Stella Lefty emerged seemingly out of nowhere this year with the track “Boston,” a toe-tapping, romantic country-pop smash that interpolates Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season.” The tune, one of the summer’s biggest hits, reached No. 3 on both Billboard’s Hot 100 and Country Songs charts following “Thinking ‘Bout You,” her only other previous charting song, which peaked at 50 on Country Songs.
Bolstered by the success of “Boston,” Lefty’s EP, Is This Heaven, debuted at No. 9 on the Top Country Albums in late May, making her the first woman to land in the top 10 with her initial release this year. All six songs from that effort are on Long Way Home, her first full-length album out Friday (Aug. 21) via Atlantic Outpost.
The album, helmed by British producer Joe Reeves (Lil Durk, Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll), is extremely likeable. Reeves’ low-key production perfectly complements Lefty’s sweet, unadorned vocals, creating what feels like an uncomplicated, authentic effort and a solid introduction to a formidable, developing talent. Her voice is wrapped around primarily acoustic instrumentation, especially banjo and mandolin, that adds to the album’s overall pleasing blend of country, folk and pop.
Lefty, 24, co-wrote the album’s 14 songs and the subject matter is solidly Gen Z. All but one of the tunes deals with romance and trying to figure out the complexities of what happens after boy meets girl. Many of the encounters start in a bar, because that’s where 20-somethings are hanging out. This leads to a similarity in theme that could wear thin when the album is listened to from start to finish — as does the mid-tempo pace of most of the songs — so the songs shine better when listened to individually.
Below Billboard ranks all 14 songs. (Just assume the tunes are mid-tempo unless described otherwise.)
With Hazel Eyes, Sam Smith charts a fresh, emboldened emotional hinterland. Across the London-born singer’s four previous albums, the question of who exists beyond that distinct, aching, soulful voice has loomed large.
Smith initially built a career, after all, on the strange alchemy of writing about heartbreak from largely hypothetical pain; they penned 2014 global smash In the Lonely Hour before ever experiencing a breakup. The albums that followed gradually filled in the blanks – desire, growth, personal identity, sex – though with the sense of an artist discovering themselves and testing out what they want to say to the world. In the process, they have scooped billions of streams, five Grammy Awards and seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits — and with 2023 Kim Petras collab “Unholy,” became the first openly nonbinary artist to top the chart.
At times, Smith’s fifth full-length effort gets closer than ever to answering that question. The dual muses across Hazel Eyes become figures in a wider romantic mythology; even when their partner, the (hazel-eyed) fashion designer Christian Cowan, or their newly adopted home of New York City enters the frame, lyrically, the 34-year-old avoids rendering them literally to instead focus on capturing the feelings they inspire.
Until now, Smith “didn’t understand what my heart was for,” they tell us on the title track; “To Be Free,” the record’s searching and graceful closer, reckons with harbouring shame and maintaining a public persona, only to realise that patient, requited love can offer an escape from performing different versions of the self.
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The latter track lent its name to Smith’s U.S. concert hall residencies last year, which included 24 sold-out nights at Warsaw in Brooklyn and will head to Manchester’s Albert Hall (Sept. 3-4) and the London Coliseum (Sept. 8-19) for a further 10 shows next month. In the states, Smith was joined onstage by a plethora of pop luminaries, including Ed Sheeran, Hozier and Sienna Spiro. Yet for all its starry cameos, the run featured minimal stage production in order to zone in and illuminate the sheer force of Smith’s vocal, with little to distract from it after the pop-baiting campaigns of their past two records (2020’s fairly tepid Love Goes, and its expressive if uneven 2023 follow-up Gloria).
