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Blake Shelton returned to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday (May 13), delivering a rousing live performance of his current single “Texas,” just days after releasing his new album For Recreational Use Only, which arrived May 9 via BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville.
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Accompanied by his longtime band, Shelton performed the rollicking, guitar-driven track, which chronicles a free-spirited woman who’s vanished from the narrator’s life, and is, in all likelihood, somewhere in Texas.
The track is the lead single from For Recreational Use Only, Shelton’s first full-length studio album in seven years. The 12-song collection includes collaborations with Gwen Stefani, John Anderson, and Craig Morgan, alongside tracks written by acclaimed songwriters Sarah Buxton, Zach Crowell, Shane McAnally, Greylan James, Pat McLaughlin and Bobby Pinson. The album also reunites Shelton with longtime producer Scott Hendricks.
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Before his performance, Shelton sat down with Jimmy Fallon and revealed that collaborating with Post Malone helped reignite his creative spark.
“Post Malone kind of got me, a fire lit under me,” Shelton said, referencing their duet “Pour Me a Drink.” “You know, it’s been four years since I put out a record… And just being around him, you can’t be around that guy without having a good time. He’s just so excited about everything.” Shelton added that the experience pushed him back into the studio.
“I was like, ‘Man, what am I doing? I need to make a record.’ He had me fired up again.” As for Malone’s country pivot, Shelton didn’t hold back: “Now he’s, like, doing the country thing. I don’t want him to go back to anything else. I just want him to do country music.”
Following “Texas,” Shelton released a brand-new song, “Let Him In Anyway,” a spiritual-minded ballad written by HARDY, Ben Hayslip and Jordan Schmidt. The song paints a redemptive picture of a man asking for divine forgiveness on behalf of a friend who “never fully went all-in on redemption.”
For Recreational Use Only marks Shelton’s first album under BMG Nashville, following his departure from Warner Music Nashville after a two-decade run.
Queens of the Stone Age have announced the release of their unique live performance in the Catacombs of Paris as a concert film and album.
Recorded in July 2024 and set to be released on June 6 via Matador Records/Remote Control Records, the unique performance saw the rock outfit head beneath the surface of Paris to perform within the sprawling 200-mile ossuary. According to a description of the location, its foundation is built out of “several million bodies buried in the 1700s,” with many of the walls composed of skulls and bones.
Frontman Josh Homme had dreamed of organizing such a performance since visiting almost two decades earlier, though was denied permission by the city of Paris, who had never previously allowed a band to play within. However, the respect the band held for the location ultimately resulted in their performance officially being sanctioned.
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“The Catacombs of Paris are a fertile ground for the imagination,” said Hélène Furminieux of Les Catacombes de Paris. “It is important to us that artists take hold of this universe and offer a sensitive interpretation of it. Going underground and confronting reflections on death can be a deeply intense experience.
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“Josh seems to have felt in his body and soul the full potential of this place. The recordings resonate perfectly with the mystery, history, and a certain introspection, notably perceptible in the subtle use of the silence within the Catacombs.”
The unique nature of the location results in Homme and his bandmates – Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita and Jon Theodore – being backed by three-piece string section as they perform a stripped-back set planned and played with deference to the Catacombs.
Recorded live with no overdubs or edits, the performance is paired with the acoustic ambience of dripping water, echoes and natural resonance as atmospheric lighting spotlights the band.
“We’re so stripped down because that place is so stripped down, which makes the music so stripped down, which makes the words so stripped down,” Homme explains. “It would be ridiculous to try to rock there. All those decisions were made by that space. That space dictates everything, it’s in charge. You do what you’re told when you’re in there.”
Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs will be available to rent or purchase via the band’s website, with an audio-only release to be announced in the coming weeks.
