Fashion, music and sports collide so naturally, it’s a connection that never needed to be forced. So when the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Coco Gauff at Bose’s Racket Club at Kith Ivy in New York presented itself, just ahead of her quest for a second US Open title, I jumped at the chance.
Coco Gauff is one of the best young tennis players in the world, and arguably one of the most important young athletes of her generation — but there’s something bigger happening around her. Tennis has always been about performance, like any other sport, but today’s athletes exist in a world where what they wear, what they listen to and how they show up in the cultural landscape can be just as influential as what happens between the lines.
And of course Gauff understands that. The 22-year-old tennis star returned to New York City with success on her mind.
If you’re currently breathing in the Big Apple, you surely know it’s US Open season. The city changes when the tournament arrives: The streets get busier, the tennis fans get louder and Arthur Ashe Stadium becomes one of the biggest stages in sports and culture.
If you’ve being following Gauff, you’d know that the US Open stage has already delivered one of the defining moments of her career. In 2023, she won the Cincinnati title before heading to New York and capturing her first Grand Slam title at the US Open. Three years later, she finds herself in a familiar position after once again winning Cincinnati, defeating Karolína Muchová in the final.
So I had to ask: Does being back in this position bring back any memories?
“I think it’s a completely different chapter just because that feels like a while ago,” Gauff tells me. “So I just feel like a new person, a different person since then.”
Coco is not the same player. She’s not the same person.
There’s something about New York that brings out a different energy in people. As a New Yorker, I may be biased, but it’s an unspoken fact that this city has a way of pulling something out of you. It’s fashionable. It’s loud. It’s unapologetic. And everyone here is somebody. When the city gets behind you, you feel it. Gauff definitely does.
“What is it about playing the US Open in New York that brings out a different version of Coco?” I ask her.
“I think just the crowd,” she says. “They go full force for me. I love them, they love me and I think we just have a great relationship here in New York.”
Gauff at the US Open is different because the city is different. In my view she isn’t simply playing in New York. She’s playing with New York. And she had that New York fire in here when she opened her tournament the previous night with a straight-sets victory over Zeynep Sonmez at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Gauff came out serving huge from the start, firing aces and ultimately securing a 6-3, 6-4 win.
It was exactly the kind of start she needed. Over the past year, Gauff has made changes to her team and her game, working with biomechanic coach Gavin MacMillan as she continues to address areas of concern.
“You’ve talked about how much your game has evolved over the past year — what’s one part of your game that you think people watching you at the US Open might notice is different?” I ask her.
Her simple answer: “I changed my serve, and it’s been more consistent and much better… I’m also trying to come to the net a little bit more.”
Small adjustments — and at the highest level of tennis these small adjustments 100% change a match. And her win on Tuesday night makes it very clear.
Winning is obviously the goal for any athlete. The pressure that comes with constantly chasing another victory makes it easy to forget that you may be an athlete, but you’re still a person after the match ends. Gauff learned that lesson during last year’s US Open. I ask her what she’s learned about yourself from that experience that she’s bringing with her into this year’s tournament.
“I feel like that was probably one of my worst tournaments,” she answers. “Not even performance-wise, because I made it decently far — but probably one of my worst in terms of how I felt on the court.”
For Gauff, the difficult part wasn’t the game itself. It was how she felt while competing on and off the court. But once the tournament came to an end, she gained some perspective.
“After it was over, I was still able to realize that my life was the same,” she says. “I still had my family and friends.”
That realization became its own kind of victory. “So I think that was a good learning experience,” she continues, “knowing that when I’m not feeling great on the court, I still have so many things in my life that can uplift me.”
Music is such a strong driving force. It boosts your confidence, determination and calms you down. And regardless of age, race, gender, religion or occupation, music is one of the few things capable of connecting us all.
Coco Gauff understands that as well as anyone. She’s previously talked about how important music is to her pre-match routine. She uses music to drive real outcomes on the tennis court, and chooses which artist or music genre to play beforehand based on the type of player she wants to be for the session. But what people fail to realize is how much the playlist can change depending on where she’s playing.
I ask her what happens to her music when she’s preparing to play in New York.
