Nobody puts Leon Thomas on a leash!

The Grammy-winning R&B sensation, who’s signed to Ty Dolla $ign and Shawn Barron’s Motown-housed EZMNY imprint, accepted the Vanguard Award at the 2026 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards on Thursday (June 25), just a few days before he’ll grace the red carpet at the 2026 BET Awards on Sunday (June 28).

Sporting a snazzy gray-green suit and black-out shades, Thomas humbly accepted the Vanguard Award as his songwriting peers looked on. Grammy and Oscar winner Paul Williams led the presentation, with some assistance from ASCAP executive vice president & head of creative membership Nicole George-Middleton. EZMNY co-founder Ty Dolla $ign closed out the presentation via a video message recorded from Paris Fashion Week. Previous ASCAP Vanguard Award recipients include Victoria Monét, Migos, Janelle Monáe, Beastie Boys and more.

“Leon is a once-in-a-lifetime, generational talent who inspires everyone around him, including me,” said Ty Dolla $ign. “He’s proof that authenticity and real music will take you to the T-O-P… thank you for friendship and sharing your gift with the whole world.”

After pausing to snap some pictures, Leon began: “At 16 years old, ASCAP was my choice [of PRO], and 16 years later, it’s been so many moments that I’m extremely grateful for… Along this journey, it’s been a lot of ups and downs.

“As a songwriter and producer, there were times when you had to dim your light in order to get where you wanna go,” he continued. “What God put on my path was a journey of self-reflection and confidence. He also put [people] on my journey [who] would help me take my own music as an artist to the ‘T-O-P,’ as Ty Dolla $ign said.”

With “Mutt,” a slow-burning smash that conquered both R&B and pop radio on its way to a No. 6 peak on the Billboard Hot 100, Thomas cemented himself as the R&B’s brightest new superstar. From childhood Broadway stints to his beloved portrayal of Andre Harris on Victorious, an era-defining Nickelodeon sitcom for early Gen Zers, Thomas is an entertainment powerhouse over two decades in the making.

After receiving mentorship from Babyface and producing select tracks on Ariana Grande’s Billboard 200-topping 2013 debut album, Yours Truly, Thomas Pickle earned his first Grammy nomination in 2020 for his writing and production contributions to Rick Ross and Drake’s “Gold Roses.” Two years later, he climbed to No. 2 on the Hot 100 — his highest peak as a producer — with SZA’s “Snooze,” which earned him his first Grammy for best R&B song in 2024.

“Shoutout to my brother Shawn Barron at EZMNY, who recognized that a lot of the music I was making was songs that didn’t quite fit on any other artist. I knew I would be the only voice that could genuinely take it there,” Thomas said. “Shawn [and Ty Dolla $ign] brought me over to Capitol Music Group and put me in a position today to do what I’m doing. Shoutout to Culture Collective — Jonathan Azu and the whole team — for keeping my life organized and well-planned, and also fighting the good fight in boardrooms to make sure that my creativity was heard. And my lawyer, Dan Shulman, and the Eisner Law crew have always worked very hard to protect my IP and who I am as a creative. And Grant Financial Management, for making sure those royalty checks are coming in on time, hallelujah!”

Earlier this year (Feb. 1), Thomas added two more gilded Gramophones to his awards mantle: best traditional R&B performance for “Vibes Don’t Lie” and best R&B album for Mutt, which reached No. 35 on the Billboard 200. He earned six nods in total, including album of the year and best new artist, emphasizing his arrival as a true front-facing star after years of behind-the-boards achievements. Since February’s ceremony, where he also played in the best new artist and D’Angelo tribute medleys, the Billboard cover star has been wrapping up the European and Australian legs of his sprawling Mutts Don’t Heel World Tour, as well as assisting Bruno Mars on his Romantic Tour in stadiums across the United States. At Sunday night’s BET Awards, Thomas will compete for album of the year (Mutt Deluxe: Heel) and best male R&B/pop artist.

“To all of my collaborators and all of the songwriters and producers that I see in this room, there’s a bunch of you [who] are also chasing your artistic dreams,” he concluded. “I don’t want y’all to give up on that because I know that with hard work and a solid team around you, you too can be heard. And don’t let any of these companies put you in a box and tell you what you can’t do.”

“Luther,” the doe-eyed, Hot 100-topping duet between Kendrick Lamar and SZA that took home the 2026 Grammy for record of the year, was named the ASCAP R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap Song of the Year. Co-written by the two superstars, alongside ASCAP winners Marvin Gaye, Kamasi Washington, Scott Bridgeway and Jack Antonoff, “Luther” broke the record for the longest-running No. 1 hit in Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs history (31 weeks).

