Cynthia Erivo will be honored at American Ballet Theatre’s 2026 Fall Gala: Angels and Demons on Thursday, Oct. 29, at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City.

A Grammy, Daytime Emmy and Tony Award winner and three-time Academy Award nominee, Erivo has become one of the most lauded artists of her generation. Erivo’s portrayal of Elphaba in the Wicked films earned her widespread recognition. In 2025 she received her second career Grammy for “Defying Gravity” from the first Wicked film, performed with her co-star, Ariana Grande. Earlier this year, she returned to the West End in Dracula, taking on 23 characters in an ambitious one-woman production.

By the time of the American Ballet Theatre event, Erivo could have a Primetime Emmy as well. She has two nominations this year: outstanding variety special (live) as producer/host of the 2025 Tony Awards and outstanding variety special (pre-recorded) as principal performer/host of Wicked: One Wonderful Night.

“Few artists possess Cynthia Erivo’s extraordinary ability to transform themselves through performance,” Susan Jaffe, artistic director of American Ballet Theatre, said in a statement. “Whether through music, theater, or film, she brings an uncommon combination of artistry, emotional honesty, and fearless imagination to every role. Those are qualities we deeply value in ballet and strive to cultivate in every artist who takes our stage. Cynthia’s commitment to her craft and her ability to forge profound connections with audiences make her an inspiring artist and an especially meaningful honoree for American Ballet Theatre.”

Erivo’s connection to American Ballet Theatre dates to May 2020, when she appeared in the company’s first digital gala during the pandemic, American Ballet Theatre Together Tonight, in which she performed an a cappella rendition of “America the Beautiful” accompanying a video of the company’s dancers.

In a nod to the Halloween season, “Angels and Demons” is the theme of this year’s Fall Gala. Curated by Jaffe, the one-night-only program will feature excerpts from ballets including Coppélia, Swan Lake, La Sylphide and Sylvia, as well as performances of Frederick Ashton’s Dance of the Blessed Spirits, Michel Fokine’s Le Spectre de la Rose and Agnes de Mille’s Three Virgins and a Devil.

Following the performance, the Angels and Demons celebration will continue with dinner and dancing on the Promenade of the David H. Koch Theater.

The Fall Gala is American Ballet Theatre’s premier annual fundraising event. The 2026 Fall Gala will be led by Gala Grand Chairs Sloan Lindemann Barnett and Violet Barnett; Emily Blavatnik and Laila Blavatnik; and Julia Koch and Mary Julia Koch, three mother-and-daughter pairs joining together in support of American Ballet Theatre and its artists.

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. 
 
This week: Karol G may be on her way to a slow-building breakout hit from her latest semi-surprise album, while Belly Gang Kushington’s mainstream crossover continues and fans mourn the late Hayden Panettiere.

Karol G Has a Growing Hit Collab From Her New Album — And It’s Not One of the Superstar Team-Ups

Following the Aug. 7 release of No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto, her sixth full-length studio album, Karol G scored her fifth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart.

The deeply personal and sentimental project sits at the opposite end of the mood and emotional spectrum from her 2025 release, Tropicoqueta. The album’s standout collaborations with Bruno Mars and Drake both entered the charts. “Ahí,” featuring Drake, debuted at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, dethroning Bad Bunny’s “DtMF” after a record 72 weeks at the top. “Still,” her collaboration with Bruno Mars, also scored the set’s highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100, entering at No. 41.

It’s not the Colombian star’s collaboration with either of those household-name artists, however, that’s really taken off from the album on social media. That would be “BbY WOW,” with Spanish artists Judeline and Risowsky, which has emerged as a fan favorite. The track propelled both Spanish newcomers into the top 10 with their first Billboard-charting entry, opening at No. 5 with 4.5 million U.S. streams. And “BbY WOW” has been rising in streams since its release, totaling over 2.4 million official on-demand U.S. streams over the first three days of this tracking week (Aug. 14-16) — a gain of 28% over the 1.9 million streams the song received its opening weekend. 

While the album’s moody and sorrowful tone — centered on heartbreak — is evident, “BbY WOW” stands out as one of the most danceable songs on the 14-track project. The song, which describes someone’s surprise at how much they like something, features an interpolation of the Coolie Dance Riddim, which has also been used as the soundtrack for backstage content and in hit songs such as Pitbull’s “Pull Up (The Culo Remix)” and Nina Sky’s “Move Ya Body.” – CATA BALZANO

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Belly Gang Kushington Adds Another Hit to His Collection, Thanks to 21 Savage & Hilarious TikTok Trend 

After being named Billboard’s Hip-Hop Up-And-Comer for the Month for March and earning breakthrough hits with “Friend Do” (with YK Niece) and “Tell Me Now” (with Dess Dior), ATL rapper Belly Gang Kushington is eyeing another potential smash. 

