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If you bring together six hot Country artists and add in some ice-cold beer, you get one memorable evening of live music. That’s exactly what fans experienced at Category 10 in Nashville on the first day of CMA Fest thanks to Billboard Country Live presented by Bud Light. Each artist gave fans 20 minutes of some of their top songs with a sprinkle – or three – of unexpected covers to spice things up.
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The Thursday (June 5) event welcomed attendees into the multi-story music venue to kick off an unforgettable weekend of country music. The packed first floor made room for line dancing between acts while DJ Grant Fisher provided country, hip-hop, and EDM beats. On the second and third floors, fans lined up against the railings while sipping on Bud Light to get a glimpse of the Billboard-curated evening.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
Bud Light not only provided the draft pours and tall boys, but they also decked out the venue in vibrant neon decorations, gave fans stylish snap-back hats and bandanas, and created a custom photo moment for attendees to capture a snapshot to remember the epic evening.
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CMT host Carissa Culiner emceed the evening, welcoming everyone in for several hours of entertainment before kicking off the festivities.
Reyna Roberts
Reyna Roberts at the Billboard Country Live concert at Category 10 on June 05, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
Many first heard Roberts’ name when she appeared on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album. But this evening’s performance showed she can stand by herself just fine. She rocked her signature red mane under a white cowboy hat, which perfectly matched her bustier, chaps and boots. Possibly taking a note from Queen Bey, her hair flowed as she worked the stage.
Roberts performed tunes including”Lawless”, “Louisiana”, “Raised Right” and treated fans to a performance of an upcoming song “Mustangs Over Bentleys.” She also told a heart-warming story before performing Gretchen Wilson’s “Here For The Party” about how she sang that song for her first on-stage performance at the age of 9 while in elementary school. She brought the party on stage with a Bud Light in hand to share a toast with fans, thanking them for their support at another CMA Fest. She spread the love saying, “I love God, I love Billboard, and I love Bud Light!”
Alexandra Kay
Alexandra Kay at the Billboard Country Live concert at Category 10 on June 05, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
A shining light of the evening, Alexandra Kay had the audience singing along to her hits, along with an unexpected pop cover song. You could be distracted by her pink, bedazzled mic stand if it weren’t for Kay’s strong vocals and effervescent personality. From turning her songs into sing-a-longs to taking a singing selfie video on a fan’s phone, the energy in the room reached another level.
She had one of the biggest surprises of the evening when she launched into a cover of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club,” a song about leaving Tennessee for Los Angeles where you find yourself dancing on stage at a gay bar. She sang fan-favorites like “Backroad Therapy” and “Everleave” but paused to take a moment to thank her fans for helping her get to this moment. She also gave Jelly Roll, her tour partner and oftentimes collaborator, a shout out for helping further her career. After years of being an independent artist, she recently signed to BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville.
Drew Baldridge
Drew Baldridge at the Billboard Country Live concert at Category 10 on June 05, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
Drew Baldridge’s set was a celebration of hard work and a victory lap for the past year’s accomplishments. He started the show off by shouting out all the country girls and country boys and warming up the crowd. Baldridge quickly raised a Bud Light to give a cheers to ’90s Country music and proceeded to give fans a medley of hits from Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It” to the late Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” and “Brand New Man” by Brooks & Dunn.
Baldridge brought the emotion, performing “Can She Have This Dance” which he wrote for his wife to dance to on their wedding day. After leaving Nashville and performing more than 400 backyard parties during the pandemic, he began to gain the recognition he deserved with “She’s Somebody’s Daughter,” a song he took to No. 3 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as an independent artist (he’s since signed with BBR Music Group). He told fans “I’m not making music for Nashville. I’m not making music for country radio. I’m making music for y’all,” before closing his set with the inspirational “Tough People.”
Max McNown
Max McNown at the Billboard Country Live concert at Category 10 on June 05, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
Max McNown kept the show going, bringing energy to the stage and making connections with the audience. He started his set off with last year’s hit “Love Me Back.” Mid-song, he grabbed a fan’s phone to take a selfie with the crowd, then told the audience about having to run a mile through downtown Nashville to get to the show on time, adding that he’d then have to sprint to Nissan Stadium after the performance to make his set and stadium debut on the Platform Stage. He balanced his Billboard/Bud Light set with his own hits and covers of fan-favorite, including leveling up his song “Marley” by injecting it with Marley’s “Three Little Birds.” He also performed his version of “Cover Me Up” by Jason Isbell. Max finished on a high note, performing his hits “Better Me For You (Brown Eyes) and “A Lot More Free” flexing his musicality by whistling into the microphone and whipping out a harmonica.