The K.Dot glow also rubbed off on Mustard, who took home ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Songwriter of the Year honors for his contributions to Lamar’s “TV Off” and Ella Mai’s “Little Things.” While the former reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 and scored a flashy Apple Music Super Bowl LIX halftime show look, the latter hit No. 4 on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales Chart. Over on the faith-based side, Maverick City & Upperoom’s “Rest On Us,” co-written by Brandon Lake & Harvest Grapevine, was named ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Gospel Song of the Year.

Sony Music Publishing earned ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Publisher of the Year honors for Hot 100-charting hits including “Push 2 Start” (Tyla, No. 88), “Went Legit” (G Herbo, No. 70), “Folded” (Kehlani, No. 6), “Man I Need” (Olivia Dean, No. 2), “WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME” (Glorilla & Sexyy Red, No. 17), “Mutt” (Leon Thomas, No. 6), “Shake It To The Max (Fly) Remix” (MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea, No. 44) and “Rather Lie” (The Weeknd & Playboi Carti, No. 4).

Additional 2026 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award-winning songwriters include Cardi B (“Outside”), Justin Bieber (“Yukon”), Partynextdoor (“Somebody Loves Me”), Kali Uchis (“Is It A Crime”), Usher (“It Depends”) and Summer Walker (“Heart of A Woman”).

The ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards recognize the songwriters and publishers of the most-performed songs of the past year based on Luminate data for terrestrial and satellite radio and streaming services, as specified by the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards rules.

UPDATE (June 22): If you won’t be in Washington, D.C. on Sunday (June 28) when Bill Maher receives the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, fear not: Netflix will premiere the program on July 21. The streamer has been the exclusive broadcast partner of the Mark Twain Prize since 2024.

John Mellencamp is set to appear at the gala, along with Louis C.K., Whitney Cummings, Woody Harrelson, Arianna Huffington, Jay Leno, Stephen A. Smith and others. Grammy-winning producer and composer Cheche Alara will serve as music director.

The show will be held at the John F. Kennedy for the Performing Arts. Donald J. Trump’s name was officially part of the name of the building when Maher’s award was announced in April, but it was ordered removed by a federal judge on May 29.

PREVIOUSLY (April 6): Bill Maher is set to receive the 2026 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at a June 28 gala in the concert hall of The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, the official name (at least for now) of the cultural landmark in Washington, D.C.

Maher will be the 27th recipient of the award; the first since board voted on Dec. 18 to adopt the new name. The program will stream exclusively on Netflix for the third consecutive year on a date to be announced.

“Thank you to the Mark Twain people: I just had the award explained to me, and apparently it’s like an Emmy, except I win,” Maher said in a statement. “I’d just like to say that it is indeed humbling to get anything named for a man who’s been thrown out of as many school libraries as Mark Twain.”

As his quip implies, Maher has indeed lost dozens of times at the Primetime Emmys. He has received 42 nominations over the years but has won just once – as an executive producer of the HBO series Vice. He lost 11 times for his breakout series Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher and an astounding 19 times for the subsequent Real Time With Bill Maher.

In addition to his 42 Primetime Emmy nods, Maher has received two Grammy nods, both for the audiobooks of two of his best-selling books. He was nominated for best spoken word album for When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden in 2004 and New Rules – Polite Musings From a Timid Observer in 2007. He lost both times.

Maher, 70, will be the oldest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize since David Letterman, who was also 70 when he was honored in 2017. The oldest-ever recipient was Carol Burnett, who was 80 when she was honored in 2013.

The June 28 event is being held more than three months later in the calendar year than last year’s presentation to Conan O’Brien, which was held on March 23, 2025. The event will be held in the same venue – only the name has been changed.

The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor recognizes individuals who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the 19th-century novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, colloquially known as Mark Twain. Previous recipients are Richard Pryor (1998), Jonathan Winters (1999), Carl Reiner (2000), Whoopi Goldberg (2001), Bob Newhart (2002), Lily Tomlin (2003), Lorne Michaels (2004), Steve Martin (2005), Neil Simon (2006), Billy Crystal (2007), George Carlin (2008), Bill Cosby (2009; rescinded in 2018), Tina Fey (2010), Will Ferrell (2011), Ellen DeGeneres (2012), Carol Burnett (2013), Jay Leno (2014), Eddie Murphy (2015), Bill Murray (2016), David Letterman (2017), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (2018), Dave Chappelle (2019), Jon Stewart (2022), Adam Sandler (2023), Kevin Hart (2024), and Conan O’Brien (2025). The event was created by Bob Kaminsky, Peter Kaminsky, Mark Krantz, and John Schreiber. 

