State Champ Radio Music
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Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” was the earworm of 2024, an inescapable pop smash that miraculously retained its charm even after hundreds of listens. But did you ever think a scholarly look at the song would win a Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award?
One just did. The 2025 Virgil Thomson Award for outstanding music criticism in the pop music field is presented to Dan Charnas for his Slate article “The Musical History Lesson Buried Beneath the Song of the Summer.” ASCAP says the article looks at “the popular but ‘nameless’ musical genre that is the foundation” for Carpenter’s smash. (For the record, the song, which Carpenter co-wrote with Amy Allen, Steph Jones and Julian Bunetta, ranked fourth on Billboard’s 2024 Song of the Summer chart.)
The winners of the 56th annual ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards were announced Thursday (Oct. 30). Awards are presented for outstanding books, articles, liner notes and broadcast programs on the subject of music. Established in 1967 to honor the memory of composer, critic and former ASCAP president Deems Taylor, the awards are made possible by the support of the Virgil Thomson Foundation.
Here are this year’s other winners:
Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award recipients for articles published in 2024:
The award for an article in the pop music field goes to Robert Michael Marovich for his article on the prolific Black songwriter Ted Jarrett, “The Black Songwriter Who Took Nashville by Storm,” published by Zocalo Public Square.
The award for an article in the concert music field goes to Jonathan Kregor for his article “Remembering Clara Wieck in Vienna: Gender, Genius, and Genre in the Post-Beethoven Biedermeier,” published in Women’s Agency in Schubert’s Vienna.
The award for outstanding music criticism in the concert music field is presented to Kevin Bartig for his article, “Olin Downes and the Soviets,” published by the Journal of the American Musicological Society.
A runner-up award in the above category goes to Andy Zax for “Extinctophonics: The Game of Jim,” published in Third Man Records & Books’ Maggot Brain.
Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Broadcast/Media Award in pop music:
Director Alex Stapleton, writer Stephen Witt and producer Philip Byron for their documentary, How Music Got Free. The Paramount+ film tells the story of how technology-driven disruption changed music in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Additional producers included Marshall “Eminem” Mathers, LeBron James, Paul Rosenberg, Maverick Carter, Jamal Henderson, Steve Berman, James Chapman, Bruce Gillmer, John Janick, Dan Sacks, Bridgette Theriault, James Thayer, Naomi Wright, Steve Stoute, Anthony Seyler, Stevenson Waite, Michael Maniaci and Malik Johnson.
Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Broadcast/Media Award in concert music:
Producer David Osenberg for the weekly program “Sounds Choral,” a production of WWFM, The Classical Network. The program explores the choral art form and is hosted by a rotating roster of choral conductors, composers and scholars including Ryan Brandau, Gabriel Crouch, Jason Max Ferdinand, Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek, Christopher Jackson, James Jordan, Amanda Quist, Steven Sametz, Deborah Simpkin-King and Ethan Sperry.
ASCAP Foundation Paul Williams “Loved the Liner Notes” Award:
Lauren Du Graf for “Alice Coltrane: The Artist in Ascension” from The Carnegie Hall Concert on Impulse Records.
Runner-up awards in the above category are also given to Elizabeth Nelson for “Hours in the Colosseum: Notes on the 1974 Tour” from The 1974 Live Recordings by Bob Dylan & The Band on Sony Legacy and Shana L. Redmond for Paul Robeson – Voice of Freedom: His Complete Columbia, RCA, HMV and Victor Recordings on Sony Classical.
The “Loved the Liner Notes” Award was established in 2016 and is funded by ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams.
Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Book Awards in pop music:
Joe Boyd for And the Roots of Rhythm Remain, a history of music from all over the world that influenced jazz, rhythm & blues and rock ‘n’ roll, published by Faber & Faber
Brian Wright for The Bastard Instrument: A Cultural History of the Electric Bass, published by University of Michigan Press.
A runner-up award in this category goes to Sheila Curran Bernard for Bring Judgment Day: Reclaiming Lead Belly’s Truths from Jim Crow’s Lies, published by Cambridge University Press.
Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Book Award in concert music:
David Suisman for Instrument of War: Music and the Making of America’s Soldiers, published by University of Chicago Press.
A runner-up award in this category goes to Mikel Rouse for The World Got Away: A Memoir, published by University of Illinois Press.
More information about The ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awards is available at their site.
Trending on Billboard Carrie Underwood has hit a new career milestone: She’s been named the highest Recording Industry Association of America-certified female country artist of all time, with over 95 million units (22.5 million in albums and 72.5 million in singles) in the United States alone, inclusive of solo titles and collaborations. Among Underwood’s RIAA […]
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Morgan Wallen is set to bring his high-octane, hit-filled show to 11 cities in 2026, when his 21-date Still The Problem Tour 2026 launching on April 10 in Minneapolis.