While it was enlivening to hear Smith stretch beyond the soft-focus piano pop balladry of their earlier work, particularly on the slinky, trop-pop-influenced chart hit “How Do You Sleep?” or the disco-fied “I’m Not Here to Make Friends,” Hazel Eyes finds them returning familiar textures with a newly exploratory ear. Its sound is pared back to the hallmarks of their earlier output but within that palette, Smith makes room for subtle surprises, weaving flourishes of country guitar into “When He’s Gone” and teaming up with seminal Canadian indie songwriter Feist on multiple tracks, whose influence feels particularly pertinent throughout the emphatic storytelling of “Moondance.”
As Hazel Eyes adds another layer to Smith’s story, its title itself an ode to Cowan and the pair’s recent engagement, here’s every track from the new record ranked.
A California appeals court is leaning towards affirming the dismissal of Jay-Z’s extortion and defamation lawsuit against personal injury attorney Tony Buzbee.
A panel of state appellate judges heard arguments on Thursday (Aug. 20) in Jay-Z’s Los Angeles case against Buzbee, who filed a short-lived 2024 lawsuit accusing the rap icon (Shawn Carter) of raping a 13-year-old girl alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs decades earlier. Jay-Z vehemently denied this and then went on the offensive, suing Buzbee in two different forums for allegedly fabricating the claims in pursuit of money and publicity.
The rapper’s California case relied heavily on a recorded interview between private investigators and the anonymous rape accuser, known as Jane Doe, in which the woman supposedly admitted the claims were false and that Buzbee pressured her to lie. Judge Mark H. Epstein ruled last July that this interview is inadmissible under the legal hearsay rule — and as a result, he threw out the case due to insufficient evidence at the outset. Jay-Z appealed.
As oral arguments began Thursday, three appellate judges announced that their tentative thinking was to affirm Judge Epstein’s dismissal. Judge Stephen Goorvitch voiced concerns about the origin of this recording, since it’s not clear who hired the private investigators who spoke to Doe. Jay-Z’s attorneys say it wasn’t them.
“My concern is a plaintiff’s lawyer shows up in court and says, ‘Magically this interview has been dropped in my lap, I had nothing to do with it,’” said Judge Goorvitch. “We have no information about where this came from. It looks highly suspicious that somehow, somebody talked to Mr. Buzbee’s client directly.”
Judge Anne Richardson agreed that the recording is “not a reliable statement,” since Doe seemed to merely be giving yes-or-no answers to leading questions from investigators. A lawyer representing Buzbee, Samuel Moniz, went a step further by arguing that investigators threatened to publicly reveal Doe’s identity unless she cooperated.
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“To say these circumstances are inherently intimidating is an understatement,” said Moniz during the hearing. “If you listen to the recording, her voice is trembling. She’s frightened. She’s totally caught off guard.”
Jay-Z’s lawyer, Jeremy Rosen, tried to sway the appeal judges into changing their minds and reviving the case for further litigation. He said that full evidence discovery — including the exchange of documents and witness testimony — should be conducted before it’s decided whether or not Buzbee pressured Doe to fabricate rape claims.
“At trial, [Jane Doe] will either testify consistently with this investigation or she won’t, and the jury will then get to decide if she’s credible and what the ultimate facts are,” said Rosen. “Due process demands at least the opportunity to have limited discovery.”
The appellate court took the matter under consideration for a written ruling.
While Jay-Z waits for a decision on the future of the California case, he’s still pursuing a separate malicious prosecution suit against both Buzbee and Doe in federal court. That matter was recently transferred from Alabama to New York, and Buzbee is scheduled to file a key motion to dismiss next month.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again is going to give the sober life a try.
The Louisiana rapper took to his Instagram Stories and shared that he flushed the rest of the drugs he had down the toilet and is going to try to be sober for six consecutive months. “I wanted to get high last night I just flushed the sh– down the toilet,” he said. “I’m trying to see if I really can make it to 6 months.” He also posted an IG Story hinting at a new album. “Hope yall ready for my album,” he told his followers. “This when we separate this and that.”