“Honestly, I think in New York sometimes I try to play more calm or chill music before a match — which is not always the case,” she replies — an answer that honestly surprises me.
“I usually like to play rap or something really upbeat,” she continues. “I feel like there’s so much energy here in New York that sometimes I just need to chill and bring my calmness up.”
That’s the New York effect at work again. Coco gets so much energy here that she has to completely alter her music choice.
“I know when I step on the court, the crowd is gonna be full 100,” she offers. “Where I feel like in other places, maybe the crowd isn’t as loud, so sometimes I feel like I need to pump myself up.”
Music is part of Coco as an athlete, it’s not background noise, it’s part of the preparation, part of her mindset.
With only a few minutes to spare I asked Gauff to give me five songs from her ultimate US Open pregame playlist. Here’s what Coco Gauff is listening to before she takes the court in New York.
When Sombr returns to Australia and New Zealand next year, he’ll play the biggest arenas in both markets.
The U.S. pop phenom will visit five cities on the domestic leg of his You Are The Reason Tour, all of them locked away for April 2027.
Frontier Touring is producing the trek, which gets underway April 13 at Adelaide’s AEC Arena, followed by Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena (April 15), Brisbane Entertainment Centre (April 19), Sydney’s Afterpay Arena (April 22) and coming to a halt April 27 at Auckland’s Spark Arena.
Sombr was last in these parts in December 2025 when he played a sold-out run of theaters and impressed at the 2025 edition of Spilt Milk festival.
Now aged 21, Sombr’s debut album I Barely Know Her opened at No. 6 on the ARIA Chart in August 2025, and almost immediately climbed into the top 5. Also last year, the New Yorker bagged three top 20 on Australia’s national singles chart: “Undressed” (which peaked at No. 2), “Back To Friends” (No. 3) and “12 To 12” (No. 6). His 2026 release “Homewrecker” went to No. 6.
Sombr has been hot stuff in his homeland, too. Last year, he confirmed his status has one to watch thanks to his breakout singles “Undressed” and “Back to Friends,” which launched him to the top of the Hot 100 Songwriters ranking for a month-long stretch. His debut album I Barely Know Her peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 last September, and “Homewrecker” and 2026 release “Potential” both charted on the Billboard Hot 100.
Tickets for the ANZ tour go on sale from 12pm local time on Tuesday, Sept. 8. For tickets and tour information visit frontiertouring.com/sombr.
Sombr’s 2027 “You Are The Reason Tour” of Australia and New Zealand:
Tuesday, April 13 — AEC Arena, Adelaide, SA
ticketek.com.au
Thursday, April 15 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, VIC
axs.com/au
Monday, April 19 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, QLD
ticketek.com.au
Thursday April 22 — Afterpay Arena, Sydney, NSW
ticketek.com.au
Tuesday April 27 — Spark Arena, Auckland, NZ
ticketmaster.co.nz
George Michael has left us, but the British pop star and his music will never be forgotten.
A newly restored concert film which captures Michael as the peak of his considerable powers in the late 1980s promises to remind fans of the late WHAM singer, and introduce newcomers to his talents.
George Michael: The Faith Tour, a previously unseen film documenting the singer’s landmark 1988 tour, is due out in cinemas from Nov. 6, through a partnership with George Michael Entertainment, Mercury Studios and Sony Music Entertainment. That film now has an official trailer and a poster, both of which can be seen in full below.
In the new, 100-second clip, Michael performs snippets of his WHAM-era release “Careless Whisper,” and solo cuts “Father Figure” and “Faith.”
“I guess what ‘Faith’ meant to me was,” he remarks in the clip, “life to me was still going to deliver.”
Announced in March, the film was shot during the 1988 European leg of Michael’s Faith Tour at Paris’ Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, and studies the artist at the crossroads of his career, just two years after WHAM! officially split and filmed soon after release of his solo debut LP Faith.
Longtime collaborators Andy Morahan and David Austin direct, using footage, restored and remastered from a 14-camera shoot on 35mm film across two nights. According to producers, an original short film by Mary McCartney opens the feature, using newly discovered audio and imagery from 1986–1988, the timeframe during which he wrote and performed Faith.