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Wallen’s new tour will visit stadiums in Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Pittsburgh, among other stops. He will play two nights in most locations and will play three major college football stadiums, including Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Michigan’s Michigan Stadium and one night only at Alabama’s Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The 19x Billboard Music Awards winner is bringing with him a top-shelf, rotating lineup of openers, including Brooks & Dunn, HARDY, Ella Langley and Thomas Rhett as direct support, Gavin Adcock, Flatland Cavalry and Hudson Westbrook as second-of-four and Jason Scott & The High Heat, Zach John King, Vincent Mason and Blake Whiten as first-of-four.
Still The Problem is inspired by Wallen’s I‘m The Problem album, which released May 16, 2025 on Big Loud/Mercury Records and spent 12 non-consecutive weeks atop the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart, becoming Wallen’s third consecutive album to spend at least 10 weeks at the pinnacle of the Billboard 200.
Like previous Wallen tours, a portion of each ticket sold will benefit his Morgan Wallen Foundation, which supports programs for youth in sports and music. With those donations, the Morgan Wallen Foundation contributed more than $600,000 worth of instruments to schools across U.S. touring cities in 2025.
Pre-sale registration for Still The Problem Tour is open now through Nov. 6 at 10 p.m. local time at StillTheProblem.com. Public on-sale begins on Friday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. local time.
See the full list of Wallen’s Still The Problem Tour 2026 dates below:
April 10: Minneapolis, Minn. @ U.S. Bank Stadium w/ Thomas Rhett, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason
April 11: Minneapolis, Minn. @ U.S. Bank Stadium w/ HARDY, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason
April 18: Tuscaloosa, Ala. @ Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Vincent Mason, Zach John King
May 1: Las Vegas, Nev. @ Allegiant Stadium w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason
May 2: Las Vegas, Nev. @ Allegiant Stadium w/ Thomas Rhett, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason
May 8: Indianapolis, Ind. @ Lucas Oil Stadium w/ Brooks & Dunn, Hudson Westbrook, Zach John King
May 9: Indianapolis, Ind. @ Lucas Oil Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Flatland Cavalry, Zach John King
May 15: Gainesville, Fla. @ Ben Hill Griffin Stadium w/ Thomas Rhett, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King
May 16: Gainesville, Fla. @ Ben Hill Griffin Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King
May 29: Denver, Colo. @ Empower Field at Mile High w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason
May 30: Denver, Colo. @ Empower Field at Mile High w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Vincent Mason
June 5: Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Acrisure Stadium w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King
June 6: Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Acrisure Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King
June 19: Chicago, Ill. @ Soldier Field w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King
June 20: Chicago, Ill. @ Soldier Field w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Zach John King
July 17: Baltimore, Md. @ M&T Bank Stadium w/ Brooks & Dunn, Gavin Adcock, Jason Scott & The High Heat
July 18: Baltimore, Md. @ M&T Bank Stadium w/ Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock, Jason Scott & The High Heat
July 24: Ann Arbor, Mich. @ Michigan Stadium w/ Thomas Rhett, Hudson Westbrook, Blake Whiten
July 25: Ann Arbor, Mich. @ Michigan Stadium w/ HARDY, Hudson Westbrook, Blake Whiten
July 31: Philadelphia, Pa. @ Lincoln Financial Field w/ Brooks & Dunn, Hudson Westbrook, Blake Whiten
Aug. 1: Philadelphia, Pa. @ Lincoln Financial Field w/ Ella Langley, Hudson Westbrook, Blake Whiten
Billboard’s Live Music Summit will be held in Los Angeles on Nov. 3. For tickets and more information, click here.
Trending on Billboard Beloved Hollywood fashion designer Bob Mackie is over the moon that Taylor Swift is repping one of his famously rhinestone-encrusted creations on the cover of her The Life of a Showgirl album. Speaking to E! News, Mackie, 85, said he was “kind of shocked” that the singer picked a real-life showgirl outfit […]
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If you attended one of the Oasis ’25 reunion shows this summer you will likely never forget the soul-stirring echo of 50,000+ fans shouting out the lyrics to “Wonderwall” along with singer Liam Gallagher as if the tune was the Oasis National Anthem.
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Which it basically is.
That explains why on Thursday (Oct. 30) Oasis announced that they are marking the 30th anniversary of one of their most indelible hits, which has racked up more than three billion streams to date. The band’s biggest hit and an unmovable staple of their live shows will be celebrated with a limited-edition (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? 7″ singles box set due out on Dec. 12, a replica of a highly collectible 1996 cigarette-style CD box set.
The new box includes four 7″ singles — the 2014 remastered versions of “Wonderwall,” “Some Might Say,” “Roll With It” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” — along with their original b-sides, respectively, “Round Are Way,” “Talk Tonight,” “It’s Better People” and “Step Out.”