According to Luminate, his 21 Savage-assisted “WTF Goin” has jumped 37% in official on-demand U.S. streams over the past seven weeks. The biggest gains have come over the past two weeks thanks to a pair of viral TikTok trends. 

On July 31, user @/notkaitlynntttt shared a video of her and her girlfriends twerking in a line, and that clip has since garnered over 1.7 million views and nearly 260,000 likes. In the first week following that video and its subsequent virality (July 31-Aug. 6), “WTF Goin” collected 1.495 million streams, up 25% from the week prior.  

By Aug. 9, user @/he2hollywooddd shared a “male version” of the trend, trading the twerking for tripping out and hip thrusts. That clip has racked up over 617,000 views and 82,000 likes. During the week of Aug. 7-13, “WTF Goin” streams spiked a whopping 88% to over 2.8 million official on-demand streams. The official “WTF Goin” TikTok sound currently plays in over 653,000 clips. 

With Belly Gang’s momentum continuing to build and the imminent football season promising a touchdown “celly” dance or two, “WTF Goin” certainly has room to grow as we enter the fall. — KYLE DENIS

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‘Nashville’ Cast Streams Explode Following Hayden Panettiere’s Shocking Death at 36

Hayden Panettiere’s death this Sunday (Aug. 16) shook the entertainment world when it was revealed earlier this week, with an outpouring of grief from fans and peers over the 36-year-old’s far-too-early death. Most of the memories shared were of Panettiere as an actress, for her celebrated roles in sequels to Scream and Bring It On or as cheerleader Claire Bennet at the center of NBC’s late-’00s sci-fi sensation Heroes. But in one of her signature performances — as fictional rising country star Juliette Barnes in the ABC (later CMT) musical drama Nashville — she also did a fair amount of singing. 

So for many of those mourning the late star, it was a logical time to head to some of that show’s soundtracks of in-universe Barnes smashes like “Love Like Mine” and “Telescope.” Consequently, the collective streams for Nashville Cast (which all the soundtrack songs were collectively credited to) totaled 178,000 official on-demand U.S. streams on the day following her death (Aug. 17) — a gain of 367% from the previous Monday, according to Luminate. 

And while Panettiere’s recording catalog outside of Nashville was not extensive, she did have a couple songs that appeared in movies that also received significant streaming bumps over the same time period — like “I Fly” from Ice Princess (up over 4,000% to 7,000 streams) — as well as a cover of “Cruella de Vil” from 101 Dalmatians, recorded for 2007’s Disneymania 5 compilation (up nearly 1,900% to over 2,000 streams). – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

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Viral A Cappella Clip & Romantic TikTok Trend Boost Streams for Cody Johnson Deep Cut ‘Take Me Back (Leave Me There)’ 

Earlier this summer (June 26), country star Cody Johnson unleashed his tenth studio album, Banks of the Trinity. The LP’s fourth track, “Take Me Back (Leave Me There),” isn’t an official radio single, but a viral a cappella performance video and romantic TikTok trend have given it a major streaming boost. 

Over the past five weeks, “Take Me Back” vaulted 150% in streaming activity. Back on June 4, about a month after he first released the song as a promotional pre-release single, Johnson shared an a cappella rehearsal video, which earned over 2.2 million views and 381,000 likes. By July 31, the official Warner Records Nashville TikTok account shared another a cappella clip, with this one being filmed against a gorgeous sunset. That post earned over half a million views, making it the third-most viewed TikTok on the Warner Records Nashville account. The following week (July 31-Aug. 6), “Take Me Back” garnered 2.89 million official on-demand U.S. streams, up 13% from the week prior, according to Luminate.

A larger TikTok trend built around romantic couples reflecting on their longevity has also picked up steam over the past two months, with some clips hitting the one-million view mark. Furthermore, about two weeks ago (Aug. 2), Boyz II Men — who joined Johnson for a surprise performance of “On Bended Knee” during his Stagecoach set this spring — shared an a cappella rendition of the sweet ballad to their official TikTok account, collecting 24,000 views. During the week of Aug. 7-13, “Take Me Back” jumped another 24% to over 3.59 million streams. 

