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As the clock strikes 10 on a chilly January night in Atlanta, Travis Scott, the King of Rage, is preparing to unleash a performance that will take his career to new heights — literally. Scott has already notched a dizzying number of accomplishments for a modern hip-hop star: four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, the […]
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Super Bowl LIX was not only about the game, but also about the star power that filled the stands with some of the biggest names in entertainment. Celebrities like Jay-Z, Summer Walker, Ice Spice, Doechii, and many more made their mark at the event, bringing their drip and undeniable presence to the spotlight. As the Philadelphia Eagles triumphed with a commanding 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, the energy wasn’t just coming from the field. The celebrity crowd added to the electric atmosphere, offering their support and soaking in the excitement of one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
Rappers Glorilla and Megan Thee Stallion were among the notable attendees, but their presence came with a bit of drama (well, atleast for Glo). The two had made a high-stakes bet on the game, with Big Glo putting down $128,000 on the Chiefs, while Megan backed the Eagles. Unfortunately for Glorilla, her bet didn’t pay off, and she left the stadium upset after the Eagles’ victory, making it a memorable moment off the field.
Beyond the excitement of the game, the event showcased the fusion of sports, music, and fashion. some of our favorite artists brought out all their signature styles, further solidifying the Super Bowl as a gathering not just for football fans but for those with a passion for entertainment and pop culture. Super Bowl LIX wasn’t just about the Eagles’ victory—it was a night where the worlds of music, fashion, and celebrity collided, leaving fans with unforgettable memories both on and off the field.
Rema announced on Monday (Feb. 10) that he’ll be embarking on the Heis World Tour this spring. The 23-date jaunt will begin on April 11 at the Edmonton Expo Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, includes his debut performance at both weekends of Coachella, and stops by major international arenas such as London’s O2 Arena and […]
Donald Trump became the first sitting President to attend a Super Bowl on Sunday (Feb. 9), when he watched two quarters of the Philadelphia Eagles’ dismantling of the Kansas City Chiefs on their way to a decisive 40-22 victory. The second termer also became the first commander in chief to post a nasty taunt of […]
Warner Music Group has expanded its corporate development team by appointing Alfonso Perez-Soto as executive vp of corporate development, focusing on recorded music, and Michael LoBiondo as senior vp of corporate development, focusing on publishing. Both will report to Michael Ryan Southern, executive vp and chief corporate development officer, who has led WMG’s global M&A activities since August.
The company said this new structure provides WMG with dedicated dealmakers for each side of the business, enabling targeted investments and acquisitions across music rights and technology. Due to this reset, the leaders of Warner Music’s Emerging Markets territories, who previously reported to Perez-Soto, will now report directly to Simon Robson, president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, recorded music.
Perez-Soto has spent much of the last two decades at Warner Music, having joined the company in 2005 as vp of business development for Latin America and US Hispanic markets. He was bumped up to senior vp in 2012 and in 2017 originated the position of senior vp, global business development and chief commercial officer, emerging markets. A year later he was elevated once again to executive vp of Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, and in 2021 was promoted to president of emerging markets. In that role, he has designed and implemented a growth strategy based on M&A, geographical expansion and organic artistic success that significantly expanded Warner’s footprint in these emerging territories. Earlier in his career, Perez-Soto held stints at Telefonica, Universal Music Group and Nokia.
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LoBiondo has been serving as head of business development for Warner Chappell Music, WMG’s music publishing arm, since 2021. In this role, he’ ha’s been responsible for identifying and executing strategic acquisitions and partnerships to benefit the publisher’s frontline songwriters and its iconic song catalog. Prior to this, he held various positions at WMG, where he had a hand in numerous major initiatives, including the acquisition of Parlophone Label Group and several Series A music technology investments. Between his tenures at Warner, LoBiondo worked at the artist development company mtheory. He began his career as an analyst at Goldman Sachs.
Southern expressed confidence in Perez-Soto and LoBiondo, calling them “tenacious and curious leaders with a deep understanding of the music industry and its key players… We’ve committed to grow WMG through a mixture of organic and M&A activity. Now we’ve got a dedicated dealmaking beacon for each set of rights that’ll enable us to continue to improve our service to artists and songwriters.”
02/10/2025
Philadelphia defeated the Kansas City Chiefs to take home the Super Bowl LIX victory.
02/10/2025
Ticketmaster has begun cancelling thousands of tickets for Oasis’ upcoming reunion tour in a crackdown on bots.