Ashley Cooke
Ashley Cooke at the Billboard Country Live concert at Category 10 on June 05, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
The energy in the room became electric as Ashley Cooke took the stage. The audience fed off her spirited set, as she told fans she has registered some of the biggest accomplishments of her career over the past year, from getting her first tour bus to her first award, breakthrough female video of the year at the 2024 CMT Awards for “Your Place.” This year also had some of her lowest lows including the loss of family members and health scares in her circle. The emotional moment teed up her hit “It’s Been A Year.”
For those just getting to know her, she offered to show them who she was through a medley of some of her favorite songs. The audience sang along while Ashley belted out Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone”, Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” and “Life Is A Highway” by Tom Cochrane (and Rascal Flatts’ popular remake) . She ended her set asking who in the room had the craziest ex before performing her break-up tune, “Your Place.”
Mitchell Tenpenny
Mitchell Tenpenny at the Billboard Country Live concert at Category 10 on June 05, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
Closing out an epic evening of country music is not an easy task, but Mitchell Tenpenny attacked the opportunity armed with an acoustic guitar, giving fans a solo set that had everyone in the house singing along. He commanded the stage with hits like “Bucketlist” and “We Got History” which he said was his version of Rascal Flatt’s “Bless The Broken Road.” He kicked off his set by telling the backstory to “Alcohol You Later” – inspired by a drunken phone call he overheard in a bar – then launched into the song, changing some lyrics in verse two to “need someone to drink Bud Light with,” paying homage to the evening’s presenting sponsor.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
He thanked the audience for the sing-a-long, adding, “Hearing someone sing your song back to you is the greatest feeling in the world.” They even became an integral part of a fan-requested impromptu performance of “Bitches” where they had to sing the title during the chorus because Tenpenny claimed, “I don’t think I can sing that one here.” But the final song of the night was the perfect crescendo to an evening of amazing performances as he launched into an unexpected cover of “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls. The audience was so engrossed in the performance, he did an encore which had everyone swaying with the lights from their phones over their heads. He then spent several minutes signing hats and greeting the adoring fans.
Gina Di Maio/Billboard
“Long live carranga!” shouted Sara Lu. The Carranga Kids were celebrating their big win on the reality show La Voz Kids Colombia 2024, and in the heat of the moment, that was the first thing the teenager could think to say. The other kids joined in, jumping with excitement — they all seemed to agree. After all, it was carranga that got them there.
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Almost a year and a half later, the young group — who had already released an album before joining the competition — dropped their album A Bailar Carranga (or Dance Carranga) in May and are now gearing up for a new one in the coming months, along with a collaboration with their former La Voz Kids coach and Latin Grammy winner Andrés Cepeda.
But what exactly is carranga, and how did it win over this young quartet? Born in the Cundiboyacense and Boyacá of Colombia, this musical genre blends Indigenous, African and European elements while celebrating love for the countryside, ecology, good humor and social critique, with Jorge Velosa as one of its greatest pioneers.
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Sara Lucía, who plays the requinto guitar and sings backup vocals, listens to reggaetón, vallenato, merengue, and salsa — a mix of trendy music and the sounds she picks up from her parents. But it was her grandfather who introduced her to carranga. “It’s a genre that’s purely Colombian, and we feel the need for young people to learn more about it,” says the 14-year-old.
The origins of Carranga Kids trace back to a musical tribute Contreras wanted to dedicate to his late grandfather. The group already existed, having formed during school breaks, but this would be their first big live performance.
Jerónimo Arias Villamizar (guacharaca and backup vocals) recalls that, at first, carranga wasn’t even one of his favorite types of music. But the experience of playing with the other musicians was so special that the 14-year-old decided to stay. At the time, Carranga Kids also included a set of twins who eventually left the group. They were replaced by Juan José González and Esteban de Jesús Suárez, who are 10 and 12 years old, respectively.