In addition to playing around the world on a reunion tour that nobody ever thought would happen, Oasis have spent the year looking back at some of their musical highlights. Last month, they released the 25th anniversary reissue of their Wembley Stadium live album, Familiar to Millions and the 25th anniversary reissue of their fourth album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, as well as an unplugged version of “Morning Glory.” To celebrate the launch of their first run of shows in 16 years in July, the group also issued a box set collecting all their studio albums.
This month they also announced a massive book chronicling the tour, Oasis Live ’25 OPUS.
Oasis will march on Friday night (Oct. 31) with the first of three shows at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, followed by two gigs in Sydney next weekend and a final run of shows in Argentina, Chile and Brazil to round out the month.
Though a Nov. 23 show at MorumBIS in São Paulo, Brazil is currently the final scheduled date, earlier this month Liam Gallagher answered a fan’s complaint about one of his favorite songs not make the set list by offering up a cryptic tease about future dates. “Chill Winston it’s not even HALF TIME yet it’s a tour of 2 half’s,” Gallagher wrote. To date, spokespeople for the band have not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on potential 2026 tour dates.
Billboard’s Live Music Summit will be held in Los Angeles on Nov. 3. For tickets and more information, click here.
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Lily Allen will take her acclaimed West End Girl LP on tour in 2026 throughout the U.K. The shows will make for the British star’s first full tour in seven years.
Allen released West End Girl on Friday (Oct. 24) via BMG and the record shares intimate and explicit details on the breakdown of her marriage to Stranger Things star David Harbour; the pair were married in 2020 and separated earlier this year.
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The 40-year-old will play the album in full at a run of dates in March 2026, kicking off at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall on March. 2. She’ll then play a run of shows that take her to Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Cambridge, Bristol, Cardiff, wrapping up with two nights at the London Palladium on March 21.
The show – Lily Allen Performs West End Girl – will see the singer-songwriter perform her brand-new album in its entirety and in the order the songs appear on the record. Tickets for the shows go on sale at 10 a.m. (GMT) next Friday (Nov. 7).
West End Girl is Allen’s first album since 2018’s No Shame and her fifth overall. Allen’s debut solo single “Smile” from Alright, Still hit No. 1 on the U.K. charts in 2006, and she has two chart-topping LPs to her name: It’s Not Me, It’s You (2009) and Sheezus (2014).
The album details alleged infidelity by a partner, assumed to be Harbour. On the tracks “West End Girl” and “Nonmonogamummy,” Allen details a situation in which she felt pressured to enter into an open relationship, the terms of which were subsequently violated by her partner. On songs such as “Madeline” and “P—y Palace,” she also sings about alleged infidelity. The pair tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Las Vegas in 2020 after meeting on dating app Raya the year prior.
Speaking to Interview magazine, however, Allen says that some creative license has been used in her songwriting, disclosing that “some of it is based on truth and some of it is fantasy.” She also detailed the songwriting process and her feelings on the songs now that she is removed from the relationship. “At the time, I was really trying to process things, and that’s great in terms of the album, but I don’t feel confused or angry now. I don’t need revenge,” Allen said.
“I wrote this record in 10 days in December, and I feel very differently about the whole situation now,” she added. “We all go through breakups and it’s always f—ing brutal.”
Lily Allen U.K 2026 tour dates:
March 2: Glasgow, Scotland @ Glasgow Royal Concert Hal
March 3: Liverpool, England @ Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
March 5: Birmingham, England @ Birmingham Symphony Hall
March 7: Sheffield, England @ Sheffield City Hall
March 8: Newcastle, England @ Newcastle City Hall
March 10: Manchester, England @ Manchester Aviva Studios, The Hall
March 11: Manchester, England @ Manchester Aviva Studios, The Hall
March 14: Nottingham, England @ Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
March 15: Cambridge, England @ Cambridge Corn Exchange
March 17: Bristol, England @ Bristol Beacon
March 18: Cardiff, Wales @ Cardiff New Theatre
March 20: London, England @ London Palladium
March 21: London, England @ London Palladium
Billboard’s Live Music Summit will be held in Los Angeles on Nov. 3. For tickets and more information, click here.
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Reneé Rapp is officially heading to Australia for the first time, joining the Australian Open 2026 AO Live lineup on Jan. 31 at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena.
The singer-songwriter and actress will perform on Saturday night of the five-day concert series, which runs Jan. 28 to Feb. 1 during the final stretch of the Australian Open. Her set is scheduled to run from 2–7 p.m. AEDT, just before the AO Women’s Final kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at the same venue.
