Summer is almost here and, from the looks of it, Ariana Grande can’t wait. The singer and Oscar-nominated Wicked: For Good star posted a series of pics on Monday (Apr. 6) from rehearsals for her upcoming Eternal Sunshine tour with her dancers.
In the first pic, Grande flashes a bright smile as she sits on the floor flanked by her dance team, her legs crossed in front of her, feet clad in ballet flats with a caption reading, “See you in two months @brighterrdays.” Subsequent pics show the crew in a dance studio chilling out, including a sideways close-up of Grande’s face bathed in red and a group shot of the singer surrounded by 10 of her crew as they all flash smiles and lean in.
The final two snaps are close-ups of all their feet pushed into a tight circle.
Grande announced the tour in support of her 2025 Eternal Sunshine album last August, revealing the dates for her first run of show since 2019’s Sweetener world tour. “I think my fans know that music and being on stage will always be a part of my life,” she told Variety in 2024 when asked whether she planned to tour Eternal Sunshine in between her work on the Wicked films. “I think the next few years, hopefully we’ll be exploring different forms of art, and I think acting is feeling like home right now.”
The 41-show run is slated to kick off with the first of three shows at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif. on June 6 and include stops in Los Angeles, Austin, Texas, Atlanta, Brooklyn, Boston, Montreal and Chicago before a hop over to London for a 10-night run at the O2 Arena in London from Aug. 15-Sept. 1.
Global Citizen is taking its music events even more, well, global. On Monday (April 6), Billboard can exclusively reveal the performers at Global Citizen’s first-ever music event in Japan — Global Citizen Live: Tokyo.
Nine-piece Japanese boy band &TEAM will headline the big day. &TEAM is the first Japanese group to sign with the Korean record label HYBE. The band first debuted in late 2022 with First Howling: Me and in the years since has gone on to top the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, be included in a Grammy Museum exhibit on HYBE and win an MTV Video Music Award in Japan.
Related
Shakira, Cardi B, Tyla, ROSÉ & More Lead Global Citizen Festival 2025 With Music & Purpose: Best Moments
Doja Cat to Headline Global Citizen’s Move Afrika Tour in South Africa & Rwanda: ‘Africa Isn’t Coming, It’s Already Here’
Also hitting the stage are Ai and Yuki Chiba. Ai is a Japanese-American singer, songwriter and rapper and was the first woman to be signed to Def Jam Japan. Ai has had collaborations with artists like Snoop Dogg, The Jacksons and Chaka Khan and now serves as a Global Citizen Cultural Champion. Yuki Chiba was the first-ever Japanese artist to perform at the MTV VMAs. Chiba is a singer, rapper and producer who has collaborated with artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Feid and Big Sean. Radio personality Chris Peppler will join the performers as the host of Global Citizen Live: Tokyo and more acts will be announced in the coming weeks.
Since its founding in 2008, Global Citizen has deployed nearly $50 billion in movements worldwide. The platform’s mission has been amplified by campaigns and events in the entertainment industry, including its regular live music events. Over the years, Global Citizen’s concerts have brought some of the biggest names in music to the stage, including Beyoncé, BTS, Ed Sheeran, Mariah Carey, Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more.
Global Citizen Live: Tokyo will take place June 18 at the Tokyo International Forum. Leading up to the event, fans can earn points towards rewards like free tickets by downloading the Global Citizen app and taking action on some of the issues the platform advocates for such as global health and climate change. Tickets are available for purchase now from eplus and LAWSON TICKET. Funds from tickets from Global Citizen Live: Tokyo will go towards the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative to provide at least 100,000 children worldwide with better education access before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Lady Gaga took to her social accounts Monday (April 6) to let fans know she had to cancel her third of three nights of her Mayhem Ball tour at Montreal’s Bell Centre that night due to an ongoing respiratory infection.
“I’m so sorry to share that I’m unable to perform tonight and have to cancel the show,” Gaga’s message reads in part. “I’ve been fighting a respiratory infection for the past few days and doing everything I can to rest and recover, but it’s gotten worse. My doctor has strongly advised me not to perform today and to be honest I don’t think I could give you the quality of a performance today that you deserve.”
Related
She went on to say how “deeply disappointing” it is and she “truly could not feel worse about letting you down.”
“I’m so sorry to everyone who made plans to be there and support me,” she concluded the message.” “Being in Montreal and performing for you on Thursday and Friday was magical and deeply meaningful. To everyone who was coming tonight, I’m absolutely heartbroken and so sorry.”
As Gaga said, she performed two concerts at the end of last week as part of her ongoing Mayhem Ball tour, which kicked off in Las Vegas in July 2025 and is set to wrap up this month, on April 13, with a hometown show at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Read Gaga’s full message to fans below:
Hi everyone. I’m so sorry to share that I’m unable to perform tonight and have to cancel the show. I’ve been fighting a respiratory infection for the past few days and doing everything I can to rest and recover, but it’s gotten worse. My doctor has strongly advised me not to perform today and to be honest I don’t think I could give you the quality of a performance today that you deserve.
I know how deeply disappointing this is, and I truly could not feel worse about letting you down. I’m so sorry to everyone who made plans to be there and support me. Being in Montreal and performing for you on Thursday and Friday was magical and deeply meaningful.
To everyone who was coming tonight, I’m absolutely heartbroken and so sorry.
It’s become part of the American Idol production schedule. On a mid-week day in April of each year, the top contestants file one by one into an office on the lot where Idol is live, to speak with Billboard. The sessions begin at 10 a.m. and conclude around 5 p.m. It’s right there on the printed rundown along with vocal coach meetings and lunch breaks: the Idols talk to Billboard.
For a group of people whose ages range from 18 to 29, the finalists were very poised this year, as if they had been doing interviews for decades. They spoke from the heart, sometimes revealing deeply personal issues, sometimes just talking about their musical heroes, how they listen to music and their favorite Idols of seasons past.
Their choices for favorite alums ranged from season 1 to season 23. The most nods went to inaugural winner Kelly Clarkson, favored by six finalists. Carrie Underwood and Jamal Roberts were each cited five times. Receiving four mentions were Fantasia and Phillip Phillips and with three each were Jennifer Hudson, Scotty McCreery, Slater Nalley and Ruben Studdard.
Billboard first observed the season 24 hopefuls in person in Hawaii in January, when there were 30 competitors still in the fight. Twenty survived the three episodes produced at Aulani, the Disney Resort and Spa on Oahu. That number went down to 14 after the first live show of the season.
The top 11 of season 24 were just minted minutes ago on Monday (April 6) night. Here are the first in-depth profiles of this group, supplemented by three finalists who were eliminated on tonight’s live broadcast.