“I was invited during a school break, and I’ve been singing since I was three years old — thanks to my dad, who’s a mariachi,” says Arias Villamizar, highlighting that the success of Carranga Kids isn’t just rooted in their deep knowledge of the Cundiboyacense musical genre, but also in their ability to learn from other styles. For example, Jero, as he’s called, shares his deep admiration for the late Mexican legend, Ariel Camacho, leader of the popular group Los Plebes del Rancho.
With their original lineup, they recorded their first EP, Huellas Coloridas, in 2021. However, one of the prizes from the reality show was the chance to record an album with Universal Music Colombia (the other prize was 150 million Colombian pesos, roughly $35,000, which can only be used for their college education). This led to the release of their first studio album, A Bailar Carranga, in May of this year. The most popular song from the album was “Coquetica y Juguetona” (meaning “coquettish and playful”) a response to the hit “Coqueta” by Heredero, which went viral on TikTok.
The song came from a reflection by Contreras that is as simple as it is brilliant: “‘Coqueta’ is a song that men relate to, so we wanted to create a response that offered a female perspective.”
“A Bailar Carranga” and “Al Campo Me Fui” (meaning “to the country I went”) were also songs that were well-received on streaming platforms.
They haven’t even finished promoting this album, and they’re already working on their second record with Universal, which will feature Andrés Cepeda as a collaborator on a version of “Los Sabanales,” a song they performed during the final stage of the popular competition.
One of the reasons behind Carranga Kids’ success is that, as children, they can captivate both the traditional audience of the genre and younger listeners who might not typically engage with this type of music. Sara Lu also recognizes that blending genres has helped them reach new audiences, emphasizing that while carranga is their foundation, rock and urban music can also be part of their fusions.
She also hints that now that they’ve conquered Colombia — or at least a large part of the country — it’s time to expand across the continent. “There are many Latin American rhythms that are very similar, like what’s happening in Peru with its sound, which is highly globalized.” She brings up “Coqueta” again, but this time not to talk about their response song, but to emphasize how Heredero’s hit reached unimaginable places, even in Europe.
She concludes, “Now, taking carranga to the international stage is much easier.”
This story was originally published by Billboard Colombia.
Singer, songwriter, and now producer Ángela Aguilar continues to carve her own path in música mexicana as the youngest of the Aguilar dynasty. In an interview with Billboard, the 21-year-old star spoke candidly about producing her own music for the very first time and launching her producer era with Nadie Se Va Como Llegó, her latest album released May 28.
“It made me really appreciative of my father and everything he’s done for me,” Aguilar says, speaking of her legendary dad Pepe Aguilar, who had produced the her music prior to her new LP. “Have you heard of when someone pushes you into the pool so you learn how to swim? That’s what my dad did. He really said, ‘I have to focus on my album, I have a bunch of things to do, I don’t have time, why don’t you start looking for songs?’ And I was like, ok.”
The new album includes a song with Marc Anthony, the only collaboration on the 12-track set. Aguilar shares the “honest” version of how that collab came about.
“We were at a party, and when I say party, my husband [Christian Nodal] and I don’t have friends so it was just Nadia [Ferreira], Marc, me and my husband, and we were just having fun and drinking and showing each other’s projects,” she says. “Two weeks later, I received a message from tío Marc and it said, ‘Comadrita, is it ok if I bring it down two tones?’ I had not only sent him the arrangement, but the lyrics, everything. I was like, ‘At what [part] of my party did I think Marc Anthony was going to sing with me? At what part of my party did he actually sing with me?’ It was amazing.”
For the album, Aguilar — the granddaughter of the legendary Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre — recruited a handful of Mexican women to help write songs, which was intentional. It’s what she’s committed to do after being “the only woman in the studio” in the making of her previous albums, and other projects she’s been a part of.
“I was recently part of my husband’s songwriting sessions and it was just me and my friend Amanda Coronel. We thought, this is strange. It’s very important to have this platform and give women a voice,” she says.
The new album comes just months after Aguilar was honored at Billboard Women in Music with the Breakthrough Award, where she gave a passionate speech about immigrant rights. “It’s very taboo to talk about things like that in awards and just anywhere,” she says. “And people tell you not to do it but again, I have a responsibility as a Mexican American to speak about injustices that are going on because it directly affects my people, people that go to my concerts and consume my music. There’s nothing worse than to not have a voice and to have people speak for you.”
