark Channel, BET, CMT, Disney Channel, Discovery Channel and many other channels.
Starting at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, the L.A. Sparks vs. Las Vegas Aces airs on CBS Sports Network on Wednesday (June 11). The game is available to livestream with Hulu + Live TV.
Which Celebrities Are Making Appearances During WNBA Game?
It’s likely there may be a few celebrities and famous recording artists in attendance during the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup game, such as Kendrick Lamar, Kim Kardashian, Snoop Dogg, Magic Johnson and Leslie Jones, who are Sparks fan, as well as Vivica A. Fox, Too Short and Wanda Sykes, who are Aces fans. Tune in to the games to find out who’s sitting courtside.
Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
Billboard celebrated the genre’s top executives, impact makers and rising artists on Wednesday, (June 4) during the annual Billboard Country Power Players Awards, which were held at venue Category 10 in downtown Nashville. Reyna Roberts hosted the Country Power Players party, which launched with a performance by Latin artist Carín León. Brooks & Dunn’s Ronnie […]
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Tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams are embarking on a new venture – a video podcast, which will be hosted on X, formerly Twitter. In a statement announcing the news, the podcast is described as being for “visionaries, creators and rulebreakers passionate about shattering the status quo” and to give the public “a front-row seat into their playful banter and undeniable bond.” The as-yet-unnamed show will be hosted by both sisters, and will premiere in August. Other audio platforms are expected to also air the show after its debut.“We’re so excited to be launching our new podcast, a place where we will share our personal stories, have authentic conversations, spotlight important topics, and laugh a lot,” the Williams sisters said in their joint statement. “This platform gives us the chance to engage directly with our fans who have supported us throughout our careers, and we’re excited to connect with audiences, old and new, in a way we’ve never done before.”
The sisters are among the legendary elite of tennis, with Serena Williams having won 23 Grand Slam titles, the most in the open era of the sport. Venus has won seven Grand Slam titles, which include five victories at Wimbeldon. The sisters have also been dominant playing together, winning three Olympic gold medals and 14 Grand Slam titles. Venus and Serena Williams are among the most popular sports personalities on the X platform – Venus has 1.2 million followers, while her younger sister Serena has 10.6 million.
“Venus and Serena are among the most recognizable and revered athletes in the world, and their decision to team up with X places them at the center of our rapidly evolving original content strategy,” said the Head of Original Content at X, Mitchell Smith. According to metrics provided by the company, 92% of all social mentions of the Williams sisters take place on X, and Serena Williams is mentioned more than 5,000 times on the platform daily. The podcast will be produced by X in collaboration with Serena’s production company, Nine Two Six. It adds to the sports-themed programming that has been aired on the social media platform. The WNBA and X had a partnership to stream games through the platform last season, having an estimated reach of 5 million viewers.
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Hip-Hop’s extended golden era was riddled with many memorable moments and innovative creations from the dawn of the double-CD albums in Hip-Hop (y’all kids don’t know anything about that) to rappers proudly wearing iced-out logos of their record labels on their person. But Raekwon might’ve beaten them all to the creative punch when he released his debut solo album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, in the now classic purple plastic cassette tape.
All these decades later that tape and album holds a special place in the hearts of OG Hip-Hoppers across the globe.
Looking to revisit that moment in time and era in Hip-Hop, Raekwon and his co-host on his Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… album, Ghostface Killah, have released a trailer for their upcoming documentary, Purple Tape Files, which takes us back to the summer of 1995 when the Wu-Tang Clan were the hottest group in the rap game and Raekwon and Ghostface had the streets on lock with their classic purple tape.
Featuring interviews with their fellow Hip-Hop peers such as Nas, Kendrick Lamar, DJ Premier and others, the trailer will give OG Hip-Hoppers all the nostalgic feelings that come with listening to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx in 2025, and we can’t wait to watch and hear our favorite artists from yesteryear and today speak on the impact that Raekwon and Ghostface’s project had on them personally.
“I remember literally n*ggas was getting stabbed in the jail for misplaced purple tapes,” recalled Noreaga in his interview.
We totally believe that. It was that real back in the day.
Continuing with Raekwon saying he put himself in a Martin Scorsese mind frame when he was penning his now classic album, Purple Tape Files seems like a must-watch for any Hip-Hop fan who not only loved Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, but also might appreciate a little history lesson on what went into the making of such a timeless album.
Check out the trailer for Purple Tape Files below and let us know if you’ll be watching it when it premiers sometime in the near future.
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Karol G and Universal Music Group (UMG) are firing back at a copyright lawsuit over a track from her chart-topping Mañana Será Bonito – including arguing that a producer’s Instagram comment about the alleged similarities was posted “sarcastically” and wasn’t an admission of guilt.
The case, filed earlier this year, claims that the singer (Carolina Giraldo Navarro) and her co-writers stole key elements of her 2022 song “Gatúbela” from an earlier track called “Punto G,” released by producers Ocean Vibes (Jack Hernandez) and Alfr3d Beats (Dick Alfredo Caballero Rodriguez).
But in their first response to the case on Tuesday, Karol G and Universal Music Group flatly denied all of the lawsuit’s allegations. They said a musicologist report cited by the accusers, which claimed the songs were “extremely similar,” was “biased” and “patently improper.”
