Australia’s Laneway Festival will not visit Adelaide or Perth in 2027, organizers announced Monday (Aug. 10), scaling back the long-running touring festival’s footprint for its next edition.

In a message shared on social media, organizers told fans in South Australia and Western Australia that “in 2027, Laneway will be taking a break in your cities,” acknowledging the news as “disappointing” while framing it as a strategic decision rather than a permanent exit.

“For over two decades, we’ve had the pleasure of bringing Laneway to Australia and New Zealand, with stints in Singapore and Detroit too,” the statement read. “Running so many shows, so close together, across so much ground is a logistical feat we are proud of, but it also asks a lot of our lineup and crew.” The organizers added that a pause would allow them “to focus on making the festival the best it can be, while freeing up time for more artists to bring headline shows to cities beyond our festival stops,” before signing off: “Adelaide and Perth, we love you! This isn’t goodbye, just see you soon.”

There was better news for Queensland fans. After a one-off 2026 edition on the Gold Coast — held at Southport Sharks, the festival’s first time in the region — Laneway’s northern leg will return to the Brisbane Showgrounds in 2027.

“Thank you to Southport Sharks for welcoming us in 2026 and giving us the opportunity to share Laneway with the Gold Coast’s incredible music community,” organizers said. The Brisbane edition first launched in Fortitude Valley in 2007 and was a fixture there before relocating to the Showgrounds in 2013.

Laneway has grown from modest beginnings into one of the most significant touring festivals in the region. It began in 2005 as a Melbourne-exclusive event — an offshoot associated with The Avalanches — held in the city’s laneways, from which it takes its name. It expanded to Sydney in 2006, Brisbane in 2007, Adelaide in 2008 and Perth in 2009, before going international with an Auckland edition in 2010. A seven-year run in Singapore launched in 2011, and a one-off Detroit event in 2013 remains the festival’s only North American date.

In 2027, the festival will run across four cities: Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, with venues, dates and lineup details promised soon.

The decision to trim two cities comes at a precarious moment for Australia’s festival sector, which has seen a wave of cancellations and collapses in recent years. Splendour in the Grass, one of the country’s largest festivals, cancelled its 2024 edition, while Falls Festival, Groovin the Moo and others have scrapped events amid rising costs, softening ticket sales and mounting logistical pressures. Against that backdrop, Laneway’s framing of the move as a deliberate “pause” rather than a retreat is notable — the festival remains one of the more resilient players in a strained market, having just come off a milestone edition.

That 2026 edition marked Laneway’s 21st year and was headlined by Chappell Roan, whose debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess became a global breakout, alongside a bill that included Wet Leg, Wolf Alice, PinkPantheress, Geese and Lucy Dacus.

The internet apparently doubted the real “U-S-H-E-R R-A-Y-M-O-N-D” was in the house this weekend at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where the singer was on the bill for two nights with Chris Brown on their co-headlining Raymond & Brown Tour Aug. 7-8.

A rumor that Usher was replaced by a clone for his performance in East Ruthorford, N.J., Friday night was rampant enough to elicit a response from Usher himself (or was it?).

Several crying-laughing emojis were involved when Usher seemingly hit the comments section of footage from his own concert this weekend to address the conspiracy theory, which was being talked about on videos with hundreds of thousands of views across social media platforms.

“Ya’ll are funny…clone? They can’t clone this??” he wrote in one comment, saved and shared on @therandbtour on Instagram, a Raymond & Brown Tour update account that keeps fans in the know about what’s happening at each date on tour.

Another comment shows Usher quipping, “How ya’ll come up with this? AI ain’t that advanced.”

Meanwhile, folks on TikTok and X were side-eyeing clips from the show. “I’m confused. I see Usher but then I don’t,” one person remarked of the performer’s moves on a popular TikTok post, while others found themselves caught up with zooming in on cell phone video to track tattoo placement, or speculating that his cheekbones didn’t look like Usher’s. Others found it suspicious that the talent didn’t remove his sunglasses. Someone joked that it wasn’t Usher, it was “Unsure.”

Something just must’ve been in the air on Friday, which saw a delayed start due to thunderstorms but proceeded to deliver “a seamless performance,” Billboard‘s Carl Lamarre said in his factual recap of top moments from the show. “The three-hour bonanza was littered with dance numbers, acrobatic moves, special guests ranging from Lil Baby to 50 Cent and, of course, picture-perfect moments of Brown and Usher crossing paths onstage to deliver their classic collaborations.”

