State Champ Radio Music
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They finally freed the wave.
Harlem’s Max B was sentenced to 75 years in 2009 for his role in a robbery gone wrong. However, in 2016, his sentence was reduced to 20 years after he struck a plea deal with prosecutors, and he finally came home on Nov. 9 to much fanfare, and was greeted outside the gates of Northern State Prison in Newark, N.J., by his longtime friend and collaborator French Montana.
In his first sit-down video interview since being released, Max B caught up with Billboard to talk about his influence, how he spent his time inside and his plans for the future.
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A couple of rappers who were influenced by Max are two widely popular ones out of Pittsburgh. He and Mac Miller struck up a relationship before Miller’s 2018 death, and Wiz Khalifa has mentioned Max’s influence on his style on multiple occasions.
“I didn’t know Mac too well personally, but we spoke a couple times before he passed away, rest in peace,” Max tells Billboard of the late MC. “I know he was a big fan, I’m a fan of his as well. You know these guys is music guys, they love music … You hear the music incorporated with the pain or whatever, so these is like musical guys. I kinda feel like musical guys adapt to my style.”
When it comes to how he’s been adapting to life outside the walls of a prison as a civilian, he’s still getting used to things. “I’m not gonna say I’m overwhelmed. Anxiety? I’m not really that anxious no more for nothin’,” he says. “I’m just taking my time, I’m out here. It’s real, I done woke up in my bed a couple days straight, so I can’t complain, man, you know what I’m saying? Eating good food, got my wife, got my kids — I’m seeing my kids everyday — I got my electronics … I start trying to hook my s—t up, I couldn’t. I didn’t know what the f—k I was doing with that, but I’ma keep trying, you heard? It’s mine, I’ma figure that s—t out.”
He adds that he’s going to turn over a new leaf.
“This the new grown and gorgeous Biggavel, this is the new and improved. This the new, distinguished Biggavel. This ain’t the old Biggavel from before, so you gotta love it,” he says of the white suit and red bowtie he wore during his “Welcome Home” dinner. “This is what I think is attracting the people like, ‘Damn, we thought this n—a was gonna come out and do the same s—t. He’s a prime example of what you’re supposed to do when you come out. His reentry at its purest form. This man right here: Max Biggavel.”
And his influence doesn’t only extend to rap music. Rap Twitter has long since dubbed Justin Bieber “Biebervelli” whenever the pop star decides to venture into R&B, and when Max caught wind of the Canadian singer’s nickname, he had nothing but nice things to say. “Shout out to the Biebs, man. That’s my guy. He’s soulful,” Max tells Billboard. “When I hear stuff like that, I get flattered, I go back in there and get some work done, man, and keep it going, so the game could love us.”
Check out In Conversation With Max B above for a lot more.
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Summer Walker might be “Finally Over It,” as she croons on the title track of her latest studio album, but she’ll never get over Anna Nicole Smith.
On Monday (Nov. 17), the Billboard 200-topping R&B star stopped by The Terrell Show to speak with host Terrell Grice about the journey to her third studio album, Finally Over It. Between professing her desire to further explore funk music and naming her favorite Erykah Badu song (spoiler, it’s “Honey”), the “Girls Need Love” singer also explained why Smith — who died in 2007 — was her visual and aesthetic muse for her new record.
“I love her. She’s hot. She’s sexy. She’s fun and free,” Walker gushed. “And I want that to be me … People come up with s—t for creative direction, but I really want to get into that. I got to find my old billionaire!”
The official artwork for the streaming and digital versions of Finally Over It, which arrived on Nov. 14, features a solemn Walker holding a bouquet of white roses and wearing a voluminous wedding gown as she poses next to her much older, white, wheelchair-bound husband. The image is a direct callback to Smith’s iconic 1994 wedding, during which she married J. Howard Marshall, a then-89-year-old petroleum tycoon billionaire.
’90s Playboy icons proved to be a key source of inspiration for Walker as she rolled out Finally Over It. At September’s MTV Video Music Awards, where “Heart of a Woman” competed for the best R&B Moon Person, Walker called upon Pamela Anderson’s iconic 1999 VMAs outfit for her red carpet look. “F—k my type,” she captioned a Sept. 7 Instagram carousel, teasing the latest Finally Over It single.
