What was the last song performed during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Halftime Show? It was the live premiere of “We Dance,” an original song penned by Coldplay for the mid-game, 11-minute live music medley during the Spain vs. Argentina match that also featured performances from Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber, Shakira with Burna Boy and more.

The World Cup field at New York New Jersey Stadium (otherwise known as MetLife Stadium) in East Rutherford, N.J., was abuzz with energy by the final number of Sunday’s (July 19) halftime show, and filled with quite a sweeping ensemble of performers.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin, curator of the first-ever World Cup halftime event, led his band’s new tune “We Dance” surrounded by children — the PS22 Chorus — and with special appearances from The Muppets (who’d also popped in earlier, during a symphony performance of “Seven Nation Army”) and Emmanuel Kelly. Shakira, who’d just sang the official World Cup song “Dai Dai” with Burna Boy, also joined in on the fun, as did her fellow halftime show headliners.

Large screen displays encouraged the audience to visit believeinlove.org, a new initiative launched by Global Citizen today to inspire people all over the world to participate in small acts of love to help “defeat poverty and defend the planet.”

Officially titled the FIFA World Cup 2026 Topps Final Halftime Show, the game’s halftime entertainment featured more than 350 performers all together. The music event was created as part of a partnership between FIFA and Global Citizen, produced by Global Citizen with Live Nation and Done + Dusted, and aimed to improve access to football and education for children through the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. The fund has to date surpassed $60 million raised for children’s education worldwide.

Watch the full 2026 FIFA World Cup Final Halftime show, uploaded to YouTube by FOX after the network broadcast the performances, below.

BTS brought their explosive energy to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final halftime show on Sunday (July 19) for a dynamic performance of their 2020 smash hit “Dynamite.”

As the second halftime headliners at New York New Jersey Stadium (the rebranded MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey), BTS hit the pitch wearing coordinated red, white and black outfits. It wasn’t announced ahead of time what the South Korean septet would perform, and they went with their very first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Dynamite,” which spent three weeks at No. 1 in 2020; it made sense to go with their first U.S. No. 1 as they performed on a global stage in the American stadium.

BTS hit the field after Madonna and were followed by Justin Bieber and then finally Shakira (featuring Burna Boy) for their Global 200-topping 2026 World Cup anthem “Dai Dai.” All four headliners returned to the field for “We Dance,” an original song written by Coldplay for the show and performed by the Chris Martin-led band with New York’s PS22 Chorus and the Muppets.

Produced by Global Citizen and curated by Martin, the halftime show also included conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the New York Philharmonic and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, Bijan Mortazavi and Emmanuel Kelly, as well as surprise appearances by soccer superstars Ronaldo and Ronaldinho and Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt as Ted Lasso and Coach Beard.

“We set out with a bold ambition: to bring together the world’s greatest artists for what would be the most-watched halftime show in history,” said Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO of Global Citizen. “I hope audiences around the world were massively entertained and inspired, and I hope they felt the message of unity and love at its core. Above all else, I hope millions of kids around the world receive access to education for years to come. I look forward to meeting a young person years from now whose life was transformed because the world came together to invest in the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.”

As of Sunday, the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund has surpassed $60 million raised for children’s education worldwide.

BTS are currently on their ARIRANG World Tour, which resumes next month at the very stadium they played Sunday night, Aug. 1 and 2 at MetLife Stadium.

James “Jim” Gilstrap, the sonorous tenor heard on classics such as Stevie Wonder’s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and as the co-lead on the television series theme song Good Times, has died. Gilstrap passed away of natural causes in Los Angeles on July 18. He was 79 years old.

In a career that spanned more than five decades, Gilstrap crafted a sterling reputation as one of the music industry’s most versatile and in-demand session vocalists. He also charted a pair of R&B hits as a solo artist in 1975: “Swing Your Daddy” (No. 10 in the U.S.; No. 4 in the U.K.) and “I’m on Fire” (No. 20) — both featured on his Chelsea Records debut studio album, Swing Your Daddy. A year later, Gilstrap released a second studio album, Love Talk.

“To the world, Jim Gilstrap was a legendary voice. To us, he was simply Uncle James — a beloved husband, uncle, mentor and friend,” begins a statement emailed to Billboard by Gilstrap’s nephew and the family’s spokesperson, Geoffrey “Geoff Gil” Gilstrap.

The statement continues in part, “No matter how far his incredible talent took him, he never forgot his roots, his family or the values that shaped him. As kids, all of us nieces and nephews proudly bragged to classmates that our Uncle Jim was the voice behind the ‘temporary layoffs’ line from Good Times. Then we’d remind them that he also sang on ‘You Are the Sunshine of My Life.’”