Notably, this isn’t Queens of the Stone Age’s first subterranean gig, with the group previously performing 2,300 feet underground at German salt mine, Erlebnisbergwerk Sondershausen, in November 2007. Originally planned for wider release, the semi-acoustic performance is yet to see the light of day, with the band’s split with Interscope Records assumed by fans to be the reason for its indefinite delay.
Some of Australia’s biggest musical exports are up for high-profile honors at this year’s AIR Awards, set to be handed out on July 31 at the Adelaide Town Hall in South Australia.
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Leading the charge in this year’s event are the likes of Royel Otis, who are up for four awards, just one year after being named breakthrough independent artist of the year at the 2024 edition. This year sees them up for the likes of best independent rock album or EP, independent album of the year, and independent marketing team of the year.
Royel Otis will be in fine company, sharing the former two categories with both Amyl and the Sniffers and King Stingray. Amyl, meanwhile, are also up for independent song of the year for “U Should Not Be Doing That,” which recently took out song of the year at the APRA Music Awards last month.
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Other well-represented artists at this year’s ceremony are Emily Wurramara, Confidence Man and Alice Ivy, who are up for four awards each, with the latter pair in contention for best independent dance, electronica or club single and Best Independent Dance or Electronica Album or EP. Acts such as Indigenous hip-hop supergroup 3%, Gut Health, and others are also hoping to take home multiples at the event.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to recognise the work the independent music industry does in providing talented and emerging artists and music businesses with a platform to share their art with a wider audience,” commented South Australian minister for arts, Andrea Michaels MP.
Officially known as the Australian Independent Record Awards, the awards were first established in 2006 as an effort to “recognise, promote, and celebrate the success of Australia’s Independent Music sector.” This year also features a new category, with independent mix, studio or mastering engineer of the year set to be handed out at the July ceremony for the first time.
Some of Australia’s biggest musical exports have been recognized by the AIRs in recent years, including RVG, who took home last year’s best independent album for Brain Worms, and Jem Cassar-Daley, whose “King of Disappointment” was named best independent single/EP.
2025 AIR Awards Nominations
Best Independent Blues And Roots Album or EPEmma Donovan – Til My Song Is DoneLittle Quirks – Little QuirksMia Dyson – Tender HeartQueenie – New MoultSteph Strings – Cradle Mountain
Best Independent Hip Hop Album or EP3% – Kill The DeadDobby – Warrangu; River StoryLithe – What Would You Do?Miss Kaninna – KaninnaZiggy Ramo – Human?
Best Independent Country Album or EPHenry Wagons – The Four SeasonsKasey Chambers – BackboneLane Pittman – Lane PittmanMichael Waugh – Beauty & TruthThe Whitlams Black Stump – Kookaburra
Best Independent Jazz Album or EPClaire Cross – Sleep CycleLucy Clifford – Between Spaces Of KnowingMolly Lewis – On The LipsParvyn – MaujudaSam Anning – Earthen
Best Independent Classical Album or EPAustralian Chamber Orchestra – Memoir Of A SnailElectric Fields X Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – Live In ConcertKatie Noonan & Karin Schaupp – Songs Of The Southern Skies Vol 2Nat Bartsch – Forever ChangedSimon Mavin – Some Days EP