With Banks of Trinity holding strong on the Billboard 200 (it ranks at No. 150 on the Aug. 22-dated chart), CoJo just might have another hit on his hands. – KD

Playboi Carti thankfully did not have to wait long to make his presence known at London’s Wembley Stadium.

The rapper, who is supporting The Weeknd on the London stretch of his After Hours Til Dawn Tour, returned to the stage during the headliner’s set to reunite with The Weeknd for two of their biggest collaborations: “Timeless” and “Rather Lie.”

The Weeknd’s revamped 2026 setlist features over 30 songs spanning his career, from After Hours favorites such as “After Hours” and “Faith” to Hurry Up Tomorrow cuts including “Baptized in Fear,” “Open Hearts” and “Wake Me Up.” But midway through the set, the energy shifted toward Carti territory, with the pair launching into “Timeless” before following it with “Rather Lie.” Capital FM reports that Carti joins The Weeknd onstage for both collaborations.

The onstage reunion is fitting as Carti serves as the direct supporting act for The Weeknd across his five-night Wembley run, which kicked off on Aug. 14. The two artists’ chemistry is hardly new. They first unveiled “Timeless” during The Weeknd’s one-night-only concert in São Paulo in September 2024, ahead of the song’s official release later that month.

And the numbers behind their collabs are pretty staggering. “Timeless,” from The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow, climbed all the way to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and also snagged a two-week No. 1 run on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Then, earlier this year, Carti and The Weeknd doubled down with “Rather Lie” from Carti’s Music. The track debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, dated March 29, 2025, marking another top five hit for the duo. “Rather Lie” reached No. 3 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn Tour moves on to Dublin for two shows at Croke Park on Aug. 22-23 after the five-night Wembley Stadium run.

Watch a clip of Playboi Carti and The Weeknd performing “Timeless” here.

Karol G has stormed to the top of the Billboard charts with her sixth studio album, No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto, with the set debuting No. 1 on Top Latin Albums chart and “Ahí,” her collaboration with Drake, debuting at No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs.

With the latter, Karol pushes Bad Bunny’s “DTMF” down to No. 2 after it broke records and spent 72 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 since its first week on top in January 2025.

Marking the first collaborative effort between the Colombian artist and Canadian star, the sensual song blends tropical, R&B and pop, and narrates the story between a woman who’s trying to heal and move on from a broken heart and a man who’s patiently waiting to have his opportunity to get to know her. 

“I want you, but for now/ I’m not available, I have my heart broken,” Karol sings, while Drake replies in Spanish with: “The last thing I want is to pressure you.”

The end of the collab includes Drake’s verse on “New Bestie,” one of the tracks from his album MAID OF HONOUR, adding to the song’s impact. 

Below, read all the lyrics translated to English:

Baby, I want you, but for now
I’m not available, I have my heart broken
Because they hurt me, and I’m still not better—
These are things that happen when you fall in love

The last thing I want is to pressure you, relax, I’m here for you.
That I’ll wait for my moment, baby.
I don’t want you to think I don’t want to, it’s just not convenient for me yet.
But please, hold onto the love you have for me

Hold it right there for me
Hold it right there, hold it right there
Hold it right there for me
Hold it right there, hold it right there

The thing is, you’re a great option—I really like you
And for that very reason, I don’t want to hurt you
Usually, when a heart gets broken
The owner of that heart ends up breaking another one
Yeah, and I don’t intend to cause you harm
I’d appreciate it if you could wait for me
I need to heal first, then move on

After that, how did we end up kissing?
Why did we have a drink together?
Why did we have such a good time?
Don’t think I’m trying to justify myself
This isn’t forever, it’s just for a little while
Wait for me a sec
Baby, how do I explain it to you?
I call you so we can have a good time

Hold it right there for me
Hold it right there, hold it right there
Hold it right there for me
Hold it right there, hold it right there

Baby, I want you, but for now
I’m not available, I have my heart broken
Because they hurt me, and I’m still not better—
These are things that happen when you fall in love

I want a Latina, I want a Latina
I want a Latina, I want a La— (Ah)
I want a face just like Carolina
And I want a waist just like Carolina
Bro just snuck in a place with a Nina
How ya mean, how ya mean, how ya mean
I’m not a drug dealer, my money’s way cleaner
I want a La— (Ah, papi)

In the fall of 2023, Taylor Swift briefly became not just the biggest star in music, but the biggest star at the multiplex.