Finally Over It marks the conclusion to the trilogy Walker launched in 2019 with Over It, her debut studio album. The era-defining record reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and its follow-up, 2021’s Still Over It, became Walker’s first project to top the chart — and the highest charting album from a female R&B artist since Beyoncé’s Lemonade in 2016. Featuring a boatload of collaborators — including Anderson .Paak, Mariah the Scientist, Teddy Swims and Chris Brown — Finally Over It also includes the hit “Heart of a Woman,” which earned nominations for best R&B song and performance at the 2026 Grammys.
Watch Summer Walker explain Anna Nicole Smith’s influence over Finally Over It below.
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Chase Stokes is not pleased with certain people in Kelsea Ballerini‘s comments section.
After the country singer-songwriter — who reportedly reconciled with the Outer Banks star two months after ending their three-year relationship — posted a TikTok promoting new song “People Pleaser,” an onslaught of viewers replied with remarks that didn’t sit well with Stokes. “These comments are f–king weird,” he wrote.
The actor added, “Grow up.”
Some outlets have reported that Stokes’ response was in reference to certain comments about his ex-girlfriend and Outer Banks costar Madelyn Cline. On a different song from Ballerini’s brand new Mount Pleasant EP, “Emerald City,” she sings about struggling with jealousy and obsessive thoughts about her partner’s former flame, which has led some people to take sides between the two women.
“Always liked the color of my eyes ’til I knew she had brown/ I’m green/ Always liked my naïve innocence ’til I learned she got around,” the musician croons on the track. (Yes, Cline has brown eyes.)
But as one person wrote on Ballerini’s video — in which she had simply sung along to “People Pleaser” while showing off her glam look for the day — the song “Emerald City” simply “goes to show the most beautiful woman in the world can still have feelings of jealousy and insecurity.”
Ballerini has been clear in the past that she has no feelings of ill will toward Cline. “I met her and I talked to her and she’s lovely,” she said of the actress on a 2023 episode of Call Her Daddy. “And I think she’s wildly talented. I think the internet did its best to make it weird, and it didn’t work for them … At the end of the day, I’m a girl’s girl, I don’t buy into the bulls–t. I think they have a beautiful working relationship.”
It’s unclear what the status of Ballerini and Stokes’ relationship is currently. In September, a rep for the singer confirmed to Billboard that they’d split, about three years after they’d started dating.
However, People reported earlier in November that the pair appeared to have rekindled their romance, citing an onlooker who’d witnessed them holding hands while out to eat in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where the next season of Outer Banks is filming.
Trending on Billboard Drake and Sexyy Red are sparking collaboration rumors after posing for a tennis-themed photo shoot,which the 6 God fueled with a post to Instagram on Monday (Nov. 17). Explore See latest videos, charts and news “I said tennis lesson she said where’s the bracelet or the necklace,” Drizzy captioned the slideshow of […]
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Uketsu’s horror-mystery novel Strange Pictures has been shortlisted for Waterstones’ 2025 Book of the Year.
Originally published by Futabasha in 2022, Strange Pictures is an interactive horror-mystery in which readers unravel the story through clues scattered across “nine bizarre paintings” that feel subtly off. Since its release, the novel has garnered a broad following, selling over 1.2 million copies in Japan and surpassing 2 million copies worldwide.
Waterstones, the U.K.’s largest bookstore chain with nearly 300 locations across the U.K. and Ireland, selects its annual Book of the Year based on titles that booksellers most want to recommend to readers. The award draws significant attention in the U.K. publishing scene and is also widely followed by general readers. The chain described Uketsu’s work as “a horror novel by a Japanese author originating on social media, gaining attention even in the English-speaking world — an unconventional pick.”
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The novel has also been recognized internationally: In France, it was named FNAC’s Book of the Month, while in Germany it topped the May 2025 Krimibestenliste — Deutschlandfunk and Deutschlandfunk Kultur’s mystery list — as the best crime novel of the month. In Thailand, it debuted at number one in a major book event shortly after its release, and translation rights have now been secured in 36 countries and regions across five continents, including the U.S., South Korea, China, Brazil, and Morocco.
The enigmatic, masked writer and YouTuber’s latest installment in the “Strange” series called Strange Maps is currently available in Japan, and recently claimed the top spot on Billboard Japan’s new book chart, the Japan Book Hot 100. See Uketsu’s reaction to being nominated in the U.K. in full below.
I’m deeply honored and truly grateful. I lived in Surrey, England, as a child. The overcast skies, the scent of rain, and the serene yet slightly uncanny culture were formative experiences for my writing. I’m thrilled to reconnect with readers in the U.K. in this way.
