Charlie Puth just got a lucky break.

The Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer has his wardrobe all sorted out, thanks to a new partnership with Lucky Brand.

The pop artist is the latest brand ambassador for the American apparel and lifestyle specialist, known for its vintage-inspired denim, casual wear, and slacker-rock aesthetic.

“I’ve always believed the best work comes from staying true to who you are,” Puth remarks in a statement. “That’s what drew me to Lucky Brand. There is a genuine appreciation for individuality and the confidence to do things your own way, and I’m excited to be part of a brand that celebrates people who make their own luck.”

Expect to see a well-dressed Puth fronting campaigns in-store, online, across paid media, through activations, social posts and elsewhere. Check out the launch promo below.

Puth, remarks Stefani Fleurant, executive VP, sports & lifestyle marketing at Authentic Brands Group, which acquired Lucky Brand in 2020, is “an artist who has always stayed true to his vision, and that makes him a natural fit for Lucky Brand. He reflects the independent spirit that has been part of our story from the very beginning.”

Marisa Thalberg, chief marketing officer of Catalyst Brands, operating partner for Lucky Brand, echoes those comments. “Charlie embodies that spirit in a way that feels effortless,” she remarks. “His originality, curiosity and passion for his craft make him a natural partner as we continue building a brand that celebrates individuality and the enduring connection between style and music.”

Puth is on something of a lucky streak. He recently became a dad, he performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” to open the Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium earlier this year, and dropped his fourth studio album, Whatever’s Clever! via Atlantic Records, in March of this year, peaking at No. 46.

Since emerging in 2015 with his guest spot on Wiz Khalifa’s smash hit from Fast & Furious 7, “See You Again,” which parked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks, Puth has landed 13 total songs on the chart, including four top 10 hits.  

Also, Puth’s first three studio albums – 2016’s Nine Track Mind (No. 6), 2018’s Voicenotes (No. 4) and 2022’s Charlie (No. 10) – all crashed the top 10 on the all-genres Billboard 200.

After completing his North America and Europe route in support of the new album, the Asia leg of Puth’s Whatever’s Clever World Tour gets underway Oct. 11 at Seoul’s Goyang Stadium, and includes dates in Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, followed by Australia and New Zealand this November.  

Role Model is sticking to his guns.

Ahead of the release of his new album Chuck Timely & The Hourglass on Friday, the singer/songwriter revealed that after the breakout success of “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out,” his label encouraged him to capitalize on the viral moment by working with established producers. Instead, he trusted his gut to collaborate with Mason Stoops and Taylor Mackall, who have worked with fellow musician Lizzy McAlpine, to assist in bringing Chuck Timely to life.

Speaking with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Role Model (real name Tucker Pillsbury) recalled that after “Sally” gained traction, “My label was like, ‘You want the big dogs. This is your chance to have those huge producers in the room.’” But the singer said he “had to fight it for a little bit” before convincing them to let him work with Stoops and Mackall, who had previously contributed as session musicians on his 2024 album Kansas Anymore.

“I got to trust my gut this time,” he said, explaining that he believed the pair had an untapped talent for producing pop music. “I’m glad I did because those two boys and everyone else that helped on the record did it perfectly.”

Pillsbury also spills about the album’s songwriting process, saying that instead of having fully formed songs ready in the studio, he confessed that many sessions began with Stoops and Mackall just jamming together until ideas came about. The album’s standout track “Good Thing,” for example, came together in roughly an hour after the musicians started playing without a plan.

“I didn’t even have a prompt or anything,” he said. “They literally just started playing, and then we were like, ‘Wait, this has kind of got like a Willie [Nelson] vibe to it.’”

The musician thought back to the feeling of finishing that impromptu session. He stated that listening to that track for the first time felt like listening to a cover, not a record of his own, though he loved it.

“That [emotion] felt really good. I streamed the sh– out of that song and it’s not even out yet,” Pillsbury admits.

Chuck Timely & The Hourglass is set to release on Aug. 7 and includes the previously released single “High Hopes 3000,” which hit No. 94 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Watch the Apple Music’s interview below.

A$AP Rocky is over the drama between himself and Drake.

The Harlem rapper and actor stopped by The Jason Lee Show recently and was asked directly if he would be open to fighting his former friend in a celebrity boxing match, to which Rocky said he was not interested in at all. He also addressed Drake’s disses on “Burning Bridges,” on which the Toronto rapper asked why Rihanna didn’t help promote Rocky’s latest project Don’t Be Dumb.

“He don’t wanna see me,” Rocky said about Lee’s celebrity boxing idea.” F— some gloves, n—a. Bare knuckle, like the Irish. We ain’t doin’ all that celebrity boxing sh–.”