Watch the interview above where Ángela also talks about an upcoming new tour and her ever-growing family that includes five new pugsitos. “The are the most precious little babies. We now have 20 dogs in total, 40 horses and I’m working on [adding] a few miniature cows, too.”
Ángela Aguilar just released her newest album, ‘Nadie Se Va Como Llego,’ and she shares her experience producing her music for the first time, collaborating with Marc Anthony, why she decided to produce, her opinion on speaking up about immigrant rights, working with her husband, Christian Nodal, and more!
What’s your favorite song from Ángela Aguilar’s new album? Let us know in the comments!
Griselda Flores: Hi, I’m Billboard’s Griselda Flores, and I’m joined by singer, songwriter and producer Ángela Aguilar. Ángela, how are you?
Ángela Aguilar: I’m good, good to see you again. That sounds interesting. That’s new for me.
“Producer” is new for you.
“Producer” is new for me.
Yes, and we’re definitely going to talk about that. How are you doing today?
I’m excited. I’m hungry. I am ready to eat.
Yes, so we’re at El Paseo Inn restaurant in La Placita Olvera in LA. Do you have any memories of La Placita Olvera? Because I know you lived between Mexico and the US, but you were born in LA.
Yeah, I was born here. You know, I grew up here, and for me, this was a very important place that I would only take like very special people to go with me because there’s a statue of my grandfather here, and it’s right where he used to sleep on the bench when he was homeless.
No!
Yeah. So it’s very, very important to me to see how much we’ve grown and how much you know our love for Mexican music has continued to nurture different people.
And what about LA? What’s your relationship to LA now?
I was born and raised Angeleno. This is where I studied. This is where I went to school. This is, you know, the city that saw me grow up. But at the same time, it was like 50/50, so I was in Mexico 50% of the time, here 50% of the time.
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Klaine forever. Following Darren Criss‘ historic Tony Award win over the weekend, Chris Colfer shared a sweet message of congratulations on Instagram Monday (June 9), writing that he’s “so proud” of his former onscreen love interest. Posting a photo of himself and his Glee costar holding up the statuette — both men smiling wide into […]
Mau5trap will release the next volume of its long-running We Are Friends compilation albums in 2026, marking the first new edition of the series since 2023 and the first edition since the label partnered with Create Music Group earlier this year. Launched by mau5trap in 2012, the tastemaking We Are Friends has long featured music […]
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Pride is here and we’re celebrating the only way we know how; by shopping the most colorful makeup products on the market.
Whether you’re gearing up for a festival or heading out to the gay bars, we’ve compiled a list of stellar products available now on Amazon to get you ready for whatever Pride events June holds for you. We’ve got big names like Milk Makeup, Saie, Wet N Wild, ColourPop and E.l.f Cosmetics bringing you glitter-packed, color-heavy products like bold liquid eyeshadow, setting spray and a rainbow highlighter that you can wear proudly. Get ready to celebrate your community in style, with a flawless face to boot.
Unicorn Snot Face & Body Glitter in Disco
$14.99
$16.00
6% off
Chunky face and body glitter in a gel formula.
Finally, your insides can match your outsides. If you want to show off your vibrant personality and orientation this Pride, why not start with body glitter? This one from Unicorn Snot works safely on both the face and body. Our favorite colorway is the Disco hue which is jam-packed with cosmetic-grade chunky holographic reflects suspended in a non-toxic gel formula that glides on the sink, leaving a sparkling sheen in its wake.
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Once applied, the glitter gel dries down quickly and doesn’t budge or flake so you can sweat it out dancing at a festival and it will stay put. From raves to bars, this glitter can even be put into your hair, offering a high-shine finish to each strand. To complete your Pride look, we recommend working this into the high points of the face, especially the cheekbones. For a more impactful look, dab some on the shoulders and collarbones.
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Kiko Milano 3d Hydra Lipgloss in 41 Rosy Glares
A moisturizing duochrome lip gloss.