Born Nov. 10, 1946 in Texas, Gilstrap — following a stint in the military and work with other early music groups — became a featured vocalist with Stevie Wonder’s backing band and vocal group Wonderlove in the early ‘70s. It’s Gilstrap singing the opening lines on the Grammy Award-winning “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” from the Talking Book album. Gilstrap also worked on other seminal Wonder albums during this fertile chapter that legend’s career including Innervisions and Fulfillingness’ First Finale.

In addition to his aforementioned solo foray and contribution to the Good Times theme song in 1974, Gilstrap lent his virtuoso tenor to host of projects by a diverse array of stars. Among them: Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Bill Withers, Luther Vandross, Kenny Loggins, Dolly Parton, Stanley Clarke and Boz Scaggs.

“Beyond the music, we’ll remember Jim’s kindness, humility, humor, generosity and, of course, his homemade sweet potato pies that brought our family together. As we celebrate Uncle Jim’s remarkable life, we can’t help but thank God for those ‘Good Times’ … and how lucky we were to have him,” says Gilstrap’s nephew Geoff Gil.

The last surviving member of 10 siblings, Gilstrap is survived by his wife Gloria as well as children and grandchildren. Memorial arrangements are pending.

Poppy’s Upheaval Festival appearance did not go ahead as planned Friday night (July 17), after wildfire smoke created hazardous air quality conditions at the Grand Rapids, Mich., event.

The singer was scheduled to perform ahead of Gojira at the rock and metal festival, but her band ultimately played without her, delivering an instrumental set while wearing respirator masks beneath their usual stage masks.

Poppy later addressed her absence on Instagram Stories, explaining that conditions around the time of her performance had become unsafe.

“Due to ‘hazardous’ AQI reaching 350+ around our set time I was unable to join my band on stage,” she wrote. “I was unable to breathe in those conditions.”

“You might’ve noticed our set was instrumental only,” she continued. “For those who braved the conditions — I applaud you.”

Under the U.S. Air Quality Index, readings above 300 are classified as hazardous, the most severe category on the scale. AirNow, the EPA’s air quality resource, describes that range as a “health warning of emergency conditions,” with everyone more likely to be affected.

Upheaval organizers had told attendees before doors opened that the festival would proceed while officials continued monitoring the air quality situation.

“Your safety is our number one concern,” the festival said in a pre-event weather update, encouraging fans to pace themselves and look out for one another. Organizers also said at the time that available information suggested air quality would improve throughout the day.

Michigan was under a statewide air quality alert on Friday and Saturday due to elevated levels of fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke. The West Michigan Clean Air Coalition forecast hazardous conditions in parts of the state and very unhealthy conditions across the Lower Peninsula on Friday.

The Upheaval interruption marks the second time this festival season that severe conditions have disrupted one of Poppy’s sets. In May, her performance at Welcome to Rockville in Daytona Beach, Fla., was cut short less than a minute in after severe weather and lightning protocols were activated.

Poppy’s latest live interruption comes amid a strong run on Billboard’s rock charts. “End of You,” her collaboration with Evanescence’s Amy Lee and Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart dated Sept. 20, 2025.

The track later made history on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, where Poppy, Lee and LaPlante became the first three women or women-led acts to top the ranking together.

Poppy released her seventh studio album, Empty Hands, in January via Sumerian Records. The album followed 2024’s Negative Spaces and continued her recent run through heavy, industrial and alternative sounds, with production from Jordan Fish and Stephen Harrison.

Jennifer Finch, the bassist, vocalist and songwriter whose ferocious presence helped power L7 through the ’90s alternative-rock boom, has died. She was 59.

Finch died following an aggressive form of brain cancer, according to a statement announcing her death.

L7 paid tribute to Finch in a statement, writing, “We are shattered by the loss of our beloved bandmate, sister and friend Jennifer Finch, whose fierce spirit, humor and boundless creativity helped shape L7 and changed all of our lives forever.”

“Jennifer was a true original who lived entirely on her own terms, and the impact she made on music, art and everyone lucky enough to know her cannot be measured,” the band continued. “We love her beyond words and will carry her with us always. Rest in power our dear friend.”

The statement was signed, “With Love, L7.”

Finch’s death comes shortly after L7 shared that she had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer and would be unable to join the band’s upcoming farewell tour. The band said at the time that she required extensive medical care, rehabilitation and professional in-home support following multiple surgeries and serious complications.

Finch was a core member of L7’s classic lineup, anchoring the band’s guitar-heavy attack with a bass style that was blunt, melodic and built for maximum impact.