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Legendarily prolific actor Samuel L. Jackson had no problem saying yes when he was asked to join Kendrick Lamar for the Grammy and Pulitzer prize-winning rapper’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show in February in New Orleans. And while Jackson thought he was signing up for another one of his eclectic acting gigs, the Tulsa King co-star told Jimmy Kimmel on Monday night (Nov. 17) that he had no idea he was signing up to be a surprise guest at a “revolution.”
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“Great time. I kind of had no idea when they called me and said, ‘Yeah, we’d really like for you to be part of Kendrick’s halftime show’… I was like ‘really?,’” Jackson recalled thinking at the time. When the show’s producers promised to send him the treatment for the show, consummate professional Jackson said he didn’t really care about all that and promised to be there when they needed him.
“And then when I got there and we were rehearsing, it was all kind of nice and fun and watching the dancers go through their routines,” he described. “It’s like, ‘damn! They’ve been rehearsing for a while, because they were like [snaps fingers.]’” In case you forgot, Jackson popped in dressed in a red, white and blue Uncle Sam outfit to welcome the crowd with the enthusiastic greeting, “your uncle… Sam and this is the great American game!”
Jackson said he had “no idea” about what was about to take place until dress rehearsal for what would become the most-watched halftime show in history, one in which he would provide Greek chorus-like commentary on the racial state of the nation. “That was the first time I knew we were doing a revolution,” Jackson said of the eye-popping spectacle at the Caesars Superdome that featured guest stars SZA, tennis great Serena Williams crip walking and record producer Mustard.
“I knew I was dressing as Uncle Sam, but I just thought that was like, okay, fine, it’s an Uncle Sam thing,” Jackson said. “When dress rehearsal starts I’m there I’m doing it and I turn around and I said, ‘wait a minute, that’s a flag… they’re making a flag up there,” he recalled of the sight of the mass of dancers in red, white and blue forming into the American flag. “Oh, now I’m going, ‘ah, now it’s revolutionary.’” He said it never occurred to him before that moment that the dancers would be activated into Old Glory, especially since a lot of people already call him “Uncle Sam” on the regular.
Jackson, who has worked with rappers before, including LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes, also famously appeared in the 1992 crime drama Juice alongside late rap icon Tupac Shakur in his first major role in a film. The actor, who had met Shakur before, said he was a “nice enough kid,” but recalled an incident on set that might surprise fans familiar with Jackson’s legendarily NSFW dialogue.
On a night when Jackson wasn’t shooting, his wife, actress LaTanya Jackson was sitting in a room with the mothers of the other kids who appeared in the film and “Tupac came through there and he was cussing somebody out and yelling, screaming.” So LaTanya Jackson grabbed Shakur and told the rapper, “‘Hey, don’t you see all the grown women, you can’t talk like that and use that kind of language!’ And everybody in the room was like [big inhale]. And he totally apologized [and said] ‘I’m so sorry.’” From that point on, Jackson said, Tupac was a gentleman and whenever he saw the actor’s wife he would greet her with, “‘Hey mom, how you doing?’”
Kimmel said it did strike him as odd that Jackson’s wife had a problem with foul language given his f-bomb proclivities. “Only in a room full of grown women,” Jackson explained, with Kimmel confirming that scripted cursing is seemingly okay with her. “If I’m at home, it’ my house,” Jackson explained. “I can say what I want to.”
Watch Samuel L. Jackson on Jimmy Kimmel Live! below.
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There are few moments that disrupted the news cycle in 2025 more than Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s engagement announcement, with the internet freaking out for days on end after the fact — and that’s exactly why The Cambridge Dictionary chose the term it did to represent this year in the history books.
As recently announced, the organization’s 2025 Word of the Year is “parasocial,” thanks in part to the overwhelming emotional response online to Tayvis’ big news in August, largely from people who’ve never met either the pop star or the Kansas City Chiefs tight end. The site defines the term as an adjective “involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know.”
“Global coverage of the way in which Taylor Swift announced her engagement to Travis Kelce caused lookups of parasocial to surge as the media dissected fans’ reactions,” the Cambridge Dictionary explained of its 2025 selection. “Posts by fans say ‘I’m not being parasocial about it’ and talk about ‘a Swiftie being parasocial for 10 minutes straight.’”