And when it came to the “Your baby mama ain’t even post your single, damn/ Where she at? Yeah, where she at,” lines on “Burning Bridges,” Rocky explained that the jab doesn’t make sense to him. “That’s stupid,” he said. “This is the problem, though: If she would’ve posted my album, everybody would have been like, ‘You only went No. 1 ’cause your girl posted.’ … She not on my f—ing album. What single she supposed to be posting? She posted my album … after it went No. 1.”

“Everybody done moved on with their lives and motherf—as still strung up on that sh–,” he added after Lee jokingly asked if he took Drake’s girl. “It’s just bugged out to me. The Internet antics and smear campaigns and all that, we see right through that. That’s why I just be like, ‘I ain’t responding to that.’”

According to A$AP, his issues with Drake stem from when he started dating Rihanna around 2020. “I thought [Drake] was my mans. I thought he was my dude,” he told Akademiks in an interview earlier this year. “I first met him and he seemed embraceful and sh–. We went on tour with him. I think when I got with [Rihanna], he started throwing shots out of nowhere. I just woke up and felt like he was throwing subs and sh–.”

Rocky also watched never-before-seen footage of his daughter crawling for the first time and talked about how Rihanna has always been there for him whether it be as a friend or romantic partner.

You can watch the full conversation between Rocky and Jason Lee below.

A dance music artist has entered (and exited) the villa.

Love Island viewers and EDM fans now have Bryce Dettloff – known professionally as Bryce Alakai – in common. The reality TV star, who won the eighth season of Love Island USA alongside his girlfriend Trinity Tatum, is hard-launching his DJ career following his time on the Peacock dating show. Alakai is set to begin his first tour, marking his debut North American headline run.

The tour begins Aug. 22 and continues through December, with seven performances across the United States and Canada. Alakai’s stops include Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Toronto, Tampa, Seattle and Portland.

The announcement follows the release of Bryce’s remix of Ty Dolla $ign’s “Blasé,” which gained popularity while he was filming and living inside the Love Island villa, where he had no access to his phone. According to a press release, Alakai recently teamed up with Ty Dolla $ign to create the official remix of the hit song.

Alakai has spent the past several years working as a DJ, artist and producer. He began releasing music in 2022 and has since continued to build his profile in the electronic music space. His appearance on Love Island USA further solidified his social media stardom, particularly through his relationship with  Trinity.

The pair, known by fans as “Brinity,” quickly became one of the season’s favorite couples. From the first day of the reality series, Alakai and Tatum became fan favorites for their relationship and their firm support for one another throughout the competition.

Now, Alakai is bringing his music career to the forefront. According to the press release, the DJ plans to release more original music and announce additional performances throughout the second half of the year, giving fans of both Love Island and dance music more opportunities to see his next chapter unfold.

Joe Jonas is opening up about the professional disappointment that fundamentally drove him to prioritize his mental health.

On the latest episode of the Hey Jonas! podcast, the Jonas Brothers sat alongside one another to divulge into their success and the hardships that come with growing up in a popular band. During the conversation, Joe ended up revealing that the commercial response to his first solo album was what initially led him to seek professional help.

“The reason I started doing therapy is because of the first taste of, like, not achieving ‘success,’” Joe says with air quotes, recalling the release of his 2011 solo debut, Fastlife. “I released a solo album when I was about 21, 22 and it didn’t do as well as I thought it would do because everything the Jonas Brothers touched back then, it would be gold. We would just … be a No. 1 [hit].”

Joe isn’t exaggerating the success of his band of brothers. Since their debut back in 2006, they have had 26 songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as eight albums enter the top 10 of the Billboard 200. Looking back, Joe admits he had attached too much of his self-worth to proving he could succeed apart from his brothers Kevin and Nick.

“I put something out by myself and I think I had a lot of high expectations of success without you guys,” he told his brothers. “That was important to me somewhere in my core. I was like, ‘If I do that, then I matter.’”

Unfortunately, emotional toll soon turned physical. Joe said he began experiencing panic attacks and persistent pain, resulting in constant visits to doctors. After multiple medical appointments, one physician thankfully assured him that nothing was wrong and suggested that he speak to a therapist, which he confesses was some advice he had previously resisted.

“I was like, ‘What do you mean a therapist? I don’t need a therapist. Why would I need a therapist?’” Joe admits.

Instead, he says he tried to cope with the mental turmoil by spending hours riding his bike through New York City, using the time away from his phone to avoid reading comments about the album. He confides in his brothers that it simply felt like the only way to distract himself, but it wasn’t a solution; he was still running away from the problem.