As previously reported, an accompanying live album titled The Faith Tour will be released globally through Sony Music. The 18-track set will feature previously unreleased performances recorded during the world tour and include material spanning Michael’s solo catalogue as well as songs from his earlier work with Wham!.
Michael’s 1987 album Faith is one of the defining pop music releases of its era, earning the Grammy Award for album of the year and yielding four No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “Faith,” “Father Figure,” “One More Try” and “Monkey.” Michael remains the only British male solo artist to land four Hot 100 chart-toppers from a single album.
The pop superstar died on Christmas Day 2016, at the age of 53, and was posthumously inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.
In the same year as his Rock Hall nod, Netflix released the original documentary WHAM!. The story of those groundbreaking concerts in China was retold in the 1986 film Wham! in China: Foreign Skies. A separate documentary, WHAM! 10 Days In China, arrived in July, and premiered last month on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
Universal Pictures Content Group and Bleecker Street’s event cinema division Crosswalk recently announced the acquisition of international and North American rights to George Michael: The Faith Tour.
Watch the official trailer below.
Adéla is on the rise, and her anticipated debut album PRIMA might send her straight to the top.
Before launching her solo career, the Slovakian singer/songwriter first came to the attention of many music fans as a contestant on The Debut: Dream Academy, the HYBE x Geffen competition series that ultimately formed the global girl group KATSEYE. Though her time in the competition was brief, her presence in pop music continued to grow in the aftermath. She gained further visibility through Netflix’s Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, which documented the yearslong process behind the group’s formation.
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After steadily building her solo career with a string of bold pop releases, Adéla is preparing to introduce listeners to her debut album, out Friday. The project is expected to be an extension of the artist Adéla is becoming, who has been carving out an identity that is entirely her own — one built on sharp-edged pop, unapologetic lyrics and a willingness to turn the messier parts of young womanhood into music.
For those who have only recently discovered Adéla, however, PRIMA is a perfect excuse to look back at (or discover for the first time) the songs that brought her to this moment. Her catalog may still be relatively compact, but it already showcases an artist who is unafraid to experiment with different sides of her personality. From glossy, attitude-filled pop anthems to more personal moments of reflection, Adéla has spent her early releases establishing the foundation for what is set to become her first full-length statement.
That journey has also brought her to an increasingly wider audience. As anticipation builds for PRIMA, fans have gotten to know Adéla through songs that demonstrate her confidence, ambition and occasionally chaotic sense of humor — qualities that have helped distinguish her in a bit of a crowded pop space.
Before PRIMA officially drops, Billboard is taking a look back at six songs worth revisiting, or simply discovering for the first time. Whether you’re a longtime fan who has been following Adéla since her earliest solo releases or a newcomer curious about the artist behind her growing buzz, these tracks offer a glimpse at the musical path that led to her debut album.
The third annual Find Your Light Benefit Concert for Arts Education featuring Josh Groban and Friends will take place on Monday, Oct. 19, in the Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Hosted by Groban, the concert will honor trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis and The Oliver Sacks Foundation.
The event will feature performances and appearances by Groban, Marsalis, Stephen Colbert, Louis Cato, Betsy Wolfe, Lorna Courtney, *NSYNC’s Joey Fatone and more.
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“At a time when access to the arts is more important than ever, I’m honored to once again host the Find Your Light Benefit Concert in support of arts education,” Groban said in a statement. “Every year, I’m inspired by the incredible organizations and educators across the country who work tirelessly to make sure young people have the opportunity to discover their creativity, build confidence, and experience the transformative power of the arts. This special evening is about coming together to celebrate their work and raise the vital funds needed to keep these programs thriving.”
This year alone, the Find Your Light Foundation has awarded over $1.5 million to 257 nonprofit organizations in 40 states, ensuring access to high-quality arts education for over 600,000 K-12 youth.
On being honored with the Find Your Light Award, Marsalis said, “I have followed the excellent work that Josh and his family have devoted themselves to for two decades with their Find Your Light Foundation. The foundation’s mission is life-affirming, healing, and vital. Every young person deserves the opportunity to discover the transformative power of music and the arts.”