THIS & THAT, Stray Kids’ new eight-song collection (which features an anthemic new track of the same name), tops this week’s new music poll.

Listeners voted in a poll published Friday (Aug. 7) on Billboard, choosing the octet’s latest release as their favorite new music.

THIS & THAT ruled in a landslide win on this week’s poll, in a week that also saw new music releases from the likes of Karol G, Madonna feat. Kylie Minogue, FLO, Role Model, Alex Warren and more. At the poll’s closing time on Sunday, Stray Kids came out on top with 85% of the vote.

THIS & THAT kicks off with “RUN IT,” then goes into the self-assured title track (“This & That”), which also got the visual treatment with a music video (seen above) released on Friday; the video’s racked up more than 62 million views already on YouTube. The “this & that, this & that” refrain is one that’ll play in your head long after you’ve hit play on the song.

Tracks “After You,” “FARMING,” “I Do,” “Way Out,” “Back Then” and “This & That – (Festival Version)” round out the eight songs on the set, released via JYP Entertainment and the REPUBLIC Collective. Check out Billboard‘s thoughts on all eight songs here.

Though it’s too early to see where the just-released THIS & THAT lands on the charts, when it comes to official rankings, Stray Kids’ previous entries on the Billboard 200 have all debuted at No. 1 — from ODDINARY in 2022 up to DO IT in 2025.

Trailing behind THIS & THAT on the poll are Karol G’s No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto, Madonna and Kylie Minogue’s “Love Sensation” remix and more.

See the final results of this week’s poll below.

With Ariana Grande‘s Petal launching at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the singer is taking a moment to share her appreciation to fans who helped make the LP her seventh chart topper.

Grande shared the news of her latest release’s triumphant debut on Sunday (Aug. 9) via an Instagram Story, where she reposted Billboard‘s headline about the set hitting No. 1.

“thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she wrote, adding a heart emoji to show love for her fans.

On Saturday, Grande posted a series of photos and short video clips documenting the making of the album on her Instagram grid. “petal forever,” she captioned the behind-the-scenes look.

The star wrapped the North American leg of her Eternal Sunshine Tour Friday night in Chicago. She next heads to London for the final performances on this tour, with 10 concerts at the 02 Arena spanning Aug. 15 to Sept. 1, before taking a breather from the public.

“i love you … i cannot believe that this concludes the north american leg of the eternal sunshine tour,” Grande wrote in a post this weekend marking the occasion. “i am overwhelmed with love and the deepest gratitude. thank you endlessly for the most special, beautiful, joyful and deeply fulfilling few months … i will cherish every moment of this time with you all & these memories forever. thank you, chicago … london, i cannot wait to see you soon. i love you all more than ever.”

Post-show, her brother Frankie also published a heartfelt message honoring his sister’s work — plus a video of himself and mom enjoying the concert at Chicago’s United Center — on his Instagram account.

“Family forever. I will have your back until the end of time. I am so proud of you and so happy for you. Last night was a beautiful celebration of your artistry and the magnificent eternal sunshine family you have built and created. It was a magical night. You are magical. You are my everything and I am so so happy I was there to see you shine on this tour one last time,” he said.

Once the Eternal Sunshine Tour concludes, Grande plans to take “a step back from visibility,” according to a statement from her rep shared with People last weekend. “She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances.” The break — which happens to come amid heightened public scrutiny about the singer’s physical appearance and weight, but was a decision that was “quietly made a long time ago” and not “reactive,” Grande says — includes bowing out of her previously announced starring role in an upcoming revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park With George, which was expected to open next summer in London.

There’s a new addition to the Mattel family: the Whitney Houston Barbie Signature Doll.

The doll was unveiled Saturday evening (Aug. 8) at the fifth annual Legacy of Love Gala, presented by The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation and Primary Wave Music. The gala’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” theme was a nod to Houston’s 1987 global pop smash “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” whose music video inspired the look of the latest member of Mattel’s Barbie Signature Series.

Pat Houston, president of the foundation and executor of The Estate of Whitney E. Houston, co-hosted the gala (also celebrating Whitney Houston’s 63rd birthday on Aug. 9) with Kevin Frazier of Entertainment Tonight. In her remarks to the gala attendees at The Whitley Hotel in Atlanta, Houston said, “This evening, we celebrate more than the release of a doll; we celebrate the enduring legacy of an icon. The new Whitney Houston Barbie honors a woman whose voice, grace, beauty and spirit inspired generations around the world. May this doll remind every child and every collector that dreams have no limits, excellence leaves a lasting imprint and true greatness never goes out of style. Thank you, Mattel, for making one of Whitney’s dreams come true.”