Other factors that informed the choice were the wave of concern in 2025 about eerily personal artificial intelligence chatbots as well as one viral fan’s reaction to a YouTube streamer by the name of IShowSpeed breaking up with his girlfriend in June.
Indeed, there were many fan displays of cheers and tears on Aug. 26, 2025, when Swift and Kelce shared photos of the proposal on Instagram. “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” they captioned the post, which received more than 14 million “likes” on Instagram within one hour.
For many longtime Swifties, it was impossible not to have a deep emotional reaction to the news. For nearly two decades, they’d been listening to the 14-time Grammy winner sing in detail about her trials and tribulations with love, making her real-life fairytale ending — such as the one she sang about in 2008 on smash hit “Love Story” — feel extra special, parasocialism be damned.
“I AM SO HAPPY FOR MY CLOSE AND PERSONAL FRIEND TAYLOR SWIFT,” one fan wrote shortly after the couple’s post, sharing a gif of a little girl screaming.
“the way my phone was blowing up you’d think I was the one who got engaged,” someone else added at the time.
The Cambridge Dictionary has been choosing a Word of the Year since 2015. In 2024, the institution selected “manifest,” which followed “hallucinate” the year prior.
Also in 2025, “pseudonymization” and “memeify” were on the shortlist for the Word of the Year title.
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Will it be ladies’ night at the 59th Country Music Association Awards on Wednesday (Nov. 19): For the first time, three women solo artists — Ella Langley, Megan Moroney and Lainey Wilson — share the lead with six nominations each.
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Wilson will also host the show, which will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on ABC starting at 8 p.m. ET, making her only the third woman to solo host, following Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire.
The men then follow with strong showings for Zach Top landing five nominations and Riley Green and Cody Johnson with four each.
Morgan Wallen, who received three nominations, will look to repeat as entertainer of the year.
He’s not the only one looking to keep their winning streaks going: Wilson has a three-year run as female vocalist of the year, while Chris Stapleton has won male vocalist four years straight. Old Dominion has taken home the vocal group of the year seven years in a row.
The eligibility period for nominated releases runs July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025, with the song, album or video having to be released within that period or reach national prominence.
The evening will also include performances from BigXThaPlug with Luke Combs, Stapleton with Miranda Lambert and Shaboozey with Stephen Wilson Jr., as well as Kelsea Ballerini, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney, Green, Langley, Little Big Town, Patty Loveless, Moroney, Old Dominion, The Red Clay Strays, Top, Keith Urban, Tucker Wetmore and Lainey Wilson
Here are Billboard’s predictions on who will emerge victorious in select categories, from Melinda Newman (executive editor, West Coast and Nashville) and Jessica Nicholson (associate editor, Nashville).
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Luke CombsCody JohnsonChris StapletonMorgan WallenLainey Wilson
Newman: Cody Johnson, who lands his first nomination, takes Jelly Roll’s spot this year, with the other four nominees repeating from last year. Wilson, reigning champ Wallen and Combs have all captured the evening’s biggest award before, while Stapleton is looking for his first win here with his ninth nomination. All five artists had great years with sold-out tours, but Wilson was the one who spread her wings the most, completing her first international tour (to be fair, Wallen and Combs both toured internationally in 2024 and will again in 2026), and she’s hosting the show, which feels perfect to have her emerge from backstage to win. Wallen is the genre’s biggest star right now, but his unwillingness to show up at the awards last year may have unfairly left a bad taste in voters’ mouths.
Will win: Lainey Wilson
Nicholson: Wilson, reigning CMA entertainer of the year Wallen and Luke Combs are all previous winners in the category and are vying for the title again this year. Meanwhile, Stapleton has proven himself to be one of country music’s steadiest headlining touring draws, while Cody Johnson’s hitmaking, hard-touring ways have earned him a spot in the category this year. This marks Wilson’s first year as a solo host of the CMA Awards, while she’s also embarked on her Whirlwind World Tour this year, in addition to building on her reputation as a multi-media star. Look for Lainey to reclaim her entertainer of the year title this year.