On being honored with the Arts for Healing Award, executive director Kate Edger stated, “The Oliver Sacks Foundation is delighted to accept this award acknowledging Dr. Sacks’s work and legacy in bringing the powers of music to public awareness.”
Tickets to the benefit concert range from $125 to $500 and will be available through the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office beginning Wednesday, Sept. 2. A gala VIP reception will precede the concert in the Ertegun Ballroom at JALC for sponsors and patrons. To purchase tickets, go here.
Lizzo has spoken out after one of the lawsuits against her was dismissed by a federal judge on Tuesday (Sept. 1).
In a video posted to Instagram shortly after the ruling, the hitmaker stood in front of the camera without speaking, looking thoughtful. In text layered over the clip, she wrote, “Today I am relieved to announce that I have won the case against me and my touring company Big Grrrl Touring.”
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“All the ridiculous claims by a wardrobe assistant who worked on tour for less than 3 weeks (including a claim they broke an acrylic nail) have been dismissed,” she continued. “It was all so shocking because I was being sued by someone who admittedly never met me. I prayed for the truth to come out and thanks to my incredible lawyers, the truth has prevailed.”
The Grammy winner added, “The truth matters more to me than anything, and I told y’all I will continue to fight every vicious claim that has been made against me and my businesses.”
Lizzo’s post refers to the case brought against her by Asha Daniels, who sued her in 2023 over claims of alleged sexual harassment as well as racial, gender and disability discrimination, which the Yitty founder consistently, vehemently denied. Lizzo herself was dismissed from the case in 2024, and the new ruling means that Big Grrrl Touring is off the hook as well.
“In our view, the ruling appears to minimize evidence of a sexually charged work environment by assessing incidents too narrowly … rather than considering their cumulative impact,” Ron Zambrano, lead counsel for Daniels, said in a statement shared with Billboard. “We respectfully disagree with the Court’s approach and are considering appropriate next steps.”
The musician is still in the midst of fighting another sexual harassment and toxic workplace lawsuit levied against her by three former backup dancers, which Lizzo’s attorneys have denied as “fabricated sob story” launched by “opportunists” seeking “a quick payday.”
See Lizzo’s video below.
Ariana Grande is falling for Ricky Alvarez all over again. The pop star made another heartfelt tweak to her “Thank U, Next” lyrics while performing in London at the final Eternal Sunshine Tour show on Tuesday (Sept. 1).
“Wrote some songs about Ricky/ I’m tryna make him my last,” she sings on the latest version, further fueling rumors that Ari and her ex are head over heels for one another.
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Grande has kept fans updated about her love life and rekindled romance with Alvarez through lyric changes throughout the trek.
“Wrote some songs about Ricky/ We always find our way back,” she sang during a July 13 show in Brooklyn, which marked a stark pivot from the original, “Wrote some songs about Ricky/ Now I listen and laugh.”
The Grammy-winning singer has all but confirmed she’s back together with Alvarez. In August, Grande posted several selfie photos cuddled up with her former backup dancer on IG, which Arianators essentially took as the couple being “Instagram Official.”
Ari and Ricky Alvarez dated from 2015 to 2016 for about a year, after meeting and working together on Grande’s Honeymoon Tour.
“Thank U, Next” served as the lead single of Grande’s album of the same name and launched atop the Billboard Hot 100 in November 2018.
The 33-year-old wrapped up her Eternal Sunshine Tour in London with a 10th O2 Arena show on Tuesday, which featured the live debut of petal‘s “Nowhere, Nobody.” Grande was emotional when calling the tour “one of the most extraordinary and beautiful experiences” of her life while on stage.
Ariana Grande returned with her eighth studio album, petal, in July, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 295,000 total album-equivalent units earned.
Zara Larsson is giving Olivia Rodrigo her flowers following the inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival.
The Swedish pop star took to her Instagram Story on Monday to praise Rodrigo for her work on the newly launched festival, which took place over the weekend at Great Park in Irvine, California.