Back in 2023, he told Bootleg Kev that he had checked himself into a rehab facility during an interview. “I went to rehab for a weekend recently,” he admitted. “I still get an image that I do a lot of drugs, so I kinda get that thrown in my face like, ‘This is taking over his mind or something.”
NBA, who now lives in South Korea, recently sat down with Funny Marco and hinted at retirement and revealed that he has no interest in moving back to the United States anytime soon. “I’ll go on tour one more time throughout my whole life and that’s it,” he said before saying that he has “one or two” albums left in him.
And when it comes to his plans of maybe coming back to the States he told Funny Marco, “Never in life,” before explaining how he was able to muster up the power to call South Korea his home. “I used to always feel like I never have the opportunity to get away or leave, so it’s like I don’t have no problem being away,” he continued. “It’s nothing there for me at all. Probably the most important thing is my kids. They there, but that’s what they got planes for.”
The title of his next album is All Dogs Go to Heaven.
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Keep World Cup fever going with the 2026-27 English Premier League. Some of the best and brightest stars that captured the hearts of soccer fans during the World Cup — like Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Rodri, Tottenham’s Pedro Porro and others — take to the pitch for the 35th season of the league. Matches begin Friday (Aug. 21).
In the meantime, check out a complete schedule of matches here.
What Time Is the 2026-27 English Premier League?
The Premier League 2026-27 season begins starting on Friday (Aug. 21) with Arsenal vs. Coventry City at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT. The season ends with the final on Sunday, May 30, 2027.
The matches broadcast on NBC and USA Network in English, Telemundo and Universo in Spanish, and livestream on Peacock.
Which Celebrities Are Making Appearances During the 2026-27 English Premier League?
It’s likely there may be a number of celebrities and famous recording artists in attendance during Premier League matches in the United Kingdom. Be on the lookout for celebrity soccer fans who’ve been seen at matches in the past — like Dua Lipa, Adele, Fatboy Slim, Liam and Noel Gallagher, Sting, Tom Holland, Idris Elba, Prince Harry, Prince William, Lewis Hamilton, Timothée Chalamet, LeBron James and others.
How to Watch 2026-27 English Premier League Online for Free
In order to watch Premier League matches, you’ll need to have access to NBC and USA Network, as well as Telemundo and Universo. There are a few ways to watch online for free, including getting a subscription to DirecTV or Hulu + Live TV.
A subscription to DirecTV’s “Entertainment” package — which comes with NBC and USA Network, as well as Telemundo, for Premier League matches — gets you access to live TV, local and cable channels, which goes for $59.99 for the first month of service ($89.99 per month afterward). The service even offers a five-day free trial to watch for free, if you sign up now. You can watch local networks such as CBS, ABC and FOX, while you can watch many other cable networks.
A subscription to Sling Blue, which comes with NBC and USA Network for Premier League matches, gets you access to more than 40 live TV channels. You can watch local networks such as ABC and FOX (all in select markets), while you can watch many cable networks too — priced at $54.99 per month. Please note: Pricing and channel availability vary depending on TV market. Learn more about Sling TV here.
If you don’t have a Hulu + Live TV subscription, the streamer offers a free trial that’ll get you your first three days free to access NBC, USA Network and Telemundo, as well as more than 100 live TV channels. Once the free trial is over, you’ll be charged the regular subscription fee, which starts at $89.99 per month. For even more content, Hulu + Live TV bundles with Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited at no extra cost to watch even more exclusive and original sporting events and programming.
There are two different plans offered on Peacock: The Premium Plan for $10.99 per month or the Premium Plus Plan for $16.99 per month, both feature matches on NBC and USA Network in English and Telemundo and Universo in Spanish.
If you’re looking to save, you can get 17% off when you do the annual plan for $109.99 per year or $169.99 per year, respectively. With the Premium Plan, it’s ad-supported and you’ll receive access to a wide range of movies, TV shows, originals, live sports from NBC Sports and live news from NBC News.
Peacock’s Premium Plus plan comes with everything in the Premium plan, no ads, your local NBC channel live and the ability to download and stream offline.