Will win: Lainey Wilson
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Award goes to artist, producer(s) and mix engineer(s)
Am I Okay? – Megan Moroney (Producer: Kristian Bush; Mix Engineer: Justin Niebank)Cold Beer & Country Music – Zach Top (Producer: Carson Chamberlain ;Mix Engineer: Matt Rovey)F-1 Trillion – Post Malone (Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins; Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore)I’m The Problem – Morgan Wallen (Producers: Jacob Durrett, Charlie Handsome, Joey Moi; Mix Engineers: Charlie Handsome, Joey Moi)Whirlwind – Lainey Wilson (Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce)
Newman: Newcomers Moroney and Top are taking the genre by storm, with Moroney also bringing a raft of young girls into the country tent, similar to how Taylor Swift did nearly 20 (!!) years ago… just go to one of her concerts and you’ll see. Top is leading a neo-traditionalist movement that has endearing him to the industry who likes his pure country stance, similar to last year’s winner, Cody Johnson (with his Leather album). Even though it came out too late to be eligible last year, it feels like Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion’s time has come and gone. Wallen clearly had the most commercially successfully album and Wilson continues to do excellent work, but it feels like Top’s year.
Will win: Cold Beer and Country Music
Nicholson: Megan Moroney’s Am I Okay? has propelled her career to new heights thanks to hits like the title track and “No Caller ID.” Meanwhile, Whirlwind saw Wilson drop new hits including the romantic “4x4xU” and “Somewhere Over Laredo,” and Wallen’s I’m The Problem spent 12 nonconsecutive weeks atop the all-genre Billboard 200. Post Malone’s collaborative-heavy F-1 Trillion also proved a favorite with country fans, while Zac Top’s Cold Beer & Country Music declared the talented country newcomer has arrived in a major way. However, Wilson previously won in this category for her album Bell Bottom Country, and her music has surged even more in depth and popularity since then, so look for Wilson to take home the win here.
Will win: Whirlwind
SONG OF THE YEAR
Award goes to songwriter(s)
“4x4xU” (Songwriters: Jon Decious, Aaron Raitiere, Lainey Wilson)“Am I Okay?” (Songwriters: Jessie Jo Dillon, Luke Laird, Megan Moroney)“I Never Lie” (Songwriters: Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols, Zach Top)“Texas” (Songwriters: Johnny Clawson, Josh Dorr, Lalo Guzman, Kyle Sturrock)“you look like you love me” (Songwriters: Riley Green, Ella Langley, Aaron Raitiere)
Newman: Each one of these songs feels like it took the artist, whether established superstar or newbie or somewhere in between, to a new level, becoming an important part of their identity. “Texas,” the only entry not co-written by the performing artist, gave Blake Shelton one of his biggest hits in five years (and his first on new label home, BBR/BMG Nashville), while “Am I Okay” and “I Never Lie” helped solidify Moroney and Top as artists who look like they’ll be here a while. Wilson just keeps getting stronger and stronger with the creative “4X4XU,” while Green and Langley have already shown that “you look like you love me” is a career song for them. But again, Top should have the inside track here.
Will win: “I Never Lie”
Nicholson: The song of the year category places more weight on top-shelf songcraft rather than commercial success, and each of these songs has become a signature hit for the artist that recorded it (or, for four out of five of this year’s nominees, also co-wrote it). Country fans were treated to the dreaminess of “4x4xU,” the bewildered romance of “Am I Okay?,” the flirty “You Look Like You Love Me,” and the slow-burn yearning of “Texas.” But Zach Top’s neo-traditional “I Never Lie,” with its sing-along charm and sly hook, has taken the Washington native to new career heights and will be a tough competitor in this category.
Will win: “I Never Lie”
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Award goes to artist(s), producer(s) and mix engineer(s)
“4x4xU” – Lainey Wilson (Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce)“Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” – Luke Combs (Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton; Mix Engineer: Chip Matthews)“Am I Okay?” – Megan Moroney (Producer: Kristian Bush; Mix Engineer: Justin Niebank)“I Never Lie” – Zach Top (Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Mix Engineer: Matt Rovey)“you look like you love me” – Ella Langley & Riley Green (Producer: Will Bundy; Mix Engineer: Jim Cooley)
Newman: There’s not a lot of difference between this category and song of the year, other than “Texas” is replaced by “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” Combs’ tune from Twisters. Each song resonated with listeners, with all at least reaching the top five on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, but there are some notable omissions, including Jelly Roll’s emotional “Liar” and Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem.” Of this batch, Top’s delivery on “I Never Lie,” combined with the neo-traditionalist production, was the best-sounding song of the batch.
Will win: “I Never Lie”
Nicholson: Each of the songs nominated here made an indelible impact on the Billboard charts this year, but the double-shot charisma of Langley and Green, plus the song’s old-school charm and flirty talking verses, was inescapable over the past year. Look for “You Look Like You Love Me” to take the win here.