That October, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour opened to $93 million at the North American box office over its opening weekend, stunning the film business and helping kick off a new wave of theatrically released concert films. Importantly, it also arrived amid a sparse theatrical release calendar due to the overlapping writers’ and actors’ strikes, making it a godsend for movie theaters that were starved for content. In this way, it showcased the important role concert films can play for film exhibitors, which are increasingly looking to alternative content as the number of major studio releases declines and audiences stay home to stream from their couches.

“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour completely changed the conversation,” says Brooks LeBeouf, senior vp of U.S. content at Regal Cinemas, the second-largest movie theater chain in the U.S. “It became the highest-grossing concert film of all time and proved that audiences will turn out for premium music experiences in theaters.”

The Eras Tour film, which finished its run having earned $180 million in North America and $261 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo, certainly wasn’t the first hit concert film at movie theaters in the modern era. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, there was a wave of such films targeting young fans of stars like Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus (2008’s Best of Both Worlds, $65 million in North America), Justin Bieber (2011’s Never Say Never, $73 million) and One Direction (2013’s This Is Us, $29 million). In 2009, just months after Michael Jackson’s death, the MJ concert film This Is It also proved to be a major draw, grossing $72 million domestically.

The difference between then and now is that major studios release considerably fewer films today. That makes concert films and other alternative content increasingly important in padding out theaters’ bottom lines, says Daniel Loria, senior vp of content strategy and editorial director at Boxoffice Media, who cites increasing consolidation as a major reason for the shift.

“In 2015, when Fox operated independently as a studio [prior to being acquired by Disney], Fox Searchlight and 20th Century Fox released 26 movies,” Loria says. “Last year, as a division of Disney, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures combined released, I think, nine movies. So you basically erase two-thirds of the market value of a major studio at the box office. That’s massive.”

And with the looming (albeit not yet certain) acquisition of Warner Bros. by the David Ellison-led Paramount, he says, there could be even fewer major studio releases on the horizon.

“The quantity of [concert films doesn’t] necessarily make up for missing one studio film,” says Jeff Kaufman, senior vp of film and marketing at Malco Theatres, which has 37 locations in the Midwest and Southeastern U.S. “But it gives us an opportunity to fill a space during the week and during the weekend that may not be that strong based on the films that we’re playing.”

Perhaps the biggest sign of theaters’ increasing reliance on alternative content, and concert films in particular, arrived in May. That month, AMC Theatres, the largest theater chain in the U.S., announced a new initiative called Arena One that would see artists including Paris Hilton, Bebe Rexha, Kim Petras and Maren Morris performing concerts from a purpose-built stage in Pennsylvania, beamed live to more than 300 AMC locations across the U.S. Unlike traditional concert films, these shows will have an interactive element, allowing artists to see and actually communicate with fans in theaters across the country.

“The artist can literally walk up to the edge of our stage in our studio and point to you at the [AMC at the] Grove [mall in Los Angeles], and say, ‘Hey, love that black sweater you’re wearing. Stand up and tell them what you want to say,’” says Rohit Kapoor, founder and chief creative officer of Artist One, which partnered with AMC for the Arena One initiative.

Originally slated for June, the Arena One shows were postponed just weeks after they were announced, ostensibly due to strong recent box office receipts and “a robust lineup of films and strong advance ticket sales in the weeks ahead,” according to a statement released by the company. (AMC Theatres did not respond to multiple requests for updates on the initiative.)

“If you run a three-screen cinema or a small circuit, [having fewer major studio releases is] not a huge deal…but AMC is the mall multiplex company,” Loria says. “They are in a unique position of having to innovate and fill those screens.”

While “alternative content” can take many forms, from TV series finales (Stranger Things), to Netflix movies repurposed for the big screen (KPop Demon Hunters), to sports (World Cup games, F1 races), to live broadcasts of plays from Broadway and the West End, and, yes, marching band competitions (distributor Fathom Entertainment’s DCI 2026: Big, Loud and Live), music content is a critical part of the calculus.

“I think people want to come out of the house and gather communally,” says Ray Nutt, the former CEO of Fathom Entertainment (he retired in July), which is co-owned by AMC Theatres, Cinemark and Regal Cinemas and has released concert films from BTS, Garth Brooks, Christina Aguilera and Andrea Bocelli, among others. “I think [with] music, especially, they want to gather, take their friends to the [theater].”

Such films can help movie theaters, which do most of their business Friday through Sunday, fill seats during the slower weekday periods. Jamie Woglom, senior vp of marketing and strategic partnerships at Trafalgar Releasing, a giant in the space whose recent releases include concert films for KATSEYE, ATEEZ and Sia (the company also partnered with AMC Theatres to release both The Eras Tour and Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé in some territories), says the company often schedules these films’ opening nights on weekdays. “Because [concert films are] more like appointment viewing, you’re driving fans in the theaters on those off-peak hours and days,” she says.