Alongside Premier League, you’ll have access to the entire Peacock library, including The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Yellowstone, Five Nights At Freddy’s 2, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Poker Face, Saturday Night Live and others.
The streaming service also offers a number of music documentaries and specials, such as Toby Keith: An American Icon, Bowie: The Man Who Changed The World, Bob Dylan: The Folk Years, Stevie Nicks: Through The Looking Glass, Katy Perry: Main Square, Welcome To The A: 50 Years of Hip-Hop in Atlanta and more.
The 2026-27 English Premier League season matches are available to livestream on DirecTV and Peacock starting on Friday (Aug. 21).
Ariana Grande has once again blasted the Trump administration for using her music in social media clips promoting the president.
Team Trump posted a video to TikTok on Thursday (Aug. 20) soundtracked by Grande’s 2024 Eternal Sunshine hit “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).”
The clip finds Trump walking toward the podium at a speaking engagement and is captioned with lyrics from Grande’s Billboard Hot 100-topping smash, “Me and my truth we sit in silence,” followed by a statement about women’s sports. “Men can’t have babies and should never compete in women’s sports,” the post continues.
Team Trump added in the caption: “This shouldn’t be controversial! #trump #arianagrande #maga.”
Grande quickly got wind of Team Trump’s post and slammed the administration for using her work in the comment section. “Never use my music again. Also, your truth is false,” she responded.
Arianators also flocked to the comment section to alert the singer. “Does Ariana know he’s using her song AGAIN,” one fan wrote.
This isn’t the first time Grande has spoken out against the Trump administration for using the pop star’s music to promote its content. She previously condemned Trump’s deployment of ICE after the agency posted a clip soundtracked by 2024’s “Bye” in June.
“Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense. F— ICE,” she commented.
Plenty of Ari’s pop star peers have criticized Trump’s deployment of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter.
The 33-year-old has been a staunch supporter of the anti-ICE movement, as she sported an “ICE Out” pin at the 2026 Golden Globes.
On the music side, Grande returned with her petal album in July, which topped the Billboard 200 — her seventh LP at the summit — with 295,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States. Grande is currently in the midst of a 10-show run at London’s O2 Arena on the Eternal Sunshine Tour.
Find the Team Trump TikTok video below.
Mary J. Blige’s musical influence birthed plenty of R&B artists in the ’90s and into the turn of the century, but the R&B icon opened up about not having any biological children of her own.
Blige joined Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson’s IMO podcast on Wednesday, where she reflected on her decision to not have kids.
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Mary J. Blige Talks ‘Be Happy’ Movie, Vegas Residency & Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Performance: ‘Timing Is Everything’
“I saw a lot of people struggling,” the 55-year-old began. “I see a lot, you know, my family members needing babysitters and them not having a choice, no freedom. So when you’re younger, those are the words you make, those are the choices you make. I don’t want any kids.”
The “Real Love” singer also revealed how she’s had some regret about being kidless as she’s gotten older, but is ultimately happy with the life she’s built.
“When you get older, you start to see how valuable their teenagers are to them [and] their kids are to them. … Sometimes I’m lonely, but I’m alone a lot. I’m in my home, but we have a good time. We have a good time. I make sure we have a good time,” she said. “We by ourselves, we watching movies, I be trying on clothes, I be watching movies. I accept it; it is what it is. I’m not trying to have company and friends; it is what it is.”
Michelle Obama spoke about women feeling pressure to have children as a duty in life. “You don’t have to be a mother. That doesn’t make you whole,” the former first lady said. “If you’re not a whole person, a child will not do that for you. It won’t complete you.”
The Yonkers native married producer Kendu Isaacs in 2003 but filed for divorce in 2016. Blige and Isaacs ultimately settled the tumultuous split in 2018.
Mary J. Blige is currently preparing for another run in Las Vegas as part of her My Life, My Story residency, which picks back up in Sin City on Oct. 23.