Passes for the shows in the U.K. and Ireland went on sale in August 2024, but the on-sale process was marred by long delays and the use of dynamic pricing model, which meant that ticket prices were higher for some fans than expected.
Reports said that over 50,000 tickets ended up on resale sites, despite efforts to restrict touts re-selling tickets at inflated prices.
A statement issued by promoters Live Nation and SJM Concerts at the time read: “Ticket resale is permitted at no more than the price you paid (face value + booking fees). Please only use the official resale partners Twickets and Ticketmaster. Selling tickets through unauthorised resale platforms will breach these T&Cs and those tickets may be cancelled”.
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Now, Ticketmaster have been contacting some ticket holders to inform them that their tickets have been refunded as “it has been identified that bots were used to make this purchase,” meaning they “violate the tour’s terms and conditions.”
“These terms were specifically established to limit resale of tickets on unauthorised ticketing platforms for profit,” the message says. “Fans have been strongly advised by all parties not to purchase tickets from unauthorised resale sites, to protect them from fraud or refunding.”
However some Oasis fans have reported on social media that their tickets have been wrongly cancelled in the efforts, despite abiding the rules of the on-sale process. “If 2025 could actually get any worse – now I don’t even have this to look forward to any more,” wrote one fan on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday (February 7) showing a message from Ticketmaster saying that their tickets had been cancelled.
Another wrote: “So what’s this complete sh-tshow? Sat on my laptop for hours on general sale day to secure just TWO tickets for ONE gig and you’re telling me I’m a bot and a tout!” The post is accompanied by pictures of his ticket buying set-up which includes one device but with multiple tabs.
Reports in the BBC and The Guardian have identified fans who have also had their tickets cancelled, with one telling the former that “it just feels like my dreams have been completely crushed.”
Billboard UK has approached Ticketmaster for comment. On the Oasis Refunds FAQ page, a message reads: “For ticket purchasers who believe they have had tickets refunded in error, refer to the email sent by the relevant agent when informed.”
Following the original on sale, the band responded to the news that tickets had been on-sale on resale sites for upwards of £10,000 ($12,412)
“We have noticed people attempting to sell tickets on the secondary market since the start of the pre-sale. Please note, tickets can ONLY be resold, at face value, via Ticketmaster and Twickets.
“Tickets sold in breach of the terms and conditions will be cancelled by the promoters.” Twickets shared Oasis’s statement and added their own: “Don’t buy tickets over face value. Official resale will be available on our website/app at face value only.”
Oasis’ reunion tour will kick off at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on July 4, before heading to Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin across the 19 dates. The tour will then head to North America, Latin America, Australia and Asia later this year.
Before becoming a Billboard Hot 100-topping singer/songwriter, Teddy Swims was dominating in a different arena: the football field. But just like Zac Efron’s High School Musical character before him, Swims had to take a break from sports to follow his musical dreams.
On the next episode of Mythical Kitchen’s Last Meals web series, premiering Tuesday at 6 a.m. ET, Swims sits down with host Josh Scherer to eat their way through some of the musician’s all-time favorite foods and talk about his life story. When Scherer compared Swims’ teen days growing up in Conyers, Georgia, to High School Musical — in which Efron’s Troy Bolton is the basketball star who harbors secret musical aspirations — Swims immediately related to the Disney analogy.
“I call myself the fat Troy Bolton, you know?” Swims laughed. “I wanted to quit football to do music, focus on theater. I remember my mom was so bummed out about it. She had [saved] all my stuff, all my trophies … since 6 years old. She was like, ‘Baby, we’re a football team. We’re a football family. Why would you do this to us? We’ve always done football!’ She was so confused. I just told her, ‘I want to do music. I really like music.’”
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His mom’s mind changed when she saw him onstage for the very first time. “I remember her coming to my first performance. We did this show called Damn Yankees, and I had, like, all of two lines in it. As soon as it got done, I remember her coming to me and saying, ‘Baby, I’m so sorry. This is where you belong. You’re a superstar.’ It just flipped. Just watching me onstage, it just flipped it upside down for her.”
Last month, Swims shared the news via Instagram that he’s expecting his first child with his partner, fellow musician Raiche Wright, and he sees fatherhood as an opportunity to revisit the world of sports.
“We’re gonna get back on that field,” he tells Scherer. “I just want to be the coach of something. Hopefully I’m gonna have a son and I can coach a football team. I want to do the Snoop Dogg, like, youth league Netflix series. That’s what I’m trying to do eventually: Teddy Swims little league, and like coach my son. Hopefully I get that opportunity. Maybe a daughter wants to play football, or maybe I’ll do the Teddy Swims cheerleading league … chess league. Whatever they’re into, I’m into.”