Maher was born in New York City and raised in River Vale, N.J. He launched his career as a stand-up comedian in 1979. In 2022, Maher launched a new podcast, Club Random With Bill Maher. He has done 13 solo specials for HBO including last year’s Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This? The special was nominated for a Golden Globe for best performance in stand-up comedy on television, but (as per usual for Maher at award shows), it lost.

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Oh yes, oh yes! Carl Cox is now an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire), recognition for his outstanding services to music.

The pioneering British DJ and record producer is one of several music figures named in the King’s Birthday Honours List. Writing on his socials, Cox, one of the outstanding technical DJs of them all, a master of techno and house whose career spans over four decades, says he is “absolutely thrilled and deeply honoured” by his award.

“Music has been my life for as long as I can remember. From the earliest days behind the decks to performing on stages around the world, it has been an incredible journey filled with passion, creativity, and unforgettable moments. I’ve been fortunate to do what I love and to connect with so many amazing people through the power of music,” he writes.

“This recognition is not mine alone – it belongs to everyone who has been part of the journey. To the fans who have supported me throughout the years, the artists who have inspired and collaborated with me, the promoters, crews, and teams working tirelessly behind the scenes, my family, friends, and the wider electronic music community: thank you. Your belief, dedication, and energy have helped shape every step of this remarkable path.”

“To receive this honour for doing something that has brought me so much joy is truly humbling. Electronic music has given me a purpose, a voice, and a global family, and I’m proud to have played a part in its growth and continued success.” Cox extends a thank you “to everyone who has supported me along the way. Your encouragement has meant the world to me, and I’m genuinely grateful for every opportunity, every dancefloor, and every shared experience.”

Also recognized by King Charles is fellow British DJ Judge Jules (real name: Julius O’Riordan), who is appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). O’Riordan is saluted for his services to the music industry, entertainment law, and young people.

“I’ve done an awful lot of mentoring. I mean, a good example of what I do,” he tells LBC Radio’s Ali Miraj. “I go to the Brit School, which is… the Brit School has generated more famous global musical icons out of this country than any other single entity. And I go there and I lecture at least once or twice a year. And there are many other ways that I feel that if you’ve been experienced like I have, it’s one’s absolute obligation to give back and to mentor because the arts in this country have had challenging times on and off, but are a real flag that this country needs to fly.”

Also, Black Sabbath guitarist and co-founder Tony Iommi is made an MBE for services to music and charity, while several leading figures from the world of classical music are saluted.

The New Year and King’s Birthday Honours are awarded by the King following recommendations by the prime minister or senior government ministers, as celebration of outstanding achievements, personal bravery, and public service.

Meanwhile, several outstanding artists and executives from Australia’s music community are tapped in the King’s Birthday Honours List. Keith Welsh, co-founder, bassist and now manager of Iva Davies’ ARIA Hall of Fame inducted band ICEHOUSE, receives the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), as does Philip Walker (OAM), chair and co-founder of Origin Music Group.

There’s a posthumous award for James Valentine, the beloved broadcaster and sax player for ARIA Hall of Famer inducted new wave band Models and Absent Friends. Valentine, who passed in April, at the age of 64, following a battle with cancer, becomes a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

The honors recognize and celebrate the exceptional achievements, community service, and public contributions of hundreds of distinguished Australians, and are awarded by the Governor-General of Australia, acting on the recommendation of the Council for the Order of Australia.

Taylor Swift is a superstar on another level. She shattered the all-time first-week sales record with last year’s The Life of a Showgirl and redefined what it means to be a touring juggernaut with her Eras Tour. She has 14 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s, and 14 Grammy Awards. But the ascension of our biggest pop star didn’t start with the sales, and it didn’t start with the stage: it started with her songs. And on Thursday (June 11) night, Swift was celebrated for her first and foremost talent, songwriting, with a wildly deserved induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Despite being one of the most famous people on the planet, Swift attended the induction ceremony as anyone else might. She hobnobbed before the dinner started, and when the ceremony got underway, she sang and danced at her table during the various inductee tributes and performances. (She seemed particularly jazzed during John Fogerty’s ferocious set and Alanis Morissette’s haunting performance.) Joining Swift at her table was fiance Travis Kelce, future mother-in-law Donna Kelce, her own mother and father, as well as Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw.