Of course, artists also stand to gain from these releases. “It allows them to reach communities where they may not be touring or reach fans that are maybe fringe fans that may not make that investment in a $300 or $400 ticket evening out [plus hiring] a babysitter,” says Kymberli Frueh, executive vp of content acquisitions and programming at Trafalgar. “It really introduces that fringe audience to the artists in a very intimate and affordable way.” Concert films also super-serve artists’ more ardent followers, many of whom will go see a live show at a traditional music venue and buy tickets to the concert movie when it hits theaters.

These screenings can also be beneficial to an artist’s merch operation, with movie theaters increasingly offering artist-specific merch for sale before shows. As Woglom puts it, “Exhibitors are getting more and more interested in carrying [merch],” of which they also get a cut. “Anytime you have a fervid fan base, they want to be as close to the talent as possible,” says Regal’s LeBeouf. “And if that comes through merchandise that the talent have created or signed off on, that just adds to the event-type experience.”

There are other less obvious ways artists can benefit from such content. In some cases, says Frueh, it can give their teams an idea of untapped markets they should be prioritizing on tour. “I have a project that I’m working on now, and management hasn’t toured in certain areas, but they’re like, ‘This could be really interesting to see if the fan base is robust enough that can help shape our tour go forward,’” she says.

Despite the growing importance of concert films to movie theaters’ business models, Loria notes they still make up a relatively small percentage of their overall box office and, with the exception of The Eras Tour, rarely bring in headline-grabbing amounts of money. Even Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, which captures one of the biggest concert tours from one of the biggest artists on planet Earth, only managed to place at No. 60 on the year-end U.S. box office tally with a still-respectable $34 million — just behind the M. Night Shyamalan thriller Knock at the Cabin. Earlier this year, the much-ballyhooed Billie Eilish concert film directed by James Cameron (Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft) was viewed by some as an underperformer, bringing in about $9.9 million domestically and $26.7 million worldwide off a reported $20 million budget. But unlike traditional studio tentpole releases, which often come saddled with budgets of $100 million or more, the stakes for concert films are relatively low.

“No one’s looking at [concert films] saying, ‘We need this to perform.’ They’re saying that about Avatar, they’re saying that about Marvel, they’re saying that about Supergirl,” says Loria. “So [the] Billie [Eilish] movie, it’s not a massive hit, but it doesn’t have to be; it’s not designed to be that. It’s designed to help add to a weekend of moviegoing, or maybe mitigate some of the losses.”

Flo Rida had Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park rocking for his Phillies postgame concert — and he got an unlikely assist from a sleepy baby in the crowd.

The Philly faithful stuck around to rock with Flo Rida after the 6-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night (Aug. 18). The 46-year-old ran the gauntlet of his smash hits, moving from the field to the stands and ending up in the dugout.

While performing an a cappella version of his top five Billboard Hot 100 hit “My House” from atop the dugout, Flo Rida picked up a baby from an eager parent in the audience, which made for a hilarious moment.

Fitted in a baby Phillies jersey, the toddler seemed to be woken up from a nap with the speakers booming throughout the stadium. Flo Rida held the baby in one arm while rocking the mic in his other hand and gave the kid a kiss on the cheek before handing her over to the parents. A fan on X nicknamed the baby as the “People’s Princess of Philadelphia.”

So somebody gave Flo Rida a baby and he’s on the 1B dugout with it? pic.twitter.com/NqqPzOArHq

— George Basile (@Georgeadelphia) August 19, 2026

Flo Rida starts #Phillies post game concert with «This is my Jam» pic.twitter.com/Fe7ti7C2JG

— David Malandra Jr (@DaveMReports) August 19, 2026

Flo Rida had plenty of fun throughout the performance as he had fans and a crew of hype men join him on the makeshift stage for 2015’s “G.D.F.R.” which reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Cannot wait for the Flo Rida concert portion of the World Series Video Yearbook,” one fan joked on X while attempting to manifest another Philllies World Series appearance.

The Phillies have hosted Nelly, Zedd and Vanilla Ice for postgame shows in the past. The Phillies sit in second place at 69-58 in the NL East but currently hold a wild-card playoff spot.

The Florida-bred hitmaker has 29 Hot 100 entries to date, including 11 top 10s and three No. 1 hits.