Best Independent Children’s Album or EPBunny Racket – PowerEmma Memma – Twirly TunesTeeny Tiny Stevies – The Green AlbumThe Quokkas – Songs For Silly BilliesThe Wiggles – The Wiggles Sound System: Rave Of Innocence
Best Independent Dance, Electronica or Club SingleAlice Ivy – Do I Need To Know What Love Is? Feat. Josh TeskeyConfidence Man – I Can’t Lose YouHaiku Hands – KicksMoktar – Haraka ’حركة’Odd Mob – Vertigo Feat. Ed Graves
Best Independent Punk Album or EPDon’t Thank Me, Spank Me! – Don’t Thank Me, Spank Me!Dune Rats – If It Sucks, Turn It UpGut Health – StilettoRadio Free Alice – PolyesterRegurgitator – Invader
Best Independent Heavy Album or EPNorthlane – Mirror’s EdgeOcean Grove – OddworldRedhook – MutationThe Amity Affliction – Let The Ocean Take Me (Redux)The Southern River Band – D.I.Y
Best Independent Dance or Electronica Album or EP1tbsp – Megacity1000Alice Ivy – Do What Makes You HappyConfidence Man – 3am (La La La)Ninajirachi – Girl EdmPnau – Hyperbolic
Best Independent Rock Album or EPAmyl And The Sniffers – Cartoon DarknessKing Stingray – For The DreamsParty Dozen – Crime In AustraliaRoyel Otis – Pratts & PainThe Rions – Happiness In A Place It Shouldn’t Be
Best Independent Soul/Rnb Album or EPBeckah Amani – This Is How I Remember It.Don West – Don WestElla Thompson – Ripple On The WingMilan Ring – MangosRadical Son – Bilambiyal
Best Independent Pop Album or EPAnnie Hamilton – Stop And Smell The LightningAsha Jefferies – Ego RideEmma Russack – About The GirlGood Morning – Good Morning SevenSheppard – Zora
Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year – Presented By PPCA3%Gut HealthMiss KaninnaQueenieThe Dreggs
Independent Song of the YearAlice Ivy – Do I Need To Know What Love Is? Feat. Josh TeskeyAmyl And The Sniffers – U Should Not Be Doing ThatJem Cassar-Daley – Big ContainerOcean Alley – TangerineSycco – Meant To Be
Independent Album of the YearAmyl And The Sniffers – Cartoon DarknessEmily Wurramara – NaraKing Stingray – For The DreamsRoyel Otis – Pratts & PainThe Dreggs – Caught In A Reverie
Best Independent LabelABC MusicDinosaur CityEtcetc.I Oh YouImpressed Recordings
Independent Marketing Team of the YearABC Music, The Annex – Emily Wurramara, NaraFuture Classic, The Annex – Sycco, ZorbGyrostream – Lithe, Fall BackI Oh You, Mushroom Music – Confidence Man, 3am (La La La)Ourness, The Annex – Royel Otis, Pratts & Pain
Independent Publicity Team of the YearI Oh You, Mushroom Music – Confidence Man, 3am (La La La)Liz Ansley – Emily Wurramara, NaraSuper Duper – Radio Free Alice, PolyesterThinking Loud – Royel Otis, Pratts & PainTwnty Three Pr – The Rions, Happiness In A Place It Shouldn’t Be
Independent Music Video of the YearClaudia Sangiorgi Dalimore – Emily Wurramara, Lordy Lordy Ft. Tasman KeithNick Rae, Jordan Ruyi Blanch – 3%, Won’t Stop Feat. Jessica MauboyPond – Pond, (I’m) Stung!Rosemary Whatmuff – Kasey Chambers, Backbone (The Desert Child)Stephanie Jane Day – Emma Russack, Everything Is Big
Independent Producer of the YearAlice Ivy – Do What Makes You HappyBonnie Knight – Coldwave, The Ants/Italia ’06Dave Hammer – Lime Cordiale, Enough Of The Sweet TalkNick Didia – Ocean Alley, TangerineNina Wilson – Ninajirachi, Girl Edm
Independent Mix, Studio or Mastering Engineer of the YearNick Herrera – Miss Kaninna, KaninnaRobert Muinos – Rowena Wise, Senseless Acts Of BeautyRohan Sforcina, Lachlan Carrick – Emma Donovan, Til My Song Is DoneSteven Schram – Crowded House, Gravity StairsTom Iansek – Tom Snowdon, Lonely Tree
Halle Bailey has been granted a restraining order against DDG, her ex-boyfriend and the father of her 1-year-old son, Billboard can confirm.
TMZ was first to report Tuesday (May 13) that the 25-year-old singer/actress had filed a police report against the 27-year-old streamer and rapper and requested court-ordered protection, claiming he had attacked her multiple times.