When it came time for Swift’s induction (the final one of the Class of 2026) it was a quarter to midnight. Sombr offered a glammed-up rock take on “Cardigan,” her 2020 Hot 100 topper, backed by the SHOF’s versatile house band. “It’s an honor to be here, thank you Taylor for trusting me,” he said. “This next song Taylor wrote when she was 19 years old and it really inspired me…I’m so nervous,” he stopped, laughing after fumbling a few words. “She’s looking at me right now and I’m talking about her music. I’ve never done anything like this.” (Swift, supportive as ever, applauded encouragingly.) Sombr then sang a, well, somber version of “Dear John,” a song hailing from Speak Now, an LP Swift wrote entirely on her own. Swift and her parents sang along, softly.

Swift’s Oscar-winning dinner guest had the honor of inducting her into the esteemed organization. “As a director I am acutely aware of the power music can have on audiences,” Spielberg said, noting that songs have the power to unite us anywhere and everywhere: “Whether it’s sung at the top of our lungs in our cars, in houses of worship, at football games or on the streets of Minnesota.”

So, why was one of the greatest living filmmakers on hand to salute one of our greatest living singer-songwriters? The short answer: she asked him. After receiving a phone call from her several months ago, Spielberg admitted that his elation quickly deflated after he hung up. “What could I possibly say about Taylor Swift that hasn’t already been said?” Spielberg pondered. “Out of curiosity, I asked AI how many words have been written about Taylor Swift.” The effort yielded him nothing. So he continued the experiment, asking AI how many words Taylor Swift herself has written. Once again, AI flopped the assignment. “She is such a force that the depths of her achievement defies AI,” Spielberg quipped.

When it was time for Swift’s big moment, she hugged Liz Rose (a songwriting collaborator from her early days who was inducted into the SHOF in 2023) and walked up to the stage.

The moment she opened her mouth, it was clear that Knicks Mania — which is currently gripping New York — had gotten the best of her. A hoarse-voiced Swift, who was courtside at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night with Kelce, admitted she spent the previous night “screaming for 100%” of the Knicks’ victorious game. “I got home and was like, ‘You gotta stop screaming, you’re screaming too much, you’re screaming instead of talking, you’re too excited.’ Then I got to witness the amazing performances I saw tonight, and I just kept screaming and I never stopped screaming and this is what you get. I make no apologies for that — I’ve had a blast.”

Swift shed some light as to why Spielberg was one of her personal heroes and her pick for the person to induct her into the SHOF. “Through his decades of spellbinding storytelling Steven Spielberg has unknowingly inducted me and countless others into his sacred club of expansive world building,” she explained, thanking him for joining her the same night his latest film, Disclosure Day, hits theaters. “I watched him ace every genre… because of examples like Steven’s I trusted my imagination.”

Later on, she thanked Sombr for his “perfect performance” of two songs that spanned a decade of her life. “His writing is so exceptional that it makes me envious and I love that feeling.” According to Swift, she’s always telling her friends, “Sombr is the future – he does it all on his own and he doesn’t need that AI. The kids will be fine!”

Throughout a thoughtful, well-paced and expertly written speech, Swift placed her songwriting within the context of her wider career and life.

“If I look back at my entire 23-year career in music, the ups and downs and industry battles, the trials and tribulations, the cheers and tears and dogpiling of doubt, the criticisms — both fair and unfair — the complete loss of privacy, the world tours and ego wars, and the twists of fate, the absolute magical chaos of this path that I chose when I was too young to remember it even being a choice at all, songwriting was the easiest thing I ever did,” she said. “Not because it didn’t take effort. It definitely did. Not that it wasn’t frustrating at times, because it could be. And not that my songwriting didn’t haunt me relentlessly until I cracked the perfect internal rhyme scheme for the third line of the second verse before my teachers called me out in class for not paying attention, because that definitely happened.

“But when I say that songwriting was the easiest part for me, I think what I mean is that it was instinctual. No one taught me how to do it. I had to be taught how to entertain a crowd. And learn choreography, and be less annoying and navigate the industry and fiercely protect my own sanity through difficult lessons and massive amounts of trial and error and chaos and calamity. But songwriting for me was pretty much the only thing I naturally did.”

Calm and collected throughout most of the speech, Swift faltered a bit when speaking about her family. “It was easy to choose songwriting. But for everyone else in my life, it couldn’t have been easy for my parents and my brother to pick up our entire family and move from Pennsylvania to Nashville,” she said, pausing after choking up a bit. “Even though words are kinda supposed to be my thing I will never be able to express my gratitude,” she told her family. “You are the reason I’m here tonight.”