Eventually, Joe decided to give therapy a chance, quickly realizing how much he needed it.

“I finally spoke to somebody after crying through the first question for an hour, realized how great it was,” he said. “It definitely was so helpful during that season and it has been throughout my life and other major life things that I’ve gone through.”

Nick echoes his brother’s sentiments, piggybacking off of points brought up by Joe. Nick expands by saying therapy also helped him rethink how he measures something as subjective as success. Reflecting on the comments he made in a previous podcast episode, the youngest Jonas brother clarified that his struggles weren’t about comparing himself to others, but rather placing too much importance on achievement.

“I needed to be okay with myself,” Nick said. “I just needed to be able to look in the mirror and just be okay as a person, as opposed to comparing to others.”

Both brothers agreed therapy has been an essential guide to navigating the pressures of fame, and encouraged maintaining consistency with their mental health journeys.

Watch the full “Hey Jonas!” episode below.

On July 30, as part of his 2026 global tour, Moby took the stage in the country of Georgia for the first time. The highly anticipated show at the Rustavi International Motorpark near Tbilisi was organized by the local promoter Flitz Collective, with Billboard Georgia serving as the main media partner.

The rich history of the music industry holds the names of many outstanding musicians. However, artists who truly redefined the scene are rare exceptions – and Moby is one of those artists, having helped bring electronic music into the mainstream while bringing emotional depth to the genre. He proved that electronic music goes beyond the club scene and can be globally popular and commercially successful.

Right before the show, Billboard Georgia sat down with Moby backstage, where the artist spoke about music, activism and more. [Editors note: This interview has been translated from Georgian.]

This is your first time in Georgia. What are your feelings and emotions as you’re about to meet the Georgian audience?

I’ve only been here for a couple of days, and I’m really fascinated by Georgia. Tbilisi feels like such a European city, even though it’s a thousand miles away from Europe. What’s interesting about Georgia is that I really like it, yet I don’t fully understand it yet. And that’s what makes it so fascinating.

With your long journey in the music industry, what do you think is the biggest illusion [the industry] creates for emerging artists?

That’s an interesting question. The biggest illusion… I think one of them is, when you’re young and successful, everybody’s nice to you. And the biggest illusion is thinking that they will continue to be nice to you when you’re old and not successful.

A lot of my friends who are young musicians, or young actors, or writers, or whatever, they’ll say things like, “Oh, my agents are great. They’re so nice, and the people at the record label are so great, they’re so nice.” And I’m like, “Yeah, wait until a few years pass.” If you’ve gone a few years without success, they might not be quite as nice, which is just, I guess, the nature of things. But I think a lot of musicians think that their agents, managers, record labels are their friends. And they find out pretty quickly that they’re not.

I have to ask about your activism. What do you think is the main shift in the human mind-set that’s necessary for people to understand the importance of animal rights?

From my perspective, it’s the ability to act logically and in accordance with our beliefs. The strangest thing about humans is that we are so illogical.

If we were to walk around and stop people to ask them three questions: “Do you like animals?” They’ll probably say “yes.” “Do you want to hurt and kill them?” Their answer would be “absolutely not.” “Are you a vegan?” Most of them would say no. And I’m like, “But you like animals and you don’t want to hurt or kill them. Wouldn’t the logical action be to not eat them, to not pay someone else to kill them for you?”

So it’s almost not about ethics, it’s about logic. But our species behaves so illogically, especially in the United States. People care about health, but they pollute the environment. They care about their children, but they won’t pass sensible gun control. We’re just deeply illogical people. I hope that we’re either going to figure out how to behave logically and build an ethical structure from that logic, or, as a species, we’re going to get wiped out.

We’re living in an era of global conflicts and shifting values. In times like these, what role and purpose do you think music plays in society?

Music can do almost anything. It can help people sleep, dance, worship or meditate. It helps people exercise, but it also calms them down. I feel really fortunate that I get to work with music, because it obviously has so much power. I’m not saying my music does, but music’s ability to reach everybody – and to reach them in the most personal way – is  just deeply profound. Again, I’m not talking about my own music, I’m just talking about music in general.

Your work has always been defined by artistic exploration – offering listeners new perspectives and a different side of the art form. Today, as we live in an era of rapid technological progress and AI, how do you see the future of music?