In court documents obtained by Billboard, Bailey alleged “things got physical” starting in January, when DDG (real name Darryl Dwayne Granberry Jr.) came over to pick up their then-13-month-old son Halo and she initiated a conversation about scheduling his visits.
Bailey claims that as she was buckling Halo into his car seat in the back of Granberry’s car, he yelled, “Get out of my car, bi—.” At that point, she alleges, Halo started crying, making her nervous to leave the baby with him in his agitated state. When she stayed in the car, she alleges that Granberry pulled her hair, slammed her face on the steering wheel and chipped her tooth. After they arrived at Granberry’s family’s house, Bailey says she told his family what happened and left the baby with them.
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Bailey attached photos of her alleged injuries, including her chipped tooth, to the restraining order request.
In the docs, Bailey went on to detail two more alleged incidents of abuse: one in March, which she says she filed a police report over, and one this past weekend, when she says Granberry accused her of vacationing with Brent Faiyaz in a series of texts while she was on a Mother’s Day trip with their son and her mother.
Granberry announced the couple had split in October 2024, ending their two-year relationship.
“This decision was not easy, but we believe it’s the best path forward for both of us. I cherish the time we’ve spent together and the love we’ve shared,” he wrote on his Instagram Story at the time. The following month, Bailey shared in a since-deleted X post that she felt “extremely upset” when Granberry brought Halo with him during an “unapproved” appearance on Kai Cenat’s live stream. She later backpedaled, writing, “maybe i did overreact…. i know that halo is always safe with his dad. i just don’t like finding out with the rest of the world what my baby is doing.”
Shortly after those tweets, Granberry came to Bailey’s defense in a YouTube video in which he implored negative commenters to leave her alone, citing her transparency over her struggles with postpartum depression. “When situations like this happen, I try to handle it with as much grace as possible because Halo needs her. I need her,” he said at the time. “We need each other to try to create a childhood that’s safe, fun and memorable for him.” But in March, Granberry aired his grievances over their custody issues in a song titled “Don’t Take My Son.”
In the restraining order request, Bailey also requested permission to take Halo with her while she travels to Italy to film a movie, where she will have family and a traveling nanny to help care for him. She also asked the judge for a cease-and-desist order to prevent Granberry from “posting and/or streaming on any and all platforms about Halo and/or me. He is a YouTube and Twitch Blogger and creates a fan frenzy by making false claims about me. This has caused me to feel afraid and victimized. His fans then threaten me. I am often scared for my life and Halo’s safety.”
A hearing has been set for June 4 over whether a more permanent restraining order should be put in place.
Representatives for Bailey and Granberry did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s requests for comment.
Author Jillian Lauren, the wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, has been officially charged with two felony counts following a bizarre shootout with police at her Los Angeles home in April. Lauren, whose full name is Jillian Lauren Shriner, pled not guilty during a Tuesday (May 13) court hearing to the charges: discharge of a […]
Live Nation has agreed to a long-term lease for a 5,000-seat venue in downtown Atlanta that will be part of a development around the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena.
Centennial Yards is described by CIM, the developer that has partnered with the City of Atlanta, as a “mixed-used community featuring residential units, retail and entertainment establishments, community gathering spaces and more.” The 50-acre site is expected to have a $5 billion price tag. In addition to the music venue, it will include a 14-story hotel, a two-story food and beverage hall and a Cosm entertainment venue. The development already includes a brewery, loft residences and a 500-foot pedestrian bridge.
Live Nation’s involvement with the development was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
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Concert venues are increasingly popular properties in urban developments centered around the venues of professional sports teams. Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been the home of the Atlanta Falcons since 2017. The Atlanta Hawks basketball team plays at State Farm Arena.
“Every owner of a major sports team that wants to have their new building is not just building a building anymore,” Live Nation president/CFO Joe Berchtold said at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference on Tuesday (May 13). “They’re building an entertainment district around it.”