Will win: “You Look Like You Love Me”
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kelsea BalleriniMiranda LambertElla LangleyMegan MoroneyLainey Wilson
Newman: With her eighth nomination, inconceivably Ballerini is still looking for her first win here — while Wilson has created her own mini-dynasty, winning the past three years. The OG is Lambert, with seven wins, and she returns to the category after not being nominated last year. Langley and Moroney are the newcomers who are blazing paths with their big voices. It feels almost impossible to choose, and it may be a little too early for Langley and Moroney (though Wilson won both best new artist and this category in 2022). Still, feels like Wilson has the momentum behind her.
Will win: Lainey Wilson
Nicholson: Lainey Wilson has emerged as the winner in this category for the past three consecutive years, and with another entertainer of the year nomination and her role as host this year, she is a strong contender to maintain her winning streak. But she also has stiff competition, thanks to Megan Moroney, whose Am I Okay? album and accompanying singles have further propelled her career. Ella Langley has lobbed hits at the charts including “Weren’t For The Wind” and “You Look Like You Love Me,” while Kelsea Ballerini had one of her biggest years to date, hitting new chart milestones and launching her successful headlining arena tour. Miranda Lambert also keeps cementing her status as a legendary artist, thanks to touring and her album Postcards From Texas. Still, this category will likely see the multi-talented Wilson continue her winning ways.
Will win: Lainey Wilson
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Luke CombsCody JohnsonChris StapletonZach TopMorgan Wallen
Newman: Stapleton has won eight of the last 10 years, with a brief punctuation when Combs took home the award twice. All are repeat nominees from last year, except Top, who replaces Jelly Roll. Stapleton hasn’t put out a full new album since 2023, but he just feels unbeatable… and with that voice, who is going to say he isn’t deserving? Zach Top has come on so strong, it wouldn’t be surprising it voters to decide it’s time to anoint a new king. But it still feels like Stapleton has a lock on this category.
Will win: Chris Stapleton
Nicholson: While Stapleton is the perennial favorite in this category, he has plenty of competition this year from fellow stadium tour headliners Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen, while Cody Johnson has proven himself to be a steady hitmaker and concert headliner, and neo-traditional artist Zach Top’s star continues to surge. But Stapleton has had a stranglehold on this category for good reason, so look for him to continue his reign.
Will win: Chris Stapleton
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady ALittle Big TownOld DominionRascal FlattsThe Red Clay Strays
Newman: This category repeats from last year other than Rascal Flatts, who takes Zac Brown Band’s spot, returning for the first time since 2020. Acts tend to start winning in this category and just keep winning: Old Dominion has won the past seven years, Little Big Town for the six consecutive years before that, Lady A for three years in a row before that and Rascal Flatts for six years before that. Old Dominion has a good chance to prevail again — and is more than deserving — but the Red Clay Strays are bringing an exciting energy and new audience into the genre. Time to pass the torch, even if for just one year.
Will win: The Red Clay Strays
Nicholson: Old Dominion, who released its latest project Barbara this year, is looking to pick up an eighth consecutive win in this category, and is up against other previous category winners Little Big Town, Lady A and Rascal Flatts. The Red Clay Strays pick up their second nomination in the category, thanks to impactful songs like “Drowning,” as well as treks both as openers on The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds Tour and as headliners at some pretty big venues. The Red Clay Strays are carving their own path and steadily gaining fans with their electrifying performances, while Old Dominion has also stayed consistent in touring and recording, while showcasing an ever-deeping songcraft.
Will win: Old Dominion
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Brooks & DunnBrothers OsborneDan + ShayMaddie & TaeThe War and Treaty
Newman: This category has been among the most static, with the same contenders for the third year in a row. Brooks & Dunn are the reigning champs, winning last year for the first time since 2006 and breaking Brothers Osbornes’ three-year streak. Maddie & Tae are looking for their first win with their 11th nomination. Dan + Shay are gearing up for a second act — but this is a contest between Brooks & Dunn, who continue to enjoy their revival more than 30 years into their career, and Brothers Osborne.