Teddy Swims released his second studio album, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2), on Jan. 24 — debuting atop Billboard‘s Top Album Sales chart and at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 — ahead of his Feb. 2 performance at the 2025 Grammy Awards, where he was nominated for best new artist.
Father John Misty had a timely reaction to Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance on Feb. 9, which happened to coincide with the 10th anniversary of his second studio album I Love You, Honeybear.
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The singer-songwriter, born Josh Tillman, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Feb. 9 to acknowledge the moment with a dry, understated jab. “Had to do his super bowl performance today of all days nice,” he wrote, referencing Lamar’s blockbuster set.
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The timing of Lamar’s high-profile performance was particularly on brand for Tillman, who has joked about his albums frequently dropping in the same years as Lamar’s.
In response to a fan pointing out the pattern, he previously noted, “It’s okay only other times it’s happened was 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2022.”
The playful back-and-forth between the two artists resurfaced in November when Lamar surprise-released GNX on the same day as Tillman’s Mahashmashana. Misty responded by posting a mock “diss track” titled “God’s Trash” on Instagram, featuring parody cover art inspired by Lamar’s recent diss records aimed at Drake.
The I Love You, Honeybear anniversary wasn’t just marked by social media quips. The album, originally released in 2015, was praised upon arrival for its satirical, deeply personal take on love and existentialism. It debuted at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 and became a defining release of the indie-folk singer’s career. To celebrate its milestone, Misty recently announced a remastered reissue, set for release on Feb. 14.
Meanwhile, Lamar’s Super Bowl set was widely discussed for its inclusion of his Grammy Award-winning “Not Like Us,” the Mustard-produced track that became a viral cultural moment in 2024.
His halftime performance also made headlines when Serena Williams joined him onstage, dancing to the song’s most cutting lyrics—fueling further speculation about the ongoing tensions between Lamar and Drake, who is currently in Australia for his Anita Max Win Tour.
Misty and Lamar both remain booked and busy this year. The former Fleet Foxes drummer will hit the road for a UK and Ireland tour in June and August, making stops in Liverpool, Nottingham, Leeds, Glasgow, and Dublin. Lamar, on the other hand, is gearing up for a North American tour with SZA, set to take place this spring.
Canadian rocker Bryan Adams’ sold-out show at Perth, Australia‘s RAC Arena was unexpectedly canceled on Sunday night (Feb. 9) after a massive fatberg—an accumulation of fat, grease, and rags—caused a significant blockage in the city’s sewer system.
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The unforeseen issue led to water overflow near the venue, making it unsafe for concertgoers to attend.
Fans were left waiting outside the venue for hours as updates trickled in. Initially, the delay was attributed to a leak in the septic tanks, but at around 9 p.m.—the time Adams was scheduled to take the stage—officials confirmed the show’s postponement.
“Last night’s concert could not proceed due to an external Perth Water Corporation issue, which was unable to be fixed in time. The issue, which impacted all of Wellington Street, meant that it was deemed unsafe for patrons to enter RAC Arena,” Frontier Touring said in a statement. “Tickets will be automatically refunded in full (including refundable ticket purchase, if relevant) to the original payment method used for purchase and patrons do not need to take any action.”
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“Patrons should allow approximately 30 business days for the refund to appear in their account. (Please do not contact Ticketek regarding your refund.)”
“The cancellation of show is bitterly disappointing, and we thank fans for their understanding that while every effort was made for the show to proceed, this matter was outside of the control of Bryan Adams, Frontier Touring and RAC Arena.”
The Water Corporation, which manages Perth’s water and sewage systems, confirmed the blockage was due to a fatberg. CEO Pat Donovan explained the situation to 6PR on Monday morning: “I assure you that our people worked really hard to clear a large blockage, which is called a fatberg, in one of our key water mains under Wellington Street.”
He added that while alternative solutions, such as transporting the wastewater away, were explored, officials ultimately concluded they would not be able to keep up with the needs of 16,000 attendees inside the venue.
Adams, who is in Australia as part of his So Happy It Hurts tour, is set to continue with scheduled performances in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne later this week.
While Adams himself has yet to publicly comment on the incident, the unexpected cancellation will undoubtedly go down as one of the most bizarre reasons for a postponed arena show in recent memory.