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“Defendants deny that they have interpolated, sampled, used, or copied plaintiffs’ work,” the Colombian star’s lawyers write. They also say they’ll be able to prove that “Gatúbela” was “independently created,” which could mean they have evidence that Karol G’s song was actually created first.
Released in February 2023, Mañana Será Bonito was a critical and commercial success, winning album of the year at the Latin Grammy Awards and reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — the first all-Spanish language album by a woman to do so. “Gatúbela” was a hit in its own right, reaching No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Hot Latin Songs chart.
Hernandez and Rodriguez sued in March, claiming they “immediately recognized” the song’s similarities to “Punto G,” which they say was released two months earlier: “By every method of analysis, ‘Gatúbela’ is a forgery.”
In one passage, the lawsuit cited an Instagram exchange in which Alfr3d confronted one of Karol’s producers (DJ Maff) over the alleged similarities. In screenshots in the complaint, Maff responded by commenting “don’t tell anybody,” followed by a laughing emoji. The accusers claimed this meant he had “shockingly admitted” to stealing their song.But in Tuesday’s response, attorneys for Karol G and the other defendants said the Instagram exchange had been taken out of context – and that a joking social media post was hardly an admission of copyright infringement.
“Defendants admit that DJ Maff promoted ‘Gatúbela’ in an Instagram post dated August 26, 2022 and that DJ Maff sarcastically posted the comment appearing in the screen shot,” write Karol’s defense attorneys. “Defendants otherwise deny the allegations contained in paragraph 4 of the Complaint, including Plaintiff’s characterization of DJ Maff’s Instagram comment.”
The case over “Gatúbela” is still in the earliest stages. Karol G and UMG will likely soon file a motion to dismiss the case entirely, after which Hernandez and Rodriguez will respond. The judge will then decide if the case can move forward toward an eventual trial.
In a statement to Billboard, an attorney for the accusers said the complaint filed in March “speaks for itself” and reiterated its allegations: “At the end of the day, we believe that artists and producers should be properly credited with and compensated for the works that they create,” said Chester R. Ostrowski. “That is all plaintiffs are looking for in this case, and they eagerly await their day in court.”
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As the racketeering and sex trafficking trial against Diddy continues, one witness currently testifying against him happens to be his ex-girlfriend who is having her legal fees paid for by him. According to reports, the woman identified as “Jane” dated Diddy, aka Sean Combs, from 2021 to 2024. Jane testified under oath that Diddy helped her find the lawyer that is currently representing her and is still paying that lawyer’s fees.In her testimony, Jane stated that Diddy helped her with the lawyer after his homes in Miami and Los Angeles were raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation last March. This was after a Homeland Security officer visited her after the raids and left her a business card. Jane also testified that Diddy is still paying the rent on her apartment in Los Angeles, which is an estimated $10,000. She would testify that she felt “very loved by him.”Jane said that she dated Diddy until he was arrested last fall, and that they had “hotel nights,” which have been referred to as “freak nights” after the raids on his residences. She said that she didn’t want to take part in those parties, which have been described as marathons of sexual activity spurred on by copious amounts of drugs, which involved male and female escorts. According to the New York Times, Jane described how she would be left dealing with physical pain afterward including urinary tract infections.Diddy’s former partner Cassie Ventura’s lawsuit against him in November 2023 was also brought up during Jane’s testimony. She noted how similar Ventura’s accounts of the “freak offs” were to her own experience, and wrote as much to Diddy in a text message afterward: “I feel like I’m reading my own sexual trauma. It makes me sick how three solid pages, word for word, is exactly my experiences and my anguish.” Jane is still being cross-examined as of Tuesday (June 10).
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President Donald Trump ordered 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to appear in Los Angeles to quell exaggerated reports of violence from those protesting the efforts of ICE agents i the city. During a meeting this week in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump floated the idea of sending the military to other major cities where ICE protests, many of which have been nonviolent, are occurring.
As reported by ABC News, President Donald Trump addressed the situation in Los Angeles amid conflicting reports of widespread violence from members of his administration, with their account drastically contrasting with those on the ground and seen on social media. President Trump, leaning heavily into his campaign promises of widespread deportation, appears to want to present a tougher image by employing armed forces to quell the protests.
“This is the first, perhaps, of many,” Trump said regarding future military deployments. “You know, if we didn’t attack this one very strongly, you’d have them all over the country, but I can inform the rest of the country, that when they do it, if they do it, they’re going to be met with equal or greater force.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California addressed Trump’s use of the military in an address to his constituents, stating that “democracy is under assault” as he dodged verbal attacks from House Speaker Mike Johnson and Border Czar Tom Homan, among others. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has echoed similar sentiments, alongside over a dozen other Democratic Party governors.
Trump also suggested enacting the Insurrection Act, which would give him the authority to deploy military forces to suppress violence and assumed rebellion. It should be noted that President Trump did not enact the Insurrection Act during the Jan. 6 insurrection attempt at the U.S. Capitol.
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Sabrina Carpenter‘s break between her last album and next LP was short and sweet, with the pop star announcing Wednesday (June 11) that she has another full-length titled Man’s Best Friend coming out this summer. Sharing the news on Instagram, Carpenter unveiled the project’s sensual cover art — a photo of the Grammy winner down […]