Will win: Brooks & Dunn
Nicholson: Last year, Brooks & Dunn made a major comeback in this category, after winning their 15th vocal duo of the accolade and first trophy in the category since 2006. In late 2024, they also issued their Reboot II project, teaming again with many of their country music colleagues to record versions of B&D classics. Brothers Osborne is a longtime favorite in this category with six total wins, while Dan + Shay previously won this category twice. Maddie & Tae have earned their 11th nomination in the category, while The War and Treaty have picked up three total nominations in the category. Look for Brooks & Dunn to reclaim their winner status in this category again this year.
Will win: Brooks & Dunn
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Ella LangleyShaboozeyZach TopTucker WetmoreStephen Wilson Jr.
Newman: One of this year’s most competitive categories features five acts, all of whom have had breakthrough years. The CMA Awards allow artists to be nominated up to two times in this category and Shaboozey and Top return after losing to Megan Moroney last year. Though he hasn’t had the radio success that the other four nominees have, Stephen Wilson Jr. continues to increase his critical acclaim and has a deeply passionate fan base within the voting body. Langley is the only previous CMA Awards winner, having snagged the musical event trophy last year for “You Look Like You Love Me” with Riley Green. It’s almost impossible to choose between Langley, Shaboozey and Top, all of whom are leaving their marks already on country music.
Will win: Zach Top
Nicholson: Each of the artists in this category had incredible years, including the first-timers in this category, Langley, Wetmore and Wilson Jr. Langley followed her Country Airplay chart-topper, the Riley Green collab “You Look Like You Love Me,” with the top five hit “Weren’t For The Wind,” embarked on a headlining tour, as well as opening some shows on Morgan Wallen’s stadium tour. Shaboozey headlined his Great American Roadshow Tour, and followed his Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” with another Country Airplay chart-topper, “Good News.”
Meanwhile, Top followed his breakthrough album with his sophomore set Ain’t In It For My Health, and continued headlining his own shows, in addition to opening for Dierks Bentley’s Broken Branches Tour and earned a top 10 Country Airplay hit with “I Never Lie.” Wetmore issued his debut album What Not To, which included his Country Airplay top 5 hit “Wind Up Missin’ You.” Wilson Jr. continued building his fanbase and issued the critically acclaimed album søn of dad, while releasing collabs with Shaboozey and Noah Cyrus. Still, as one of the evening’s overall top nominees, look for Langley to pull off the win here.
Will win: Ella Langley
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR Award goes to Artists and Producer(s)
“Don’t Mind If I Do” – Riley Green (featuring Ella Langley) (Producers: Scott Borchetta, Jimmy Harnen, Dann Huff)“Hard Fought Hallelujah” – Brandon Lake with Jelly Roll (Producer: Micah Nichols)“I’m Gonna Love You” – Cody Johnson (with Carrie Underwood) (Producer: Trent Willmon)“Pour Me A Drink” – Post Malone (feat. Blake Shelton) (Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome)“You Had To Be There” – Megan Moroney (feat. Kenny Chesney) (Producer: Kristian Bush)
Newman: Green and Langley won this award last year for “You Look Like You Love Me,” and they face stiff competition again for their follow up, “Don’t Mind If I Do.” All five songs are strong, and feature partnerships that feel like great, natural fits, as opposed to sounding Frankensteined together for commercial effect. For example, Moroney and Chesney’s ode to her rise sounds organic given her time opening for him, while Jelly Roll and Brandon Lake take Lake’s song to a new level, given Jelly Roll’s public struggles. Not a clear leader here, but a slight edge goes to Jelly Roll and Lake — especially given how, oddly, this is the only award that Jelly Roll is up for this year.
Will win: “”Hard Fought Hallelujah”
Nicholson: Riley Green and Ella Langley took this category last year with their hit collab “You Look Like You Love Me,” and their latest collab again showcases their musical chemistry. They also have tough competition, as the Jelly Roll/Brandon Lake collaboration “Hard Fought Hallelujah” found success on both the Hot Country Songs and Hot Christian Songs charts, while “I’m Gonna Love You,” “Pour Me a Drink” and “You Had to Be There” also each found country chart success. Still, the multi-genre juggernaut duet between the charismatic Jelly Roll and top CCM artist Brandon Lake is likely to take the lead here.
Will win: “Hard Fought Hallelujah”
Trending on Billboard
The 15th annual Welcome to Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Fla. will feature headliners Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance and Bring Me the Horizon. The massive hard rock/punk/metal gathering from Danny Wimmer Presents will take place from May 7-10 at Daytona International Speedway, with more than 160 bands playing on five stages.