Centennial Yards is the latest example of concert promoters taking part in developments that aim to revitalize urban areas. Downtown Nashville’s The Pinnacle, a 4,500-capacity music venue operated by AEG Presents, is part of Nashville Yards, owned by real estate developer Southwest Value Partners. Nashville Yards also houses AEG Presents’ regional offices, CAA and, starting in July, Messina Touring Group.
Another massive multi-purpose project getting underway is RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The development currently includes a food hall, a skate park and festival grounds that hosts music festivals and other large gatherings. Berchtold said at the conference that he was in D.C. last week but didn’t mention the RFK project.
Leasing a mid-sized venue in Atlanta will add to Live Nation’s portfolio of venues under its Venue Nation business segment. Venue Nation plans to open 20 additional venues globally in 2025, which it believes will add 7 million incremental fans annually. As of the end of 2024, Live Nation leased 222 venues, owned 32 and operated 67. It has the exclusive booking rights to another 69 venues and owns an equity stake in 4.
OOKA, a futuristic hookah system that uses an innovative pod system for sessions, has a hot new announcement that will be especially good news to those who are fans of CBD. OOKA will be building upon its ongoing partnership with Berner’s Cookies brand and releasing a trio of CBD pods nationwide.
OOKA, manufactured by and distributed by Advanced Inhalation Rituals (AIR), announced the expansion on Tuesday (May 13), and the flavor blends sound delicious. The Cookies CBD pod blends are Apples and Bananas, Melted Sherb, and Berry Pie.
Near the top of the year, Cookies, which specializes in both hemp and other inhalable products, partnered with OOKA to roll out pods that are outfitted with technology ensuring that the session remains favorable and enjoyable. OOKA has both tea-based nicotine options, along with traditional hookah pods.
“We are excited to launch the Cookies x OOKA CBD Pods in the United States, combining OOKA’s cutting-edge, charcoal-free hookah technology with Cookies’ iconic, lifestyle-driven brand,” said Ashley Bock, marketing director of the Americas at AIR. “This collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver our customers with a modern, elevated hookah experience.”
Beyond the Cookies lineup, OOKA also features Al Fakher tobacco pods, its Zodiac line, which is made with tea and molasses, and Pacific Reams CBD pods. Each pod has its temperature modified for the experience via an internal NFC chip, with sessions lasting from 45 minutes to a full hour.
To grab your own OOKA and Cookies CBD pods, click here. To learn more about the OOKA brand, click here.
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Photo: Cookies / OOKA
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Source: Amazon Studios / Fallout
It looks like Prime Video must have a lot of faith in the upcoming second season of Fallout as it’s being reported that the video game turned live-action series has gotten the green light for a third season before the premiere of its second.
According to Deadline, it was announced that Fallout was renewed for a third season way before the premiere of its second season in December 2025 during Prime Video’s upfronts presentation Monday (May 12). A production of Amazon MGM Studios and Kilter Films, Fallout is based on the role-playing video game series from the 1990s, which centers around survivors in a post-apocalyptic world who battle mutants as they do what they can to survive. Naturally, the show developed a healthy fanbase with over 100 million viewers during its first season, and now it seems like Prime is all in on keeping the series going at least for a third season.
Deadline reports:
“We are absolutely thrilled that our global Prime Video customers will be able to delve deeper into the wonderfully surreal and captivating world of Fallout,” said Vernon Sanders, global head of television, Amazon MGM Studios. “Jonah [Nolan], Lisa [Joy], Geneva [Robertson-Dworet], and Graham [Wagner] have done an exceptional job bringing this beloved video game franchise to vivid life on Prime Video. Together with our amazing partners at Bethesda Games and Bethesda Softworks, we are delighted to announce a third season of Fallout, well ahead of the much-anticipated debut of Season Two.”