The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul’s last album arrived in 2024 with Gratitude. She popped out as a guest earlier in August at Chris Brown and Usher’s R&B Tour stop in New Jersey.
Watch the full Mary J. Blige interview below. Talk about motherhood takes place around the 45-minute mark.
New Max B and Jim Jones music could be in our future.
During a recent appearance on The Jason Lee Show, Max was asked why he and his former collaborator and business partner fell out, but the Harlem rapper decided to not get into the details. Instead, he took the high road and extended a bit of an olive branch.
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“There were a lot of things that led to our fallout, but I’m on new time now,” he told host Jason Lee. “I’m a father of four children. I’m a husband and I wanna see everybody win these days. I’m not with no drama.”
He was then asked if he’d be open to making new music with Jimmy and again remained positive. “Shout to Capo. Shout to the crew. I wanna see y’all win,” he began. “I’m at the place where if it makes sense and it makes money. Like I told y’all before, this is not my first interview saying that — if it makes money, it makes sense. If it don’t make money, it’s Internet juicy gossip, it’s not conducive to the Biggavels.”
Max then continued by hinting at a stint in Hollywood and said he’s been in contact with Jamie Foxx, Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Hart and Wiz Khalifa.
“I’m not with the beef, I’m on parole. I’m not tryna beef with nobody,” he said. “My job out here is to make good product. I link with as many artists as I can. I just left Jamie Foxx. I just left Wiz Khalifa. I talked to Tiffany [Haddish]. Shouts to Tiff. I’m about to come out here with y’all. I don’t really wanna namedrop. Shout to Kev. We outside.”
He also said Rick Ross gave him a stack of money when he came home.
You can watch the full convo between Jason Lee and Max B below.
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After more than a year of taking the Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour around the globe, Bad Bunny is bringing the trek home to Puerto Rico for two final shows.
The Puerto Rican superstar will close out the world tour with back-to-back performances at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan on Saturday (Aug. 22) and Sunday (Aug. 23). The finale, billed as “Cerramos en Casa,” was announced Monday (Aug. 17), following weeks of speculation that Bad Bunny would add one more stop to the tour in his native Puerto Rico.
The shows sold out shortly after tickets went on sale Wednesday (Aug. 19), with more than one million fans reportedly joining the virtual queue in an effort to secure tickets.
The Puerto Rico finale brings the tour full circle for Bad Bunny. Before embarking on his global tour, the artist launched the Debí Tirar Más Fotos era with his historic “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, known as El Choli.
From there, he took the album’s world tour across five continents, bringing the show’s signature “La Casita” set to fans around the globe. Along the way, he carried a piece of Puerto Rico with him, sharing the island’s culture, music and spirit with audiences everywhere.
Now, fans who missed the initial ticket sale can still look to resale and third-party ticketing sites for last-minute seats to the sold-out Puerto Rico shows. Availability and prices can change quickly as the Aug. 22 and 23 performances approach.
How to Get Bad Bunny Finale Tickets Online
Fans looking for last-minute tickets to Bad Bunny’s sold-out Puerto Rico shows can check resale marketplaces including StubHub, SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, TicketNetwork and Gametime. Inventory, seating options and prices vary by platform, so shoppers should compare listings before purchasing.
If you missed the initial ticket sale, you can still find resale tickets to Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico shows on StubHub, with listings starting at $262 at the time of writing. Fans can sort tickets by price and quantity, use the interactive venue map to compare seats and shop with StubHub’s “FanProtect Guarantee.”
If you’re comparing resale sites for Bad Bunny tickets, SeatGeek offers a handy way to see which listings may be the better value. Its Deal Score rates tickets from 1 to 10, while the estimated-fees option lets you factor additional costs into your search. Plus, first-time buyers can get $10 off $250+ orders with BILLBOARD10.