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Thursday night will kick off with GNR, who will be joined by Five Finger Death Punch (as part of their 20th anniversary world tour), Godsmack and Staind (celebrating the 25th anniversary of their Break the Cycle album), followed by Foo Fighters accompanied by Turnstile, the Offspring and Parkway Drive. Saturday night’s Bring Me the Horizon headlining set — their only Florida show next year — will have support from Breaking Benjamin, Motionless in White and Lamb of God, with the final night finding My Chemical Romance performing alongside A Day to Remember, Rise Against and Yellowcard.
“We are dropping our 10th studio album and kicking off our 20th anniversary world tour in 2026, so starting the year at Welcome To Rockville feels perfect,” said FFDP rhythm guitarist Zoltan Bathory in a statement. “It is one of the biggest rock festivals in North America, and there is no better stage to fire the first shot of this next chapter of Five Finger Death Punch.”
All passes for next year’s Welcome to Rockville — including single-day, 4-day GA, VIP and the Daytona Owners Club — are on sale here now.
Among the other acts on tap for next year are: All Time Low, Alice Cooper, Ice Nine Kills, Amon Amarth, Simple Plan, Lorna Shore, Coheed and Cambria, Slaughter To Prevail, Sleeping with Sirens, Hollywood Undead, Black Label Society, Highly Suspect, Dance Gavin Dance, Architects, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening, Poppy, The Warning, Behemoth, Dethklok, Zakk Sabbath, Flyleaf with Lacey Sturm, Tom Morello, Underoath, Black Veil Brides, Mayday Parade, Sepultura, Suicidal Tendencies, Starset, Coal Chamber, Sevendust, Yelawolf, Badflower, Story of the Year, Plain White T’s, Avatar, In Flames, Switchfoot, The Home Team, State Champs, Gym Class Heroes, The Plot In You, Static-X, Hatebreed, We The Kings, Paleface Swiss, Kreator, Eagles of Death Metal, 3OH!3, Cradle of Filth, The Wonder Years and many more.
The Welcome to Rockville Battle for the Big Stage competition will also return next year, with bands encouraged enter the competition here now through Nov. 30. Leading up the festival, viewers can vote on who they want to play Rockville during the Sunday episodes of the Space Zebra show at 6:30 p.m. ET on the DWP Twitch channel.
Check out the 2026 Welcome to Rockville poster below.
Trending on Billboard
Late legend Frank Sinatra’s presence on Billboard’s charts stretches from the first national ranking in 1940 to today, 85 years later.
Sinatra debuts at No. 26 on the Adult Contemporary chart (dated Nov. 22) with Pentatonix on “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.” The song drew 282,000 in audience from plays on 18 stations Nov. 7-13, according to Luminate.
The carol is from Pentatonix’s new album, Christmas in the City, which debuted as the vocal group’s 11th top 10 on the Top Holiday Albums chart earlier in November.
“We met someone with the estate, and the Sinatras had to give their blessing, and we are beyond honored,” the group’s Scott Hoying recently told iHeartRadio’s Ellen K of the team-up with Sinatra, who died in 1998. “They blessed us with his sweet voice and we got to release an unheard vocal, and it’s wild if you listen to it. You can hear the papers ruffling and the bleed of the orchestra from the other room. It was really, really powerful and magical, amazing.”
Added Pentatonix’s Kirstin Maldonado, “I feel like we went back in time and were those singers with him in that booth that we were inspired by. To have our names next to Frank Sinatra is just, like, that’s iconic. It’s such an honor.”
Sinatra bookends Billboard chart archives, as he sang on the first No. 1 — “I’ll Never Smile Again,” billed as by Tommy Dorsey — on the first nationwide sales chart, the National List of Best Selling Retail Records, published in the July 27, 1940, issue.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Board appears on Adult Contemporary (or any current-based Billboard radio chart) for the first time since Sept. 29, 1984. He lands his highest rank since May 31, 1980, when his revered “Theme From New York, New York” hit No. 10, becoming his 20th top 10. He boasts the longest span of making the tally (more than 64 years and four months), as he placed on the inaugural edition dated July 17, 1961.
Holiday music continues to grant Sinatra new chart honors. In December 2023, his take on “Jingle Bells” hit No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking his first appearance in the top 20 since 1967. Plus, last holiday season, Ultimate Christmas became his 33rd top 10 album on the Billboard 200, extending his record for the most among male soloists.