Ultra glossy and hydrating too, Kiko Milano’s 3d Hydra Lipgloss has got it all. We’ve picked out shade 41 Rosy Glares because it’s universally flattering on a multitude of skin tones and it’s filled with glitter perfect for Pride. The formula features duochrome flecks of glitter that offer the lips an otherworldly sparkle without any grittiness. Passionfruit oil works to moisturize, leaving the lips moisturized but never sticky. Finally, the handy flocked applicator is elongated and flexible, perfect for touch-ups on the go. For the best results, we recommend lining the lips with a nude pencil for shape before following up with the gloss.
Saie Glowy Super Gel Lightweight Illuminator in 02 Sunglow
A gel illuminator with skincare ingredients.
Want a “glow from within” kind of sheen to your skin? We do too. Saie’s Glowy Super Gel Illuminator achieves this look in spades, without ever having to step out into the sun. This lightweight gel formula comes in four shades and acts to prime and hydrate the skin. The product is packed with skincare ingredients like rose hip seed oil and vitamin C for brightness and plant-derived glycerin to boost your hydration that leaves your skin looking and feeling its best.
Simply used on its own, the gel offers a nice wash over light color for a healthy-looking makeup-free sheen. Pro tip, you can use this product beneath your foundation or tinted moisturizer to give your base a glowy finish. You can also mix the product into your foundation for more impactful results.
Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Set + Refresh Setting Spray
A moisturizing facial setting spray with hyaluronic acid.
If you’re a seasoned Pride festival attendee, you’ll know how hot it can be. Which means sweating is inevitable. In order to keep your glam looking its best upon first application and hours later, you’ll want to grab Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip Set + Refresh Setting Spray. This spray locks your glam in place, combatting against the sweat and heat for up to 12 hours. Not only does this setting spray to keep your makeup in place, but it also keeps it looking fresh thanks to its hydrating properties. It’s all about the ingredients. The product’s hyaluronic acid and niacinamide boost hydration, while the added hemp seed oil locks in moisture, keeping skin looking glowy even after hours of partying.
Wet N Wild Fantasy Makers Color Icon Rainbow Highlighter
A rainbow pressed powder highlighter.
We implore you to wear your pride on your cheeks this Pride with help from Wet N Wild. This ultra-colorful pressed powder highlighter went viral back in 2016 for its color payoff that looks more natural than meets the eye rather than a stripe of color on the cheek. Although the colors in the pan look intimidating, once you swirl your brush into the product and swipe onto the skin, you’re left with a uniform iridescent sheen in bluish-purple hues.
If you’re looking for that highlighter rainbow look, you can take a fluffy eyeshadow brush and work it through the intended colors one by one, applying it to the cheek before blending together for a less uniform rainbow sheen. Whatever application you choose, each color is meant to mix to create a sheen that you can see from space.
E.L.F. Liquid Metallic Eyeshadow in Little Dipper
$3.00
$6.00
50% off
A sparkling liquid eyeshadow in a pinkish purple hue.
Sparkling eyeshadow is a must during Pride. This E.l.f. liquid shadow is a metallic dream, and it’s just $3. The brand features eight different blinding hues that offer impactful color payoff in just one swipe. Our favorite shade is Little Dipper, a pinkish-purple shadow with fine glitter flecks that make the eyes look like bright stars. Plus the doe foot allows for precise application every time. These shadows are creamy and blendable but dry down in moments, meant to last long into the night. Each shade is buildable, allowing you to take your look from drag brunch to the club in seconds.
ColourPop Fade Into Hue Eyeshadow Palette
A multi-colored pressed eyeshadow palette with matte, shimmer and glitter finishes.
Nothing screams Pride more than rainbow hues. This Colourpop Fade Into Hue palette has pretty much everything you need to create the perfect eye look. You’ve got mattes, shimmers and glitters in impactful hues of the rainbow from pink to purple and everything in between. Mattes are blendable and pigmented while the shimmers offer a subtle but buildable sheen perfect to illuminate the inner corners or brow bone. Finally, the glitters are chunkier than the shimmers, offering a more impactful shine when patted on the center of the lids.
Just days after performing the Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” with Olivia Rodrigo at New York’s Governors Ball over the weekend David Byrne announced his 11th solo album, Who Is the Sky? The follow-up to Byrne’s 2018 LP American Utopia is due out on Sept. 5 via Matador Records.
Produced by Kid Harpoon (Miley Cyrus, Harry Styles), the 12-track album will feature collaborations with Paramore’s Hayley Williams, St. Vincent and The Smile drummer Tom Skinner, with arrangements by the New York chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra. Byrne previewed the album on Tuesday (June 10) with a video for the universalist anthem about the emotions and feelings we all share.