“The holidays came a little early this year – we are thrilled to be ending the world all over again for a third season of Fallout,” said executive producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. “On behalf of our brilliant cast and crew, our showrunners Geneva and Graham, and our partners at Bethesda, we’re grateful to our incredible collaborators at Amazon MGM Studios and to the amazing fans as we continue our adventures in the wasteland together.”
“We’re so grateful to have survived the apocalypse for another season! Thanks to the incredible team — our whole cast and crew, Kilter, and Amazon,” said Robertson-Dworet and Wagner.
We’re sure the 100 million viewers will be grateful to hear that Fallout will be around for a third season as well.
Are you excited to hear that Fallout will be around for Season 3? Let us know in the comments section below.
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A federal appeals court has kept in place an injunction blocking Florida from enforcing a law that would restrict drag shows in the state, saying the statute likely interferes with First Amendment-protected free speech.
In a lengthy opinion released Tuesday (May 13), two out of three judges on a panel for the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court injunction that bars Florida from enforcing its so-called Protection of Children Act. The statute aimed to prohibit children from attending “lewd” live performances at restaurants and bars, with Governor Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers singling out drag shows in public statements on the law.
A Florida federal judge sided with restaurant chain Hamburger Mary’s in 2023, finding that the law is overly broad and thus tramples on free speech. And in Tuesday’s ruling, two appellate judges — Robin S. Rosenbaum and Nancy G. Abudu — agreed.
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“By providing only vague guidance as to which performances it prohibits, the act wields a shotgun when the First Amendment allows a scalpel at most,” wrote Judge Rosenbaum for the majority.
Tuesday’s ruling means the 2023 injunction will remain in effect for now, and Florida cannot enforce this law while the Hamburger Mary’s lawsuit continues. Discovery has concluded in the case, though a trial date has not been set.
“Obviously, we’re thrilled that the injunction is going to remain in place for the duration of this litigation,” Melissa Stewart, an attorney for Hamburger Mary’s, tells Billboard. “That means that the citizens of Florida will have their First Amendment rights while we finish litigating this case.”
Representatives for the state of Florida did not immediately return requests for comment.
First Amendment law allows governments to restrict “obscene” speech, but only when that speech encompasses “patently offensive” sexual material that appeals to a “prurient interest” and lacks serious artistic or political value.
The Eleventh Circuit majority says that because the Florida law targets an undefined mass of “lewd” shows, it could be used to squash all kinds of constitutionally-protected speech that does not meet the strict “obscenity” standard.
The opinion notes, for example, that a Florida enforcement agency previously revoked one venue’s liquor license after deeming “lewd” a performance in which a drag artist known as “Jimbo” mimicked giving birth to a pile of baloney.
The majority says that while Jimbo’s performance is a “bit odd (and hammy in every sense of the word),” it “cannot be deemed ‘obscene.’”
“One of the act’s sponsors’ stated intent to target ‘Drag Queen Story Time’ also helps show the potential breadth of a term like ‘lewd conduct,’” Judge Rosenbaum wrote. “Of course, one legislator’s interpretation of the act does not an authoritative construction make. But it does betray how much protected speech may fall within the act’s [scope].”
Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat of the Eleventh Circuit disagreed, writing in a dissent that the majority opinion is wrong because it “reads the statute in the broadest possible way.”
Even if Florida’s statute is unclear, Judge Tjoflat continued, the proper remedy would be to ask the Florida Supreme Court to step in and offer an analysis rather than block enforcement completely.
Florida is among a number of red states that have enacted legislation restricting drag performances in recent years. A similar Tennessee law was also blocked by a judge in 2023, though the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated it a year later.
Sandra Oh, Brenda Song, Jon M. Chu, Laufey and more shared life lessons with those pursuing their dreams during a camera-lens signing on the Gold Gala red carpet. Daniel Dae Kim: A lesson I’d like to give the next generation. Tayme Thapthimthong: I guess I’m an example of someone who you know I came from, […]