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“So in awe of this young woman,” Larsson wrote. “What an amazing person! I’m such a fan of everything she is and stands for. Inspiring! Fantastic! A brilliant talent with a beautiful heart! Olivia, the world LOVES you.”
Larsson’s message comes after Rodrigo wrapped the first-ever Daisy Chain Fields, a woman-led music festival that brought together artists including Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, Sarah McLachlan and Stevie Nicks. The event was designed to celebrate women in music while supporting organizations that advocate for women and girls.
The festival also made a major philanthropic impact. Rodrigo announced onstage alongside Melinda French Gates that $20 million would be donated to 10 nonprofit organizations, with Gates pledging an additional $10 million to match the amount already being contributed.
Daisy Chain Fields is another milestone that Rodrigo has achieved during a substantial year. The singer recently earned her third straight No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, while she continues to make noise with major chart success and other career endeavors.
For her part, Larsson’s “Midnight Sun” climbed to No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart in June, marking her second leader on the list, a week after her and PinkPantheress’ “Stateside” reached the top spot. She became the first artist ever to post two initial No. 1s in consecutive weeks, dating to the chart’s October 1992 start.
During load-out after Ed Sheeran‘s recent concert in Detroit, six workers were rushed to the hospital after suffering injuries in an incident that is now being investigated.
According to the Detroit Free Press, The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed Monday (Aug. 31) that it was looking into what had happened two days prior in and around the Ford Field vehicle tunnel, where the injured crew members were reportedly hit by falling pieces of equipment.
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In a statement shared with Billboard, the city’s fire department explained that first responders had indeed “responded to a report of an accident” at the venue late at night to provide “triage support due to multiple injuries.”
“Six adults were transported to the hospital,” it continued. “Two were taken by Superior Ambulance, who were already on site, staffing the event. Four were transported by Detroit EMS. Of those transported, no injuries appear to be life-threatening. At the time of transport, two patients were in serious condition and four were in stable condition.”
Billboard has also reached out to reps for Sheeran, who has not publicly commented on the incident.
Ford Field thanked the fire department and EMS “for their rapid response” in a statement and added, “Out of respect for the people involved and the integrity of that review, we will not speculate on the cause.”
Sheeran played in Detroit on Aug. 29 as part of his ongoing Loop Tour. The trek first kicked off in January and is set to wrap in November following several more United States dates and a Latin American stretch.
The British pop star’s most recent full-length, Play, dropped in September last year, debuting at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the U.K. albums chart.
Fallen Angel, JENNIE‘s latest solo release, tops this week’s new music poll.
Listeners voted in a poll published Friday (Aug. 28) on Billboard, choosing the BLACKPINK star’s new EP as their favorite new music.
Fallen Angel rose above a number of new releases this week — from music acts including Olivia Rodrigo, Ky-Mani Marley, Alex Warren, Alabama Shakes and more. At the poll’s closing time on Sunday, JENNIE’s new EP came out on top with more than 82% of the vote.
Fallen Angel is JENNIE’s first solo collection since last year’s full-length solo debut (Ruby). Led by the single “Less Than a Lover,” the EP arrives via ODDATELIER and Columbia Records.
The Fallen Angel rollout continued Friday (Aug. 28) with the acoustic-pop leaning “Fallen Angel” (alongside a dark and dreamy music video, seen above). “Less Than a Lover” and “Fallen Angel” were released as a digital EP with a third new song, “Heaven,” on streaming services the same day.
The title track has JENNIE singing, “Hey, can’t you stay?/ Don’t leave a fallen angel out here on her own/ Find a place/ Wherever we land is where we turn into a home.”
There’s more to come from Fallen Angel.
A physical CD release, which can be preordered from JENNIE’s webstore, features three additional new songs that are not available on streaming: “Sweettooth,” “Lockitdown” and “Face” round out the tracklist, making it a six-song EP. CD orders are currently expected to ship on Oct. 30.
Trailing behind Fallen Angel on Billboard‘s poll this week are Olivia Rodrigo’s “Serena Joy,” Ky-Mani Marley’s Love and Energy, Alex Warren’s WILDCHILD and Alabama Shakes’ I Must Be Dreaming.
See the final results of this week’s poll below.