“Everybody laughs and everybody cries/ Everybody lives and everybody dies/ Everybody eats and everybody loves/ Everybody knows what everybody does,” Byrne sings over strummed acoustic guitar and a bouncy rhythm in the clip in which the camera scoots from left to right as dozens of people act out the lyrics and bust into an impromptu marching band performance when they’re not dancing with selfie sticks.
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“Someone I know said, ‘David, you use the word “everybody” a lot.’ I suppose I do that to give an anthropological view of life in New York as we know it,” said Byrne in a statement announcing the album and the single. “Everybody lives, dies, laughs, cries, sleeps and stares at the ceiling. Everybody’s wearing everybody else’s shoes, which not everybody does, but I have done. I tried to sing about these things that could be seen as negative in a way balanced by an uplifting feeling from the groove and the melody, especially at the end, when St. Vincent and I are doing a lot of hollering and singing together. Music can do that – hold opposites simultaneously. I realized that when singing with Robyn earlier this year. Her songs are often sad, but the music is joyous.”
Producer Kid Harpoon (born Tom Hull) added, “It took me a second to realize, oh yeah, these songs are personal, but with David’s unique perspective on life in general. Walking around New York listening to the demo of ‘Everybody Laughs’ was so joyous, because it made me feel like we’re all the same – we all laugh, cry and sing. The thing about David that resonates with a lot of people is that he’s in on the joke. He gets the absurdity of it all, and all of these personal observations are his perspective on it.”
Byrne said there are “more story songs than usual” on the new album, tracks he describes as “mini-narratives based on personal experience including “She Explains Things to Me,” “A Door Called No,” “My Apartment Is My Friend” and “I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party.” The “jaunty” song with Paramore’s Williams, “What Is the Reason For It?,” is focused on codifying “love in a way logic can rarely accomplish.”
“Does it do something useful?/ Nobody understands,” goes one line from the song.
“I suspected that intimate orchestral arrangements would bring out the emotion I sense is there in these songs,” Byrne said. “It’s something that folks don’t always hear in my work, but this time for sure I thought it was there. At the same time, I also see myself as someone who aspires to be accessible. I imagined that Kid Harpoon would help with that, as well as being a set of trusted ears, since there was a lot going on. People think of producers as people who mainly make a record sound good, and Kid Harpoon did that, but he was also aware of how important the storytelling is.”
The collaboration with St. Vincent comes more than a decade after the two musicians teamed up for the 2012 album Love This Giant.
Among the other contributors to the LP are American Utopia percussionist Mauro Refosco, who has toured and recorded with Byrne for more than three decades. “At my age, at least for me, there’s a ‘don’t give a s–t about what people think’ attitude that kicks in,” Byrne said. “I can step outside my comfort zone with the knowledge that I kind of know who I am by now and sort of know what I’m doing. That said, every new set of songs, every song even, is a new adventure. There’s always a bit of, ‘how do I work this?’ I’ve found that not every collaboration works, but often when they do, it’s because I’m able to clearly impart what it is I’m trying to do. They hopefully get that, and as a result, we’re now joined together heading to the same unknown place.”
Byrne will hit the road with a new live show featuring a 13-person troupe of musicians and dancers to support the album on a world tour slated to kick off on Sept. 14 at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence, R.I.
Watch the “Everybody Laughs” video and check out the Who Is the Sky? tracklist and Byrne’s 2025-2026 tour dates below.
Who Is the Sky? track list:
“Everybody Laughs”
“When We Are Singing”
“My Apartment Is My Friend”
“A Door Called No”
“What Is the Reason for It?”