Alongside Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner and Dee Plakas, she helped define L7’s place at the intersection of punk, metal, grunge and alternative rock, where the band’s distortion-heavy songs carried sharp humor and political bite.

Formed in Los Angeles in 1985, L7 broke through during the alternative boom of the early ’90s, becoming known for songs including “Pretend We’re Dead,” “Shove,” “Andres” and “Fuel My Fire.” Their 1992 album, Bricks Are Heavy, produced by Butch Vig, became a cornerstone release for the band, pairing sludgy riffs and shout-along hooks with a restless, anti-gloss spirit.

Finch’s work with L7 was part of a broader creative life that extended beyond the stage. She was also a photographer, writer and visual artist, building a multidisciplinary practice that reflected the same raw, self-directed spirit she brought to music.

The statement announcing her death also acknowledged “the extraordinary outpouring of love and support” shown to Finch and those caring for her, adding that it had “meant more than words can express.”

Noah Kahan’s concert at Citi Field in Queens, New York, was canceled shortly before doors Saturday night (July 18). The final call was made after the stadium’s team spent the afternoon monitoring weather patterns in the New York City area, and after issuing an initial plan earlier in the evening to proceed with the show with no opening act and an adjusted set time for Kahan.

“The show tonight at Citi Field has been canceled due to inclement weather. This was a very difficult decision to make, but the first priority is always to keep everyone safe,” the venue’s latest update said on Saturday. Rain showers and thunderstorms, with the possibility of damaging wind gusts and flash flooding, were expected into the night.

“Exhausted every option to make this happen.. love you guys,” Kahan wrote in an Instagram Story, where he shared the news.

No makeup date was announced for Kahan’s July 18 concert, which was meant to be night one of a two-night stand at Citi Field. The Great Divide singer-songwriter remains on the venue’s schedule for Sunday (July 19).

Citi Field provided details on ticket refunds for the scrapped July 18 gig: “For ticket holders: Refunds are available from point of purchase. If you purchased from Ticketmaster, you will be automatically refunded. Thank you for understanding.”

The duo’s Journey of a Lifetime Tour continues in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 24.

Martin Garrix gave fans a surprise during his Tomorrowland set.

The Dutch DJ debuted his new collaboration with U2, “Fireflies,” during his headlining performance Friday (July 17) at the festival in Boom, Belgium.

For the debut, U2 guitarist The Edge joined Garrix onstage to perform the previously unheard track, while Bono‘s vocals played as part of the song.

Garrix closed out Tomorrowland’s opening day with the main stage headline set at De Schorre.

For the final song of the night, The Edge added his signature guitar work to “Fireflies,” marking the song’s live debut before its official release.

“Fireflies with @u2 out soon.. premiered at @tomorrowland,” Garrix wrote on Instagram alongside a clip of the performance.

The upcoming single is now available to pre-save on Spotify and Apple Music.

Garrix and U2 are no strangers to collaborating. They previously joined forces on “We Are the People,” the official song of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, which reached No. 12 on Billboard‘s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in May 2021.

Garrix also produced U2’s “Your Song Saved My Life” for the Sing 2 soundtrack, while Bono co-wrote several Garrix songs, including “Angels for Each Other,” “Catherina” and “Weightless.”

It was unclear at press time whether “Fireflies” will appear on an upcoming studio albums from Garrix or U2.

U2 recently released “Street of Dreams,” the soaring lead single from the band’s as-yet-untitled next studio album, its first since 2017’s Songs of Experience. Due later this year, the album features “Street of Dreams,” produced by frequent collaborator Jacknife Lee.

It arrives after U2 released the surprise six-song Easter Lily EP in April, just two months after the band’s Days of Ash EP was released in February.

Check out Garrix’s Instagram post below.

BTS is adding another milestone to its Spotify legacy.

On Friday (July 17), Spotify announced that the superstar group’s “NORMAL” set the record for the most-streamed K-pop music video in a single day in the platform’s history.

The streaming service revealed the achievement on its official Instagram and X accounts.

The music video for “NORMAL” was released Friday and is available exclusively on Spotify for its first 48 hours.

Directed by Ukrainian filmmaker Tanu Muino, the wintry visual premiered at midnight, offering a glimpse of BTS beyond the spotlight as Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook unwind in an ornate mansion and embrace life’s simple moments together.

To watch BTS’ “NORMAL” music video, Premium subscribers in beta markets can open Spotify on their TV, desktop, iOS or Android device, search for “NORMAL” by BTS, press play and tap “Switch to video.”