I’ll use myself as an example: Sometimes I just love a good generic pop song, and I don’t care who made it. AI is actually really good at that. I feel like there’s room for both – for generic AI pop music and for Leonard Cohen. There’s room for a person onstage with a guitar and a cello, just as someone like Nick Cave is as far from AI as possible. There’s room for Nick Cave, and there’s room for generic pop music. And the exact same person might love both. I don’t think Nick Cave is going to put AI out of business, but I also don’t think AI is going to put Nick Cave out of business. Think of painting: Putting color on paper can result in a McDonald’s billboard, or it can be fine art. Nobody is going to a concert hall just to listen to AI. But they will do that for Nick Cave.

Just minutes after this conversation, Moby took the stage, kicking off the live show with “Bodyrock” – the iconic hit from his seminal 1999 album, Play.

Moby’s concert wasn’t just a nostalgia trip. Once again, he proved that his music goes beyond trends and temporary industry standards. This performance showed the real truth – Moby’s true power lies not just in the scale of his catalog, but in his ability to remain deeply relevant across eras, leaving a lasting impact on every listener.

—This story was written by Nino Imerlishvili for Billboard Georgia

On his most recent single, “My Body Isn’t Ready,” sombr gets vulnerable about his body image — something he opened up about more deeply in a new interview with Variety published Wednesday (Aug. 5).

In his conversation for the publication’s Power of Young Hollywood issue, the 21-year-old pop star touched on why he feels it’s important for him to be completely honest about his feelings in his music, even when it’s on a song that’s as personal as “Body” is. The track dropped in late June and finds sombr singing, “I like you, but my body isn’t ready/ I want you, but the mirror won’t let me.”

“I want people who look up to me that might not be happy about their body image to understand that I’m not always happy about my body image,” he told Variety. “I saw a comment today that was like, ‘I’m so glad that my favorite artist goes through the same things that I go through.’ That made me want to cry.”

The New York native went on to discuss one big reason his relationship to his body is complicated. “I have issues with eating,” he explained. “Sometimes I do not like eating, and it makes me want to throw up to eat. I can never choose what to eat. I never crave anything.”

“It’s a weird thing I have,” he continued. “Most of the time before shows I’m literally eating against my will, so I have enough energy to get through the show. It’s been my lifelong struggle.”

In his rise to stardom starting with the success of 2024 single “Back to Friends” — which climbed to a peak of No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 this past January — sombr has not been immune to invasive public discourse surrounding his appearance. The musician’s figure is admittedly striking, standing well over 6 feet tall with a slim build. “That’s ‘My Body Isn’t Ready,’ you know?” he added of his apathy toward food in the interview, laughing. “That’s why my body is like that.”

In October, a person on TikTok went viral with a video criticizing Sombr’s performance style and likening his physical appearance to “Slenderman.” The Grammy nominee responded at the time with his own video calling the latter remark “a massive body-shaming hate train,” adding, ““You guys need to find problematic people to hate on, because I am just existing.”

This year, sombr has also released the singles “Homewrecker” and “Potential,” both of which charted on the Hot 100. His debut album I Barely Know Her peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 in September.

The star’s conversation with Variety comes shortly after he helped the Songwriters Hall of Fame induct Taylor Swift by performing “Cardigan” and “Dear John” at the 2026 ceremony, during which the Eras Tour headliner also sang sombr’s praises during her speech. According to him, he couldn’t even look at Swift in the audience as he was singing her songs.

“If I looked at her for three seconds during the performance, my mind would have completely blanked because that’s Taylor Swift,” sombr told Variety. “That’s a goddess. I remember looking at her for a split second while performing and almost losing it, but then I looked away.”

Ed Sheeran can sing and play ball. 

The singer took a break before his Loop Tour performance in Seattle to take batting practice with Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez, also known as J-Rod. In a video posted by the Mariners and Major League Baseball on their social media accounts, Sheeran appears inside the batting cages taking swings at pitches from a simulated pitching machine, as well as soft tosses from Rodríguez.

Rodríguez appears in the video cheering on Sheeran, whose swing connected with every pitch. “I’m surprised, though — I’m surprised,” says the athlete, who at the end of the video, exits the protective tent and shakes hands with Sheeran, who successfully hit all three balls.

The two connected during the artist’s tour stop in Seattle on Aug. 1, when the singer hung out with Rodríguez, who was still in the clubhouse after a Mariners win, according to an article on MLB.com. Following batting practice, J-Rod signed a baseball bat for Sheeran, who gifted the athlete suite tickets to his concert and promised to send him a custom guitar.

Sheeran’s Loop Tour kicked off Jan. 16 in Auckland, New Zealand, following the release of his eighth studio album, Play, in September 2025. The tour features arena performances in Australia and Latin America and is currently in North America.

Following its release, Play debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. The album’s Persian-infused lead single “Azizam” reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 while surging into the top 10 across several of Billboard’s radio airplay charts.