“I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party”
“Don’t Be Like That”
“The Avant Garde”
“Moisturizing Thing”
“I’m an Outsider”
“She Explains Things to Me”
“The Truth”
North America 2025 tour dates:
Sept. 14: Providence, RI @ Veterans Memorial Auditorium
Sept. 16: Pittsburgh, PA @ Benedum Center PAC
Sept. 17: Columbus, OH @ Mershon Auditorium
Sept. 19: Akron, OH @ Akron Civic Theatre
Sept. 21: Schenectady, NY @ Proctors
Sept. 23: Syracuse, NY @ Landmark Theatre
Sept. 25: Buffalo, NY @ Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
Sept. 27: Washington D.C. @ The Anthem
Sept. 28: Washington D.C. @ The Anthem
Sept. 30: New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
Oct. 1: New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
Oct. 3: Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
Oct. 4: Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
Oct. 7: Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre
Oct. 8: Portland, ME @ Merrill Auditorium at City Hall
Oct. 10: New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
Oct. 14: Richmond, VA @ Altria Theater
Oct. 16: Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
Oct. 17: Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
Oct. 21: Toronto, ON, Canada @ Massey Hall
Oct. 22: Toronto, ON, Canada @ Massey Hall
Oct. 25: Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
Oct. 28: Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
Oct. 29: Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
Oct. 31: Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
Nov. 3: Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
Nov. 4: Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
Nov. 6: Denver, CO @ Bellco Theatre
Nov. 7: Denver, CO @ Bellco Theatre
Nov. 11: Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
Nov. 12: Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
Nov. 16: San Francisco, CA @ The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Nov. 17: San Francisco, CA @ The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Nov. 20: Los Angeles, CA @ Dolby Theatre
Nov. 21: Los Angeles, CA @ Dolby Theatre
Nov. 25: Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
Nov. 26: Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
Nov. 28: Dallas, TX @ Music Hall at Fair Park
Nov. 29: Dallas, TX @ Music Hall at Fair Park
Dec. 2: Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
Dec. 3: Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
Dec. 5: Miami, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
Dec. 6: Miami, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
2026 Australia & New Zealand dates:
Jan. 14: Auckland, New Zealand @ Spark Arena
Jan. 17: Brisbane, Australia @ Brisbane Entertainment Center
Jan. 21: Sydney, Australia @ ICC Sydney Theatre
Jan. 22: Melbourne, Australia @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Jan. 24: Adelaide, Australia @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena
Jan. 27: Perth, Australia @ RAC Arena
2026 Europe & United Kingdom dates:
Feb. 12: Berlin, Germany @ Tempodrom
Feb. 15: Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live
Feb. 16: Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live
Feb. 18: Brussels, Belgium @ Forest National
Feb. 21: Milan, Italy @ Teatro degli Arcimboldi
Feb. 22: Milan, Italy @ Teatro degli Arcimboldi
Feb. 24: Frankfurt, Germany @ Jahrhunderthalle
Feb. 27: Zurich, Switzerland @ The Hall
March 2: Cardiff, UK @ Utilita Arena
March 3: London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
March 4: London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
March 6: Glasgow, UK @ SEC Armadillo
March 7: Glasgow, UK @ SEC Armadillo
March 9: Manchester, UK @ o2 Apollo
March 10: Manchester, UK @ o2 Apollo
March 13: Dublin, Ireland @ 3Arena
March 15: London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
March 18: Paris, France @ La Seine Musicale
March 19: Paris, France @ La Seine Musicale
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Threw 6 Mafia are set to join forces for the Thuggish-Ruggish-Mafia Tour later this year.
The 24-city North American trek is set to kick off on Aug. 21 in Arkansas and then make stops in Indianapolis, St. Louis, New York, New Jersey, Virginia Beach, Charlotte, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Tampa Bay, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Phoenix before wrapping up in California on Oct. 4.
DJ Quik and Tech N9ne are slated to serve as special guests on the amphitheater tour. Artist pre-sale tickets are currently on sale, while the general public will have their chance on Friday (June 13). Various VIP packages are also slated to be available.
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All five members of Bone Thugs will be on the tour (Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Flesh-n-Bone) alongside Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul and Juicy J.
Trending on Billboard
“WE GOIN ON TOUR!! @three6mafia THE THUGGISH-RUGGISH-MAFIA TOUR ‼️LETSSSS GOOOOOOO Bone Thugs-N-Harmony x THREE 6 MAFIA x TECH N9NE x DJ Quik,” Juicy wrote on IG. “Tix on sale this Friday, June 13th @ 10AM local.”
Plenty of fans were hyped at the announcement, in addition to some of the rappers’ peers. “This big,” Curren$y wrote, although some voiced their frustration about no hometown shows scheduled for Memphis (Three 6) or Cleveland (Bone Thugs) on the trek. “How yall touring with Bone and not hitting Cleveland,” a fan asked.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony solidified their reunion with the release of “Tha Crossroads” crew’s comeback single “Aww Shit” in April, which marked the Cleveland icons’ first full collaboration since 2010.