Before leaving the stage, she offered up a quote from one of her favorite TV shows, Yellowstone, by way of advising the next generation of songwriters. “’It’s the one constant in life, son: you build something worth having, somebody’s gonna try to take it,’” Swift said in her best paternal Southern accent (which was aided somewhat by her strained vocal cords). “I’m using this quote to refer to self-worth, peace of mind and singular vision as a creator,” she explained. “Positive feedback and people loving what you wrote feels incredible… but you need to be ready to receive negative feedback,” she added. “If you make anything awesome, someone out there is bound to say horrible things about it. Or twist what you meant into something completely unrecognizable to you.”

Her advice? “You can be sensitive but also durable…. Take what’s useful and constructive and leave out what’s damaging to your creativity.”

Though she graciously kept a low profile before taking the stage, Swift’s star power was undeniable throughout the entire evening, something many of her fellow inductees couldn’t help but comment on. Walter Afanasieff mentioned it was the “joy of his life” to watch Swift sing along to a medley of his songs performed by Sheléa prior to his induction. Johnny Mercer Award honoree John Fogerty, when addressing the “dark” years he spent not playing his best-known songs in concert, joked, “Taylor Swift, I don’t recommend you do that.”

Swift’s induction as part of the Class of 2026 makes her the youngest woman ever inducted into the SHOF. Furthermore, she’s the first recipient of the Hal David Starlight Award (which the SHOF gives out to promising young talents; she nabbed it in 2010, and RAYE got it this year) to gain full membership. And as Linda Moran, Songwriters Hall of Fame CEO and president, said earlier in the evening, Swift seems to be on track for the organization’s highest honor, the aforementioned Johnny Mercer Award, if she keeps pace.

The BRIT Awards will return to Manchester’s Co-op Live in 2027, organizers confirmed on Tuesday (June 9; June 10 in England). The event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 27, with the ceremony once again broadcasting live on ITV1 and ITVX. 

The 2026 edition was also held at the Oak View Group-owned Co-op Live, marking the first time the BRIT Awards had taken place outside of London in its nearly 50-year history. It had previously taken place at The O2 Arena (2012-2025), as well as various venues in the capital including Earl’s Court (1996-2011) and Alexandra Palace (1993-1995).

Stacey Tang, co-president of RCA Records at Sony Music U.K., has been reappointed chair of the 2027 BRITs Committee and will oversee all aspects of the show, including its creative direction. Tang will lead a committee comprising representatives from major and independent record labels, BRITs TV and the BPI. 

Tang, who featured on Billboard U.K.’s 2026 Power Players list, also led the committee for the 2026 ceremony. The BRITs’ presence in Manchester featured activations across the city, as well as free-to-attend panels and workshops as part of the debut BRITs Fringe. 

The news follows a successful BRIT Awards earlier this year, which organizers say delivered the largest global audience in the event’s history. The show featured performances from Harry Styles and EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI (the voices behind K-Pop Demon Hunters’ HUNTR/X), alongside Mark Ronson, Olivia Dean, Rosalía, RAYE and Wolf Alice.

Dean collected four awards on the night, including album of the year for her blockbuster second LP, The Art of Loving. Other big winners included Noel Gallagher, who was named songwriter of the year, as well as Lola Young, who took home the breakthrough artist prize.

“It’s a real privilege to return as Chair and to be back in Manchester for a second year,” said Tang in a statement. “There was such an incredible energy around the 2026 show — across the city, the industry and with fans everywhere. I’m excited to build on that global success alongside a brilliant team, pushing the show creatively and continuing to celebrate the artists, the culture and the communities that make British music what it is.”

BPI CEO Dr. Jo Twist OBE added: “Following the record-breaking success of this year’s show in Manchester, we can’t wait to return to the Co-op Live to continue celebrating and championing music and creativity to a global audience, from a city with a great heritage that has truly welcomed and embraced us with open arms. We look forward to further developing our cultural impact across the U.K. and in Manchester itself around next year’s show.”

Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig said: “This year’s BRIT Awards in Manchester were a huge success with a global reach and massive local impact, and we’re excited and ready to help make 2027 the biggest year yet for The BRITs!”

Continued Craig: “The impact of the awards was felt across the city region, from the cash benefit for our economy, showcasing small local music venues, incredible opportunities for our up-and-coming young musicians and creatives, and engagement with Greater Manchester schools — and we’ll be creating even more ways for them, for local people across GM and for visitors to get involved in next year’s awards, which look set to be another incredible celebration of music and our city.”