VP and head of Barbie, Mattel Nathan Baynard commented, “Whitney Houston’s music has been the soundtrack to countless moments for fans around the world. Barbie is proud to honor her extraordinary legacy with the latest addition to the Barbie Signature Series. Created in close collaboration with Pat Houston, this doll celebrates her unmistakable style, joy and spirit. We hope it gives fans a meaningful way to celebrate the artist whose voice and influence continue to resonate around the world.”

The Legacy of Love Gala opened with a tribute to music industry legend and Houston mentor Clive Davis. He served as honorary chair of The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation for the last four years and was named to do so again this year before his passing in June. In addition to a special video honoring Davis, singer-songwriter-pianist Gordon Chambers performed “Greatest Love of All.”

“Clive Davis a man whose presence in my life and the life of Whitney Houston was profound,” noted Houston. “The world knows Clive as a visionary, a brilliant music principal and a man whose ear for greatness changed the course of music history. I knew him as someone even greater — a loyal friend, a steady hand and man who never wavered in his belief in the people he loved. Words cannot fully express the loss I felt and have experienced with his passing. I will always remember him as one of the greatest architects of music and a man of heart, integrity and enduring love.”

Houston’s longtime collaborator (“Exhale [Shoop Shoop],” “I’m Your Baby Tonight”) and friend Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds was the gala’s headline performer. In addition to performing several of his classic hits, Edmonds brought out surprise special guest Chanté Moore. The pair sang “Why Does It Hurt So Bad,” the Babyface-produced song from 1995’s Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album. Houston’s brother Gary Houston also teamed with singer Jada Nikole to perform a reimagined version of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me).”

As the latest music artist featured in the Barbie Signature Series, Houston joins a circle of prior honorees that includes Miley Cyrus, Aaliyah, Stevie Nicks, Gloria Estefan, Tina Turner, Diana Ross and Elton John. The Barbie Dream Gap Project will also donate to the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation, which provides educational opportunities, grants and scholarships for young people. The Whitney Houston Barbie Signature Doll is available now in Target stores and online at Amazon, Walmart, Target and Mattel Creations for an SRP of $60. 

Also available now at Target is the Tiny Vinyl release of Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” backed with “So Emotional.” Earlier this year, Houston and her legacy were saluted by The Recording Academy’s presentation of its Special Merit Lifetime Achievement Award. And on Aug. 11 (10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET), Julien’s Auctions — in partnership with The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation — will host a benefit sale of more than 50 unique items from Houston’s personal collection.

Morrissey has canceled his upcoming Las Vegas residency.

Ticket buyers were informed Friday (Aug. 7) that the former Smiths frontman’s four-night run at Wynn Las Vegas’ Encore Theater, scheduled to begin Aug. 14, had been canceled due to “unforeseen logistical issues,” according to Rolling Stone.

“Hello, we regret to inform you that Morrissey – Live in Concert, scheduled for August 14, 15, 18, and 19 at Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas, has been canceled,” an email said. “Due to unforeseen logistical issues, the scheduled Las Vegas residency cannot take place.”

The 67-year-old musician’s official website still listed the Las Vegas shows at press time. Wynn’s entertainment page had removed the dates, while Ticketmaster listings for the concerts state, “Unfortunately, the Event Organizer has had to cancel your event.”

Morrissey had not publicly commented on the cancellation as of press time. Billboard has reached out to his representatives for further details.

Morrissey’s last live performance was Aug. 1 at Super Bock Arena in Porto, Portugal.

The singer-songwriter currently has live U.S. performances booked through the fall, including Chicago’s Riot Fest on Sept. 19 and Brooklyn’s CBGB Festival on Sept. 26. After stops in Washington, D.C., Nashville and Houston, among other cities, the trek is scheduled to conclude with a headlining set at Darker Waves Festival in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Nov. 14. He will then travel to Europe for a handful of dates to close out the year.

Over the years, Morrissey has developed a reputation for calling off or rescheduling shows for various reasons. In 2025, he canceled 25 performances and postponed 11, according to Rolling Stone.

Earlier this year, in January, Morrissey canceled a pair of California dates — shows that had been rescheduled from 2025 — citing a medical issue. In March, he also pulled the plug on a show in Valencia, Spain, due to “sleep deprivation” caused by a loud festival nearby that “left Morrissey in a catatonic state.”

Morrissey released his 14th studio album, Make-Up Is a Lie, in March.