Find all of the dates for the Thuggish-Ruggish-Mafia Tour below.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
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Aug. 21 – Rogers, Ark. @ Walmart AMPAug. 23 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park^Aug. 24 – Clarkston, Mich. @ Pine Knob Music TheatreAug. 28 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Hollywood Casino AmphitheaterAug. 29 – Tinley Park, Ill. @ Credit Union 1 AmphitheatreAug. 31 – Darien Center, N.Y. @ Darien Lake AmphitheaterSept. 4 – Wantagh, N.Y. @ Northwell at Jones Beach TheaterSept. 5 – Camden, N.J. @ Freedom Mortgage PavilionSept. 6 – Holmdel, N.J. @ PNC Bank Arts CenterSept. 7 – Virginia Beach, Va. @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia BeachSept. 10 – Charlotte, N.C. @ PNC Music PavilionSept. 12 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Ascend AmphitheaterSept. 13 – Huntsville, Ala. @ Orion AmphitheaterSept. 14 – Alpharetta, Ga. @ Ameris Bank AmphitheatreSept. 18 – Jacksonville, Fla. @ Daily’s PlaceSept. 19 – West Palm Beach, Fla. @ iTHINK Financial AmphitheatreSept. 20 – Tampa, Fla. @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the FL State FairgroundsSept. 25 – Dallas, Tx. @ Dos Equis PavilionSept. 27 – Austin, Tx. @ Germania Insurance AmphitheaterSept. 28 – Houston, Tx. @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Sponsored by HuntsmanOct. 2 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Talking Stick Resort AmphitheatreOct. 3 – Chula Vista, Calif. @ North Island Credit Union AmphitheatreOct. 4 – Concord, Calif. @ Toyota Pavilion at Concord
A motion for a mistrial in the Sean “Diddy” Combs sex trafficking trial has been denied by a federal judge.
Attorneys for the embattled hip hop mogul had argued that prosecutors knowingly introduced false testimony by Bryana Bongolan – the witness who claimed last week that Combs dangled her from a 17-story balcony in 2016.
But at the start of Tuesday’s proceedings, Judge Arun Subramanian said the alleged issue did not rise to the level of a trial-ending error: “This is not fodder for a mistrial. This is the adversarial process at work,” Subramanian said from the bench, according to ABC.
Combs is standing trial on racketeering and sex trafficking charges over accusations that he ran a sprawling criminal operation aimed at facilitating freak-offs — elaborate events which he allegedly forced his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and other women to have sex with male escorts while he watched and masturbated.
Prosecutors also say the star and his associates used violence, money and blackmail to keep victims silent and under his control. (Read Billboard‘s full explainer of the case against Diddy here.) Combs had pleaded not guilty; if convicted on all of the charges, he faces a potential sentence of life in prison.
Trending on Billboard
With the case halfway through a trial expected to run eight weeks, Diddy’s defense team moved for a mistrial based on Bongolan’s testimony about the balcony incident, one of the flashiest accusations in the case.
In a motion filed Saturday, the star’s lawyers said prosecutors had presented jurors with “demonstrably false” evidence during her time on the stand. Bongolan testified that she took photos of her injuries from the attack on September 26, 2016, but defense attorneys said they had hotel receipts showing Diddy was in New York from Sept. 24 to 29 of that year.
“The government knew or should have known this testimony was perjured, and that Ms. Bongolan could not possibly have been injured by Mr. Combs on a Los Angeles balcony in the early morning hours of September 26, or even the day before that,” his lawyers wrote in the motion, also claiming that Bongolan had committed perjury.
Prosecutors did not respond with a written filing of their own, but they argued in court last week that the attack could have happened before the September 24and that Bongolan merely documented it later. Presented with the receipts and subject to withering cross examination, Bongolan stood by her story but admitted that she was unsure of the date.
Following Tuesday’s denial, the trial will continue on with more testimony from prosecution witnesses. The most recent is “Jane,” a former girlfriend who testified last week and Monday that Diddy physically, sexually and psychologically abused her. She is facing cross-examination during Tuesday’s proceedings.