Vivid Seats has resale tickets available for Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico finale, with tools to help you find listings based on your budget, ticket quantity and preferred section. You can also filter for instant delivery and “Super Seller” tickets. Plus, every purchase is covered by the site’s Buyer Guarantee, and code BB30 can save you $30.
TicketNetwork is also worth checking if you’re searching for last-minute seats to Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico shows. Shoppers can use code BILLBOARD150 to get $150 off orders of $500 or more, or BILLBOARD300 for $300 off a $1,000+ purchase.
For another last-minute ticket option, check Gametime, where Bad Bunny tickets were starting at $247 at the time of writing. The marketplace offers a low-price guarantee, event cancellation protection and on-time ticket delivery to help simplify your purchase.
Released in January 2025, Debí Tirar Más Fotos became another career-defining album for Bad Bunny, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 before reaching No. 1. The project also produced “DTMF,” which returned to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 following his Super Bowl halftime performance.
For those lucky enough to have experienced the artist’s residency in summer 2025, where it all began, the love for Puerto Rico and its culture could be felt in every corner of the venue. The stands shook as thousands danced salsa and perreo, laughed with friends and captured photos they’d hold on to forever, including the singer, who made sure to take one at the end of every performance. It was clear the residency was more than a concert for the people of Puerto Rico — it was a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of home, music and the place that shaped him.
Now, as Bad Bunny prepares to return to the island, fans will get to relive that same sense of community for two final nights.
Ten years after helping make “Baby Shark Dance” a global phenomenon, Baby Shark Boy is making his own splash in music.
The performer who famously appeared in the original video for Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark Dance” as a kid has officially launched his recording career with “WAVE,” a song that features JOOHONEY from K-pop group Monsta X. The single is an earworm of electropop, transforming the melody millions of kids have had stuck in their heads into a full dance track.
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This isn’t just a nostalgic callback, either. The original “Baby Shark” became a bona fide Billboard hit, peaking at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2019 and also reaching No. 12 on Billboard‘s Streaming Songs chart.
Now, the performer who helped bring that phenomenon to life is getting his own chance to make an impact on the charts. “WAVE” opens with the recognizable “Baby Shark” melody before shifting into an energetic blend of dance and trap. Baby Shark Boy (real name: Park Geon-roung) also participated in writing the lyrics, using the song to reflect on the full-circle journey that began when he was just a child.
“For me, Baby Shark Dance was like the first wave that began 10 years ago,” Baby Shark Boy said in a statement shared with Billboard. “I grew up riding that wave, and now I’m standing at a new starting point as Baby Shark Boy.”
The new single also gives the former child performer a decidedly K-pop introduction. JOOHONEY of Monsta X appears on the track, adding his rap vocals to Baby Shark Boy’s performance, while choreography comes from TEAM SAME, led by Young-jun Choi, whose credits include BTS, SEVENTEEN and TWICE.
The accompanying performance draws inspiration from the original “Baby Shark Dance” moves, but gives them a bit of a K-pop makeover designed to be just as easy to follow and equally hypnotizing.
The timing is fitting considering just how enormous the original song became. “Baby Shark Dance” has surpassed 17.2 billion views on YouTube, making it the platform’s most-viewed video ever. Baby Shark Boy also made a surprise return to the franchise’s 10th-anniversary short-form content in 2025, with his appearance racking up more than 22 million views.
And while the original “Baby Shark” was once an unlikely Billboard hit, Baby Shark Boy now has a very different goal: to introduce audiences to the person behind the viral childhood segment. “I put that sense of moving forward into ‘WAVE,’ and I hope people can see who I am today in a new way,” he added.
The launch won’t end with just the single, either: The Pinkfong Company is preparing WAVE: Becoming Baby Shark Boy, a behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling his growth from a child performer in “Baby Shark Dance” to the artist behind his debut single. Additionally, The Pinkfong Company is considering additional collaborations, including a potential appearance in an upcoming Baby Shark film expected in winter 2026.