“NORMAL” appears on BTS’ fifth studio album, ARIRANG, and serves as the project’s second single following “SWIM.” Interscope/Capitol Records will begin promoting “NORMAL” to pop radio during the week of July 27.

“SWIM” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April, while ARIRANG opened atop the Billboard 200. The achievements marked the superstar septet’s seventh No. 1 on each chart.

Following its March 20 release, ARIRANG became the most-streamed K-pop album in Spotify history.

BTS’ ARIRANG world tour continues with a two-night run at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, on July 17-18 before the group heads to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on July 19 to co-headline the inaugural FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show alongside Justin Bieber, Madonna and Shakira.

Fans will have the chance to say goodbye to Bonnie Tyler in Wales next month, with funeral arrangements announced for the late singer.

A celebration of life service for Tyler will be held at Swansea Minster, St. Mary’s Church, on Monday, Aug. 17, at noon BST, according to a funeral notice shared by William Pressdee Funeralcare on behalf of her family.

Two days earlier, on Saturday, Aug. 15, Tyler’s coffin will be brought back to her home in Mumbles at 3:30 p.m. BST. Members of the public have been invited to line Newton Road from 3:15 p.m. BST to pay their respects as the procession passes through.

Following the Swansea service, Tyler will make a final journey through Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, the village where she grew up before her unmistakable voice carried her from local club stages to international fame. The procession is expected to travel through Skewen at approximately 1:20 p.m. BST before a private family service.

Tyler, born Gaynor Hopkins, died July 8 at age 75 in a hospital in Portugal, where she had been receiving treatment for an ongoing illness. In a statement previously shared on her official website, her family said she “unexpectedly passed away” as a result of the illness for which she was being treated.

The funeral notice remembered Tyler as “a warm, generous artist whose music touched generations and continues to fill dance floors and karaoke booths around the world.”

“Her legacy lives on in the timeless songs that made her a legend,” the notice added.

That legacy is closely tied to one of the most recognizable voices in pop-rock: a smoky, weathered rasp that gave “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” “It’s a Heartache” and “Holding Out for a Hero” their dramatic force. Tyler’s songs became staples not only of radio and concert stages, but of karaoke nights, dance floors, film soundtracks and decades of pop culture singalongs.

Her signature hit, “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in 1983. Written and produced by Jim Steinman, the power ballad appeared on Tyler’s fifth studio album, Faster Than the Speed of Night, and became one of the defining pop-rock recordings of the decade.

Tyler also found lasting success with “It’s a Heartache” and “Holding Out for a Hero,” the latter of which appeared on the Footloose soundtrack and became one of her most enduring anthems.

Across a career spanning more than five decades, Tyler released 18 studio albums, represented the United Kingdom at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest with “Believe in Me,” and was made an MBE in 2023 for services to music.

Her family has requested family flowers only. Those wishing to honor Tyler’s memory have been asked to donate to Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales and Cerebral Palsy Cymru, two charities for which she served as patron.

Rick Ross stopped by The Joe Budden Podcast recently for a Patreron exclusive episode released today, and was asked by Budden why he and Drake don’t tell the public that their supposed friendship and working relationship was a “facade” this entire time. “Why y’all don’t ever say, ‘Yo, all that brotherhood S—t that we was showing y’all in the videos, and how we was carrying it, and it was collabs every summer, it was all a facade,” Budden questioned.

Ross pushed back and denied that his relationship with Drake wasn’t real and suggested that sometimes friendships fizzle out for one reason or another. “No, no, don’t get it f—ked up. Nothing about that was fake,” the Miami rapper replied. “If a n—a f—k with you, a n—a f—k with you,” he continued. “If it’s something that go left, that’s when it go left. It can go left right now on this podcast. It wasn’t fake. Before that, n—as showing love.” Budden countered by suggesting that their falling out doesn’t make sense, telling Ross, “But when we hear what happened, it don’t connect.”

Rozay further explained that sometimes things just happen that way. “Some things are not to be looking for the connection,” he replied before bringing up Budden’s own notorious falling out with former co-hosts Rory Farrell and Jamil “Mal” Clay. “That’s like me looking for the connection between the last weird n—as you used to do the podcast with. You loved them n—as, didn’t you? That’s business. You moved on. That’s what you got to do as a boss. You wish all them n—as the best if it ain’t no real pressure. Continue to do you, keep winning. But once it go left, it go left.”

Rick Ross dropped his 12th solo album Set in Stone today (July 17) and is in the middle of his Port of Miami 20th Anniversary Tour. Billboard went down to South Florida to check out the tour’s opening night. You can check that out below.