Beyoncé is full of surprises.

Several weeks after the release of “Morning Dew (Donk),” Bey surprise-releases the “Morning Dew (Donk)” Remix Pack, a four-pack with two cuts featuring the talents of her hubby, the hip-hop superstar Jay-Z.

The EP dropped in the small hours of Wednesday morning (Aug. 5), alerted to the Beyhive by way of a social post from Parkwood Entertainment.  

Written by Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, The-Dream and Darius Dixon, Beyonce announced “Morning Dew (Donk)” on the 4th of July weekend, an official release closing a chapter on demos leaked in recent years.

On the Remix Pack, Jay-Z — he’s listed as JAŸ-Z (with an umlaut over the “Y”) — jumps in with a fresh rhyme. “Top of the top, sloppy as a morning dew / the watch is vintage, I don’t need nothing new / coming through Malibu in the old school,” he raps. Jay’s vocals also appear on an “acoustic” version.

Beyonce returned to the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for the first time in three years as “Morning Dew (Donk)” bowed at No. 7 on the tally dated July 18. Meanwhile, “Morning Dew” started at No. 3 on Hot R&B Songs and No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her 61st top 40 title. 

The song was, reportedly, recorded back in 2013 around the Beyoncé album era; a snippet leaked in 2021 before a fuller version made its way online two years later, even sparking TikTok trends.

“Morning Dew” will appear on a 20th anniversary deluxe edition of Beyoncé’s sophomore album, B’Day. The set, released in September 2006, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and ignited the smash “Irreplaceable,” the 2007 year-end Hot 100 No. 1 single. Additional hits included “Beautiful Liar,” with Shakira (No. 3), “Deja Vu,” feat. Jay-Z (No. 4) and “Ring the Alarm” (No. 11).

“Morning Dew” will appear on a 20th anniversary deluxe edition of Beyoncé’s sophomore album, B’Day. The set, released in September 2006, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and sparked the smash “Irreplaceable,” the 2007 year-end Hot 100 No. 1 single. Additional hits included “Beautiful Liar,” with Shakira (No. 3), “Deja Vu,” feat. Jay-Z (No. 4) and “Ring the Alarm” (No. 11).

Stream the “Morning Dew (Donk)” Remix Pack below.

Simple Minds and Delta Goodrem brought some rock and pop star-power to the closing ceremony for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, presented Sunday, Aug. 2 in Glasgow, Scotland.  

Delta, the superstar Sydneysider, kept the Australian gold-rush flowing by performing her classic “Born To Try,” lifted from her 2003 smash debut album Innocent Eyes, and had the honors of welcoming the athletes into The OVO Hydro with a medley of her hits.

Delta belted out a batch of power ballads, including “Eclipse,” the song she performed at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, and fresh cut “Warrior.”

“Glasgow,” she writes on Instagram. “What a way to close the 2026 Commonwealth Games celebrating these incredible athletes, their strength, perseverance, heart. The unity that sports and music bring! A special moment singing Warrior for you all.”

To close it out, Goodrem teamed up with Scottish pop artist Cammy Barnes for a rendition of Australia’s unofficial national anthem, John Farnham’s “You’re the Voice.”

Goodrem has now completed a Commonwealth Games hattrick, after twice performing at the tournament in Australia — at Melbourne 2006 and Gold Coast 2018.

With her closing ceremony spot, Delta ensured her homeland continued its winning form. Australia topped the medals table with 70 gold, well ahead of England (29 gold) and Canada (19), respectively.

Delta is on something of a victory lap. Following her spot at Eurovision, where she finished fourth, she will begin her independent phase with Pure on Nov. 6, her first album release through a new deal struck with Universal Music via Better Now Records/Electrola. It’s the followup to Delta’s 2021 collection, Bridge Over Troubled Dreams (via Sony Music), her fifth leader on the ARIA Albums Chart.

Meanwhile, Glasgow’s finest, Simple Minds, wrapped-up the Commonwealth Games spectacular with a pair of songs from their mid-‘80s pomp, “Alive and Kicking” and “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill and Co. will celebrate their fifth decade in music with the V Tour, kicking off February 2027 with a run of headlining arena shows in Australia and New Zealand.

Sandi Thom, Shereen Cutkelvin, Elephan Sessions and Bemz also performed at the Closing Ceremony, which marked the official end of the 11-day quadrennial multi-sport event. For the record, the home nation punched well above its weight during the official competition, winning 13 gold for fifth spot on the medals tally, ahead of New Zealand, Nigeria and Jamaica, respectively.

The Commonwealth Games spotlights athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which includes England and more than 70 former “British Empire” territories across the world.