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Rapp’s upcoming performance will mark her debut on Australian soil, following a massive year that saw her second studio album, Bite Me debut at No. 1 on the U.K. albums chart and No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart, while her 2023 debut Snow Angel earned the largest first-week sales for a female artist’s debut album in the U.S. that year.
Before heading Down Under, Rapp will hit the road in early 2026 for a European swing that is slated to kick off on March 11 at Lotto Arena in Antwerp, Belgium and keep her on the road through a March 22 show at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.
In just over two years, Rapp has carved out a space as one of pop’s rising voices, earning both critical acclaim and a devoted fan base. She’s already taken her show to major U.S. festival stages, including Coachella, Lollapalooza, Governors Ball, and Boston Calling, and has made appearances on Saturday Night Live, The Today Show’s Summer Concert Series, and Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Before her music breakthrough, Rapp gained attention for her portrayal of Regina George in the Mean Girls Broadway musical in 2022 — a role she reprised in the 2024 film adaptation. The film’s soundtrack also featured Rapp and Olivia Rodrigo on the standout track “Not My Fault.”
Rapp joins this year’s AO Live lineup that also features an exclusive performance from The Kid LAROI and more. AO Pride Day on Jan. 30 will feature Australian favourites The Veronicas alongside Grammy-nominated duo SOFI TUKKER, while DJ and producer Peggy Gou will close out the event following the men’s final.
Each AO Live ticket includes full access to the arena concert as well as the Australian Open precinct. In addition to the headliner performances, the grounds will host acoustic sets in Garden Square and DJ-led parties on Grand Slam Oval. The event is presented by Tennis Australia and Untitled Group.
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Louis Tomlinson, Kane Brown, Steve Aoki, DJ Pee .Wee (aka Anderson .Paak) and Kaskade are among the artists set to perform at the 2025 Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix, organizers announced Wednesday (Oct. 30).
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The performances will take place Saturday, Nov. 22, on the track’s Grid stage, with entertainment scheduled around the race itself. Fans with access to hospitality areas — including the Heineken Silver Main Grandstand, Paddock Club, Wynn Grid Club and others — will be able to catch the exclusive sets live from trackside.
Tomlinson, who rose to fame as a member of One Direction, will perform following the drivers’ parade as part of the American Express-presented F1 Grid Gigs series. He recently announced his third solo album, How Did I Get Here?, due Jan. 23, 2026, and will kick off a global tour in the spring.
Country star Kane Brown will perform ahead of driver introductions, bringing his crossover hits like “Heaven” and “What Ifs” to the pre-race stage. Other performers include Grammy-nominated producer Kaskade (who will close out the night with a post-race set), Las Vegas native Steve Aoki, DJ duo VAVO, and DJ Pee .Wee — the high-energy vinyl-spinning alter ego of Anderson .Paak.
Additional performances are planned throughout race weekend. At the T-Mobile Zone at Sphere, previously announced headliners include T-Pain, Machine Gun Kelly and Zedd, with sets from Sofi Tukker, Lauv, Cimafunk, Balu Brigada and others also confirmed. Meanwhile, the Heineken Stage will feature Shaggy, Dillon Francis, Jazzy, Jabbawockeez, Cirque du Soleil’s Mad Apple and more.
In addition to three days of performances, T-Mobile Zone at Sphere ticket-holders will also enjoy race-day activations and up-close views of the Grand Prix, including turn 5G and the chicane (a sequence of tight, alternating corners added to a racetrack, usually to slow down cars before a high-speed section) spanning turns 7 through 9.
“While the action on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit is the main event, the T-Mobile Zone at Sphere elevates the experience with its incredible fan zone entertainment,” Emily Prazer, president and CEO of Las Vegas Grand Prix Inc., said in the previous announcement.
“Las Vegas is an entertainment hub within itself, so it was only fitting to bring together some of the music industry’s best to create an unmatched concert experience for race weekend. Paired with the jaw-dropping graphics of the Exosphere and incredible views of the track, T-Mobile Zone at Sphere has the best of all worlds.”
The second annual Las Vegas Grand Prix takes place Nov. 20–22 on a 3.8-mile circuit that weaves through the Las Vegas Strip. For more information, visit f1lasvegasgp.com.
Trending on Billboard On Oct. 10, Tame Impala‘s Kevin Parker and an intimately sized group of fans gathered in Mexico City’s magnificent Parque Quetzalcóatl for a DJ set by Parker. Produced by Cercle, the 90-minute set happened in conjunction with the Oct. 17 release of the new Tame Impala album, Deadbeat, a collection of dance […]
Trending on Billboard Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart returns for the 2025 season, with familiar favorites among the top 10 of the Nov. 1-dated list, including Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, Michael Bublé’s Christmas and Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas (at Nos. 2, 3 and 5, respectively). Leading the tally is the Christmas-meets-Halloween […]
